"Fools Gold" is a song by British

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...

band

the Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

. It was released as a

double A-side The A-side and B-side are the two sides of vinyl records and cassettes, and the terms have often been printed on the labels of two-sided music recordings. The A-side of a single usually features a recording that its artist, producer, or ...

single with "What the World Is Waiting For" on 13 November 1989 through Silvertone Records. "Fools Gold" would go on to appear on certain non-UK versions of their self-titled debut studio album (1989). "Fools Gold" became the band's biggest commercial hit at the time. It was their first single to reach the top ten of the UK Singles Chart and stayed in the top-75 for fourteen weeks, peaking at number eight.

Recording and composition

"Fools Gold" and "What the World Is Waiting For" were recorded at Sawmills Studios in Cornwall during mid-1989, with additional vocal and guitar parts recorded later at London's Battery Studios, during late 1989. The tracks had been worked on for four months, and the intention was to put "What the World Is Waiting For" as the A side; however, when Roddy Mckenna, Silvertone's A&R man, heard "Fools Gold" he urged the band to use that as the A-side. The band were not completely convinced, and agreed to release the two tracks as a double A-side instead. "Fools Gold" has been described as a

Madchester Madchester was a musical and cultural scene that emerged in the English city of Manchester during the late 1980s, closely associated with the indie dance movement. Indie dance (also referred to as indie rave) blended indie rock with elements o ...

dance-rock Dance-rock is a dance- infused genre of rock music. It is a post-disco genre connected with pop rock and post-punk with fewer rhythm and blues influences. It originated in the early 1980s, following the decline in popularity of both punk and dis ...

funk rock Funk rock is a fusion genre that mixes elements of funk and Rock music, rock. James Brown and others declared that Little Richard and his mid-1950s road band, The Upsetters (American band), the Upsetters, were the first to put the funk in the ...

breakbeat Breakbeat is a broad type of electronic music that uses drum breaks, often sampled from early recordings of funk, jazz, and R&B. Breakbeats have been used in styles such as Florida breaks, hip-hop, jungle, drum and bass, big beat, breakbeat ...

, and

psychedelic funk Psychedelic funk (also called P-funk or funkadelia, and sometimes conflated with psychedelic soul) is a music genre that combines funk music with elements of psychedelic rock. It was pioneered in the late 1960s and early 1970s by American acts l ...

song. The dance-oriented song showcased the rhythm section of

Mani Mani may refer to: People * Mani (name), (), a given name and surname (including a list of people with the name) ** Mani (prophet) (c. 216–274), a 3rd century Iranian prophet who founded Manichaeism ** Mani (musician) (born 1962), an English ...

on bass and Reni on percussion. Ian Brown stated the song was written over "The

Funky Drummer "Funky Drummer" is a song by James Brown recorded in 1969 and released as a single in 1970. Its drum break, Musical improvisation, improvised by Clyde Stubblefield, is one of the most frequently sampling (music), sampled music recordings. Recor ...

" by

James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...

, which Reni had to learn the beat from. However the actual source of the beat is "Hot Pants" by

Bobby Byrd Bobby Howard Byrd (August 15, 1934 – September 12, 2007) was an American rhythm and blues, soul and funk singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, bandleader, and talent dedicated. He played a part in the development of soul and funk m ...

John Squire Jonathan Thomas Squire (born 24 November 1962)Larkin, Colin (ed.) (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Indie & New Wave'', Virgin Books, is an English musician, songwriter and painter. He was the guitarist for the Stone Roses, a rock band in w ...

also plays

guitar The guitar is a stringed musical instrument that is usually fretted (with Fretless guitar, some exceptions) and typically has six or Twelve-string guitar, twelve strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming ...

with various wah-wah pedal effects.

Ian Brown Ian George Brown (born 20 February 1963) is an English musician. He was the lead singer and the only continuous member of the alternative rock band the Stone Roses from their formation in 1983. Following the band's initial split in 1996, he be ...

sings the vocals in a whispered delivery. He would also perform with this technique for the track "Something's Burning". The bassline was adapted from Kevin O'Neal's bassline in "Know How" by

Young MC Marvin Young (born May 10, 1967), better known by his stage name Young M.C., is an American rapper, singer and actor. He is best known for his 1989 hit " Bust a Move". His debut album '' Stone Cold Rhymin found international acclaim. Young h ...

