"Chain of Fools" is a song written by

Don Covay Donald James Randolph (March 24, 1936 – January 31, 2015), better known by the stage name Don Covay, was an American R&B, rock and roll, and soul singer-songwriter most active from the 1950s to the 1970s. His most successful recordings incl ...

Aretha Franklin Aretha Louise Franklin ( ; March 25, 1942 – August 16, 2018) was an American singer, songwriter and pianist. Referred to as the " Queen of Soul", she has twice been placed ninth in ''Rolling Stone''s "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". With ...

first released the song as a single in 1967 and subsequently it appeared on many of her albums. It hit number one on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' Hot Rhythm & Blues chart and number two on ''Billboard's''

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100 is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), radio play, and online streaming ...

chart. In the lyrics, the singer has been with her boyfriend for five years but realizes she's one of his "chain of fools," women with whom he's been cheating. Others tell her to leave him, but she says his love is too strong and she's too weak. Yet someday, she predicts the chain will break.

History

Asked by Jerry Wexler, producer with Atlantic Records, to create songs for

Otis Redding Otis Ray Redding Jr. (September 9, 1941 – December 10, 1967) was an American singer and songwriter. He is considered one of the greatest singers in the history of American popular music and a seminal artist in soul music and rhythm and blues. ...

, Covay recorded a demo of "Chain of Fools", a song he had written in his youth while singing gospel with his brothers and sisters. The recording featured Covay singing and playing guitar, overdubbed with himself singing background. Listening to the demo, Wexler chose to place the song with Aretha Franklin rather than Redding. It became one of her string of hit singles.

Reception

It reached number one on the U.S. R&B chart, staying there for four weeks. "Chain of Fools" also peaked at number two on the Billboard

, behind "

Judy in Disguise (With Glasses) "Judy in Disguise (With Glasses)" is a song that was a hit for the Louisiana-based John Fred & His Playboy Band in late 1967. It was jointly composed by Fred and bandmate Andrew Bernard. Arrangements and content The song features strings, brass, ...

" by John Fred & His Playboy Band. It won the

Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (previously called Best Rhythm and Blues Solo Vocal Performance, Female) was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards ...

, and later a

Grammy Hall of Fame Award The Grammy Hall of Fame is a hall of fame to honor musical recordings of lasting qualitative or historical significance. Inductees are selected annually by a special member committee of eminent and knowledgeable professionals from all branches of ...

. In 2004, this song was ranked #249 on

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first kno ...

's list of

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring survey compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2004 in ...

. The trademark tremolo guitar licks at the introduction were played by

Joe South Joe South (born Joseph Alfred Souter; February 28, 1940 – September 5, 2012) was an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and record producer. Best known for his songwriting, South won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year in 1970 for " Ga ...

. The song was edited for LP & 45; the original long version appeared on the quadrophonic LP ''

The Best of Aretha Franklin ''The Best of Aretha Franklin'' is a 1973 compilation by Aretha Franklin. It contains alternate takes and is one of only a few quadraphonic releases. It was reissued on DVD-Audio by Rhino Handmade in August 2010. It is not to be confused with a 1 ...

'' in 1973 (later released on a quadrophonic DVD by Rhino in 2010), and on the 1995 Rhino remastering of ''

Lady Soul ''Lady Soul'' is the twelfth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin released in early 1968, by Atlantic Records. Background ''Lady Soul'' was Franklin's third R&B chart-topper and reached number two on the ''Billboard'' 200, tying w ...

''. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that the song was "a smashing entry that will top both blues and pop charts" with "heavy rhythmic push, and an overwhelming vocal impact." Live recordings have appeared on the albums ''

Aretha in Paris ''Aretha In Paris'' is a live album by American singer Aretha Franklin, released in 1968, by Atlantic Records. The album was recorded in Paris on May 7, 1968. It reached the Top 20 of ''Billboards album chart. It was reissued on compact disc thro ...

'' (1968) and '' VH1 Divas Live'' (1998, with

Mariah Carey Mariah Carey (; born March 27, 1969) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and record producer. Referred to as the " Songbird Supreme", she is noted for her five-octave vocal range, melismatic singing style and signature use of the whi ...

Personnel

*Aretha Franklin - lead vocals and piano * Jimmy Johnson and

- guitars *

Spooner Oldham Dewey Lindon "Spooner" Oldham (born June 14, 1943) is an American songwriter and session musician. An organist, he recorded in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, at FAME Studios as part of the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section on such hit R&B songs as Percy ...

Wurlitzer electric piano The Wurlitzer electronic piano is an electric piano manufactured and marketed by Wurlitzer from the mid-1950s to mid-1980s. Sound is generated by striking a metal reed with a hammer, which induces an electric current in a pickup. It is conceptua ...

Tommy Cogbill Thomas Clark Cogbill (April 8, 1932 – December 7, 1982) was an American bassist, guitarist and record producer known for his work in R&B, soul and country music. Life and career Cogbill was born in Johnson Grove, Tennessee. He was a high ...

- bass * Roger Hawkins - drums *

The Sweet Inspirations The Sweet Inspirations were an American R&B girl group mostly known for their work as backup singers on studio recordings for other R&B and rock artists. A founding member of the group was Dionne Warwick, who was later replaced by her aunt, Cis ...

Carolyn Franklin Carolyn Ann Franklin (May 13, 1944 – April 25, 1988) was an American singer-songwriter. Besides her own musical success, Franklin was best known as the daughter of prominent Detroit preacher and civil rights activist C. L. Franklin and the youn ...

Erma Franklin Erma Vernice Franklin (March 13, 1938 – September 7, 2002) was an American gospel and soul singer. Franklin was the elder sister of American singer/musician Aretha Franklin. Franklin's best known recording was the original version of "Piece of ...

Ellie Greenwich Eleanor Louise Greenwich (October 23, 1940 – August 26, 2009) was an American pop music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She wrote or co-wrote "Da Doo Ron Ron", "Be My Baby", "Maybe I Know", " Then He Kissed Me", "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" ...

- background vocals

Chart positions

Notable cover versions

* In 1969, Finnish jazz singer

Carola Carola is a female given name, the Latinized form of the Germanic given names Caroline or Carol. People named Carola include: Acting * Carola Braunbock (1924–1978), Czech-born East German actress *Carola Höhn (1910–2005), German actres ...

tried out rhythm & blues, recording a television video of "Chain of Fools". The tongue-in-cheek choreography by Heikki Värtsi included girl group dancing and Carola whipping a man in a cave.

Uses in pop culture

In 1990, the song was used in the Season Three episode of the TV series '' Midnight Caller'' entitled "Ryder on the Storm".

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chain Of Fools (Song) 1967 singles Songs written by Don Covay Aretha Franklin songs Little Richard songs Mariah Carey songs Fantasia Barrino songs Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients 1967 songs Song recordings produced by Jerry Wexler Atlantic Records singles American rock songs Cashbox number-one singles