Episode 051 - Top 10 Fool Songs

Happy April Fool's Day! This week, we present our 10 favorite rock songs with the word 'fool' in the title. From classic tracks like 'Fool in the Rain' by Led Zeppelin to soulful hits like Aretha Franklin's 'Chain of Fools,' we explore a range of songs that capture various aspects of being a fool—from love to being different to being politically disillusioned. We'll go through each one in some detail, so please join us fora list of our favorite ten songs about fools - this week on the Rock and Roll Show Podcast!

00:00 Introduction and Episode Theme
00:59 The Fool Songs Universe
03:22 Song # 10
06:32 Song # 9
09:47 Song # 8
12:54 Song # 7
15:39 Song # 6
18:30 Song # 5
21:01 Song # 4
23:38 Song # 3
25:18 Song # 2
29:42 Honorable Mentions
30:33 Song # 1
33:22 Conclusion and Wrap-Up

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Transcript

Alex Gadd: 0:00

Welcome to the Rock and Roll Show podcast. I'm your host, Alex Gadd, and this week I've got another top 10 list for you. This is a list of my favorite songs with Fool in the title as today is April Fool's Day. I was thinking about doing an episode that was about songs that weren't really rock and roll songs, maybe yacht rock songs, or easy listening songs as an April Fool's joke, but I'm not doing this to mislead anyone in our audience in any way. Also, I'm not comfortable fooling with your expectations. See what I did there? So I scratched that idea. Went for something more straightforward. So stick around for a list of my favorite rock songs with the word fool in the title this week on the Rock and Roll Show podcast. I started preparing for this episode as I usually do, putting together a list of every rock and roll song with the word fool in the title. I came up with almost 30 songs, including extensions of the word to include fooling and fooled. It was then that I realized that there are songs about fools and there are songs about fooling someone or being fooled by someone. So I had to make a decision. Should the list include any song with any derivative of the word fool in it are only songs about fools. That was too confusing for me, so I threw out that distinction, and I'm looking at the universe of rock songs with the word fool in the title anywhere. What's clear about that is that most songs about fools really are about being in love with someone who doesn't feel the same way. Going all the way back to the beginning of the Rock and Roll era, songs like 1956 is Why Do Fools Fall In Love by Frankie Lyman and the Teenagers Poor Little Fool by Ricky Nelson in 1958 and Elvis's 1959? Take on Hank Snow's now. And then there's a fool, such as I establish the precedent that people who fall in love with the wrong person or for the wrong reasons and get their hearts broken. Fools later on though as rock and Roll started taking on more Attitude Fool, songs started being written about other people who were annoying. The singer, like the Who's 1971 Track won't get fooled again, and Steely Dan's only a fool would say that from their debut album in 1972. So those songs are definitely up for consideration. I also looked into bands with the word fool in their names. There were a few of them. There was Fool's Dance from the uk, which was a band made up of a few guys who left the Cure early in the Cure's career. There was also the Prague Psychedelic English Band, Henry Fool. There was April Fool from Japan, Silly Fools from Thailand and House of Fools from North Carolina, but I didn't find any songs that really stood out from any of these bands. Now, fans of those bands, please feel free to comment and let me know if I missed a particularly good song from one of those bands. Anyway, that's all to say that there are a lot of songs to choose from for this list, and I chose based on the songs that I like best, but I tried to avoid listing only songs about fools and love. So no Joe Jackson on the list. There are some foolish love songs, but there are other kinds of fool songs also. So let's get into it. Starting us off at number 10 is Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Alvin Bishop, a smooth, soulful gem from 1975 that stood the test of time as one of the great soft rock love songs of the era. Elvin Bishop was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2015 as a member of the Seminole Paul Butterfield Blues Band, which he helped his high school friend Paul Butterfield start in 1963. The band recorded four albums before they broke up in the late sixties, at which point Bishop formed his own band while also playing with all kinds of blues musicians as a side man. Fooled Around and Fell In Love was included on his 1975 album, Struttin' My Stuff, and then released as a single the following year where it, I think unexpectedly went all the way to number three on the hot 100 singles chart. Even though the song is credited to Bishop, it's actually sung by a guy who was then an unknown. His name was Mickey Thomas, and his voice absolutely soars on this track, and that performance later landed him a gig. Fronting Jefferson Starship. Yeah, he's the guy who sang. We built this city on rock and roll, but here it's all about the moment. A guy who's played the field kept things casual and suddenly finds himself completely undone by love. Thomas's vocals hit that sweet spot between vulnerability and disbelief. It's a great twist on the classic fool for love trope because it's not about heartbreak or about being used, it's about being blindsided in the best possible way. The song flips the usual rock and roll narrative where love is a trap or a con and turns it into something kind of wonderful. You know the song's about a Lothario who must have been through about a million girls before he meets the woman that he actually falls in love with, almost by mistake. It seems the songs in admission that he got bitten by the love bug and now love's got a hold on him. There's no irony, no wink at the audience. Just a guy admitting he's giving himself. Over to something more powerful than he can control. And that's probably why it still resonates today. That chorus, those harmonies, the guitar playing, they all come together to create a mood that's easy to sink into. Whether you're in love or just remembering what it felt like. This is a positive song about love lifting the subject of the song up rather than leaving them down and out, the player becomes a believer. Elvin Bishop's Fooled Around and Fell In Love.

