"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]
PublishedNovember 14, 1952 (1952-11-14) by Bob Miller, Inc., New York[1]
ReleasedNovember 1952 (1952-11)
RecordedMay 19, 1952 (1952-05-19)[2]
GenreCountry
Length2:31
LabelRCA Victor 20-5034[2]
Songwriter(s)William Trader[1]
Hank Snow (The Singing Ranger) And His Rainbow Ranch Boys singles chronology
"I Went To Your Wedding[2]"
(1952)		 "Now and Then There's A Fool Such as I[1]"
(1952)		 "Honeymoon on a Rocket Ship"
(1953)

"(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.

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]

Other versions

Elvis Presley version

"(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I"
Single by Elvis Presley
A-side"I Need Your Love Tonight"
ReleasedMarch 10, 1959 (1959-03-10)
RecordedJune 10, 1958
StudioRCA Studio B, Nashville
Length2:39
LabelRCA Victor
Songwriter(s)Bill Trader
Elvis Presley singles chronology
"One Night" / "I Got Stung"
(1958)		 "I Need Your Love Tonight" / "(Now and Then There's) A Fool Such as I"
(1959)		 "A Big Hunk o' Love" / "My Wish Came True"
(1959)
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.[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"
ReleasedAugust 11, 1990
GenreCountry
Length2:50
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)Bill Trader
Producer(s)Kyle Lehning
Baillie & the Boys singles chronology
"Perfect"
(1990)		 "Fool Such as I"
(1990)		 "Treat Me Like a Stranger"
(1991)

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.

Chart performance

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

Chart (1990) Position
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[15] 92

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "RCA Victor 20-5000 - 5500 78rpm numerical listing discography". www.78discography.com. Retrieved 2022-09-29.
  2. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 323.
  3. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 37.
  4. ↑ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.com. Retrieved 1 May 2021.
  5. ↑ "Elvis SongPedia". elvissongpedia.greggers.net. Archived from the original on 2017-09-24.
  6. ↑ "(Now And Then There's) A Fool Such As I - Elvis Presley Official Web Site Elvis The Music". elvisthemusic.com. Archived from the original on 2017-09-24.
  7. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2004). Top R&B/Hip-Hop Singles: 1942-2004. Record Research. p. 468.
  8. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (1973). Top Pop Records 1940–1955. Record Research.
  9. ↑ "Petula Clark: French charts". Petulaclark.net. Archived from the original on January 31, 2012. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  10. ↑ "A Fool Such As Columbia". Searchingforagem.com. Archived from the original on 2015-04-02.
  11. ↑ Whitburn, Joel (2008). Top Country Singles: 1944-2008. Record Research.
  12. ↑ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
  13. ↑ "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 9162." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. November 17, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
  14. ↑ "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1990". RPM. December 22, 1990. Archived from the original on October 16, 2013. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
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