What a Fool Believes
"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins. The best-known version was recorded by the Doobie Brothers (with McDonald singing lead vocals) for their 1978 album Minute by Minute. Debuting at number 73 on January 20, 1979, the single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, for one week.[6] The song received Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.
"What a Fool Believes"
"Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"
January 1979
August 1978
3:41 (Album / Single Version)
5:28 (Extended Version)
The song was one of the few non-disco No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 during the first eight months of 1979. The lyrics tell a story of a man who is reunited with an old love interest and attempts to rekindle a romantic relationship with her before discovering that one never really existed.
Composition[edit]
Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, who had wanted to collaborate for some time, wrote the song together in Los Angeles. Loggins went to McDonald's house and heard him playing a tune on piano, and suggested they work on that as he already had a hook line, "She had a place in his life" in mind. The song they wrote was influenced by songs they grew up listening to such as the Four Seasons' "Sherry" and "Walk Like a Man". They finished the song by the following day.[7]
Other versions by Loggins and McDonald/the Doobie Brothers[edit]
In 1978, Warner Brothers released a 12-inch single disco version by the Doobie Brothers (backed with "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels"), which peaked at number 40 on Billboard's Disco Action Chart in April 1979. Mixed by disco producer Jim Burgess, at 5:31 the song is considerably longer than the 3:41 versions on the 7-inch single and the Minute by Minute LP. The 12-inch version also has a more pronounced bass-driven drumbeat.[37]
A live version appears on Loggins' 1980 album Kenny Loggins Alive. Loggins' original version switches several of the gender pronouns, so that it is sung largely from the perspective of the woman in the encounter.
A reissue of the single was released in 1987 credited to the Doobie Brothers featuring Michael McDonald. It was included on McDonald's 1986 compilation album Sweet Freedom and was credited here as Michael McDonald with the Doobie Brothers. It reached No. 57 on the UK Singles Chart in January 1987.[38]
There is a Loggins/McDonald live duet version on Loggins' 1993 album Outside: From the Redwoods.
A version featuring Sara Evans is included on the Doobie Brothers' 2014 studio album Southbound.
"What a Fool Believes"
- "Samba in Your Casa (Cashassa Mix)"
- "Say It's Not Too Late"
1991
4:23
Michael McDonald, Kenny Loggins
Numerous cover versions of the song have been recorded, including: