"Now and Then There's A Fool Such as I [1] " | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) And His Rainbow Ranch Boys | ||||
B-side | "The Gal Who Invented Kissin'" [2] | |||
Published | November 14, 1952 by Bob Miller, Inc., New York [1] | |||
Released | November 1952 | |||
Recorded | May 19, 1952 [2] | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:31 | |||
Label | RCA Victor 20-5034 [2] | |||
Songwriter(s) | William Trader [1] | |||
Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) And His Rainbow Ranch Boys singles chronology | ||||
|
"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" is a popular song written by Bill Trader and published in 1952. Recorded as a single by Hank Snow it peaked at number four on the US country charts [3] early in 1953.
Since the original Snow version, "Fool Such as I"—as the song is sometimes known—has been recorded and released as singles several times, by artists such as Jo Stafford, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Baillie & the Boys. [4]
"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Elvis Presley | ||||
A-side | "I Need Your Love Tonight" | |||
Released | March 10, 1959 | |||
Recorded | June 10, 1958 | |||
Studio | RCA Studio B, Nashville | |||
Genre | Rock and Roll | |||
Length | 2:39 | |||
Label | RCA Victor | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bill Trader | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Sholes | |||
Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Music video | ||||
"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" (audio) on YouTube |
The recording by Elvis Presley was a platinum record. Initially released as B-side to "I Need Your Love Tonight", it reached number one in the UK as an A-side single. Presley's recording reached number two in the United States (stalled behind the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly to Me"). [5]
The song was recorded on June 10, 1958, at RCA's Studio B, Nashville, while Presley was on leave from the Army. [6] The recording featured guitar by Hank Garland, Chet Atkins and Presley, bass by Bob Moore, drums by D. J. Fontana and Buddy Harman and piano by Floyd Cramer and backing vocal by the Jordanaires, with the bass voice provided by Ray Walker. [7] It reached number sixteen on the R&B charts. [8]
The Tommy Edwards version reached number 13 on the Cash Box survey. Listed a co-best-seller with the Jo Stafford version, it lasted 11 weeks in their chart.
The recording by Jo Stafford was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39930. It reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on February 28, 1953, at number twenty, its only week on the chart. [9]
Petula Clark's French language version titled "Prends mon Coeur", was more successful in France (number 9, 1960 [10] ) than Presley's version.
In 1967, Bob Dylan recorded the song during the Basement Tape sessions. For many years never officially released, the recording had been widely bootlegged, and was finally released November 4, 2014, on The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete . Dylan recorded the song again in April 1969; that version was released in 1973 by Columbia on the Dylan album. On the 1973 Dylan album and several associated Columbia 1973 singles, the song is wrongly credited to "B. Abner" and "LeFevre Sing Pub Co (BMI)". This is a different song with the same title, written by Buford Abner of the Swanee River Boys. This mistake has not been corrected, and on www.bobdylan.com the song is still credited to "B. Abner". [11]
Rodney Crowell covered the song in 1979. The release was not a success, peaking at No. 90 in the Billboard country charts. It was his second charting single after "Elvira" in the previous year which barely scraped the bottom of the charts as well. Both songs were included in his debut album Ain't Living Long Like This .
"Fool Such as I" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Baillie & the Boys | ||||
from the album The Lights of Home | ||||
B-side | "So Strong" | |||
Released | August 11, 1990 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:50 | |||
Label | RCA | |||
Songwriter(s) | Bill Trader | |||
Producer(s) | Kyle Lehning | |||
Baillie & the Boys singles chronology | ||||
|
In 1990, Baillie & the Boys released the song from the band's album The Lights of Home . This version, released under the title "Fool Such as I", peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was the trio's last Top 10 hit on the country charts. [12]
Whitman also recorded his own country version on the Imperial Records label in 1959.
The Smiths recorded a cover based on Elvis's rendition in February 1987 at Firehouse Studios in Streatham. It was meant to be used as a B-side to a single from Strangeways, Here We Come. As of 2023 the song remains unreleased.
Chart (1959) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 16 |
US Cashbox Hot Singles | 2 |
US Cashbox Hot Country Singles | 6 |
UK Singles Chart | 1 |
Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
Australian Kent Singles Chart | 1 |
Belgian Singles Chart | 13 |
Dutch Singles Chart | 15 |
Norway VG-lista Singles Chart | 5 |
South African Singles Chart | 1 |
Swedish Singles Chart | 17 |
Chart (2005) | Peak position |
Scotland (OCC) [13] | 1 |
UK Singles Chart | 2 |
European Singles Chart | 6 |
Chart (1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [14] | 7 |
US Country Songs ( Billboard ) | 5 |
Chart (1990) | Position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks ( RPM ) [15] | 92 |
"A Big Hunk o' Love" is a song originally recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single on June 23, 1959 by RCA Victor, which topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks.
"The Wonder of You" is a song written by Baker Knight. It was originally recorded by Vince Edwards in 1958, but this recording has never been released. In an interview with a DJ from Chattanooga, Tennessee, Ray Peterson told the story of how Baker Knight confided that "The Wonder of You" was originally written as a gospel song.
"Suspicious Minds" is a 1968 song written and first recorded by the American songwriter Mark James. After this recording failed commercially, it was recorded by Elvis Presley with the producer Chips Moman. Presley's version reached No.1 on the US Billboard Hot 100, his 18th and final no. 1 single on that chart. In 1999, Presley's RCA Victor Records version was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.