5:41

I must have been through about a million. I love them. I didn't care how they, no, sir.

Alex Gadd: 6:34

Number nine on the list is Dancing Fool by Frank Zappa, one of the strangest and sharpest songs to ever make The Billboard Top 40, I'm gonna guess. Released in 1979 as part of the Sheik Yerbouti album, this one's a full on satire of disco culture delivered with Zappa's signature, blend of absurdity, musical precision, and cutting humor. It's weird, it's catchy and it's way smarter than a pop song about dancing has any right to be. From the jump, you know you're in for something different. The groove is tight, almost a parody on the polished perfection of disco Zappa's Band is always made up of top tiered musicians and they nail the sound. Then Zappa comes in with that deadpan vocal delivery saying, I don't know much about dancing. That's why I got this song. He's playing the part of the clueless, self-absorbed guy who thinks he's a gift to the dance floor. Even as he admits he's constantly getting in his own way. The brilliance of Dancing Fool, I think is how it uses the voice of the fool to absolutely roast the culture, it's making fun of. The song skewers the vanity and excess of the late 1970s disco scene, but he does it with a beat you can still dance to, which kind of makes that whole vibe a little meta. Musically, it's no joke. The arrangement is tight, full of unexpected stops and starts. Tricky rhythms and clever backing vocals. It walks that line between humor and craft, reminding you that even when Zappa was being silly, he's also a monster musician. There's a reason this song got him a Grammy nomination, even a spot on Saturday Night Live. People couldn't quite tell if it was making fun of them or other people. They weren't sure. There are at least three other songs with the same title out there. Dancing Fool. There's one by Jon Anderson of Yes. Uh, Barry Manalow recorded a song called Dancing Fool. Even the Butthole surfers put one out. But Zappa's Dancing Fool makes the list because it takes the concept of being a fool and runs with it in a completely different direction. It's not about heartbreak it's about delusion and ego and how those things can turn you into a different kind of fool altogether.

8:35

I don't know much about dancing. That's why I got this song. One of my legs is shorter than the other, and both my feet's too long. Of course, now right along with'em. I got no natural rhythm, but I go dancing every night day if I did it right. I'm disco folks all dressed up. Black days fit to kill. I walk on in and see'em. There're gonna give them all of who. When they see me coming, they all stepped aside. They as a it while I commit my social suicide. I'm a dancing, dancing boo.

Alex Gadd: 9:48

In the eighth spot we have Won't Get Fooled Again by The Who. Now, this one's yet another kind of fool song altogether. It's not about being a fool in love or getting played by some heartbreaker. It's about refusing to be fooled by anyone ever again. Especially politicians. This is one of the most powerful protest songs in rock history if you really think about it. And The Who led by Pete Townsend's songwriting and Roger Daltrey's explosive delivery, absolutely nailed the feeling of frustration and cynicism that comes when promises of change turn out to be just more of the same. Won't Get Fooled Again as a masterclass in disillusionment. The revolution is over, but the new boss looks a lot like the old boss and the narrator has had enough. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, might be one of the most iconic lines ever written about political frustration. Townsend's lyrics don't offer false hope or vague solutions. They just lay out his frustration with brutal honesty. This isn't a song about change, it's a song about waking up to the idea that change doesn't always mean progress. The song closes out their 1971 amazing album Who's Next? And man, what a closer it opens with that really interesting and very early use of a synth loop that was way ahead of its time, especially for a rock band that was more known for smashing guitars and blowing up amps. Daltrey's vocal is pure fire, especially when he belts out that final furious scream. It's one of the most cathartic moments in classic rock. Musically, the whole band is locked in. Keith Moon is absolutely killing it in his usual frenetic style. And John Entwistle's baseline keeps everything grounded while adding a little bit of flare. It's arena rock with brains and bite, in my opinion, Won't Get Fooled Again, isn't just one of the best songs about fools. It's one of the greatest rock and roll songs of all time, period. It's raw, it's angry, it's smart, and it's still hits just as hard today as it did more than 50 years ago. This is what it sounds like when a band fires on all cylinders and has something significant to say.

