Ten Fool Songs

I’ve been listening to some songs recently with the word “fool” in the title. That led me thinking it would be a good topic to write an article compiling fool songs. Most of these songs use the term “fool” in relation to relationships, such as someone seeing himself as the fool or viewed that way in the third person. I will only talk about the song’s meaning when they deviate from that trend. I featured two of the songs on this list in my recent article “Magical Music of 1978”. We’ll start by going back 50 years.

Fool’s Gold - Procol Harum (1975)

The song opens with Gary Brooker’s piano and his singing. Other instruments slowly come in and it becomes a full band song quickly. It has an incredible rock energy and features great guitar by Mick Grabham. Gary’s piano rocks well during this song including the way it backs the guitars. The song seems to be about someone who was determined to be successful and failed. Fool’s gold refers to a substance which resembles gold, but is worthless. It also means something incorrectly perceived as very successful. Gary sings about how fool’s gold fooled him. He seems to be singing figuratively. We get some horns close to the end of the song.

Ship of Fools - Bob Seger (1976)

This is a countryish sounding soft rock ballad. The piano isn’t dominant, but provides a good musical base. The creative guitar parts by Drew Abbott come in and out of the song. The accordion has a good presence. Ship of fools is a metaphor by Plato about a ship having an unfit crew which can refer to a dysfunctional democracy. The song is about someone who sailed on a ship with a crew and says what happened. It’s only at the end we find out that the ship sank and he’s the sole survivor. That’s when he refers to it as a “ship of fools”. Bob sings in an intimate manner.

Fool (If You Think It’s Over) - Chris Rea (1978)

The song opens with a light beat. It’s led by an electric piano. Chris Rea’s acoustic piano comes in a bit later which has a good presence in parts of the song. A vibraphone provides some good notes. There is a nice saxophone solo at the halfway point. An orchestra is featured. Producer Gus Dudgeon gives the song a very full production with so many instruments that don’t clash, but support each other. Chris sings this song in a warm way.

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers (1978)

Michael McDonald wrote this song with Kenny Loggins, sings it and plays piano & synths (with Bill Payne). The piano & synths combine to form a unique keyboard sound. Michael sings powerfully and soulfully. He also sings backing vocals which adds to the song. This is a very melodic song which has a fun, enjoyable feel.

Fool in the Rain - Led Zeppelin (1979)

This is a softer song by Led Zeppelin, though it’s good to have something rockier than the last three songs. John Paul Jones’ piano has a prominent part and opens the song with its riff. John Bonham's drumming is powerful. In the middle of the song, the melody changes with great drumming and percussion. This section brings in a samba sound. It goes back to the piano riff of the start of the song. Jimmy Page plays a creative guitar solo going over it. This solo isn’t intense, but it brings a rock vibe and has jazz influences. Near the end, we get what sounds like acoustic guitar parts. This is an epic six minute rock song.

I’ll Be the Fool Again - Robbie Dupree (1981)

This soft rock song opens with synths and is soon joined by guitar and piano. It’s similar to “What a Fool Believes” we heard earlier, but has more guitars and rock. Robbie sings soulfully. There is a relaxing guitar solo. This song balances synths, piano and guitars well. It’s a good example of yacht rock.

Rope Around a Fool - Elton John (1988)

This piano rock song opens with Elton’s piano and is soon joined by Davey Johnstone’s aggressive guitars. Elton sings powerfully and rocks great on his piano. His piano solo is rock & roll sounding and has good guitar interjections by Davey. This song was the B-Side to his hit “I Don’t Wanna Go On With You Like That” which has a similar piano rock sound.

Any Other Fool - Michael Stanley (2000)

It’s fitting that we follow Elton John as this sounds like an Elton song with its piano ballad style. The line “It never ceases to amaze me” brings to mind Elton’s song “Amazes Me”. Michael’s keyboardist Bob Pelander plays amazing piano and organ. Bob and Michael wrote this song together. Michael sings greatly with emotion. The female backing vocalist supports him well. There is a powerful bridge around the halfway mark followed by a melodic saxophone solo. This song shows what a great singer-songwriter Michael Stanley is. It’s a pity he wasn’t able to be a globally successful singer. He’s someone I recommend listening to.

