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.

Ten Train Songs

This article is a collection of ten train songs I chose. I want to clarify that these are not songs by the band Train. They are songs involving trains. Trains are referred to literally, metaphorically or both. All but one of them have the word train in the song title. We’ll start with a song from 55 years ago.

Whisky Train - Procol Harum (1970)

This song is written by guitarist Robin Trower and lyricist Keith Reid. It’s led by the guitars. Lead singer and pianist Gary Brooker’s piano supports Robin’s guitars well. The piano notes going back and forth on a loop are so simple yet so effective. Gary sings aggressively. The lyrics are referring to alcoholism. B.J. Wilson gives great rock drumming. Near the end of the song, we get Robin’s powerful guitar solo. Whisky Train has amazing energy. I love its hard rock sound.

Long Twin Silver Line - Bob Seger (1980)

This rock song is about a train with the lyrics talking about where the train is going. Bob recorded it with the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. He sings vigorously. Barry Beckett plays amazing rock and roll piano. Pete Carr has an aggressive guitar solo which Barry supports well. I like how Bob mentions American places in his song which are the cities Chicago, LA, Denver & Salt Lake City and the states Kansas, Nevada & California. This is a fun Bob Seger rocker from the peak of his career.

Keep This Train a-Rollin’ - The Doobie Brothers (1980)

A fun piece of soul influenced soft rock written and sung by Michael McDonald. It opens with organ, then it’s solely Bobby LaKind’s congas which is soon joined by Michael’s piano. Michael's vocals and piano playing are great and energetic. Horns have a good presence including a nice saxophone solo. I love how this song has multiple keyboard parts which include acoustic piano, electric piano, synth, organ and clavinet. Michael seems to be singing about life using a train as a metaphor.

Trains - Al Stewart (1993)

This is an epic eight minute song. Al sings about trains tying it into history and geography. He starts off referring to his experiences growing up in post World War 2 England, discusses 20th century European history and towards the end of the song talks of trains in 1990s America based on his experiences. We get an acoustic guitar solo.There is a great relaxing piano throughout the song. The accordion has a good presence. Al gives us with this song his creative ability to write a melodic ballad dealing with historical topics.

This Train Won’t Stop - Traffic (1994)

This is a melodic mid-tempo rock song from English rock band Traffic’s final album. The final version of Traffic was Steve Winwood and Jim Capaldi, who both wrote this song. Steve plays multiple instruments including piano, organ and guitar. The song is led well by the piano. Steve sings powerfully in his soulful voice and gives a creative guitar solo. It’s good to hear what seems to be a reference to Steve’s solo hit “Higher Love”. Jim provides a good beat with his drums. Steve is singing about life. In the chorus, he sings “this train won’t stop” repeatedly and ends it with “till we reach the end of the line”. The train seems to refer to our lives. I love this kind of piano driven rock.

This Train Don’t Stop There Anymore - Elton John (2001)

Here’s a powerful ballad by Elton John. The instruments are piano, bass, drums and an orchestra arranged by Paul Buckmaster. Elton is using the train metaphor to reflect and look back on his career. Matt Chamberlain drums intensely in a modern way. We get the feel of ballads pre-dating Elton’s music with this song. There is a powerful moment where one of the choruses goes to just Elton & his piano which is soon joined by the other instruments. I like how the backing vocalists sing “don’t stop”.

From a Train - Michael Stanley (2003)

This is a piano ballad somewhat similar to the previous song. The song seems to be about a man who watched a lady he was in love with go away on a train. The train setting is used to explore their relationship issues. Michael’s long-time keyboardist Bob Pelander’s piano gives a relaxing atmosphere. There is a subtle acoustic guitar and synth strings which comes in and out of the song. Michael sings warmly in an intimate way. I like the reference to “Spanish Nights” which must be referring to Michael’s previous song “Spanish Nights” from the Michael Stanley Band. Halfway through the song, gentle drums come in which add a new dimension to the song.

The Train Don’t Stop Here Anymore - Benny Mardones (2006)

I think that this song was influenced or is a response to Elton’s song on this list. Both songs are piano ballads looking back to the past of their careers. Benny sings “I used to be the man” and Elton sings “I used to be the main express”. Benny sings powerfully. This song is led by a mix of electric and acoustic pianos. We hear some other keyboards. Benny sings about his lover he’s no longer with who he misses. I wonder if “the train don’t stop here anymore” is his way of expressing his sadness that they’re no longer together. In the last quarter of the song, there is a train sound which is nice to hear.

Train To Nowhere - Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler & Don White (2014)

This song was written by J.J. Cale is from Eric Clapton & Friends’ tribute album to J.J. Cale. Mark sings the first two verses, Don sings the third and they sing the fourth one together. Eric sings the choruses. It’s creative how this song uses the voices of three very different singers. Both Eric and Mark play good guitar parts. The song is underpinned well by piano. J.J. seems to be writing about life with the train to nowhere metaphor. This song is a relaxing mid-tempo americana themed rock song.

Sound of a Train - Marc Lee Shannon (2018)

I get similar musical vibes from the previous song. Marc was the guitarist to Michael Stanley featured above. Marc and Michael wrote this song together with Michael’s version released first in 2015. The song opens with drums, Marc sings with guitar coming in and out of the song. Piano follows in a similar fashion to the guitar and it soon has a full band sound. Marc sings with passion. Marc is singing about his lover that he misses. The chorus mentions both the sound of a train and the sound of her voice. This song has a good mix of piano, acoustic and electric guitars.

