Back in 2006, I experienced a love/hate/love relationship with Gnarls Barkley‘s “Crazy.” On first encounter, “Crazy” was a refreshing combination of old (the beat was sampled from a Spaghetti Western soundtrack) and new.

The first hundred spins after that, I still dug it. But then love turned to like, which turned to hate. Radio had become lousy with “Crazy,” and I found myself quickly switching stations whenever it would come on. That repeated exposure helped Gnarls Barkley reach #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, remaining there for seven weeks straight.

Because the song was so ubiquitous and so very different, a bunch of artists took a crack at covering “Crazy.” One of them was Nelly Furtado, then flying high with her third album, the Timbaland-helmed Loose. The interesting connection is that Furtado’s “Promiscuous” single blocked Gnarls Barkley from reaching the top spot for six of those weeks.

Recording “Crazy” for BBC Radio 1’s Live Lounge, she released it as the b-side to the “Promiscuous” single in the UK and included it on a remix set here in the States.

It’s only in the last six months or so that my “switch-the-station!” reaction to “Crazy” has subsided, allowing me to enjoy the Gnarls Barkley original on its own merits again.

Tonight, Gnarls Barkley takes the AT&T Stage at Lollapalooza, just before headliner Kanye West. The duo’s sophomore effort, The Odd Couple, hasn’t exactly caught fire, and new single “Who’s Gonna Save My Soul” isn’t a “Crazy”-like crowd-pleaser. I happened upon the video on MTV Hits last night, and, it’s definitely not for the squeamish.

Furtado is back in the studio with Timbaland and friends, working on her new album. Planned for 2009, the set reportedly includes guest spots from Justin Timberlake (back for more), Missy Elliot, Kylie Minogue, and Keith Urban (who joined Furtado for a recent re-do of her song, “In God’s Hands”)

Purchase Nelly Furtado’s “Crazy (Radio 1 Live Lounge Session) via Amazon, iTunes.