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"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" is a popular song written by Bill Trader and published in 1952. Recorded as a single by Hank Snow it peaked at number four on the US country charts[3] early in 1953.
| "Now and Then There's A Fool Such as I[1]" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) And His Rainbow Ranch Boys | ||||
| B-side | "The Gal Who Invented Kissin'"[2] | |||
| Published | November 14, 1952 by Bob Miller, Inc., New York[1] | |||
| Released | November 1952 | |||
| Recorded | May 19, 1952[2] | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:31 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor 20-5034[2] | |||
| Songwriter(s) | William Trader[1] | |||
| Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) And His Rainbow Ranch Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Since the original Snow version, "Fool Such as I"—as the song is sometimes known—has been recorded and released as singles several times, by artists such as Jo Stafford, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, and Baillie & the Boys.[4]
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Elvis Presley version
| "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Elvis Presley | ||||
| A-side | "I Need Your Love Tonight" | |||
| Released | March 10, 1959 | |||
| Recorded | June 10, 1958 | |||
| Studio | RCA Studio B, Nashville | |||
| Length | 2:39 | |||
| Label | RCA Victor | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bill Trader | |||
| Producer(s) | Steve Sholes | |||
| Elvis Presley singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Music video | ||||
| "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I" (audio) on YouTube | ||||
The recording by Elvis Presley was a platinum record. Initially released as B-side to "I Need Your Love Tonight", it reached number one in the UK as an A-side single. Presley's recording reached number two in the United States (stalled behind the Fleetwoods' "Come Softly to Me").[5]
The song was recorded on June 10, 1958, at RCA's Studio B, Nashville, while Presley was on leave from the Army.[6] The recording featured guitar by Hank Garland, Chet Atkins and Presley, bass by Bob Moore, drums by D. J. Fontana and Buddy Harman and piano by Floyd Cramer and backing vocal by the Jordanaires, with the bass voice provided by Ray Walker.[7] It reached number sixteen on the R&B charts.[8]
Tommy Edwards
The Tommy Edwards version reached number 13 on the Cash Box survey. Listed a co-best-seller with the Jo Stafford version, it lasted 11 weeks in their chart.
Jo Stafford
The recording by Jo Stafford was released by Columbia Records as catalog number 39930. It reached the Billboard Best Seller chart on February 28, 1953, at number twenty, its only week on the chart.[9]
Petula Clark
Petula Clark's French language version titled "Prends mon Coeur", was more successful in France (number 9, 1960[10]) than Presley's version.
Bob Dylan
In 1967, Bob Dylan recorded the song during the Basement Tape sessions. For many years never officially released, the recording had been widely bootlegged, and was finally released November 4, 2014, on The Bootleg Series Vol. 11: The Basement Tapes Complete. Dylan recorded the song again in April 1969; that version was released in 1973 by Columbia on the Dylan album. On the 1973 Dylan album and several associated Columbia 1973 singles, the song is wrongly credited to "B. Abner" and "LeFevre Sing Pub Co (BMI)". This is a different song with the same title, written by Buford Abner of the Swanee River Boys. This mistake has not been corrected, and on www.bobdylan.com the song is still credited to "B. Abner".[11]
Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell covered the song in 1979. The release was not a success, peaking at No. 90 in the Billboard country charts. It was his second charting single after "Elvira" in the previous year which barely scraped the bottom of the charts as well. Both songs were included in his debut album Ain't Living Long Like This.
Baillie & the Boys
| "Fool Such as I" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single by Baillie & the Boys | ||||
| from the album The Lights of Home | ||||
| B-side | "So Strong" | |||
| Released | August 11, 1990 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 2:50 | |||
| Label | RCA | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Bill Trader | |||
| Producer(s) | Kyle Lehning | |||
| Baillie & the Boys singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
In 1990, Baillie & the Boys released the song from the band's album The Lights of Home. This version, released under the title "Fool Such as I", peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart. It was the trio's last Top 10 hit on the country charts.[12]
Slim Whitman
Whitman also recorded his own country version on the Imperial Records label in 1959.
The Smiths
The Smiths recorded a cover based on Elvis's rendition in February 1987 at Firehouse Studios in Streatham. It was meant to be used as a B-side to a single from Strangeways, Here We Come. As of 2023 the song remains unreleased.
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Elvis Presley
| Chart (1959) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| US Hot Rhythm & Blues Singles | 16 |
| US Cashbox Hot Singles | 2 |
| US Cashbox Hot Country Singles | 6 |
| UK Singles Chart | 1 |
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Australian Kent Singles Chart | 1 |
| Belgian Singles Chart | 13 |
| Dutch Singles Chart | 15 |
| Norway VG-lista Singles Chart | 5 |
| South African Singles Chart | 1 |
| Swedish Singles Chart | 17 |
| Chart (2005) | Peak position |
| Scotland (OCC)[13] | 1 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| European Singles Chart | 6 |
Baillie & the Boys
| Chart (1990) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[14] | 7 |
| US Country Songs (Billboard) | 5 |
Year-end charts
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