"Fool" is a song by the

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

alternative rock Alternative rock, or alt-rock, is a category of rock music that emerged from the independent music underground of the 1970s and became widely popular in the 1990s. "Alternative" refers to the genre's distinction from mainstream or commerci ...

band

Mansun Mansun were an English alternative rock band, formed in Chester in 1995. The band comprised vocalist/rhythm guitarist Paul Draper, bassist Stove King, lead guitarist/backing vocalist Dominic Chad, and drummer Andie Rathbone. It was announced ...

. The song was written by band-leader Paul Draper. It was recorded and produced by

Hugh Padgham Hugh Charles Padgham (born 15 February 1955) is an English record producer and audio engineer. He has won four Grammy Awards, for Producer of the Year and Album of the Year for 1985, Record of the Year for 1990, and Engineer of the Year for 199 ...

with co-producer Michael Hunter during sessions for the group's third studio album. The song was released as the third and final single in early 2001 from the group's third album, '' Little Kix''. The single disappointed commercially reaching the low peak of #28 on the

UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart (currently titled Official Singles Chart, with the upper section more commonly known as the Official UK Top 40) is compiled by the Official Charts Company (OCC), on behalf of the British record industry, listing the top-s ...

during the typically quiet post-Christmas singles market. The music video for "Fool" was directed by

Phil Harder Philip Harder is a music video director and commercial director represented by Bob Industries in Santa Monica, California.Bobcentr ...

. Paul Draper was particularly dismissive of the track calling it his 'least favourite Mansun track'. Writing in the liner-notes to '' Legacy: The Best of Mansun'', he describes "Fool" as an ironic song inspired by a book on songwriting by

Jimmy Webb Jimmy Layne Webb (born August 15, 1946) is an American songwriter, composer, and singer. He has written numerous platinum-selling songs, including " Up, Up and Away", " By the Time I Get to Phoenix", " MacArthur Park", " Wichita Lineman", " Wo ...

. The song played a part in further straining relations between Draper and the label: ' Bowie intro, comical chorus lyrics and guess what? The label (

Parlophone Parlophone Records Limited (also known as Parlophone Records and Parlophone) is a German–British record label founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company as Parlophon. The British branch of the label was founded on 8 August 192 ...

) wanted it as a fucking single! I couldn't believe it.'

Track listing

Personnel

;Mansun * Paul Draper – lead vocals, acoustic guitar,

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

Dominic Chad Dominic Chad (born 5 June 1972 in Exeter, Devon, England) is an English people, English musician, formerly the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, arranger and co-writer of the rock band Mansun. Biography Early days Born in Exeter, Devon, Chad gre ...

–

electric guitar An electric guitar is a guitar that requires external amplification in order to be heard at typical performance volumes, unlike a standard acoustic guitar (however combinations of the two - a semi-acoustic guitar and an electric acoustic gu ...

backing vocals A backing vocalist is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists. A backing vocalist may also sing alone as a lead-in to the main vocalist's entry or to sing a counter-melody. Backing vocalists are ...

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keybo ...

* Stove King – bass * Andie Rathbone – drums,

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Ex ...

;Production *

– producer ("Fool") * Mike Hunter – producer (all tracks except "Fool"), engineering (all tracks except "Fool"), mixing (all tracks except "Fool"), co-producer ("Fool") *

Mark 'Spike' Stent Mark "Spike" Stent (born 3 August 1965) is an English record producer and mixing engineer who has worked with many international artists including Madonna, Marshmello, U2, Beyoncé, Björk, Depeche Mode, Echo & The Bunnymen, Grimes, Ed Sh ...

– mixing ("Fool") * Anton Corbijn – band photograph * Alex Hutchinson (at Free Barrabas!) - design

Chart positions

References

{{authority control 2001 singles 2000 songs Mansun songs Songs written by Paul Draper (musician) Song recordings produced by Hugh Padgham Parlophone singles Music videos directed by Phil Harder