Fools in Love

Last updated
"Fools in Love"
Fools in Love - Joe Jackson.jpg
Single by Joe Jackson
from the album Look Sharp!
B-side "Throw It Away"
ReleasedJune 1979 (NL)
Recorded1978
Genre
Length4:23
Label A&M
Songwriter(s) Joe Jackson
Producer(s) David Kershenbaum
Joe Jackson singles chronology
"One More Time"
(1979)
"Fools in Love"
(1979)
"I'm the Man"
(1979)

"Fools in Love" is a song by British new wave musician Joe Jackson. It was released on his debut album, Look Sharp! in 1979. Written while Jackson was a member of his earlier band Koffee & Kream, the song represented a departure from that band's style and was indicative of Jackson's move in a more cynical direction.

Contents

"Fools in Love" was released as a single in the Netherlands, but saw no chart success. The song has since seen positive reception from critics.

Background

"Fools in Love" was written by Joe Jackson before he founded the Joe Jackson Band. At the time, he was a member of a band called Koffee & Kream, a band whose music he described as "schmaltz". As he recalled in his autobiography, Jackson wrote "Fools in Love" as a "rebellion" against his then-current band's music, citing the song as an instance of his new style emerging. [2]

Over a looping reggae bassline, which I hoped was vaguely sinister, I catalogued all the sick and deluded things that lovers did to each other, but ended each chorus with a twist: "I should know because this fool's in love again". I wasn't in love, but the juxtaposition of the romantic and the cynical suited my new style to a tee.

Joe Jackson [2]

Release

"Fools in Love" was first released on Look Sharp! in 1979. The song was released as the third single from the album in the Netherlands in June 1979, instead of the third single choice in Britain, "One More Time". The B-side of the single was "Throw It Away", another song from the Look Sharp! album. The single failed to chart.

AllMusic's Steve Huey praised the song's "caustic yet charming witticisms". [3]

Live performances

"Fools in Love" has been performed by Jackson multiple times. At a live performance at Rockpalast, Jackson described the song as one that "people like" to hear live. [4] This performance later appeared on Live at Rockpalast . Paste Magazine published the audio from a 1979 performance at the Berklee Performance Center in Boston. [5]

Charts

Chart (1979)Peak
position
CMJ College Radio Tracks9

Inara George version

Inara George released a version of "Fools in Love" on her 2005 album All Rise.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Huey Lewis and the News</span> American pop rock band

Huey Lewis and the News is an American pop rock band based in San Francisco, California. They had a run of hit singles during the 1980s and early 1990s, eventually achieving 19 top ten singles across the Billboard Hot 100, Adult Contemporary, and Mainstream Rock charts. Their sound draws upon earlier pop, rhythm & blues and doo-wop artists, and their own material has been labeled as blue-eyed soul, new wave, power pop, and roots rock.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Jackson (musician)</span> English musician

David Ian "Joe" Jackson is an English musician, singer and songwriter. Having spent years studying music and playing clubs, he scored a hit with his first release, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", in 1979. It was followed by a number of new wave singles, before he moved to more jazz-inflected pop music and had a top 10 hit in 1982 with "Steppin' Out". Jackson is associated with the 1980s Second British Invasion of the US. He has also composed classical music. He has recorded 20 studio albums and received five Grammy Award nominations.

<i>Look Sharp!</i> (Joe Jackson album) 1979 studio album by Joe Jackson

Look Sharp! is the debut album by Joe Jackson, released in January 1979. The album features one of Jackson's most well-known songs, "Is She Really Going Out with Him?", as well as the title track "Look Sharp", "Sunday Papers", "One More Time" and "Fools in Love".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ambrosia (band)</span> American rock band

Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1970. Ambrosia had five top 40 hit singles released between 1975 and 1980, including the top 5 hits "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me", and top 20 hits "You're the Only Woman " and "Holdin' on to Yesterday". Most of the original band members have been active with the group continuously for over thirty years to the present day, with the notable exception of original guitarist and lead vocalist David Pack since 2000.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Won't Get Fooled Again</span> 1971 single by the Who

"Won't Get Fooled Again" is a song by the English rock band the Who, written by Pete Townshend. It was released as a single in June 1971, reaching the top 10 in the UK, while the full eight-and-a-half-minute version appears as the final track on the band's 1971 album Who's Next, released that August. In the US, the single entered Billboard on 17 July, reaching No. 15.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pat Travers</span> Canadian rock musician (born 1954)

Patrick Henry Travers is a Canadian rock guitarist, singer and songwriter who began his recording career in the mid-1970s.

