Only a Fool Would Say That
"Only a Fool Would Say That" is a song by the American rock band Steely Dan from their 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill, written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.
| "Only a Fool Would Say That" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Steely Dan | |
| from the album Can't Buy a Thrill | |
| A-side | "Reelin' In the Years" |
| Released | March 1973[1] |
| Genre | Soft rock |
| Length | 2:57 |
| Label | ABC |
| Songwriter(s) | Donald Fagen • Walter Becker |
| Producer(s) | Gary Katz |
| Official audio | |
| "Only a Fool Would Say That" on YouTube | |
Background
[edit]"Only a Fool Would Say That" is a song with lyrics aimed at Beatles musician John Lennon.[2] In 2024 American Songwriter said that the lyrics were chiding Lennon for "being out of touch with reality."[3]
The track ends with the phrase "Solamente un tonto diría eso", Spanish for "only a fool would say that", spoken by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.
Release
[edit]"Only a Fool Would Say That" was released in March 1973 as the B-side to the single "Reelin' In the Years".[4]
Reception
[edit]Mojo magazine ranked it number 25 in their list of Steely Dan's 30 Greatest Songs.[5]
Personnel
[edit]Steely Dan
[edit]- Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar, pedal steel guitar, spoken Spanish
- Walter Becker – electric bass guitar, backing vocals
- Denny Dias – guitar
- Donald Fagen – piano, electric piano, lead vocals
- Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, backing vocals
- David Palmer – co-lead vocals, backing vocals
Production
[edit]- Gary Katz – producer
- Roger Nichols – engineer
- Tim Weston – assistant engineer
- Doug Sax – mastering engineer
Charts
[edit]| Chart (2023) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. LyricFind (Billboard)[6] | 6 |
References
[edit]- ^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
- ^ "The one song Steely Dan wrote to attack John Lennon". faroutmagazine.co.uk. 2024-09-17. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ Hopper, Alex (2024-07-31). "Behind the Meaning of Steely Dan's Response to John Lennon, "Only a Fool Would Say That"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ Sweet, Brian (2018-08-16). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-78759-129-5.
- ^ "Steely Dan's 30 Greatest Songs Ranked". Mojo. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
- ^ "Steely Dan". Billboard. 2021-11-18. Archived from the original on 2021-11-18. Retrieved 2024-09-16.
| Studio albums |
|
|---|---|
| Live albums |
|
| Singles | |
| Album tracks | |
| Compilations |
|
| Related articles | |
