"Foolish Games" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jewel from her debut studio album, ''

Pieces of You ''Pieces of You'' is the debut studio album by American singer-songwriter Jewel, released on February 28, 1995, by Atlantic Records. It was produced by Ben Keith, who has also produced works for artists such as Neil Young and Patsy Cline. Featuri ...

'' (1995). It was also the third single to be lifted from the '' Batman & Robin'' motion-picture soundtrack. Jewel re-recorded the single for the soundtrack to produce a more radio-friendly version, similar to her other singles "

Who Will Save Your Soul "Who Will Save Your Soul" is a song written and performed by American singer-songwriter Jewel. It was the first song released from her first studio album, '' Pieces of You'' (1995), and became a hit in North America and Australasia, peaking at ...

" and " You Were Meant for Me". This version is shorter than the album version by one verse. The song details the frustration and agony of knowing that the intensity of one's love is not reciprocated by one's lover. A CD single for the song was not issued in the United States, but a re-released version of the "You Were Meant for Me" CD single had a hidden bonus track of the single version of "Foolish Games". Because of this, instead of debuting and charting 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 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 ...

in the traditional way, "Foolish Games" was able to continue the chart life of "You Were Meant for Me". The latter, which had peaked at number two and was spending its 41st week on the chart, rebounded to number 12 as "Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me", eventually peaking at number seven eight weeks later. As a result, ''Billboard'' listed "Foolish Games" as peaking at number two despite the song never actually reaching that position. "Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me" was listed as the second-best performing song of 1997 by ''Billboard''. The single is ranked at number 20 on ''Billboard''s All Time Top 100 and held the

Guinness World Record ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

for the longest chart run of a single, 65 weeks, but this achievement has since been surpassed multiple times. Jewel was also nominated for

Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance was a Grammy Award recognizing superior vocal performance by a female in the pop category, the first of which was presented in 1959. It was discontinued after the 2011 Grammy season. The awar ...

for "Foolish Games". The song was included on Jewel's ''

Greatest Hits A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be crea ...

'' as a duet with

Kelly Clarkson Kelly Brianne Clarkson (born April 24, 1982) is an American singer, songwriter, author, and television personality. She rose to fame after winning the first season of ''American Idol'' in 2002, which earned her a record deal with RCA. Her debu ...

Critical reception

Stephen Thomas Erlewine Stephen Thomas Erlewine (; born June 18, 1973) is an American music critic and senior editor for the online music database AllMusic. He is the author of many artist biographies and record reviews for AllMusic, as well as a freelance writer, occ ...

from

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 ...

described the song as "superior". Chuck Taylor from ''Billboard'' stated that it is the "quintessential musical moment" of the ''

'' album. He wrote that "the vocally sweeping

ballad A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads derive from the medieval French ''chanson balladée'' or ''ballade'', which were originally "dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic of the popular poetry and ...

offers the richest arrangement among her hits, with lyrics that affectingly express the emotional descent of a woman whose love is unappreciated, perhaps even unseen, by her object of affection". The magazine also noted that "this piano-anchored ballad places the

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted thr ...

in a setting that is almost orchestral and far more lush than those of her previous hits". A reviewer from The Daily Vault said "Foolish Games" "works because of the wailing chorus both tired and yearning". David Browne from ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cul ...

'' compared Jewel to British singer

Kate Bush Catherine Bush (born 30 July 1958) is an English singer, songwriter, record producer and dancer. In 1978, at the age of 19, she topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks with her debut single "Wuthering Heights (song), Wuthering Heights", ...

on the track, in his review. Australian music channel Max placed the song at number 503 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011. British magazine ''

Music Week ''Music Week'' is a trade publication for the UK record industry distributed via a website and a monthly print magazine. It is published by Future. History Founded in 1959 as '' Record Retailer'', it relaunched on 18 March 1972 as ''Music W ...

'' wrote, "This 22-year-old Alaskan singer-songwriter has a voice that simply demands your attention and this song of emotional entanglement complements it wonderfully. A gem." Ed Masley from ''

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette The ''Pittsburgh Post-Gazette'', also known simply as the PG, is the largest newspaper serving metropolitan Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Descended from the ''Pittsburgh Gazette'', established in 1786 as the first newspaper published west of the All ...

'' described it as an "emotional ballad" with a "chilling climax". Sal Cinquemani from ''

Slant Slant can refer to: Bias *Bias or other non-objectivity in journalism, politics, academia or other fields Technical * Slant range, in telecommunications, the line-of-sight distance between two points which are not at the same level * Slant d ...

'' called it "a female-centric take" on

Leonard Cohen Leonard Norman Cohen (September 21, 1934November 7, 2016) was a Canadian singer-songwriter, poet and novelist. His work explored religion, politics, isolation, depression, sexuality, loss, death, and romantic relationships. He was inducted in ...

's "

Famous Blue Raincoat "Famous Blue Raincoat" is a song by Leonard Cohen. It is the sixth track on his third album, ''Songs of Love and Hate'', released in 1971. The song is written in the form of a letter (many of the lines are written in amphibrachs). The lyric tells ...

", and noted that "Foolish Games" "remains one of the great pop songs of the '90s, buoyed by the singer's impeccably wrenching vocal performance".

Music video

The accompanying

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 ...

for "Foolish Games" was directed by American artist, photographer, director, and creative director

Matthew Rolston Matthew Russell Rolston is an American artist, photographer, Music video director, director and creative director, known for his lighting techniques and detailed approach to art direction and design. Rolston has been identified throughout his care ...

. It is almost colorless and features Jewel performing the song in a pale and barren landscape. Some scenes also feature her riding a horse.

Track listings

* US promo CD # "Foolish Games" (radio edit) – 4:00 * European and Australian CD single # "Foolish Games" (radio edit) – 4:00 # "Angel Needs a Ride" – 4:17 # "Everything Breaks" – 3:21

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Decade-end charts

All-time charts

Certifications

References

{{Authority control 1990s ballads 1997 singles 1995 songs Atlantic Records singles Batman (1989 film series) Batman music Jewel (singer) songs Kelly Clarkson songs Music videos directed by Matthew Rolston Pop ballads Songs about heartache Songs written by Jewel (singer)