Song · Joe Jackson
“Fools In Love” by Joe Jackson
From the album Look Sharp! (1979)
“Fools In Love” by Joe Jackson appears on 7 radio countdowns from 1 station between 1999 and 2005. It was first released in 1979 on the album Look Sharp!. Its best result is #830 on the CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999). In the combined RockLists rankings it is #2,214 alternative song of all time.
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"Fools in Love" sits on Look Sharp!, Joe Jackson's 1979 debut, but he wrote it before the Joe Jackson Band existed, while he was still playing in a group called Koffee & Kream. By his own account the song was a revolt against that outfit's schmaltz, and it marked the moment his sharper, more cynical voice came through.
Graham Maby's looping reggae bass line creeps along with a hint of menace, while Jackson runs down the cruel and foolish things lovers do to each other, only to turn each chorus back on himself. He admitted he wasn't in love at the time; he just liked the collision of romance and sarcasm. David Kershenbaum produced. A Dutch single release went nowhere on the charts, but critics have warmed to it since.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
RockLists rankings
Alternative & Modern Rock
All Rock Formats
All-time and decade countdowns
| Year | # | Station | Countdown | of |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | 830 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2000 Songs of All-Time (December 1999) | 2000 |
| 2000 | 881 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2001 Songs of All-Time (December 2000) | 2001 |
| 2001 | 882 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2002 Songs of All-Time (December 2001) | 2002 |
| 2002 | 882 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2003 Songs of All-Time (December 2002) | 2003 |
| 2003 | 878 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2004 Songs of All-Time (December 2003) | 2004 |
| 2004 | 878 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2005 Songs of All-Time (December 2004) | 2005 |
| 2005 | 878 | CD101 | CD101 Top 2006 Songs of All-Time (December 2005) | 1994 |
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