11:51

It have to clown with all along. That's all. But the world looks just the same. My guitar just like yesterday.

Alex Gadd: 12:55

Coming in at number seven are The Cruzados, with Blue Sofa(Still a Fool). One of the more under the radar picks on this list to be sure, but a track that absolutely earns its spot. The Cruzados were part of that Roots rock movement in the mid eighties, blending a little bit of punk spirit with a lot of Bar Band Heart. This song from their 1985 debut is a perfect example of that sound; tight, tough, and laced with just the right amount of heartbreak. From the start, Blue Sofa has a gritty lived in vibe. The guitars jangle with that raw garage-y energy. The rhythm section is locked in, and Tito Larriva's voice is all gravel and regret. The song's not flashy, but it doesn't need to be. It's got that late night last call kind of feeling like it's coming from someone nursing a drink that they have no intention of ever finishing while they're going over all the bad decisions that they've made. One more time. It's kind of like the sound of someone who knows they've been a fool and still stuck in that place, unable to move on. What I love about this one is how unpolished and honest it feels. There's no arena bombast here. No big solos or towering choruses. It's all about the mood. The lyrics sketch out a picture of someone caught between memory and misery sitting alone still pining for someone who's long gone. It's a pretty classic theme, but The Cruzados give it a rootsy rock and roll spin that makes it feel immediate and real. You probably won't hear this one on classic rock radio and it didn't light up the charts back in the day, but sometimes the best songs are the ones hiding in the corners. Blue Sofa(Still a Fool) is a gem, a low key, full of feeling, and quietly devastating song. Definitely one of the more personal sounding tracks on this list, and a reminder that sometimes being a fool isn't loud or dramatic. Sometimes it's just sad and lonely and very, very real.

14:42

This little girl in another world, I'm thinking of a hand touching. I'm thinking of a woman laying in the dark, laying by the fire that keeps us, he doesn't understand. In love.

Alex Gadd: 15:41

Song number six is Foolin' by Def Leppard. As I've talked about before many times on this podcast, I have a real soft spot for eighties rock, especially the songs that pair huge hooks with massive production and few bands nailed that formula better than Def Leppard. Fooling from their 1983 monster hit album. Pyromania is a favorite of mine. This song and its two preceding singles, Photograph, and Rock of Ages, were early foundational videos for the MTV era. This song captures all the melodrama, angst, and power that made eighties hard rocks such a blast. The track starts out with that slow, almost haunting acoustic intro, giving you a little moment to wonder what's gonna happen. Then, boom, the band kicks in with that thick layered wall of guitars. That producer Mutt Lang turned into an art form. Joe Elliott's vocals have just the right amount of sneer and desperation as he sings. Is anybody out there? Does anybody care? And when the chorus hits, you feel every bit of that emotional punch, it's over the top in the best possible way. What makes Foolin' really good though, in my opinion, is how it captures the feeling of being a fool for love. The lyrics paint a picture of someone who's not just heartbroken, but who knows deep down that they've been lying to themselves about the whole thing. That kind of emotional self-awareness isn't always front and center in hard rock, but it works perfectly here. You can hear the torment in Elliot's voice. He's not just pointing fingers. He's admitting that he's responsible for his own downfall. That vulnerability mixed in with all the Guitar Crunch and Big choruses gives the song Its Staying Power. There's no subtlety and that's the point. This is big, bold, arena fill and rock and roll and fooling delivers the goods. Fooling helped Pyromania sell over 10 million copies in the US alone, and that's what happens when you take a killer riff, a monster chorus, and just the right amount of emotional drama and crank it up to 11. At number five, it's Fool on the Hill by the Beatles. One of their more introspective and quietly profound songs from the psychedelic era released in 1967 on the Magical Mystery Tour album. It's a Paul McCartney composition that doesn't go for the big drama or emotional breakdowns. Instead it paints a portrait of a man who sees the world clearly, but is being dismissed and misunderstood by everybody else around him. It's not about him being a fool in the traditional sense. It's about being labeled a fool by people who really don't understand what he's about. Musically, it's deceptively simple. The arrangement really is kind of gentle. It's built around a lilting piano melody in that sweet, airy recorder solo that gives a song its pastoral vibe. I mean, how many songs have a recorder solo in them? There's a kind of melancholy baked into the whole thing, like the soundtrack to someone quietly observing the chaos of the world, but keeping his distance. McCartney's vocal is clear and a bit reserved, which makes the message even more poignant. What's interesting about The Fool on the Hill to me is how it flips the script. Again, as I mentioned, the Fool here isn't the subject of the song. He's not confused or lost. It's the people who judge him that are missing the point. Because he doesn't see the world like everybody else, he's written off as a fool. It's a classic Beatles move. Sneaking some philosophical ideas into a breezy three minute pop song. There's no anger in it, no pushback, just acceptance. And that's what makes it stick with you. It's the sound of someone who's learned to live with being misunderstood, who maybe even prefers it that way. And in a list full of fools falling in love or getting their hearts broken, this song stands out for its quiet reflection. The fool on the hill redefines what it means to be a fool. Sometimes the real fool is the one who passes judgment too quickly.