Fool for Falling In Love - Benny Mardones (2002)

Benny Mardones wrote this song with Roy Orbison. It’s driven by piano and has a strong drum part. The two instruments go together well. There is a subtle organ throughout which adds to the song. Benny sings with passion. At the halfway mark, the piano part brings latin vibes that I like. There is good percussion near the end. Benny gave us a powerful rock ballad with this song.

I Was Fooled - Eric Clapton (2010)

This is a blues cover. The song was written by Jody Williams. Eric brings off blues rock vibes in this song. There is a harmonica throughout it including a good solo. I really like what the piano does during the chorus. Eric sings the blues with passion.

I’ve noticed that a lot of these songs tend to go towards soft rock and ballads with the levels of rock varying. There are some songs which rock harder. I find it interesting that there are only three hit songs which are the ones by The Doobie Brothers, Chris Rea and Led Zeppelin. If you enjoyed reading this, you might be interested in my previous article “Ten Train Songs”. It features many of the same artists.

Magical Music of 1978

As a music fan, I consider 1978 to be a fantastic year for music. There were many popular songs that resonated with me from that year. I decided to write an article talking about the magical music of 1978.

The first song I’m mentioning is “Hold the Line” by Toto. It opens with the rocking piano riff by David Paich who also wrote the song. Steve Lukather provides great guitar and lead singer Bobby Kimball sings intensely in this incredible rocker. Georgy Porgy by the same band has both a soft rock and a jazz rock feel. Steve Lukather sings the verses and the choruses are sung by guest singer Cheryl Lynn. Steve gives an enjoyable jazz influenced guitar solo in this relaxing song.

Hold the Line - Toto

I’m now moving on to Toto’s Columbia labelmates Journey. Wheel in the Sky is a hard rock song with an aggressive feel. Steve Perry sings powerfully, there’s a great guitar solo by Neal Schon and Gregg Rolie underpins the song well with his piano. The next song “Lights” is my favourite Journey song. Like with Toto, we go from a hard rock song to a soft rock song. Lights is incredible with its melody, piano, Steve’s singing, guitar solo, organ and rock feel.

Lights - Journey

I’m a big Bob Seger fan. He’s one of the topics I write about on this blog. These are four songs by him. His signature song “Old Time Rock & Roll” is a rock & roll tribute to that music of the 1950s. We’ve Got Tonight is a special melodic piano ballad with Bob showing his softer side. Hollywood Nights has a hard rock feel unlike the previous two. Bob’s guitars drive the song and he’s backed well by Bill Payne’s keyboards (piano & organ). David Teegarden’s double drums give a special sound. Still the Same is a catchy ballad that takes in some country influences. Bob does double duty on piano (including a solo) and acoustic guitars. All these great songs come from Bob’s album “Stranger in Town” which is the first album of his I listened to 15 years ago.

We’ve Got Tonight - Bob Seger

Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London” is a funny satirical comedy rock song. Its simple piano notes are repeated on a consistent loop. This is done creatively as the song isn’t repetitive. Warren sings other melodies over his piano part. The Power of Gold by Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg is sung by Dan who also plays piano and guitars. He doubles the two instruments very well including playing a great guitar solo. Album collaborator Tim Weisberg plays flute. Eric Clapton had a warm soft rock US hit “Promises”. This ballad features Dick Sims’ relaxing keyboards (electric piano & organ) and good guitar parts.

The Power of Gold - Dan Fogelberg & Tim Weisberg

The following songs all have acoustic piano, electric piano, saxophone, guitar and orchestra. Scottish singer Gerry Rafferty had the worldwide soft rock hit “Baker Street” that’s very musical. The sax part comes repeatedly in the song to great effect. The guitar solo contrasts well with the sax. We’ll move on to another singer born in Scotland Al Stewart. He grew up in England and is US based. His US hit “Time Passages” is another six minute soft rock song. There are two solos in a row which are Spanish influenced acoustic guitar and sax ones followed by electric guitar parts. English singer Chris Rea is a one-hit wonder in the US unlike in his country. His US hit “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)” is driven by electric piano and an acoustic piano is featured in much of the song. Chris gave us a special melodic ballad.

