“Only a Fool Would Say That” by Steely Dan
by Amanda London· Published · Updated
Apparently not all fiery, young musicians from the 1960s and 70s were hippyish. For here we have Steely Dan, who were in their early twenties at the time, criticizing the type of idealism that helped define mainstream hippy ideology.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();It has been put forth that this song is actually a John Lennon diss track. That said, it should be stated that no names are dropped. But it is also pretty obvious that the titular “fool”, even if inspired by a particular individual, is a personification of a group. And most simply explained, that group is defined by a naïve idealism. From the vocalist’s perspective, this naïve idealism is not founded in reality but rather the privileged background they come from.
To these people, based on their own experience, the world is indeed free – ripe with opportunity, if you will. But what the vocalist is reminding them of is that the same is not true for instance for the laymen who are breaking their backs to make ends meet.
So it is such individuals who Steely Dan are labeling as “a fool”, the types who can actually stand up in public and say something like ‘all is free in the world’. Or put more bluntly a person of a privileged standing, like say Lennon, was not in a realistic position to speak on behalf of the masses, who do not have life as easy.
Facts about “Only a Fool Would Say That”
This is a track whose official release date is listed as 1 November 1972, being one of the songs found on Steely Dan’s “Can’t Buy a Thrill”. And even though ABC Records did not put it forth as a single from that album, “Only a Fool Would Say That” still seems to be a fan favorite.
The aforementioned John Lennon (1940-1980) was of course a member of The Beatles from 1960 to 1970, a British rock band who can be considered the most successful music act of that decade.
Steely Dan is a band that was more or less fronted by its founders, Donald Fagen and Walter Becker. At the time this particular song came out, they were buttressed by the following:
- vocalist David Palmer
- drummer Jim Hodder
- guitarist Skunk Baxter
- guitarist Denny Dias
In more recent years, since the passing of Becker in 2017, Fagen has been holding down the act on his own.
');var c=function(){cf.showAsyncAd(opts)};if(typeof window.cf !== 'undefined')c();else{cf_async=!0;var r=document.createElement("script"),s=document.getElementsByTagName("script")[0];r.async=!0;r.src="//";r.readyState?r.onreadystatechange=function(){if("loaded"==r.readyState||"complete"==r.readyState)r.onreadystatechange=null,c()}:r.onload=c;s.parentNode.insertBefore(r,s)}; })();It was also Becker and Fagen who wrote “Only a Fool Would Say That”, and the track was produced by regular Steely Dan collaborator Gary Katz.
Steely Dan’s “Can’t Buy a Thrill”
In November of 1972, the album, “Can’t Buy a Thrill” was released by Steely Dan. It was released as their debut studio album.
“Can’t Buy a Thrill” can be described as a fusion of pop, folk rock and soft rock sounds. It was recorded at The Village Recorder, a recording studio located in Los Angeles. The producer of the album is one Gary Katz. Gary is widely recognized for his works with the band.
The defunct ABC Records was responsible for the release of the album in 1972. On 22 August of 1973 the album got reissued by Dunhill Records.
“Can’t Buy a Thrill” peaked at No. 17 on the Billboard 200. Additionally it won numerous accolades. One of these accolades was being ranked at the 238th position on Rolling Stone’s 2003 list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”. In an updated version of the said list in 2020, the album was placed at the 168th position.
On the 7th of September, 1973, the album received a Platinum certification from the RIAA. This was after it sold over a million copies in the US.
Two officially singles were released from this album. They are:
