Season 559 - Everybody Plays the Fool

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SEASON 559 — Everybody Plays the Fool


About a month ago, it struck me just how many songs have the word "fool" in them. So this week’s theme is simple: The songs have to have some version of the word “fool” in the title or lyrics (fools, fooled, fooling, foolish, tomfoolery, etc.). This week we’re going to celebrate November Fools’ Day. Back in Season 163, Tommy Coughlin hosted an “April Fools, Tricksters and Twisted Tunes” theme that was much wider in scope — this week is restricted to the word “fool”.

If you play an original, the “fool” word has to be in the lyrics, not just the title.


Here's an example that I can be reasonably sure that no one intends to play, from the '70s prog-rock band Crack the Sky:




Rules:

• The video must be a new video recorded for this Season.

• The video must say that it is for the 559th Season of the Ukulele.

• Multitracking is okay, overdubs are okay. But I'm most interested in hearing you perform a song on the ukulele.

• Original songs are always welcome.

• Collaborations are always welcome.

• Collaborations on original songs? Hell, yeah!

• Videos must be posted to this thread. But not before midnight tonight, Hawaiian time. (And remember, Season 558 still has a day to go!)

• The Season lasts for 8 days, and ends at midnight Hawaiian time on Sunday night, November 6.

NO MORE THAN THREE VIDEOS!

• I’m not sure yet if there will be prizes. If there are, the winners will be chosen randomly.



SEASON 559 PLAYLIST
 
The video in the themepost is a few years old by now, so I wanted to start you off with a new video. This is a Richard & Lynda Thompson song.

 
Well, funny you should mention Tommy's Season 163, because this bit of foolishness I did back then was the first thing I thought of for this new theme. But when I went back and re-read the comments and watched the video, I could see it needed some sprucing up.

So here, with newly enhanced foolery, is "April Fools Rush In 2.0".

Or, if you prefer, "November Fools Rush In" ... in October? 🧐

 
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Thanks for hosting, Jim!
Here is a little paper puppet show with :
customised baritone ukulele, banjo uke, concert uke, handclaps, kalimba (tiny bit), fools singing, melodica, paper puppets (of course)
 
Poor Little Fool - Sharon Sheeley

I had assumed that this song was penned by Ricky Nelson, but Google tells me that 18 year old Sharon Sheeley wrote her first song, Poor Little Fool, which was recorded by Ricky Nelson in 1958.
Sharon was Eddie Cochran's fiance and later survived the car crash that killed Cochran.
Sharon Sheeley.jpg

 
"you're romantic, I'm a fool..."

Peter Skellern's original of this is, in my humble opinion, one of the most beautiful records ever. I nearly did it for TCK's 1972 season, but after half a dozen attempts, I wasn't happy with it. Tonight, after quite a few more takes, here's one I'll keep, for now.

 
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Hi Jim, thanks for hosting! This is a great theme, I searched my song book and found loads of possibilities... here's one of my first efforts for February Album Writing Month earlier this year, in which, as I remember it, "fool" turned out to be a convenient rhyme for "school". The title character is meant to sound ridiculous, so I hope I'm getting close to that.



I may have more to offer, since this is a fruitful topic. Apologies to all in advance :).
 
It looks like Rob and I have similar tastes and since we are limited to "no more than three videos" each this season, I won't duplicate his songs. He beat me to A Fool Such As I and These Foolish Things which were on my list, but he did a super job and since I have done them before and there is certainly no shortage of foolish songs, so here's an old folk song called You Old Fool.

 
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Hi Jim, thanks for hosting SOTU 559!
Key of E instrumental-only cover of "The Ballad of Curtis Loew", released in 1972 by Lynyrd Skynyrd
Qualifies on the basis that "fool" is in the chorus lyrics:
"People said he was useless, them people all were fools [cue 3-note bass run], 'cause Curtis, you're the finest picker to ever play the blues."

I'm limping through a Key of F cover of the great George Strait’s "Fool Hearted Memory". Since I'm far from getting it right as of now, I won't take offense if someone such as Jim or Rob beats me to it.:)
 
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Hello, Jim ... and thanks for hosting this week! I DO hope this will count; having had a preliminary skirmish to find an appropriate song, I didn't come across anything that particularly appealed, and then I remembered the theme songs (there are two) from this very popular UK TV series, whose title fits in with this week's theme. The series, "Only Fools and Horses" - basically chronicling the exploits of a dodgy but lovable market trader, who resides in a council flat in "Nelson Mandela House," located in the not particularly salubrious south London area of Peckham - is probably one of the most beloved ever produced by the BBC, but I have no idea whether it has travelled beyond UK shores. My apologies, then, to anyone in "foreign parts" who finds the whole thing totally inexplicable.

 
Little old punk rock song by Bad Religion, stomped on Cloverdale style.
NSFW lyric warning, penned by one of four aging pinks I know of who has a PhD, which I think is pretty cool.
 
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