Wikipedia

Foolish Games

"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"
Single by Jewel
from the album Pieces of You and Batman & Robin
B-side
  • "Angel Needs a Ride"
  • "Everything Breaks"
ReleasedJuly 8, 1997 (1997-07-08)
GenrePop
Length
  • 5:39 (album version)
  • 4:02 (radio edit)
LabelAtlantic
Songwriter(s)Jewel Kilcher
Producer(s)Peter Collin
Jewel singles chronology
"You Were Meant for Me"
(1996) 		"Foolish Games"
(1997) 		"Morning Song"
(1998)
Music video
"Foolish Games" on YouTube

"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.

Release

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"Foolish Games" was never released commercially in the United States. Instead, when previous single "You Were Meant for Me" was descending the Billboard Hot 100, radio stations flipped the single and began playing its B-side: "Foolish Games". Because of Billboard's chart rules regarding airplay, "Foolish Games" was eventually listed as the single's A-side.[1] The single was removed from retail in July, but frequent airplay allowed it to continue charting.[2] The single was resent to retail outlets on October 7, 1997, and it rebounded to number seven on the Hot 100 in early November.[3][4]

Critical reception

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Stephen Thomas Erlewine from AllMusic described the song as "superior".[5] Chuck Taylor from Billboard stated that it is the "quintessential musical moment" of the Pieces of You album. He wrote that "the vocally sweeping ballad offers the richest arrangement among her hits, with lyrics that affectingly express the emotional descent of a woman whose love is unappreciated, perhaps even unseen, by her object of affection".[6] The magazine also noted that "this piano-anchored ballad places the singer/songwriter in a setting that is almost orchestral and far more lush than those of her previous hits".[7] A reviewer from The Daily Vault said "Foolish Games" "works because of the wailing chorus both tired and yearning".[8]

David Browne from Entertainment Weekly compared Jewel to British singer Kate Bush on the track, in his review.[9] Australian music channel Max placed the song at number 503 in their list of "1000 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2011.[10] British magazine Music Week wrote, "This 22-year-old Alaskan singer-songwriter has a voice that simply demands your attention and this song of emotional entanglement complements it wonderfully. A gem."[11] Ed Masley from Pittsburgh Post-Gazette described it as an "emotional ballad" with a "chilling climax".[12] Sal Cinquemani from Slant called it "a female-centric take" on Leonard Cohen's "Famous Blue Raincoat", and noted that "Foolish Games" "remains one of the great pop songs of the '90s, buoyed by the singer's impeccably wrenching vocal performance".[13]

Music video

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The accompanying music video for "Foolish Games" was directed by American artist, photographer, director, and creative director Matthew Rolston.[14] It is almost colorless and features Jewel performing the song in a pale and barren landscape. Some scenes also feature her riding a horse.

Track listings

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  • UK, European, and Australian CD single[15][16]
  1. "Foolish Games" (radio edit) – 4:00
  2. "Angel Needs a Ride" – 4:17
  3. "Everything Breaks" – 3:21
  • UK cassette single[15]
  1. "Foolish Games"
  2. "Angel Needs a Ride"

Charts

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Certifications

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Region Certification Certified units/sales
Australia (ARIA)[42] Gold 35,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

Release history

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Region Date Format(s) Label(s) Ref.
United States July 8, 1997 Contemporary hit radio Atlantic [43]
United Kingdom January 19, 1998
  • CD
  • cassette
 [15]

References

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  1. ^ Bronson, Fred (December 27, 1997). "The Year in Music 1997: The Year in Charts". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. p. YE-8. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  2. ^ Taylor, Chuck (September 20, 1997). "'Batman' Soundtrack Soars at Radio, but Sales Disappoint". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 38. p. 75. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  3. ^ Sandiford-Waller, Theda (October 25, 1997). "Hot 100 Singles Spotlight". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 43. p. 97. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  4. ^ Bronson, Fred (November 15, 1997). "Chart Beat". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 46. p. 92. Retrieved June 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "Jewel – Pieces of You". AllMusic. Retrieved November 18, 2020.
  6. ^ Taylor, Chuck (June 21, 1997). "Jewel Of A Single From 'Pieces Of You'". Billboard. p. 78. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  7. ^ "Single Reviews" (PDF). Billboard. July 19, 1997. p. 88. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  8. ^ JB (May 1, 1997). "Pieces Of You – Jewel". The Daily Vault. Retrieved November 20, 2020.
  9. ^ Browne, David (August 15, 1997). "Single Reviews". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  10. ^ "TOP 1000 GREATEST SONGS OF ALL TIME – 2011". Max. 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2020. Retrieved April 26, 2020.
  11. ^ "Reviews: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. December 27, 1997. p. 21. Retrieved September 25, 2022.
  12. ^ Masley, Ed (August 14, 1997). "Lilith's songstresses give their sensitive best". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  13. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (February 16, 2013). "Review: Jewel, Greatest Hits". Slant. Retrieved March 23, 2020.
  14. ^ "MTV Taps Into The Opinions Of Its Audience For 'Viewers'". Billboard. October 11, 1997. p. 94. Retrieved June 15, 2022.
  15. ^ a b c "New Releases: Singles". Music Week. January 17, 1998. p. 35.
  16. ^ Foolish Games (European & Australian CD single liner notes). Jewel. Atlantic Records. 1997. 7567-85421-2.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  17. ^ "Jewel – Foolish Games". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  18. ^ "Jewel – Foolish Games" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
  19. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3342." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  20. ^ "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3363." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
  21. ^ "Nederlandse Top 40 – week 52, 1997" (in Dutch). Dutch Top 40. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  22. ^ "Jewel – Foolish Games" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  23. ^ "Jewel – Foolish Games". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  24. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  25. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Adult Contemporary)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  26. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Adult Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  27. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved August 31, 2010.
  28. ^ "Jewel Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 16, 2014.
  29. ^ "ARIA Top 100 Singles for 1997". ARIA. Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  30. ^ "RPM '97 Year End Top 100 Adult Contemporary Tracks". RPM. December 15, 1997. Retrieved April 15, 2018 – via Library and Archives Canada.
  31. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  32. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1997". Archived from the original on June 11, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  33. ^ "The Year in Music 1997: Hot Adult Top 40 Singles & Tracks". Billboard. Vol. 109, no. 52. December 27, 1997. p. YE-83.
  34. ^ "Best of '97: Top 40/Mainstream Singles". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 5, no. 52. December 26, 1997. p. 38.
  35. ^ "Top 100-Jaaroverzicht van 1998". Dutch Top 40. Retrieved March 8, 2020.
  36. ^ "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). Retrieved April 15, 2018.
  37. ^ "Billboard Top 100 – 1998". Archived from the original on March 9, 2009. Retrieved August 28, 2010.
  38. ^ "Most Played Adult Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 55.
  39. ^ "Most Played Mainstream Top 40 Songs of 1998". Airplay Monitor. Vol. 6, no. 52. December 25, 1998. p. 45.
  40. ^ Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). "1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade – The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s". Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.
  41. ^ "Billboard Hot 100 60th Anniversary Interactive Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2018.
  42. ^ "ARIA Charts – Accreditations – 1997 Singles" (PDF). Australian Recording Industry Association. Retrieved July 18, 2019.
  43. ^ "New Releases". Radio & Records. No. 1204. July 4, 1997. p. 37.
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