Foolin'

This article is about the song by Def Leppard. For the song by Dionne Bromfield, see Foolin' (Dionne Bromfield song).

"Fooling" redirects here. For the meaning of the term, see fooling.

"Foolin'" is a 1983 single by English heavy metal band Def Leppard from their diamond album Pyromania. When released as a single later that year, it reached #9 on the Mainstream Rock chart and #28 on the US Billboard Hot 100.^[3]

"Foolin'"
Single by Def Leppard
from the album Pyromania
B-side	"Comin' Under Fire"
Released	August 1983 (US)[1]
Recorded	1982
Studio	Park Gates (Battle, East Sussex) Battery (London)
Genre	Heavy metal[2]
Length	4:34
Label	Mercury
Songwriter(s)	Joe Elliott Steve Clark Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Producer(s)	Robert John "Mutt" Lange
Def Leppard singles chronology
"Rock of Ages" (1983) "Foolin'" (1983) "Too Late for Love" (1983)
Music video
"Foolin'" on YouTube

Cash Box said "Foolin'" has "structural similarities to [earlier Def Leppard single] 'Photograph' and follows in that single’s skillful pop blend of melodicism and metallicism."^[4] Ultimate Classic Rock described the song as a "mid-tempo rocker".^[5]

Music video

The music video was shot in June 1983 at the Ritz Theatre in Elizabeth, New Jersey, and directed by David Mallet.^[6] The video shows Elliott escaping from his evil girlfriend in a fantasy sequence, interspersed with scenes of the band performing on a concert stage. It features Billy Idol's then-girlfriend Perri Lister playing the harp with her eyes closed. On the video compilation Historia, the text commentary before this video states, "Indeed, a face without eyes", a pun on Idol's song "Eyes Without a Face". There is also a rare "Performance Only" version of the video, which focuses solely on the concert scenes. This version was briefly shown during the Ultimate Albums episode of the making of Pyromania in 2002.

Track listing

7": Mercury / PolyGram / 814-178-7 (US)

1. "Foolin'"
2. "Comin' Under Fire"

Charts

Chart (1983)	Peak position
Canada Top Singles (RPM)[7]	39
US Billboard Hot 100[8]	28
US Mainstream Rock (Billboard)[9]	9

References

1. Strong, Martin Charles (1995). The Great Rock Discography. p. 212. ISBN 9780862415419.
2. "Top 50 Glam Metal Albums". 2003. Archived from the original on 26 November 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2021. Photograph," "Rock of Ages" and "Foolin'" have become heavy metal anthems
3. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 8th Edition (Billboard Publications)
4. "Reviews" (PDF). Cash Box. 3 September 1983. p. 7. Retrieved 20 July 2022.
5. Rolli, Bryan (24 November 2023). "Top 30 Glam Metal Albums". Ultimate Classic Rock. Retrieved 3 December 2023.
6. ((( Def Leppard UK.com ))) :: Def Video 2 Pyromania 1983/High 'n' Dry 1984:
7. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 4390." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
8. "Def Leppard Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.
9. "Def Leppard Chart History (Mainstream Rock)". Billboard. Retrieved 16 February 2021.