Fool (If You Think It’s Over) - Chris Rea

We’re going from one fool song to another. The previous three songs all have a British sensibility (including US based Al Stewart). This time it’s to America with soul influenced soft rock by Michael McDonald’s version of The Doobie Brothers. In “What a Fool Believes”, Michael’s piano riff is brilliant and he sings greatly. Synths also form a major part of the song and they are played by Michael and Bill Payne (the keyboardist on Bob Seger’s “Hollywood Nights”). On “Minute by Minute”, Michael plays electric piano. The synth parts are different from the previous song. Michael sings expressively and is supported well by the backing vocals.

What a Fool Believes - The Doobie Brothers

Michael wrote the previous two songs with Kenny Loggins & Lester Abrams. He co-wrote “Dependin’ on You” with bandmate Patrick Simmons. This was a minor hit unlike the previous two. Patrick sings this song and brings more rock into this version of the band. Michael gives good rock & roll piano and backing vocals. There is rocking guitar including solos. Horns have a good presence. This rock song is fused with soul and a hint of jazz.

Dependin’ on You - The Doobie Brothers

Billy Joel gave us the powerful rock ballad “Honesty” with his rich piano. It’s a moving song that’s very melodic and rocks. I'm a big Elton John fan and he had two global hits that year. Part-Time Love was big when it came out except the US where it was a minor hit. This song has been forgotten now. It’s a pop rock song with a soul influence. Elton’s original guitarist Davey Johnstone plays great lead guitar backed on rhythm guitar by Tim Renwick who was the main guitarist on the “A Single Man” album. Elton’s other hit was “Song for Guy” which was popular globally except the US. This instrumental pop song features Elton on piano & keyboards accompanied by percussion and bass. Elton sings some words near the end.

Part-Time Love - Elton John

List of Articles Featuring these Songs

Below are articles where I featured these songs in a list with it described in a paragraph plus an article about the original demo of “Old Time Rock & Roll” which compares it with the released version. I provide links to these articles.

Ten Great Bob Seger Songs by Ten Different Piano Players

Old Time Rock & Roll - Bob Seger

We’ve Got Tonight - Bob Seger

Ten Great Universal Music Group Songs

Still the Same - Bob Seger

Promises - Eric Clapton

The Original Version of Old Time Rock & Roll

An article about the original demo of the song by George Jackson. Both George’s version and Bob’s version are embedded and compared.

Conclusion

I'm going to make comments and comparisons about these songs. The saxophone was popular during this period which included memorable sax parts in “Old Time Rock & Roll” and “Baker Street”. There are iconic piano riffs for songs in different types of rock which are hard rock (“Hold the Line”), rock & roll (“Old Time Rock & Roll”), comedy rock (“Werewolves of London”) and soft rock (“What a Fool Believes”). It was common to have piano ballads featuring orchestra as seen most prominently in “Honesty” and “We’ve Got Tonight”.

I love the fact that so many of these songs are by singing pianists. It includes the two biggest names in that field who are Elton John (“Part-Time Love”) and Billy Joel (“Honesty”). Michael McDonald did this with The Doobie Brothers’ hits “What a Fool Believes” and “Minute by Minute”. Warren Zevon’s piano part for his hit “Werevolves of London” is memorable. Chris Rea who’s known as a guitarist played acoustic piano on “Fool (If You Think It’s Over)”. This was an anomaly in his career where he didn’t play guitar on one of his songs. Bob Seger played piano and acoustic guitar on “Still the Same”. Dan Fogelberg played piano & guitar even more impressively on “The Power of Gold” with him playing rock piano, electric & acoustic guitars including a solo.

These songs are melodic and reflect great things music can do. They are reflective of the year 1978, but do so in a timeless way that transcends that year. They continue to resonate in 2025 and will continue doing so in the years going forward.

Ten Songs Featuring Elton John Sidemen

This post is about Elton John’s backing band who are known as the Elton John Band. I decided to select ten songs I like which feature at least one Elton John band member. One Elton song is of course included. I previously featured the Bob Seger song in my article on Bob Seger piano songs. To maintain a connection with Elton’s music all these songs feature piano.

