What a Fool Believes (1979)

"What a Fool Believes" is a song written by Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins and first recorded and released by Loggins on his 1978 album Nightwatch. The best-known version was recorded by the American rock band the Doobie Brothers (with McDonald singing lead vocals) for their eighth album Minute by Minute (1978). Debuting at number 73 on January 20, 1979, the single reached number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979, for one week. The song received Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year. In 2024, the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Composition

Michael McDonald and Kenny Loggins, who had wanted to collaborate for some time, wrote the song together in Los Angeles. Loggins went to McDonald's house and heard him playing a tune on piano, and suggested they work on that as he already had a hook line, "She had a place in his life" in mind. The song they wrote was influenced by songs they grew up listening to such as the Four Seasons' "Sherry" and "Walk Like a Man". They finished the song by the following day.

Kenny Loggins recording

Both Loggins and McDonald recorded the song around the same time. Loggins' version was a creative arrangement with record producer Bob James. Loggins released his version of "What a Fool Believes" five months prior to the Doobie Brothers' version on his second studio album Nightwatch, released on July 12, 1978.

The Doobie Brothers version

The Doobie Brothers, with McDonald on lead vocals, recorded a version with record producer Ted Templeman. They recorded numerous takes of its rhythm track over five or six days, but had a problem finding a version that they liked, so Templeman ended up playing drums with Keith Knudsen to try to achieve a "floppy feel" with the song. Templeman eventually decided, to the band's horror, to cut up the master tape of a recording into sections, and put together a usable version. McDonald came up with the rest of the arrangement, adding keyboards, vocals and strings to the song. The resulting song was stylistically unlike any song the Doobie Brothers had done before. Templeman was still not satisfied with the result; when he played the song to the executives of Warner Bros., he suggested discarding the song, but they said: "Are you crazy? That's great!"

In December 1978, five months after Loggins' original recording was released, the Doobie Brothers included their version on their eighth studio album Minute by Minute, with their version being released as a single the following month. This is the best-known version of the song, debuting at number 73 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 20, 1979, and then reaching number one on April 14, 1979, for one week.

This version received Grammy Awards in 1980 for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year.

Apparently as a joke, Michael Jackson claimed in a videotaped phone conversation with British and American actress Elizabeth Taylor in 2003 that he contributed at least one backing track to the original Doobie Brothers recording, but was not credited for having done so. Entertainment Tonight broadcast this claim with viewers being unaware that Jackson was joking. The band later denied his participation.

This version of the song appeared in the action-adventure game Grand Theft Auto V (2013), on the fictional radio station Los Santos Rock Radio, which also featured Loggins as the radio host. The song was later featured in the season 3 finale of Lioness.

Critical reception

Billboard praised the vocal performance, synthesizers and production. The reviewer described the song as building from a melodic first verse "to a heart warming hook chorus". Cashbox said it has an "easy funk backing, strings overhead and characteristically unique vocals which soar upwards." Record World said that in the song the Doobie Brothers go to "an easy-going beat with distinctive lead and high harmony hook."

Ultimate Classic Rock critic Michael Gallucci rated "What a Fool Believes" as the Doobie Brothers all-time greatest song, particularly praising "McDonald's soulful vocals and soft and warm keyboard riffs." In 2021, it was listed at No. 344 on Rolling Stone's list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".

The song was named by the 2005 Yacht Rock web series as a key example of the yacht rock genre. Web comedians J. D. Ryznar, Hunter Stair, David B. Lyons and Steve Huey gave "What a Fool Believes" a top score of 100 as having the highest possible amount of "yacht", setting the standard for yacht rock songs.

Personnel

• Patrick Simmons – guitar, backing vocals
• Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar
• Michael McDonald – lead and backing vocals, piano, Oberheim Polyphonic Eight Voice synthesizers
• Tiran Porter – bass guitar, backing vocals
• Keith Knudsen – drums, backing vocals
• Additional players
• Ted Templeman – drums

Bill Payne – Oberheim Polyphonic Eight Voice (with Michael McDonald)

Bobby LaKind – congas, backing vocals