, which Mani heard after going clubbing "looking for things to pinch". The lyrics reference

Nancy Sinatra Nancy Sandra Sinatra (born June 8, 1940) is an American singer, actress, film producer and author. She is the elder daughter of Frank Sinatra and Nancy Sinatra ( Barbato) and is known for her 1965 signature hit " These Boots Are Made for Walki ...

's "

These Boots Are Made for Walkin' "These Boots Are Made for Walkin' is a hit song written by Lee Hazlewood and recorded by American singer Nancy Sinatra. It charted on January 22, 1966, and reached No.1 in the United States ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and in the UK Singles Chart. ...

" and

Marquis de Sade Donatien Alphonse François, Marquis de Sade ( ; ; 2 June 1740 – 2 December 1814) was a French writer, libertine, political activist and nobleman best known for his libertine novels and imprisonment for sex crimes, blasphemy and pornography ...

. According to Brown, the song's verses were inspired by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

's 1948 film adaptation of '' The Treasure of the Sierra Madre'' and tells about "three geezers who are skint and they put their money together to get equipment to go looking for gold, then they all betray each other...".

Release

The single was released in 1989 and entered the UK top ten. It was promoted with a music video, showing the Stone Roses performing outdoors and walking across the volcanic landscape of

Lanzarote Lanzarote (, , ) is a Spanish island, the easternmost of the Canary Islands, off the north coast of Africa and from the Iberian Peninsula. Covering , Lanzarote is the fourth-largest of the islands in the archipelago. With 163,230 inhabi ...

Canary Islands The Canary Islands (; ) or Canaries are an archipelago in the Atlantic Ocean and the southernmost Autonomous communities of Spain, Autonomous Community of Spain. They are located in the northwest of Africa, with the closest point to the cont ...

. The cover art was a painting by John Squire, "Double Dorsal Dopplegänger", which was later exhibited at Squire's 2004 art exhibition. The band's appearance on the same November ''

Top of the Pops ''Top of the Pops'' (''TOTP'') is a British record chart television programme, made by the BBC and broadcast weekly between 1January 1964 and 30 July 2006. The programme was the world's longest-running weekly music show. For most of its histo ...

'' as the

Happy Mondays Happy Mondays are an English rock band formed in Salford in 1980. The original line-up consisted of brothers Shaun Ryder (vocals) and Paul Ryder (bass), Gaz Whelan (drums), Paul Davis (keyboard), and Mark Day (guitar). Mark "Bez" Berry la ...

, who performed "Hallelujah" from the ''

Madchester Rave On ''Madchester Rave On'' is the second EP by Happy Mondays. It was released in November 1989 on Factory Records. The track "Hallelujah" became the band's breakthrough release, reaching the top twenty in the UK and leading to the group's first ''Top ...

'' EP, is regarded as a "cultural high-water mark", exposing the emerging

scene to a wider audience, and popularizing a new dance-oriented music genre,

baggy Baggy is a British alternative dance genre popular in the late 1980s and early 1990s, and generally associated with the Northern UK's Madchester scene. The style saw alternative rock bands draw influence from psychedelia as well as dance music ...

. Although a non-album double A-sided single, both tracks have appeared on the compilation albums ''

Turns into Stone ''Turns into Stone'' is a compilation album by English rock band the Stone Roses, released in 1992. It consists of early singles and B-sides that did not feature on their self-titled debut album. The compilation reached number 32 on the UK al ...

'', '' The Complete Stone Roses'' and '' The Very Best of The Stone Roses''. Both tracks have also appeared on some reissued editions of their debut album ''

The Stone Roses The Stone Roses were an English rock band formed in Manchester in 1983. They were one of the pioneering groups of the Madchester movement in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The band's classic and most prominent lineup consisted of vocalist I ...

'', although "Fools Gold" has appeared more often than "What the World Is Waiting For".

Legacy

In May 2007, ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming and culture website, bimonthly magazine, and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a "Rock music, rock inkie", the ''NME'' would be ...

'' magazine placed "Fools Gold" at number 32 in its list of the 50 Greatest Indie Anthems Ever. The same magazine later placed the song at number 31 in their "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" list in 2014. In 2009, listeners of the Australian radio station

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

voted "Fool's Gold" number 76 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time.