Magic by Pilot - David Paton (1974)

This is by the Scottish rock band Pilot. David Paton had been a bassist for Elton in the 1980s. He plays bass and sings this song. It opens with intense guitars. Piano then appears which has a supporting role in this song. There is an orchestra and the guitars are understated in sections and are stronger in other parts of the song. There is an intense guitar solo about the three-quarter mark. David sings cheerfully in this fun pop rocker. This song reminds me of Elton’s “Rock Of The Westies” album with it sounding like “Dan Dare (Pilot Of The Future)”.

Bad Blood by Neil Sedaka - Nigel Olsson (1975)

This is a fun pop song. Elton provides prominent backing vocals echoing Neil in the words “bad” and “blood”. Elton and Neil also sing sections together which sounds good. Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson plays the drums, who provides a good beat. Neil plays piano and this song sounds like an Elton song. David Foster plays clavinet which has a good presence. An Elton song this brings to mind is “Dark Diamond” featuring clavinet played by Stevie Wonder.

Don’t Go Breaking My Heart by Elton John & Kiki Dee - Elton John Band (1976)

This is one of Elton’s most popular songs, a duet with Kiki Dee. The Elton John Band at the time (Caleb Quaye, Davey Johnstone, James Newton Howard, Ray Cooper, Kenny Passarelli & Roger Pope) played on the song, though my understanding is that Davey does not appear on it. This is a catchy pop song with elements of soul. There is an orchestra in the song. The guitars make a more prominent presence in parts of the song. Elton and Kiki sing well together and it’s even more impressive as they recorded their parts separately. The Elton John Band plays in a gentle, relaxing way.

Year of the Cat by Al Stewart - Tim Renwick (1976)

This soft rock song opens with piano. Alan Parsons who produced this also produced “Magic” by Pilot making him the only producer to produce two songs on this list. Tim Renwick who plays guitars on it would be the main guitarist on Elton’s “A Single Man” album a few years later and briefly be in Elton’s band in the early 80s. Tim plays both acoustic and electric guitars, playing a unique acoustic guitar solo followed by an electric guitar solo. Following this, there is a saxophone solo which comes back later at the end of the song. This is similar to the Elton songs “Burn Down The Mission” and “Blues For Baby And Me” that also feature an orchestra.

It’s A Laugh by Daryl Hall & John Oates - Caleb Quaye, Kenny Passarelli & Roger Pope (1978)

Guitarist Caleb Quaye, bassist Kenny Passarelli & drummer Roger Pope joined Daryl Hall & John Oates after Elton John. The album featured guest guitarists, so it’s possible that the lead guitar part isn’t played by Caleb, but I’m writing assuming it’s him. This fun rock song opens with Roger’s drums which goes into a saxophone intro. Caleb plays light rocking electric guitar parts which add power to the song. The piano sounds like the piano in an Elton song. I wonder if Daryl is playing it as he often plays piano. An Elton song I’m reminded of is “Elderberry Wine”.

Hey Deanie by Eric Carmen - Nigel Olsson & Richie Zito (1978)

The song opens with Eric singing the chorus with backing vocals and claps. Elton’s drummer Nigel Olsson and future guitarist Richie Zito play on this song. Nigel and Richie would play together with Elton in the early 80s when they would both be in the Elton John Band. This could be an Elton John rock & roll song with its brilliant rock & roll piano. There are some glissandos. Horns are featured in parts of the song. Nigel gives rock drumming similar to what he’s played for Elton before.

Do You Still Dream? by Chris Rea - David Paton (1981)

The dark rock song opens with piano. There are light electric piano parts that come in and out of the song. The acoustic and electric pianos sound well together. The guitar gives a good presence with there being a guitar solo at the end of the song. A little after a minute when it becomes a full band song, David Paton’s bass gives deep bass notes which are tied with the drums. The guitar solo at the end of the song adds a good contrast to what we heard before. This is a bit like the Elton song “Cry To Heaven”. Both of them are 80s rock songs made in England.

