About the Song

Background

  • Written By: Sonny Throckmorton, a prolific country music songwriter.
  • Released: 1977, on Jerry Lee Lewis’s album “Country Memories”.
  • Success: The song reached #4 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It solidified Lewis’s transition into country music, where he’d maintain success for years to come.

Themes

  • Midlife Crisis: The song is a classic exploration of the midlife crisis phenomenon. It captures the restlessness, dissatisfaction, and attempts to recapture lost youth that can plague people when they hit middle age.
  • Humor and Self-Awareness: While tackling a potentially heavy topic, the song maintains a lighthearted and humorous tone. There’s a sense of self-awareness that prevents it from becoming overly angsty.
  • Marital Strain: The lyrics reveal the strain that a midlife crisis can put on a marriage.

Lyrics

Here’s a look at some key excerpts from the lyrics:

Capturing the Midlife Experience:

“Well I woke up this mornin’ with a feelin’ mighty low. Just turned forty and my hair is startin’ to show. Got in my car, it wouldn’t go,”

Rebellion Against Aging:

“I’m gonna buy me a high class piece of transportation. Gonna pick me up a young imagination.”

Marital Impact:

“My wife told me I was actin’ kinda strange. Well darlin’ you kinda bore me anyway.”

The Song’s Message

While the song never presents a real resolution to the midlife crisis, it does carry a few potential messages:

  • Acceptance: It may be wiser to embrace middle age’s challenges rather than desperately trying to turn back time.
  • Humor as a Tool: Sometimes, laughter is the best way to cope with difficult transitions.
  • Importance of Understanding: Partners need empathy and understanding when one of them is experiencing a midlife crisis.

Legacy

“Middle Age Crazy” became one of Jerry Lee Lewis’s signature country songs. It resonated with many listeners hitting middle age and remains a timeless look at this common life experience.

Video

Lyric

Well, today he traded his big ’98 OldsmobileHe got a heck of a deal on a new Porsche carHe ain’t wearing his usual gray business suitHe’s got jeans and high boots with an embroidered star
And today he’s 40 years old, going on 20Don’t look for the gray in his hair ’cause he ain’t got anyBut little young thing beside him, he just melts in his handHe’s on middle-aged crazy, trying to prove he still can
He’s gotta a woman that he’s loved for a long, long time at homeAh, but the thrill is all gone when they cut down the lightsThey’ve got a business, it’s been a while coming byBeen a long uphill climb but now the profits are high
And today he’s 40 years old, going on 20And he hears of sordid affairs, and he ain’t had anyAnd the young thing beside him, he thinks she’d understandThat he’s middle-aged crazy, trying to prove he still can
Oh-oh, oh-oh, oh-ohOh, he’s still canMy girl, I still can