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What Kind of Fool Am I (Rick Springfield song)

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"What Kind of Fool Am I"
Single by Rick Springfield
from the album Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet
B-side"How Do You Talk to Girls"
ReleasedMay 1982
GenrePower pop[1]
Length3:20
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Rick Springfield
Producer(s)Keith Olsen
Rick Springfield singles chronology
"Don't Talk to Strangers"
(1982) 		"What Kind of Fool Am I"
(1982) 		"I Get Excited"
(1982)

"What Kind of Fool Am I" is a song written by Rick Springfield that was released on his 1982 album Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet. It was also released as the 2nd single from the album, following up on "Don't Talk to Strangers", which reached #2 on the Billboard Hot 100. "What Kind of Fool Am I" did not repeat the success of its predecessor, peaking at #21.

According to Springfield, the lyrics of "What Kind of Fool Am I" are about his then-girlfriend Barbara Porter, who he married in 1984.[2] Billboard described the song as starting "as a ballad but kicks in soon enough to the punchy power pop" that had generated previous hits for Springfield.[3] But Billboard also said that the song is not "as cohesive and irresistable" as "Don't Talk to Strangers".[3] Cash Box similarly said that "Following an MOR-ish intro that begins to sound suspiciously like a bit from Gordon Lightfoot’s 'If You Could Read My Mind,' Springfield cracks into his by now familiar hook-laden pop/rock."[4] Cash Box characterized the song as "adult power pop".[4] Music journalist John Borack described the song as "superb" and "regret-tinged".[5]

Released as a single, "What Kind of Fool Am I" reached #21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the US.[6][7][8] It reached that spot on July 3, 1982, and remained there for six consecutive weeks.[6][7][9][10] The single also reached #41 in Canada.[11]

"What Kind of Fool Am I" was later released on several of Rick Springfield's compilation albums, including Greatest Hits in 1989, We Are the '80s in 2006 and The Essential Rick Springfield in 2011.[12][13][14]

References

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  1. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. Rick Springfield - Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet (1982): Review at AllMusic. Retrieved January 3, 2024.
  2. ^ Springfield, Rick (2010). Late, Late at Night. Touchstone. p. 192. ISBN 9781439191156.
  3. ^ a b "Top Single Picks". Billboard. May 29, 1982. p. 65. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  4. ^ a b "News & Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. June 5, 1982. p. 8. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  5. ^ Borack, John M. (2007). Shake Some Action: The Ultimate Guide to Power Pop. Not Lame. p. 89. ISBN 9780979771408.
  6. ^ a b Battistini, Pete (2010). American Top 40 with Casey Kasem: The 1980s. AuthorHouse. p. 154. ISBN 9781452050386.
  7. ^ a b "Rick Springfield: Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  8. ^ Harrison, Thomas (2011). Music of the 1980s. ABC-CLIO. p. 78. ISBN 9780313365997.
  9. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. July 10, 1982. p. 66. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  10. ^ "Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. July 24, 1982. p. 64. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  11. ^ "RPM 50 Singles". Library and Archives Canada. August 14, 1982. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  12. ^ DeGagne, Mike. "Greatest Hits". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  13. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas. "We Are the '80s". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
  14. ^ "The Essential Rick Springfield". Allmusic. Retrieved 2023-01-27.
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