Love’s The Last To Know by Bob Seger - Davey Johnstone (1982)

Bill Payne’s piano starts off the song. Bill is the keyboardist of southern rock band Little Feat. Little Feat is one of Elton’s influences. Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone plays an acoustic guitar. He comes about a third into the song with the drums and plays a good supporting role. Bob sings gently, changes to intensely once the strong drumming comes and transitions back to gentle singing in the last section. This song is a bit like an Elton ballad with it reminding me of his 2006 rock ballad “Blues Never Fade Away” (also featuring Davey) that is mostly piano in the first half with intense drumming in the second half.

The Language of Love by Dan Fogelberg - Kenny Passarelli (1984)

I get heartland rock vibes from this track. It features a good mix of guitars and keyboards (piano & organ). Dan Fogelberg sings with a rock voice and also plays lead guitar. His guitar solo is aggressive. Kenny Passarelli who was mentioned previously plays bass. Kenny’s playing is subtle and suits the rock style of this song. Timothy B. Schmit of the Eagles sings harmony vocals. This song’s lyrics remind me of Bernie Taupin’s lyrics for Elton’s 1995 “Made In England” album such as its hit single “Believe”.

Been There, Done That by Christopher Cross - Matt Bissonette (1995)

The song opens with an electric piano. After a while an acoustic piano soon comes in. There are rocking guitars. The bass is played by Elton’s bassist Matt Bissonette. Matt’s bass notes are really deep. There is a strong guitar solo at around the two and a half minute mark. It has the signature Christopher Cross soft rock sound. An Elton song this is a bit like is “Spiteful Child”. Both of them have acoustic piano, electric piano, electric guitars and similar synths.

Hope you enjoyed these songs. I was celebrating classic rock music through the lens of my Elton John fandom. Elton has featured talented musicians in his band who made great contributions to popular music. Thanks to all Elton John band members including the ones not featured in this article for their work as sidemen.

Ten Great Elton John Songs by Ten Different Guitarists

I decided to post a collection of Elton John songs whose main guitar part is played by ten different guitarists. These songs showcase the mix of guitar and piano where you hear how well Elton plays piano with many guitarists. Elton’s lyricist Bernie Taupin wrote the lyrics for six of the songs. We’re beginning with one of Elton’s most popular songs.

Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting - Davey Johnstone (1973)

It opens with Davey Johnstone’s charging guitars. It’s mainly guitars you hear at the start. Elton soon brings in his piano with a glissando just before the chorus. This glissando is repeated at the same spot throughout the song. Davey really rocks powerfully with all the guitars he plays on this song. Elton’s piano playing supports Davey well. Right at the end of the song, his rock & roll piano parts offer a good contrast with Davey’s guitars.

Street Kids - Caleb Quaye (1975)

Caleb Quaye & Davey Johnstone both play rhythm guitars. Davey also plays slide guitar. It opens with a guitar effect and then all the instruments come in including Elton’s piano which is mixed in well. Elton is singing aggressively. There are these strong guitar riffs throughout the song I’m assuming is played by Caleb. Caleb gives us a long creative guitar solo. The solo is so rock sounding yet it seems like he’s taking inspiration from jazz the way he changes notes so fast. This is a hard rocking guitar & piano song.

Earn While You Learn - Tim Renwick (1978)

Though this song appears as a bonus track on 1983’s “Too Low For Zero” album due to being a B-Side from that time, it was recorded during the sessions for the 1978 album “A Single Man”. This instrumental is written solely by Elton. It opens with “Earn While You Learn” (the song title) spoken by someone and then Tim’s guitar riff before being joined by all instruments.

When all instruments come in, we get Elton’s keyboards. Elton’s keyboards include prominent organ and synth parts with his piano underneath everything. At about the two minute mark, Tim plays his riff again with Elton’s piano coming in louder and Tim giving a guitar solo. This happens again later on without another guitar solo. This is powerful melodic instrumental rock. Elton gives good rock piano parts including a glissando in the last quarter of the song.

