| "What a Fool Believes" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Kenny Loggins | |
| from the album Nightwatch | |
| Released | July 12, 1978 |
| Genre | Soft rock |
| Length | 3:37 |
| Label | Columbia |
| Songwriter(s) |
|
| Producer(s) | Bob James |
| Audio | |
| "What a Fool Believes" by Kenny Loggins on YouTube | |
| "What a Fool Believes" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 US 7-inch vinyl picture sleeve (also used for the parent album) | ||||
| Single by The Doobie Brothers | ||||
| from the album Minute by Minute | ||||
| B-side | "Don't Stop to Watch the Wheels" | |||
| Released | January 1979 | |||
| Recorded | August 1978 | |||
| Studio | Warner Bros. Recording Studios (North Hollywood, California) | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:41 (Album / Single Version) 5:28 (Extended Version) | |||
| Label | Warner Bros. | |||
| Songwriter(s) | ||||
| Producer(s) | Ted Templeman | |||
| The Doobie Brothers singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Audio | ||||
| "What a Fool Believes" on YouTube | ||||
"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.[7] The song received Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. In 2024, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[8]
The song was one of the few non-disco No. 1 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 during the first eight months of 1979.
- ^ Phill (February 12, 2012). "Smokin' Doobie Brothers should roll into the Rock Hall of Fame". Goldmine. Retrieved January 10, 2013.
- ^ "VH1's 40 Most Softsational Soft-Rock Songs". Stereogum. May 31, 2007. Retrieved July 31, 2016.
- ^ Breihan, Tom (January 27, 2020). "The Number Ones: The Doobie Brothers' "What A Fool Believes"". Stereogum. Retrieved July 8, 2023.
"What A Fool Believes" stood out...Today, the song is considered a foundational yacht rock classic.
- ^ Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023). "The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
The defining hit of the Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers, a soaring yacht-rock track that defies singalong attempts.
- ^ "Michael McDonald". Goldstar.
- ^ Marsh, Dave (1989). The Heart of Rock & Soul: The 1001 Greatest Singles Ever Made. Plume. pp. 329–330. ISBN 0-452-26305-0.
- ^ Joel Whitburn, The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 1996, Billboard Books, p. 189
- ^ "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame | Hall of Fame Artists | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.