| "Foolish Games" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Single by Jewel | ||||
| from the album Pieces of You and Batman & Robin | ||||
| B-side |
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| Released | July 8, 1997 | |||
| Genre | Pop | |||
| Length |
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| Label | Atlantic | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Jewel Kilcher | |||
| Producer(s) | Peter Collin | |||
| Jewel singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Foolish Games" on YouTube | ||||
"Foolish Games" is a song by American singer-songwriter Jewel from her debut studio album, Pieces of You (1995). It was also the third single to be lifted from the Batman & Robin motion-picture soundtrack. Jewel re-recorded the single for the soundtrack to produce a more radio-friendly version, similar to her other singles "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant for Me". This version is shorter than the album version by one verse. The song details the frustration and agony of knowing that the intensity of one's love is not reciprocated by one's lover.
"Foolish Games" was never released as a physical single in the United States, but it appeared as the B-side on the "You Were Meant for Me" single, which peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 in April 1997. Radio stations soon began shifting airplay focus to "Foolish Games", and because of chart rules in place at the time, "Foolish Games" became the new A-side. Following a re-release of the single in October 1997, "Foolish Games" / "You Were Meant for Me" returned to the top 10 of the Hot 100, reaching number seven. Because of the manner in which it charted, Billboard lists "Foolish Games" as having a number-two peak despite the song never actually reaching that position on its own.
At the end of 1997, "Foolish Games" / "You Were Meant for Me" was listed as the second-best performing single of the year. It is ranked at number 20 on Billboard's All Time Top 100 and held the Guinness World Record for the longest chart run of a single, 65 weeks, but this achievement has since been surpassed multiple times. Jewel was also nominated for Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for "Foolish Games". The song was included on Jewel's Greatest Hits as a duet with Kelly Clarkson.