Fooled Around and Fell in Love explained

Fooled Around and Fell in Love
Cover:Fooled Around and Fell in Love Elvin Bishop.jpg
Type:single
Artist:Elvin Bishop
Album:Struttin' My Stuff
B-Side:Have a Good Time
Released:February 1976
Recorded:1975
Studio:Criteria (Miami)[1]
Length:4:35 (album version)
2:59 (single version)
Label:Capricorn
Producer:Bill Szymczyk
Prev Title:Sure Feels Good
Prev Year:1975
Next Title:Struttin' My Stuff
Next Year:1976

"Fooled Around and Fell in Love" is a song written and performed by blues guitarist Elvin Bishop with Mickey Thomas on lead vocals. It appeared on Bishop's 1975 album Struttin' My Stuff, and was released as a single the following year.

Background

Bishop does not sing lead vocals on the track. He felt that his gravelly voice would not do the song justice; he invited vocalist Mickey Thomas, who was a background singer in his band at the time, to sing it. It peaked at #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in May 1976.[2] The record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on June 23, 1976.[3] In Canada, the song reached #22 on the singles chart[4] and #8 on the Adult Contemporary chart.[5] The single reached #3 in the New Zealand Singles Chart.[6]

Based on his work with Bishop, Thomas was invited to become the lead singer for Jefferson Starship (which would later evolve into simply Starship).

In popular culture

The song is featured in the films Queens Logic (1991), Illtown (1996), Boogie Nights (1997), Summer of Sam (1999), Big Daddy (1999), According to Spencer (2001), The Devil's Rejects (2005), The Family Stone (2005), Invincible (2006), The Education of Charlie Banks (2007), Harold & Kumar Escape from Guantanamo Bay (2008), Stand Up Guys (2012), Lovelace (2013), Guardians of the Galaxy (2014) and (2017).

Style

In their 1990 essay "Rock and Sexuality", Simon Frith and Angela McRobbie suggest the song "lyrically captures" the distinction in rock music between "cock rock" and "teeny bop".[7]

Personnel

Chart performance

Weekly charts

Elvin Bishop
Chart (1976)Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report)16
Canada RPM Top Singles22
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary8
New Zealand (RIANZ)[11] 3
UK Singles (OCC)[12] 34
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[13] 3
U.S. Cash Box Top 1003
Julian Laxton Band

Year-end charts

Chart (1976)Rank
Canada RPM Top Singles[15] 167
New Zealand[16] 13
U.S. Billboard Hot 100[17] 56
U.S. Cash Box[18] 28

Cover versions

Notes and References

  1. Book: Cogan . Jim . Clark . William . Temples of Sound: Inside the Great Recording Studios . 2003 . Chronicle Books . San Francisco, United States . 0-8118-3394-1 . 216.
  2. Book: Bronson, Fred . The Billboard Book of Number 1 Hits . Billboard Books . 2003 . 0-8230-7677-6.
  3. Web site: RIAA records search . Recording Industry Association of America . July 19, 2009.
  4. Web site: Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . March 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150402093253/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?&file_num=nlc008388.4117a&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=8d8mphloqic03kdbd25nisqp93 . April 2, 2015 . dead .
  5. Web site: Item Display – RPM – Library and Archives Canada . Collectionscanada.gc.ca . March 19, 2015 . https://web.archive.org/web/20150217165341/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php . February 17, 2015 . dead .
  6. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart . Nztop40.co.nz . July 26, 1976 . June 5, 2016.
  7. Book: Frith . Simon . Simon Frith . McRobbie . Angela . Angela McRobbie . Frith . Simon . Simon Frith . Goodwin . Andrew . 1990 . On Record: Rock, Pop and the Written Word . London . Routledge . 320 . 0-415-05306-4 . March 19, 2015.
  8. Web site: Elvin Bishop – Struttin' My Stuff. 1975 . Discogs. March 24, 2018.
  9. Web site: I REMEMBER CLIF. Barnes. Bill. February 16, 2017. Confessions of a Lapsed Bohemian. March 24, 2018.
  10. Web site: Travelin' Shoes – Elvin Bishop – Apr 3, 1976.
  11. Web site: NZ Top 40 Singles Chart The Official New Zealand Music Chart. July 26, 1976. Nztop40.co.nz. June 5, 2016.
  12. Web site: Official Charts Company . Official Charts Company . May 15, 1976 . May 22, 2020.
  13. Joel Whitburn, Top Pop Singles 1955–2002
  14. Web site: SA Charts 1965 – March 1989. May 23, 2020.
  15. Web site: Top Singles – Volume 26, No. 14 & 15, January 08 1977 . . . March 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160610094136/http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?file_num=nlc008388.5173b&brws_s=&type=1&interval=20&PHPSESSID=u9874ano8k0c5b6bkp4r8qrbp3 . June 10, 2016 .
  16. Web site: Top Selling Singles of 1976 The Official New Zealand Music Chart. 1976. Nztop40.co.nz. June 5, 2016.
  17. Web site: Top 100 Hits of 1976/Top 100 Songs of 1976. Musicoutfitters.com. June 5, 2016.
  18. Web site: Cash Box YE Pop Singles – 1976. December 25, 1976. cashboxmagazine.com. June 5, 2016. December 28, 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20121228113105/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/70s_files/1976YESP.html. dead.
  19. Web site: SA Charts 1965 – March 1989. September 5, 2018.
  20. Web site: Miranda Lambert's 'Fooled Around' wins a 2020 ACM Award . The Tennessean . September 14, 2020 . September 29, 2021.

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