20:21

Day after day alone on a hill, the man with a foolish is keeping perfectly still, but nobody wants to know him. They can see that he is just a fool and he never gives an answer, but. The song going down and the eyes in his head.

Alex Gadd: 21:01

Fool song number four is Fool for the City by Foghat, a straight ahead rock anthem from 1975 that's as gritty and unapologetic as they come. Foghat might not be a household name for everyone but this song along with their other big hit, Slow Ride, helped to define that bluesy hard driving sound of mid seventies American rock. This one's less about love or heartbreak and more just about obsession. In this case, being obsessed with getting back to the city itself. The singer's a different kind of fool, and that kind of made it stand out for me from the opening riff, you know what kind of ride you're in for. It's tight, punchy, and full of that gritty bar band energy. The groove is relentless, and the guitar tone is thick with distortion, but it never gets too messy. The vocals have that scrappy charm to them, like the subject of the song knows he's making bad decisions, but just doesn't care. And honestly, that's the whole vibe of the song. It's about being a fool for something You can't quite explain, something that doesn't always love you back, but pulls you in anyway. The lyrics are simple but effective. There's this restless energy throughout this feeling that staying put just isn't an option. The city's calling, and it doesn't matter if it chews him up and spits him out, he's going anyway. That's classic rock and roll foolishness, and it hit me just right. Musically, it's all locked in. The whole thing just barrels forward like a train you don't wanna stop. There's no big philosophical twist here. Just pure unfiltered desire and the willingness to chase his dreams headfirst. Fool for the City captures the thrill of being willingly consumed by something bigger than you. It's not a love song. But it's about passion all the same. Sometimes being a fool just means admitting you're hooked and rocking out anyway.

22:42

Free to know the clean air sitting in the sun. When I get my train back, I get.

Alex Gadd: 23:38

Third on our list is Aretha Franklin's Chain of Fools, one of the all time great soul tracks and an absolutely towering vocal performance. Released in 1967, it was a massive hit for Aretha during her incredible run at Atlantic Records, and it's one of those songs that just never loses its power. It's not a slow burn or a quiet reflection. It's bold, it's direct, and it's dripping with soul. And yeah, it's definitely about being a fool, specifically one in a long line of them. Her voice is untouchable here. Commanding, wounded, furious, and getting wise all at once. She's not begging or pleading. She's laying it all out, telling the truth like only Aretha can. Now, the brilliance of Chain of Fools in my eyes is how it taps into that moment of clarity. When you realize you've been played and you finally start to own it, the narrator knows exactly what she's doing. She's not sugarcoating anything. She's part of the pattern. Just one more name on some guy's long list, but she's also done. No more for her. The song has the simmering strength underneath the sorrow. Like she's reclaiming a little bit of her power with every note she sings musically. It's a perfect example of less is more. The studio band called the Swampers kept it tight and simple. Letting Aretha do all the heavy lifting vocally. The backing vocals echo and amplify her message. Every piece of the arrangement serves the song, and the result is a near perfect track that clocks in it under three minutes. Chain of fools shows how being a fool doesn't have to mean staying a fool. It's a song about recognizing the pattern, calling it out, and starting to break free. No one delivers that message with more power than the Queen of Soul herself.

26:33

My doctor says.

