Fool (If You Think It's Over)

Album

Whatever Happened to Benny Santini?

Label

United Artists Records

Genre

Soft Rock

Composer(s)

CHRISTOPHER ANTON REA

Entered Chart

Jul 8, 1978

Peak Date

Sep 16, 1978

Released

Unknown

Recorded

Unknown

Catalog #

United Artists 1198 A

B-Side

Midnight Love

The song's lyric came out of conversations Rea had with his younger sister, who was dealing with her first breakup. He assured her that her life was not over, even though it felt that way. This was the first single from Chris Rea's major-label debut album. Surprisingly, it initially made little impact in his native Great Britain, but was a big hit in the United States, where it peaked at #12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and spent three weeks at #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. It later scored on the British charts, where it peaked at #30. In America, it is by far Rea's best-known song - he never again made it higher than #44 ("Diamonds") on the Hot 100. In the UK, he fared much better, becoming a consistent hit-maker by the mid-'80s. Two of his albums, The Road to Hell (1989) and Auberge (1991), went to #1 in Britain. Gus Dudgeon, known for his work with Elton John, produced this track and the rest of the Whatever Happened to Benny Santini? album. Dudgeon gave the song the contemporary hit sound the record company was looking for, but Rea felt hijacked, as he thought of the song as a soul number. In a 2017 Songfacts interview with Rea, he said: "I did as I was told by a huge producer, and he'd been told by the record company to turn me into the next Elton John, which couldn't be further away from what I was. But they had decided that's what he was going to do. They didn't want me to sing low because that wasn't commercial. That is all, thankfully, just gone now, which is great. I've still got a piece of paper and on the original lyrics it says: ''Fool (If You Think It's Over).' Song for Al Green. 96 beats per minute. Al Jackson, drums.' And that's what 'Fool' was always meant to be. So, I don't know where that rhythm box came from. But we survived that." On the strength of this song, Rea earned a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist. A working-class bloke from a section of England he calls "the sticks," Rea was a fish-out-of-water at the ceremony, where he was hoping to meet some of his American musical heroes like Randy Newman and Ry Cooder. "I was very surprised to see none of them were at the Grammys and I felt as if I'd come to the wrong place," he said. Rea was up for the award along with Elvis Costello, The Cars and Toto, but they all lost to A Taste of Honey. Rea is known for his prowess on slide guitar, but this is the only song he ever recorded on which he didn't play guitar of any kind. The British singer Elkie Brooks released a cover in 1982, which reached #17 on the UK Singles Chart. A version by English composer Kenny Craddock was used as the theme song for the 1990s British sitcom, Joking Apart.

Dyin' flame, you're free again
Who could love, do that to you
All dressed in black, he won't be comin' back
Look, save your tears
Got years and years
The pains of seventeen's
Unreal they're only dreams
Save your cryin' for the day

Fool if you think it's over
'Cause you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first look at the mornin' sun
Fool if you think it's over
It's just begun

Miss Teenage Dream, such a tragic scene
He knocked your crown and ran away
First wound of pride, and how you cried and cried
But save your tears, got years and years

Fool if you think it's over
'Cause you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why

(Fool if you think it's over)
(Fool if you think it's over)

I'll buy you first good wine
We'll have a real good time
Save your cryin' for the day
That may not come
But anyone who had to pay
Would laugh at you and say

Fool if you think it's over
'Cause you said goodbye
Fool if you think it's over
I'll tell you why
New born eyes always cry with pain
At the first