I think this is still Katie's trademark song, although I suppose it must be difficult to sing time and time again with the same feeling. She does though.
I read somewhere that Mike Batt regarded this as the best song he's ever written and I certainly wouldn't argue with that.

The line which gets the most criticism, but which I think is so appropriate, is of course 'Feeling twenty-two, acting seventeen'. Critics basically say there isn't much difference, 22, 17? What nonsense! Just take Katie herself, undiscovered student at 17, world star at 22. And anyone who has or has had a seventeen-year-old daughter will tell you there is a world of difference in those 5 years.

It will never move out of my top five Katie songs, for sentimental reasons if nothing else. That and the fact that we here in Meluaworld are here to be closer to her because we're crazy about her!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DCacIEbAlM

The Closest Thing To Crazy"

How can I think I'm standing strong,
Yet feel the air beneath my feet?
How can happiness feel so wrong?
How can misery feel so sweet?
How can you let me watch you sleep,
Then break my dreams the way you do?
How can I have got in so deep?
Why did I fall in love with you?

[CHORUS:]
This is the closest thing to crazy I have ever been
Feeling twenty-two, acting seventeen,
This is the nearest thing to crazy I have ever known,
I was never crazy on my own...

And now I know that there's a link between the two,
Being close to craziness and being close to you.
How can you make me fall apart
Then break my fall with loving lies?
It's so easy to break a heart;
It's so easy to close your eyes.
How can you treat me like a child
Yet like a child I yearn from you?
How can anyone feel so wild?
How can anyone feel so blue?

My favourite Katie song, and one of my favourite song of all time

I couldn't agree more. I was my introduction to Katie and will always remain tops for me. Also I can never watch a DFS advert without wishing they would still use the one from Christmas 2005

Great song indeed. But there are other songs which move me more, maybe because I discovered Katie with the Piece by Piece album. Anyway, I love it since the first time I listened to it, even if I didn't know that it was her first hit. I think that means a lot about the quality of the song and the singer

I like the lyrics and I love the song. The melody is very, very memorable. In many ways, it is the definitive Katie song, and in North America one can argue "Nine Million Bicycles" is her definitive song as it was for me.

The age thing gets me sometimes too, but I have to remember that going from seventeen to twenty-two is a huge jump. Myself, I think I've made more mistakes at 22 than 17; hormones, formative life decisions like university, first loves and first break-ups. Going from 22-27 probably isn't as a big a change.

I wonder what Katie was thinking when she turned 22?

Oooh, I like the cake, looks awesome

Was it really a Birthday Cake for Katie ? It makes me want to have one too !

wow that cake looks awesome! I want one too when it's my birthday, I guess I'll have to live with an apple pie again.. Though I like those very much too.. (the apple pie)

With NMB, this is Katie's most recognizable tune. Beautiful melody and a lot of emotion in her vocal delivery. It's not surprising that it became her first hit.
I remember this one got a big applause during the RAH concert, meaning that it's alot of people's favourite.
Top 5 in my book all the way!!!

This is my favorite Katie song and always will be.

It’s not surprising I think. Great song of course.

If this is the definitive Katie song we should all remember (like when Kennedy was shot ) exactly what we were doing at the time we first heard it. I mentioned somewhere else the other day that I was driving over the Forth Road Bridge.
Test my theory- what were you doing?

Dancing with my mother

Listenning to the album for the first time

I was curled in a fetal position on my sofa, half-inebriated and watching Jimmy Kimmel Live when this petite girl with a funny accent performed "The Closest Thing to Crazy" sometime in 2003 or 2004. I was struck more by how she carried herself in the interview portion of her appearance than the actual song itself.

I've been trying to find that JKL clip ever since but to no avail.

I love your funny accent description.

JKL????

Jimmy Kimmel Live

I will now show my ignorance. Jimmy Kimmel?????

Yeah, not JFK!

No idea

See, yoiu are no brighter than me. You were just showing off knowing Jimmy Kimmel.

Maybe it's not broadcast here?

Yes, as written above 'The Closest Thing To Crazy' THIS SONG is Katies trademark. I remember I was playing Mike Batts wonderful 'A Songwriters Tale' CD on my CD-Player and as his version of 'CTTC' came on the row my little daughter said:" Hey, this man sings a song of Katie!"

I got introduced to Katies music by 'NMB' on GOTV but I fell in love with it through the wonderful 'Hautnah' concert on SWR and of course of the excellent performance of 'Closest Thing To Crazy' which she performed at the end of this show

This was-no surprise-the first song I heard from her and I liked it immediately. But it was somehow not sufficient to make me really interested and buy the CD. At that time, I think, I was just not ready to get open for that part of myself, my older ego would have never allowed to do something as "crazy" as "wasting" money on a CD, for something as "irrational" as music. It was still the same with NMB, it was not until I heard IYWAS which caught me in the right mood and got me hooked that I became a fan. So I'm certainly a big exception here, I guess most of you either became a fan with TCTTC or with NMB.

If you meant "alter ego" there it’s the same word in english cause it’s latin. Don’t know if there’s something like an "old ego", and if so, it would certainly be called "antiquus ego" or something like that..