''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' is the twelfth studio album by American R&B singer

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

, released on September 14, 1981 by

RCA Records RCA Records is an American record label currently owned by Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America. It is one of Sony Music's four flagship labels, alongside RCA's former long-time rival Columbia Records; also A ...

. It was Ross' first of six albums released by the label during the decade. It peaked at No. 15 in the United States (No. 4 R&B), No. 17 in the United Kingdom and the top ten in Sweden, Norway and the Netherlands.

Background

''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' was the first album Ross recorded after leaving the

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

label, when she signed a $20 million deal with RCA. Originally,

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

and

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the ...

were slated to produce the follow-up to the platinum '' Diana'' (1980) album. However, their schedules were filled with commitments to also produce

Debbie Harry Deborah Ann Harry (born Angela Trimble; July 1, 1945) is an American singer, songwriter and actress, best known as the lead vocalist of the band Blondie. Four of her songs with the band reached on the US charts between 1979 and 1981. Born in ...

's solo debut album ''

KooKoo ''KooKoo'' is the debut solo album by American singer Debbie Harry, released on July 27, 1981, by Chrysalis Records. Produced by Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, the album was recorded whilst Harry took a break from her band Blondie. It ...

'' (1981),

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

and another

Chic Chic (; ), meaning "stylish" or "smart", is an element of fashion. It was originally a French word. Pronounced Chick. Etymology ''Chic'' is a French word, established in English since at least the 1870s. Early references in English dictiona ...

album. Ross had given her word to RCA president Robert Summers to deliver an album for the 1981 holiday selling season. The album was the first to be produced by Ross herself, and it became her second

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...

-certified platinum album. It was also certified gold in the UK and Canada. After Ross returned " Why Do Fools Fall in Love" to the Top Ten in 1981, a major controversy concerning

Frankie Lymon Franklin Joseph Lymon (September 30, 1942 – February 27, 1968) was an American rock and roll/rhythm and blues singer and songwriter, best known as the boy soprano lead singer of the New York City-based early rock and roll doo-wop group Th ...

's estate ensued. Three women each were involved in lawsuits and counter-lawsuits over Lymon's copyrights and royalties, claiming to be Lymon's rightful widow. The string of court cases led to the making of the 1998 film '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love''. Ross embarked on a world tour in support of the album. The album was remastered and re-released on September 2, 2014 by Funky Town Grooves, with bonus material.

Singles

The album includes the US top 10 hits " Why Do Fools Fall in Love" - a cover of the 1950s

the Teenagers The Teenagers are an American music group, most noted for being one of rock music's earliest successes, presented to international audiences by DJ Alan Freed. The group, which made its most popular recordings with young Frankie Lymon as lead s ...

classic - and the rock-flavoured " Mirror Mirror". It also includes "Work That Body", co-written by Ross with

Paul Jabara Paul Jabara, also known as Paul Frederick Jabara, (January 31, 1948 – September 29, 1992) was an American actor, singer, and songwriter of Lebanese ancestry, born in Brooklyn, New York. He wrote Donna Summer's Oscar-winning " Last Dance" from ...

and

Ray Chew Ray Chew is an American musician who specializes in keyboards and contemporary and orchestral arranging. He is the music director of ABC's Dancing with the Stars (2014–present). Chew was music director for Fox's American Idol from 2010 to 20 ...

which was a top 10 hit in the UK and top 15 in the Netherlands. "It's Never Too Late" was also released as a single in some international territories. Also included on the album is a solo version of " Endless Love", which was a number one duet with

Lionel Richie Lionel Brockman Richie Jr. (born June 20, 1949) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and television personality. He rose to fame in the 1970s as a songwriter and the co-lead singer of funk band the Commodores; writing and recordi ...

from earlier that year, as well as a version of another 1950s rock & roll classic, " Sweet Nothings" originally recorded by

Brenda Lee Brenda Mae Tarpley (born December 11, 1944), known professionally as Brenda Lee, is an American singer. Performing rockabilly, pop and country music, she had 47 US chart hits during the 1960s and is ranked fourth in that decade, surpassed only ...

Track listing

Personnel

Credits are adapted from the ''Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' liner notes. Musicians * Diana Ross – lead vocals (all tracks), backing vocals (1-4, 6-9) *

Rob Mounsey Rob Mounsey (born December 2, 1952) is an American musician, composer, and arranger. Music career Mounsey was born in Berea, Ohio, and grew up in Seattle, Washington, spending a few years each in Findlay and Granville, Ohio. At the age of 17, ...

– acoustic piano (1) *

–

Rhodes Rhodes (; el, Ρόδος , translit=Ródos ) is the largest and the historical capital of the Dodecanese islands of Greece. Administratively, the island forms a separate municipality within the Rhodes regional unit, which is part of the So ...