Two Rooms At The End Of The World - Steve Lukather (1980)

The guitar is played by Toto guitarist Steve Lukather. Steve’s guitar matches well with Elton’s electric piano. The drums drive this song as there are brief moments of just drums and Elton’s vocals. Just before the one minute mark, horns come in. The horns give a musical presence throughout the song. It’s nice how Steve’s guitar doubles with the horns and there is a section of good back and forth between guitar & horns. Elton gives an interesting electric piano solo. During Elton’s solo, the guitar & horns come in and out of it. Bassist Reggie McBride does some slap bass playing making his instrument more noticeable.

Dear John - Richie Zito (1982)

This song features another Toto member which is their late great drummer Jeff Porcaro. The lyrics are written by Gary Osbourne who Elton had written with during this period. This is a rock & roll song featuring guitars by Richie Zito. Richie played guitar in Elton’s band in the brief period in the early 80s when Davey Johnstone wasn’t in the band. There is a piano solo featuring synth flourishes by James Newton Howard. Richie’s guitars give a driving energetic presence.

Runaway Train - Eric Clapton (1992)

Elton & Bernie co-wrote this song with Olle Romo who plays drums on it. Eric plays lead guitar and sings this duet with Elton John. Elton’s piano is low in the mix. The rhythm guitar is played by Elton’s guitarist Davey Johnstone. The song has a guitar opening which is soon taken over by Eric’s aggressive lead guitar part. The singing goes back and forth between Elton and Eric. Eric then plays a guitar solo in the middle of the song which is followed by Elton’s organ solo. Eric adds guitar flourishes to the organ solo. There are other similar organ parts in the song. I’m not sure if Elton is playing them. The last chorus is sung by Elton. Eric brings his signature blues rock sound to this song.

If You Were Me - Chris Rea (1993)

After so many intense rock songs, we’re now going to something gentle. This is a duet with singer Chris Rea who wrote the song, produced it and played the guitars & keyboards alongside Max Middleton. The song opening is keyboards which includes electric piano. There are subtle guitars. After Elton & Chris sing, Elton’s piano comes in. Chris’ guitar parts are both acoustic & electric. This seems to be a pop song with blues elements. Chris gives a blues vibe with his guitar playing including his solo.

Birds - Rusty Anderson (2001)

I had written a blog post about this song three years ago. This country rocker opens with drumming following the mix of Elton’s piano and Rusty Anderson’s guitar riff. Once Elton starts singing, the guitar stops and we can make out harmonium which Elton plays in addition to his piano. Just before the chorus, David Channing’s dobro (a type of acoustic guitar) comes in which remains for the song. Rusty’s guitar comes in throughout the song including a rocking solo. Elton also provides a piano solo. Rusty concludes the song with good rock guitar playing.

Rock This House - B.B. King (2005)

This song is another duet with a singer-guitarist. Unlike the previous two who are English, the late B.B. King is American, specifically African-American. This song was recorded with the Elton John Band. Davey Johnstone plays the rhythm guitar and B.B. King plays the lead guitar. The song opens with Davey’s guitar riff before all the instruments come in. B.B.’s guitar is in the right speaker. This is a cover song by blues singer Jimmy Rogers which gives off a blues rock vibe. Both B.B. and Elton give solos. They sound like they’re having so much fun rocking this house. I like how there are horn parts in this song.

Take This Dirty Water - Doyle Bramhall II (2013)

This is an americana song primarily in the gospel genre with some country, soul and blues elements. In this song, the guitar has a supportive role. Elton’s piano opens the song. Doyle soon gives his guitar flourishes. Elton sings “in and out of everything” which reflects how Doyle’s guitar keeps coming in and out of the song. Around the three minute mark, Doyle gives a short guitar solo. I like the optimistic feel of this song. Elton sings so soulfully with good gospel sounding backing vocals.

Many of these songs are guitar driven and have a harder rocking sound. They show how great a rock performer Elton John is. In addition to rock there are also elements of pop, blues, gospel, soul and country. Interestingly, the duets all go in a blues direction. The Elton John Band guitarists who played on these songs are Davey Johnstone, Caleb Quaye, Tim Renwick & Richie Zito. Davey is the only guitarist who also plays rhythm guitar on some tracks as he’s Elton’s original and long-time guitarist. I hope to hear more rocking songs like this from Elton in the future.