"Foolin'" is a 1983 single by English heavy metal band

Def Leppard Def Leppard are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Sheffield in 1977. Since 1992, the band has consisted of Rick Savage (bass, backing vocals), Joe Elliott (lead vocals), Rick Allen (drummer), Rick Allen (drums), Phil Collen (guitar, ...

from their

diamond Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Diamond is tasteless, odourless, strong, brittle solid, colourless in pure form, a poor conductor of e ...

album ''

Pyromania Pyromania is an impulse-control disorder in which individuals repeatedly fail to resist impulses to deliberately start fires, to relieve some tension or for instant gratification. The term ''pyromania'' comes from the Greek word (''pyr'', 'f ...

''. When released as a single later that year, it reached #9 on the

Mainstream Rock Mainstream rock (also known as heritage rock) is a radio format used by many commercial radio stations in the United States and Canada. Format background Mainstream rock stations represent a cross between classic rock, active rock and alternativ ...

chart and #28 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', is 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 "Foolin'" has "structural similarities to arlier Def Leppard single'

Photograph A photograph (also known as a photo, or more generically referred to as an ''image'' or ''picture'') is an image created by light falling on a photosensitivity, photosensitive surface, usually photographic film or an electronic image sensor. Th ...

' and follows in that single’s skillful pop blend of melodicism and metallicism." '' Ultimate Classic Rock'' described the song as a "mid-tempo rocker".

Music video

The

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

was shot in June 1983 at the Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and directed by David Mallet.((( Def Leppard UK.com ))) :: Def Video 2 Pyromania 1983/High 'n' Dry 1984:
/ref> The video shows Elliott escaping from his evil girlfriend in a fantasy sequence, interspersed with scenes of the band performing on a concert stage. It features

Billy Idol William Michael Albert Broad (born 30 November 1955), known professionally as Billy Idol, is an English singer, songwriter, musician, and actor. Idol achieved fame in the 1970s on the London punk rock scene as the lead singer of Generation X ...

's then-girlfriend Perri Lister playing the

harp The harp is a stringed musical instrument that has individual strings running at an angle to its soundboard; the strings are plucked with the fingers. Harps can be made and played in various ways, standing or sitting, and in orchestras or ...

with her eyes closed. On the video compilation '' Historia'', the text commentary before this video states, "Indeed, a face without eyes", a pun on Idol's song " Eyes Without a Face". There is also a rare "Performance Only" version of the video, which focuses solely on the concert scenes. This version was briefly shown during the '' Ultimate Albums'' episode of the making of ''Pyromania'' in 2002.

Track listing

7": Mercury / PolyGram / 814-178-7 (US)

# "Foolin'" # "Comin' Under Fire"

Charts

References

Def Leppard songs 1983 singles 1983 songs British heavy metal songs Mercury Records singles Music videos directed by David Mallet (director) Songs written by Robert John "Mutt" Lange Songs written by Joe Elliott Songs written by Steve Clark Song recordings produced by Robert John "Mutt" Lange {{metal-song-stub