(1, 6), acoustic piano (2-5, 7-9), arrangements (2-5, 8, 9) *

Pat Rebillot Patrick Earl "Pat" Rebillot (born April 21, 1935) is an American jazz pianist and composer. Early life and education Born in Louisville, Ohio, Rebilliot studied music at Mt. Union College and the Cincinnati Conservatory of Music with Jeno Taka ...

– acoustic piano (4) * Ed Walsh – synthesizers (4) *

Leon Pendarvis Leroy Leon Pendarvis (born 1945) is an American session musician. He plays keyboards and is a background vocalist. He is also an occasional guitarist. The artists he has worked with over the years include Bonnie Raitt on her ''Streetlights'' albu ...

– Rhodes (5, 7), arrangements (7) * Ron Frangipane – acoustic piano (6), synthesizers (6), arrangements (6) *

Bob Kulick Robert Joel Kulick (January 16, 1950 – May 28, 2020) was an American guitarist and record producer, who worked with numerous acts such as Kiss, W.A.S.P., Alice Cooper, Lou Reed, Meat Loaf and Michael Bolton. He was born in Brooklyn, New York, ...

– guitar (1), electric guitar (3) *

Eric Gale Eric Gale (September 20, 1938 – May 25, 1994) was an American jazz and R&B guitarist. ''Early life and career'' Born in Bedford–Stuyvesant, Brooklyn, New York, Gale grew up in a diverse household. His paternal grandfather was from Yorksh ...

– electric guitar (1, 2, 5-8) rhythm guitar (3) * Jeff Mironov – electric guitar (1, 4-7, 9) rhythm guitar (3) *

Neil Jason Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish name may be derived from words meaning "cloud", "passionate", "victory", "honour" or "champion".. ...

– bass (1, 3-7, 9) * Francisco Centeno – bass (2, 8) *

Yogi Horton A yogi is a practitioner of Yoga, including a sannyasin or practitioner of meditation in Indian religions.A. K. Banerjea (2014), ''Philosophy of Gorakhnath with Goraksha-Vacana-Sangraha'', Motilal Banarsidass, , pp. xxiii, 297-299, 331 Th ...

– drums (all tracks) *

Ralph MacDonald Ralph Anthony MacDonald (March 15, 1944 – December 18, 2011) was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian American, Trinbagonian-American percussionist, songwriter, musical arranger, record producer, steelpan virtuoso and philanthropist. His compositions ...

– percussion (1, 3, 5-7, 9) * George Young – tenor saxophone (1) *

Don Brooks Don Frank Brooks (8 March 1947, in Dallas, Texas – 25 October 2000, in Manhattan, New York) was an American blues harmonica performing artist. Career Brooks was a full-time harmonica player with Waylon Jennings and was a prolific session musici ...

– harmonica (2) *

Michael Brecker Michael Leonard Brecker (March 29, 1949 – January 13, 2007) was an American jazz saxophonist and composer. He was awarded 15 Grammy Awards as both performer and composer. He was awarded an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of M ...

– tenor saxophone (7) * Bert DeCoteaux – horn and string arrangements (1) *

Paul Riser Paul Riser (born September 11, 1943) is an American trombonist and Motown musical arranger who was responsible for co-writing and arranging dozens of top ten hit records. His legacy as one of the "Funk Brothers" is similar to that of most of the ...

– horn and string arrangements (2, 4, 5, 6, 8) *

Randy Brecker Randal Edward Brecker (born November 27, 1945) is an American trumpeter, flugelhornist, and composer. His versatility has made him a popular studio musician who has recorded with acts in jazz, rock, and R&B. Early life Brecker was born on Nov ...

– horn arrangements (3, 7) * Lamar Alsop – concertmaster (1, 2, 4-6, 8) *

– lead and backing vocals (4) * Margaret Dorn - backing vocals (5, 9) * Leata Galloway – backing vocals (5, 9) * Millie Whiteside – backing vocals (5, 9)

Production

* Producer – Diana Ross * Production assistance – Sephra Herman * Production manager – Matt Murphy * Engineer – Larry Alexander * Assistant engineer – Dave Greenberg * Recorded at the

Power Station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

(New York, NY). * Mastered by

Ted Jensen Ted Jensen (born September 19, 1954) is an American mastering engineer, known for having mastered many recordings, including the Eagles' ''Hotel California'', Green Day's '' American Idiot'' and Norah Jones' ''Come Away with Me''. Biography Ted ...

at Sterling Sound (New York, NY). * Inside photography – Claude Mougin * Cover photo – Douglas Kirkland

Charts

Certifications

Notes

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1981 albums Diana Ross albums Albums arranged by Paul Riser Capitol Records albums RCA Records albums