"Only the Lonely (Know the Way I Feel)" is a 1960 song written by Roy Orbison and Joe Melson. Orbison's recording of the song, produced by Fred Foster for Monument Records, was the first major hit for the singer. It was described by The New York Times as expressing "a clenched, driven urgency". Released as a 45 rpm single by Monument Records in May 1960, "Only the Lonely" went to No. 2 on the United States Billboard pop music charts on 25 July 1960 (blocked by Brenda Lee's "I'm Sorry") and No. 14 on the Billboard R&B charts. "Only the Lonely" reached number one in the United Kingdom, a position it achieved on 20 October 1960, staying there for two weeks (out of a total of 24 weeks spent on the UK singles chart from 28 July 1960). According to The Authorized Roy Orbison, "Only the Lonely" was the longest charting single of Orbison's career. Personnel on the original recording included Orbison's drummer Larry Parks, plus Nashville A-Team regulars Floyd Cramer on piano, Bob Moore on bass, and Hank Garland and Harold Bradley on guitars, Joe Melson and the Anita Kerr Singers on backing vocals. Drummer Buddy Harman played on the rest of the songs on the session.
"Blue Moon" is a popular song written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart in 1934 that has become a standard ballad. Early recordings included those by Connee Boswell and by Al Bowlly in 1935. The song was a hit twice in 1949, with successful recordings in the U.S. by Billy Eckstine and Mel Tormé.
"Are You Lonesome Tonight?" is a song written by Roy Turk and Lou Handman in 1926. It was recorded several times in 1927—first by Charles Hart, with successful versions by Vaughn De Leath, Henry Burr, and the duet of Jerry Macy and John Ryan. In 1950, the Blue Barron Orchestra version reached the top twenty on Billboard's Pop Singles chart.
"Love Letters" is a 1945 popular song with lyrics by Edward Heyman and music by Victor Young. The song appeared, without lyrics, in the film of the same name released in October 1945. A vocal version by Dick Haymes, arranged and conducted by Young, was recorded in March 1945 and peaked in popularity in September. "Love Letters" was subsequently nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song in 1945, but lost to "It Might as Well Be Spring" from State Fair.
"Crying in the Chapel" is a song written by Artie Glenn and recorded by his son Darrell Glenn. The song was released in 1953 and reached number six on the Billboard chart.
"Good Rocking Tonight" is a jump blues song originally released in 1947 by its writer, Roy Brown and was covered by many recording artists. The song includes the memorable refrain, "Well I heard the news, there's good rocking tonight!" The song anticipated elements of rock and roll music.
"One Night" is a song written by Dave Bartholomew, Pearl King, and Anita Steiman. It originally was an R&B hit for Smiley Lewis in 1956, before being recorded with greater commercial success by Elvis Presley in 1958.
Terry LaVerne Stafford was an American singer and songwriter, best known for his 1964 US Top 10 hit "Suspicion", and the 1973 country music hit "Amarillo by Morning". Stafford was also known for his Elvis Presley sound-alike voice.
"Moody Blue" is a song made famous by Elvis Presley. The song was written by Mark James who recorded the original version of the song, which reached #15 in South Africa during the summer of 1976. James also penned Elvis' "Suspicious Minds".
"Wear My Ring Around Your Neck" is a song written by Bert Carroll and Russell Moody, performed by Elvis Presley, which was released in 1958. It was particularly notable for breaking a string of ten consecutive number 1 hits for Presley achieved in just two years. Although it was Presley's 6th number-one hit in the American R&B Charts, it only peaked at number 2 on the American Pop Charts.
"It's Now or Never" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley and released as a single in 1960. The song is one of the best-selling singles by Presley, and one of the best-selling physical singles of all time. It was recorded by Bill Porter at RCA Studio B in Nashville. It is written in E major and has a tempo of 80 BPM.
"Any Day Now" is a popular song written by Burt Bacharach and Bob Hilliard in 1962. It has been recorded by numerous artists over the years, including notable versions by Chuck Jackson in 1962, Alan Price in 1965, Elvis Presley in 1969, Scott Walker in 1973 and Ronnie Milsap in 1982. In the lyrics, the singer predicts the imminent demise of a romantic relationship and describes the sadness this will leave.
"My Boy" is a popular song from the early 1970s. The music was composed by Jean-Pierre Bourtayre and Claude François, and the lyrics were translated from the original version "Parce que je t'aime, mon enfant" into English by Phil Coulter and Bill Martin.
"Funny How Time Slips Away" is a song written by Willie Nelson and first recorded by country singer Billy Walker. Walker's version was issued as a single by Columbia Records in June 1961 and peaked at number 23 on the Hot C&W Sides chart. The song has been featured in several live action films and television shows, such as in the first episode of the second season of AMC’s Better Call Saul and in the 2020 Netflix drama The Devil All the Time.
"Fools Fall in Love" is a song by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. It was originally recorded by the Drifters, who took it to number 10 on the R&B chart in 1957. The song reached number 69 on the Billboard Hot 100.
The singles discography of Elvis Presley began in 1954 with the release of his first commercial single, "That's All Right". Following his regional success with Sun Records, Presley was signed to RCA Victor on November 20, 1955. Presley's first single with RCA, "Heartbreak Hotel", was a worldwide hit, reaching the No. 1 position in four countries and the top 10 in many other countries. Other hit singles from the 1950s include "Don't Be Cruel", "Hound Dog", "Love Me Tender", "Too Much", "All Shook Up", "(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear", "Jailhouse Rock", "Don't", "Hard Headed Woman" and "A Big Hunk o' Love". On March 24, 1958, Presley entered the United States Army at Memphis, Tennessee, and was stationed in Germany. He left active duty on March 5, 1960.
"I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)" is a song written and originally recorded by Hank Williams on MGM Records. It hit number two on the Billboard country singles chart in 1951. In his autobiography, George Jones printed the first six lines of the song and stated, "Its lyrics couldn't be more simple - or profound."