Everybody Plays the Fool

"Everybody Plays the Fool" is the title of a popular song written by J.R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. It was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Song at the 1973 ceremony.

"Everybody Plays the Fool"
Single by The Main Ingredient
from the album Bitter Sweet
B-side"Who Can I Turn To (When Nobody Needs Me?)"
ReleasedAugust 1972
Recorded1972
StudioRCA Studio C (New York City, New York)
Genre
Length3:22
LabelRCA Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
  • Luther Simmons
  • Tony Silvester
The Main Ingredient singles chronology
"Black Seeds Keep on Growing"
(1971)		 "Everybody Plays the Fool"
(1972)		 "You've Got to Take It (If You Want It)"
(1972)

The first recording of the song to reach the Top 40 in the United States was by the R&B group The Main Ingredient, a trio consisting at the time of Cuba Gooding Sr., Tony Silvester and Luther Simmons, Jr. Their version of "Everybody Plays the Fool" rose to No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the fall of 1972, and was certified gold by the RIAA.[1] This version also peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard R&B chart and at No. 25 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.[2] It was the group's highest charting hit single.

Chart performance

Aaron Neville version
"Everybody Plays the Fool"
Single by Aaron Neville
from the album Warm Your Heart
B-side"House on a Hill"
ReleasedAugust 15, 1991
Length4:25
LabelA&M Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
Aaron Neville singles chronology
"When Something Is Wrong with My Baby"
(1990)		 "Everybody Plays the Fool"
(1991)		 "Somewhere Somebody"
(1991)

Singer Aaron Neville recorded a cover version of "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1991 which also hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching No. 8 in the fall of that year, and it spent 20 weeks on the chart.[1][11] This was Neville's third Top 10 hit on the pop chart, following "Tell It Like It Is" (1967, No. 2) and his duet with Linda Ronstadt, "Don't Know Much" (1989, No. 2). Neville's single also went to No. 1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.[2] In addition, it was a No. 1 single in New Zealand.

Music video

Neville's music video, was set in New Orleans, and his niece Arthel Neville appearing.

Critical reception

The song received a positive review from AllMusic. Alex Henderson wrote "Everybody Plays the Fool" showed that Neville still had plenty of warmth and charisma.[10]

Charts

Other covers and uses

The track was featured in television sitcom The Bernie Mac Show.

The electronic dance music artist Bassix also recorded a version of "Everybody Plays the Fool" during the late 1980s.

The track was featured in an episode of Everybody Hates Chris entitled "Everybody Hates Badboys".

The song was also played during an episode of Supernatural, episode 10 of season 5, "Abandon All Hope".

The track was featured in Joker.

The track is featured on the trailer of the Netflix show Living with yourself.

The track was featured in the 2006 documentary Once In a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos. It plays during a clip where former Cosmos goalkeeper Shep Messing discussed his appearance as a centerfold in a 1974 issue of Viva magazine.

References
  1. Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition (Billboard Publications)
  2. Hyatt, Wesley (1999). The Billboard Book of No. 1 Adult Contemporary Hits (Billboard Publications)
  3. Canada, Library and Archives (17 July 2013). "Image : RPM Weekly".
  4. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955-1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
  5. "Top 100 1972-10-14". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  6. "Australian Chart Book". Austchartbook.com.au. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-09-16. Retrieved 2013-07-12.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "Top 100 Hits of 1972/Top 100 Songs of 1972". Musicoutfitters.com. Archived from the original on 2017-04-27. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  9. "Top 100 Year End Charts: 1972". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2015-01-03.
  10. Henderson, Alex. "AllMusic Review". AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  11. "Billboard Song Position". Billboard.com. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  12. Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010. Mt. Martha, VIC, Australia: Moonlight Publishing.
  13. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 1606." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  14. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 1661." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  15. "Charts.nz – Aaron Neville – Everybody Plays the Fool". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved September 23, 2019.
  16. "AllMusic awards". AllMusic. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
  17. "Top 100 1991-10-26". Cashbox Magazine. Retrieved 2016-04-29.
  18. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
  19. "Recorded Music New Zealand - Top Selling Singles of 1991". Retrieved 2016-04-27.
  20. "1991". Longbored Surfer. Retrieved 2016-10-06.
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