Alex Gadd: 26:40

Coming in at number two was Fooled Again, I Don't Like It by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, one of the standout tracks from their 1976 debut album and a perfect early showcase for everything that made Tom Petty great. It's got the attitude, the hooks, and that shimmering sense of anger that runs just under the surface. It's not the most famous song in their catalog or even on that record, but it's one of those deep cuts that sounds better and better the more you hear it. And when it comes to fool songs, this one doesn't mess around. It's sharp, bitter, and totally fed up right away. The song pulls you in with that moody chugging guitar riff and Petty's sneering vocal delivery. There's a slow burn tension to the whole thing, like something's about to boil over and that's exactly what happens. The chorus isn't a cry for help. It's definitely a warning shot. Petty sounds hurt, but more than that, he sounds mad. This is a fool who's been burned one too many times and is finally done pretending it's all gonna work out. One of the things I love about this track is how restrained it is. It never goes full-blown rock anthem. It just simmers. Mike Campbell's tasteful guitar lines, and Benmont Tench's organ, adding just the right amount of drama there. It's a slow, deliberate build that pays off, not with a bang, but with a kind of resigned explosion. You feel the weight of it all in Petty's voice. He's not surprised. He got fooled again, but he's definitely not okay with it either. Lyrically, it's classic Petty simple, direct and emotionally honest. There's not a lot of flowery language, just raw feeling, and That's. To me, what makes it work. It's not about wallowing in his sorrow. It's about the moment when you realize that you let your guard down and you got burned, and now you have to live with the fallout. Fooled again. I don't like it captures a specific kind of emotional aftermath. It's the sound of someone who's had enough and it's delivered with a kind of controlled fury that Tom Petty could pull off just about as well as anyone.

Alex Gadd (2): 29:42

Before we get to the number one song on our fools songs list, it's important to recognize some other songs that just missed out on our top 10 songs like King of Fools by Social Distortion, van Halen's Fools From Women and Children. First two different songs titled Ship of Fools one by Robert Plant from his Now and Zen album, the other one by World Party I Considered Only Fool in Town by Gary Moore. White Snakes Fool for your Loving. Nobody's Fool by Cinderella, the Black Crow's only a fool. And Steve Perry's really sappy, foolish heart as well as the yacht Rock Classic. What a Fool Believes From The Doobie Brothers. The hardest fool song to leave off the list, however, was Fooling Yourself, Angry Young man from Styx, which I really love, but it just missed out on my top 10. Now I'm sure you can think of others. Please let me know which ones I missed in the comments.

Alex Gadd: 30:33

Finally, our number one song on the list is Led Zeppelin with Fool In the Rain. This track from their 1979 album in through the outdoor is unlike most of the rest of the Zeppelin catalog. It's lighthearted, it's funky, even a little bit goofy, but somehow it still works. It's the sound of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, loosening up having a little fun, all while telling the story of a guy who's completely fooled himself. From the start, it's clear this isn't your typical Zeppelin approach. Drums bounce with a kind of syncopated, almost samba like thing happening. John Paul Jones layers in some really playful keyboard parts. Then Robert Plant comes in full of swagger and soul telling a tale of heartbreak that's only slowly revealed. The subject of the song thinks he's been stood up, wandering the rainy streets with his heart in pieces, only to realize in the last verse that he was waiting on the wrong block the whole time. It's the ultimate fool's move and Plant sells it perfectly. What makes the song great isn't just the twist ending though. It's how well the band commits to the whole vibe Bonham's drumming is insanely tight and inventive here. Giving the song, its unusual Swing Jimmy Page's guitar doesn't dominate like it usually does in many of their heavier tracks, but it sparkles here. And Jones as usual is glue holding the whole thing together, especially when the song breaks into that carnival like bridge. Lyrically, it's one of Zeppelin's more relatable songs I would think. There's no mythology, no Tolkien references, just a guy who misread the situation and ended up soaking wet and heartbroken. The self-deprecating tone is part of the charm. I think. It's not bitter or angry, just a little sheepish and musically, it's one of the band's most underrated songs. Fool In the Rain is the Ultimate Fool song because it captures that very human moment of getting it all wrong and kind of doing it with style. It's catchy, it's clever, it's completely unique. Zeppelin was known for having a lot of different sides to their music, and here they show that even when they're singing about fools, they're still in the league of their own.

32:40

Keeps like the can wait for, I hate think I'm flying, baby. I see you. I am.

Alex Gadd: 33:22

Well, that's it for this week's episode. Thank you for joining us. We'll be back next Tuesday, and if you like what you heard today, we'd appreciate it if you would both like and then either subscribe or follow to make sure you get notified about each new episode. And please tell your friends. Also a reminder, we release a playlist for every episode, so look for the Rock and Roll Show podcast playlist on Spotify every week. This week featuring the songs from the bands I mentioned here today. So check that out. Additionally, we want to know what you think, so please leave us a comment. We'll try to respond to every one of them. The Rock and Roll Show Podcast is a World Highway Media production. I'm your host, Alex Gadd and, until next time, remember that life is short, so get those concert tickets.