"April Fools" is a song written and performed by American-Canadian singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright. It originally appeared on his eponymous debut studio album, released by

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in May 1998. The song's

music video A music video is a video of variable duration, that integrates a music song or a music album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotional or musical artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a m ...

was directed by Sophie Muller and features cameo appearances by

Gwen Stefani Gwen Renée Stefani (; born October 3, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, fashion designer and actress. She is a co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the band No Doubt, whose singles include "Just a Girl", "Spiderwebs ...

and

Melissa Auf der Maur Melissa Gaboriau Auf der Maur (; born March 17, 1972) is a Canadian musician. Auf der Maur began performing in 1993 after forming the indie rock band Tinker while she was a student at Concordia University. She was recruited as the bassist ...

. "April Fools" appears on two other albums in Wainwright's discography—'' All I Want'' (2005) and '' Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright'' (2014)—as well as multiple

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Composition

"April Fools" is an approximately five minute long

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song written and performed by Wainwright. Produced by Jon Brion, the track features Wainwright's vocals and a "powerful" piano performance over a drum track by Jim Keltner.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

's Matthew Greenwald described "April Fools" as "essentially a love song" that can be interpreted as being "about people in general, or a simple, two-person relationship".

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's Kyle Anderson called the song "a bubbly little slice of cabaret rock that dances and swaggers". In a 2010 interview published by ''

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'', Wainwright said of the song and his songwriting process:

April Fools came to me when I was in the bath. I stood up naked and sang it. Songs come to me at odd times. The only thing they have in common is that, when they do come, the moment has to be theatrical."

During a 2020 interview with ''

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''s David L. Coddon, Wainwright referred to "April Fools" as "one of isgreatest possible hits".

Recordings and live performances

"April Fools" originally appeared as the third track on Wainwright's eponymous debut studio album, released by

in the United States on May 19, 1998. That same year, a shorter version of the song was released as a promotional single by the label. A live version of the song, from Wainwright's performance on

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, appears on the album ''Live on KCRW'' (1998). "April Fools" has appeared on other albums in Wainwright's discography, including the DVD '' All I Want'', released by Universal International in 2005, and '' Vibrate: The Best of Rufus Wainwright'', a greatest hits album released in 2014.

Compilation album A compilation album comprises Album#Tracks, tracks, which may be previously released or unreleased, usually from several separate recordings by either one or several Performing arts#Performers, performers. If by one artist, then generally the tr ...

s featuring "April Fools" include ''Basicbeats 101'' (1998), ''CMJ New Music, Vol. 59'' (1998), ''Everything Is Beautiful in Its Own Way'' (1998), ''Los Angeles Independent Film Festival: 1998 Music Sampler'' (1998), and '' Live at the World Cafe: Volume 9'' (1999), which features a live recording of Wainwright's performance on WXPN's

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'' World Cafe''. In August 2017, Wainwright performed the song as a duet as a large concert in

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in conjunction with "Montreal 375". Footage of the concert subsequently aired in September on the

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during a one-hour special called ''Montreal in Symphony''.

Music video

The music video for "April Fools", directed by Sophie Muller, was the first promoting Wainwright's debut album. It features the singer in Los Angeles "amidst a clique of classic opera characters" such as Madame Butterfly, attempting to prevent each of them from committing

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or being murdered. However, in each instance he arrives too late.

No Doubt No Doubt is an American rock band from Anaheim, California, formed in 1986. For most of their career, the band has consisted of vocalist Gwen Stefani, guitarist Tom Dumont, bassist Tony Kanal, and drummer Adrian Young. Since the mid-1990s, they ...

, a friend of Muller's, and

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bassist

, a high school acquaintance and former roommate of Wainwright's, make cameo appearances. Part of the video was filmed in Stefani's house. Wainwright said of their involvement:

Reception

Matthew Greenwald of AllMusic described "April Fools" as "the most accessible song and recording" on the album, and "possibly one of the catchiest and most hook-filled choruses in contemporary pop memory". He wrote: "As with many of ainwright'ssongs, the wordplay here keeps the listener's attention, making this one of the most unique singles of the modern pop era." Larry Flick, an editor for ''

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'', selected the song as a "Critic's Choice", signifying a work that is "highly recommend dbecause of their musical merit". He called it "sophisticated without being pretentious" and contrasted it with the "tight and tediously formulaic playlists" of the time. The song is included in Bruce Pollock's book ''Rock Song Index: The 7500 Most Important Songs for the Rock and Roll Era'' (2014).

References

External links

* * {{authority control 1998 songs Music videos directed by Sophie Muller Rufus Wainwright songs Song recordings produced by Jon Brion Songs written by Rufus Wainwright