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Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)

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"Fooling Yourself
(The Angry Young Man)"
Cover of the 1978 Dutch single
Single by Styx
from the album The Grand Illusion
B-side"The Grand Finale"
ReleasedFebruary 1978 [1]
Recorded1977
GenreProgressive rock
Length5:29
LabelA&M
Songwriter(s)Tommy Shaw
Styx singles chronology
"Come Sail Away"
(1977) 		"Fooling Yourself
(The Angry Young Man)"
(1978) 		"Blue Collar Man"
(1978)

"Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" is the second single released from Styx's The Grand Illusion (1977) album. On the Billboard Hot 100 pop chart in the U.S., the single peaked at #29 in April 1978. It also hit no. 20 on the Canada RPM Top Singles chart the week of May 6, 1978.

The song was written by guitarist Tommy Shaw, who sings lead vocals on it. It was originally based on Shaw's initial perception of Styx keyboardist Dennis DeYoung — an "angry young man" who viewed the group's successes with a wary eye and grew angry or depressed with every setback. It was only in later years that Shaw began to see himself in the lyrics, and the song took on a more personal meaning to him.[citation needed]

The composition features a number of time signature changes. The intro and outro are performed in 6
8 time, led by Shaw's acoustic guitar tracks and Dennis DeYoung's synthesizer melodies. The vocal sections of the song are in 4
4. The instrumental features a synthesizer solo in 7
4 time, before returning to 4
4 for the final chorus. After a brief intro recap, there is a brief break with two measures of 5
8 time, and then a return to the 6
8 meter, with another synthesizer solo, before fading out.

Record World said that the song "starts acoustically and builds with synthesizers and guitars to a swirling finish."[2] Record World also said that "the message is both positive and cautionary, and several voices add their effect to a likely radio favorite."[2]

Personnel

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Charts

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References

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  1. ^ Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 798. ISBN 9780862415419.
  2. ^ a b "Hits of the Week" (PDF). Record World. February 18, 1978. p. 1. Retrieved 2023-02-15.
  3. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  4. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 5477a." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  5. ^ "Styx – Foolin Yourself" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  6. ^ "Styx Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  7. ^ "Top 100 1978-04-22". Cashbox Magazine. Archived from the original on 2012-10-04. Retrieved 2016-03-21.
  8. ^ "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0070b." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
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