That was my selection of train songs. There are some common lyrical themes among them. I like how these songs are musically diverse ranging from slow ballads to hard rock.

Ten Great Rock Songs Opening Albums

I decided to write an article about ten great rock songs that open albums. I wrote about a few of the songs with different text before in previous articles. In the headings, I mention the song and the artist followed by a colon with the album name. Let’s begin.

Funeral for a Friend / Love Lies Bleeding by Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

This is an epic progressive rock opener from Elton John’s most popular studio album. It opens with atmospheric effects and bells followed by David Hentschel’s synth playing. Elton’s piano then comes with the other instruments being subtle. Soon it goes into a full band sound with Davey Johnstone providing a guitar solo. David Hentschel’s synth parts add to the song. Funeral for a Friend is the instrumental part of the song and “Love Lies Bleeding” is the second half featuring Bernie Taupin lyrics sung by Elton. In “Love Lies Bleeding”, bassist Dee Murray’s part is noticeable. This song showcases Elton John’s strength as a rock artist as it rocks so hard.

Nothing but the Truth by Procol Harum: Exotic Birds and Fruit (1974)

Both this song and the previous one overlap as they are both by English artists from the same time period and Procol Harum are a progressive rock band. Lead singer and piano player Gary Brooker leads the song with his piano playing. His opening piano riff rocks great and comes back a few more times. The arrangement is expansive with a subtle orchestra included. This is a powerful catchy rock song with its incredible chorus.

Once or Twice by Chicago: Chicago X (1976)

This song goes in a different direction to the previous ones as this is jazz rock. It’s written and sung by original Chicago guitarist Terry Kath. The signature Chicago horns are a big part of the song including a saxophone solo. I like Robert Lamm’s rock and roll piano. It’s creative to feature that kind of piano playing in a jazz rock song. Terry provides a tough vocal which is suitably powerful.

Running on Empty by Jackson Browne: Running on Empty (1977)

This is the title track from Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” album of original songs recorded entirely on the road, with some of it recorded live such as this one. The song is led by the guitar and features the piano well. Pianist Craig Doerge’s notes are an important part of this song. David Lindley provides two incredible slide guitar solos. Jackson crafted a memorable melodic piece of heartland rock reflecting the US at that time.

Say You’ll Be Mine by Christopher Cross: Christopher Cross (1979)

This is from Christopher Cross’s self-titled debut album. Christopher sings with passion in his voice. Jay Graydon provides a guitar solo that’s both relaxing and rocking. I detect a possible jazz influence in Jay’s solo. Michael Omartian’s piano notes work well in the song. Nicolette Larson gives good backing vocals singing well with Christopher. This is an enjoyable form of yacht rock.

Running Man by Al Stewart: 24 Carrots (1980)

It opens with backing vocal singing, piano notes and other instruments including guitar. Following this section, there is the main piano riff which is soon doubled by guitar. This song has a good mix of piano and guitar. There is a latin sounding acoustic guitar solo. I like the percussion beat. Al Stewart brings his signature brand of soft rock.

I’ll Never Need Anyone More by Michael Stanley Band: Heartland (1980)

This song by the Michael Stanley Band is written and sung by Michael. It’s guitar driven and features good piano backing. There is a strong guitar solo in the middle. I like the fact that this song has three keyboards which are piano, organ and synth. The synth effects near the end are nice. I like this heartland rock sound.

Rosanna by Toto: Toto IV (1982)

This song opens with Jeff Porcaro’s epic drumming. The singing alternates between guitarist Steve Lukather and lead singer Bobby Kimball in the verses. I like the sound of the band singing together in the choruses. Steve Porcaro provides a synth solo followed by Steve Lukather’s guitar solo which contrasts well. David Paich who wrote the song provides a great piano part which holds the song together. I assume the organ part near the end is by David. It’s nice to hear jamming by David Paich and Steve Lukather in the final section.

Allentown by Billy Joel: The Nylon Curtain (1982)

This song is about the American town of Allentown, Pennsylvania. It opens with a train noise. Billy’s piano leads the song well with it being the most prominent in the verses. There are cool percussion and sound effects repeated throughout. The percussion is by drummer Liberty DeVitto and Billy seems to be doing the sound effects. This song shows Billy's strength in writing and singing a melodic rock song. It’s good how Billy stretches certain words he sings. There is a prominent rocking guitar part near the end.

Even Now by Bob Seger: The Distance (1982)

This is one of Bob Seger’s lesser known hits. It has an epic intro. This song is very melodic with incredible piano by Roy Bittan. Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder plays the guitar. Bob’s saxophonist Alto Reed provides good support. Bob gives incredible singing showcasing his vocal range. I love how he sings both the lead vocals and the backing vocals in the chorus. Bob ends with singing “Even Now” stretched out followed by guitar & piano parts and Craig Frost’s organ notes which close the track. This is my favourite Bob Seger song.

This was my selection of rock songs I like that open albums. I tried to feature a balance of popular and lesser known songs. Interestingly, I recently listened to Elton John’s “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” and Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” albums from this article in 5.1 surround sound which sounded very good in that format.