The video was filmed on July 2, 2009 during U2's live performance at the Camp Nou Stadium in Barcelona, Spain, which was part of the band's 360 Tour (2009-2011).
The video is second video commissioned for the single. The previous video was an animated video directed by David O'Reilly. While the O'Reilly video plays over the studio version of the song, the second Courtes-directed version contains the single edit mix.
The song was nominated in the categories "Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals" and "Best Rock Song" for the 52nd Grammy Awards in 2010.
The song was first developed by Brian Eno under the title "Diorama" during a break in the recording sessions. Black Eyed Peas member will.i.am helped in the creation of the track, receiving an "additional production" credit on the finished version. The band reworked the track under the new title of "Crazy Tonight" before re-titling it again as "I'll Go Crazy If I Don't Go Crazy Tonight."
Several of the song's lyrics were influenced by Barack Obama's 2008 presidential campaign with Bono stating to Q magazine that the lyrics "[sound] like a T-shirt slogan to me."