<i>Im the Man</i> (album) 1979 studio album by Joe Jackson

I'm the Man is the second album by English musician Joe Jackson, released in October 1979. Released shortly after Jackson's breakthrough debut, Look Sharp!, I'm the Man saw Jackson continue the style of his earlier album. Singles from the album included "I'm the Man" and "It's Different for Girls", the latter of which was his biggest UK chart single, peaking at number five on the UK Singles Chart.

"I Pity the Fool" is a soul blues song originally recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961 for his first Duke Records album, Two Steps from the Blues. Many music writers believe it was written by Joe Medwick, although Duke owner Don Robey appears on the songwriting credits.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Graham Maby</span> English musical artist

Graham Maby is an English bass guitar player. He has recorded and toured with Joe Jackson since his first album, appearing on most of Jackson's albums and tours. He has continued to record and tour with Jackson even while working with other artists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Is She Really Going Out with Him?</span> 1978 single by Joe Jackson

"Is She Really Going Out with Him?" is a song written and performed by British musician Joe Jackson. It was released in October 1978 as his debut single and was later included on Jackson's debut album, Look Sharp! The track was one of the first Jackson recorded with his new backing band, a band he would perform with for his first three albums. Written as a humorous commentary on women dating unattractive men, the song contains a prominent bass line and a chorus praised by critics as memorable. Jackson has since stated that the song's reputation for being angry was untrue.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yachts (band)</span> British power pop/new wave band

Yachts were a British power pop/new wave band, best remembered for their 1977 single "Suffice to Say" and the minor new wave classic "Love You, Love You".

"When Something Is Wrong with My Baby" is a classic hit song, a soul ballad, written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter. It was first released in 1967 by Sam & Dave on Stax Records.

"Got the Time" is a song written and performed by the British new wave musician Joe Jackson, appearing as the closing track on his 1979 debut album, Look Sharp!. The song has since been performed frequently in live concerts by Jackson.

<i>Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live</i> 1994 film

Thirty Years of Maximum R&B Live is a 1994 compilation video of English rock and roll band The Who. The compilation covers the band live from 1965 to 1989 and is edited together with interviews with band members Roger Daltrey, John Entwistle, and Pete Townshend. A 4-disc compilation boxset called Thirty Years of Maximum R&B released in 1994 is also available.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sunday Papers</span> 1979 single by Joe Jackson

"Sunday Papers" is a song written and performed by British new wave musician Joe Jackson. It was released on his debut album, Look Sharp!. Written as a critique of the British press, "Sunday Papers" features mocking lyrics and reggae-inspired music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One More Time (Joe Jackson song)</span> 1979 single by Joe Jackson

"One More Time" is a song by the British new wave musician Joe Jackson. It was released as the third single from his debut album, Look Sharp!, in 1979. Inspired by a breakup Jackson had, the song features a guitar riff and lyrics detailing a collapsing relationship.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kinda Kute</span> 1980 single by Joe Jackson

"Kinda Kute" is a song by British singer-songwriter and musician Joe Jackson, which was released in 1980 as the third and final single from his second studio album I'm the Man (1979). Described as a "pop song" by Jackson, the song was written by Jackson and produced by David Kershenbaum. "Kinda Kute" failed to chart in the UK, but reached number 91 on Canada's RPM Top Singles chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joe Jackson discography</span>

This page lists albums, singles, and compilations by the musician Joe Jackson. Jackson's recording career as a solo artist began in 1979, with the release of his debut album Look Sharp!. The album was recorded with the Joe Jackson Band, with whom he would release two more albums, I'm the Man and Beat Crazy, the latter of which was credited to the full band rather than simply Jackson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">I'm the Man (Joe Jackson song)</span> 1979 single by Joe Jackson

"I'm the Man" is a song written and performed by Joe Jackson, appearing on the album of the same name. Written for the album's "spiv rock" theme, the song is a new wave rock track with humorous lyrics.

"On Your Radio" is a song written and performed by new wave musician Joe Jackson for his 1979 album I'm the Man. Written by Jackson as a put-down of his past enemies, the song features a prominent bass line played by Graham Maby.

References

Citations

  1. Molanphy, Chris (November 19, 2022). "Angry Young Men Edition". Hit Parade | Music History and Music Trivia (Podcast). Slate . Retrieved February 23, 2023.
  2. 1 2 Jackson 2000, p. 252.
  3. Huey, Steve. "Joe Jackson: Look Sharp!". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  4. "Joe Jackson - Fools in Love (live at Rockpalast)". YouTube . Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 5 April 2019.
  5. "Joe Jackson - Fools In Love". Paste Magazine. Wolfgang's Vault. Retrieved 5 April 2019.

Sources