Track listings

1989 UK release *7" vinyl (Silvertone ORE 13) #"Fools Gold 4.15" (4:15) #"What the World Is Waiting For" (3:55) *12" vinyl (Silvertone ORE T 13) #"Fools Gold 9.53" (9:53) #"What the World Is Waiting For" (3:55) *Cassette (Silvertone ORE C 13)
CD (Silvertone ORE CD 13) #"Fools Gold 9.53" (9:53) #"What the World Is Waiting For" (3:55) #"Fools Gold 4.15" (4:15) 1990 US release *12" gold vinyl (Silvertone 1315-1-JD)
cassette (Silvertone 1315-4-JS)
CD (Silvertone 1315-2-JD) #"Fools Gold 9.53" (9:53) #"What the World Is Waiting For" (3:55) #"Fools Gold 4.15" (4:15) 1989 Japanese release *CD (Silvertone/Alfa 18B2-103) #"What the World Is Waiting For" (3:55) #"Fools Gold" (4:17) #"She Bangs the Drums" (12" mix) (3:43) #"Elephant Stone" (12" mix) (4:51) #"Guernica" (4:23) #"Going Down" (2:26) Fools Gold 1992 UK reissue :''12" vinyl, cassette and CD are the same as 1989 releases'' *CD2 (Silvertone ORE CD Z 13) #"Fools Gold" (The Top Won Mix!) (10:03) #"Fools Gold" (The Bottom Won Mix!) (7:00) *Both remixes by

A Guy Called Gerald Gerald Rydel Simpson (born 1967), better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP '' Newbuild'' (1988) and hit single " ...

Fools Gold '95 *12" vinyl (Silvertone ORE T 71) #"Fools Gold" (The

Tall Paul Tall Paul may refer to: * Tall Paul (song), a 1959 song by Annette Funicello * Tall Paul (DJ), English DJ, producer and remixer * Paul Sturgess (basketball), British basketball player {{dab ...

Remix) (7:21) #"Fools Gold" 9.53 (9:53) #"Fools Gold" (Cricklewood Ballroom Mix) (4:16) *Cassette (Silvertone ORE C 71) #"Fools Gold" 4.15 (4:15) #"Fools Gold" (The Tall Paul Remix) (7:21) *CD (Silvertone ORE CD 71) #"Fools Gold" 4.15 (4:15) #"Fools Gold" 9.53 (9:53) #"Fools Gold" (The Tall Paul Remix) (7:21) #"Fools Gold" (Cricklewood Ballroom Mix) (4:16) Fools Gold (1999 remix) UK release *12" vinyl (Jive Electro 0523090) #"Fools Gold" (

Grooverider Raymond Bingham (born 16 April 1967 in Streatham, London, England), better known as Grooverider, is a British drum and bass DJ. He and DJ partner Fabio are regarded as "originators" of the scene.

's Mix) (6:36) #"She Bangs the Drums" (Kiss My Arse Mix) (4:02) #"Fools Gold" ( Rabbit in the Moon's Message to the Majors) (8:24) *Cassette (Jive Electro 0523094) #"Fools Gold" (Grooverider's Mix – Edit) (4:30) #"She Bangs the Drums" (Kiss My Arse Mix) (4:02) *CD (Jive Electro 0523092) #"Fools Gold" (Grooverider's Mix – Edit) (4:30) #"Fools Gold" (Rabbit in the Moon's Message to the Majors) (8:24) #"She Bangs the Drums" (Kiss My Arse Mix) (4:02) Fools Gold (1999 remix) German release *CD (Jive Electro 0523362) #"Fools Gold" (Rabbit in the Moon's Message to the Majors – Edit) (4:43) #"Fools Gold" (Grooverider's Mix – Edit) (4:30) #"Fools Gold" (Rabbit in the Moon's Message to the Majors) (8:24) #"She Bangs the Drums" (Kiss My Arse Mix) (4:02) Fools Gold (1999 remix) US release *12" vinyl (Jive Electro 01241-42579-1) #"Fools Gold" (Grooverider's Mix) (6:37) #"Fools Gold" (Rabbit in the Moon's Straight Beat Pyrite Dub) (7:35) #"Fools Gold" (Rabbit in the Moon's Message to the Majors – Extended) (9:42) Fools Gold (UK 2009 remaster) *7" vinyl (Silvertone 88697535907)
CD (Silvertone 886975631124) #"Fools Gold" (4:15) #"What the World Is Waiting For" (3:55)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes and references

;Notes ;References {{DEFAULTSORT:Fools Gold What the World Is Waiting For 1989 songs 1989 singles 1995 singles The Stone Roses songs Baggy songs Funk rock songs Double A-side singles Song recordings produced by John Leckie Songs written by Ian Brown Songs written by John Squire UK Independent Singles Chart number-one singles