"Fools" is a song by German

synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

band Alphaville, released in July 1994, by

WEA The Wea were a Miami–Illinois-speaking Native American tribe originally located in western Indiana. Historically, they were described as being either closely related to the Miami tribe or a sub-tribe of Miami. Today, the descendants of th ...

, as the first single from their fourth album, ''

Prostitute Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...

'' (1994). It was written by

Marian Gold Marian Gold (born Hartwig Schierbaum; 26 May 1954) is a German singer-songwriter who gained fame as the lead singer of the German synth-pop band Alphaville, but also has recorded as a solo artist. He is known for his tenor multi-octave vocal ra ...

Bernhard Lloyd Bernhard Lloyd (born Bernhard Gössling on 2 June 1960) is a former member and co-founder of the German synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 197 ...

and Ricky Echolette, and produced by the band. The single became a top-40 hit in Finland and a top-70 hit in the band's native Germany. "Fools" is also their fourteenth single overall and the last Alphaville single to chart in any country until " I Die for You Today" in 2011.

Critical reception

Larry Flick Larry Flick is an American journalist, former dance music columnist, single reviewer, and Senior Talent Editor for ''Billboard'' magazine, where he worked for 14 years. Now he produces and hosts Sirius XM radio shows. Flick started in the musi ...

from ''

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'' magazine wrote, "Remember Alphaville? The modern-pop/dance act that is best known for the sweeping ' Forever Young' steps forward with 'Fools', a headline-conscious twirler available on

's German imprint. The lyrics are well-intentioned, if a tad cloying. However, the song's ear-pleasing hook and spiraling, trancetouched groove could trigger some mighty dramatic body movement..." Pan-European magazine ''

Music & Media ''Music & Media'' was a pan-European magazine for radio, music and entertainment. It was published for the first time in 1984 as ''Eurotipsheet'', but in 1986 it changed name to ''Music & Media''. It was originally based in Amsterdam, but later m ...

'' noted, "Life goes on after "Greatest Hits" albums, which provide the breath to redefine careers. Re-vitaminised, the German

synth pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...

outfit reappears as a dance era answer to the

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...

Track listings

Source:Alphaville Moonbase Discography * CD maxi single # "Fools" (Album Version) - 3:54 # "Fools" (Seven Seals) - 3:59 # "Fools" (Faithful & True) - 4:16 # "Fools" (Twelve Inch) - 5:45 * CD single promo # "Fools" (7 inch) - 3:53 # "Fools" (12 inch) - 5:44 * CD single promo digipack # "Fools" (Seven Seals) - 3:59 # "Fools" (Faithful & True) - 4:16 * 12" maxi single vinyl # "Fools" (Twelve Inch) - 5:12 # "Fools" - 3:57 # "Fools" (Instrumental) - 5:13 * 12" German DJ promotional single # "Fools" (12 Inch Berlin) - 6:39 # "Fools" (12 Inch London) - 5:11 # "Fools" (Seven Seals) - 3:58 # "Fools" (7 Inch) - 3:52 * This is the first single from Alphaville (barring re-releases) that did not include an original B-side track * The "7 Inch" mix is the same as the album version * The CD Single Promo has a black colour cover with red fangs, and not a red colour cover with white fangs as the official CD Maxi Single and the CD Single Promo Digipack has.

Other releases

The "Faithful & True" and "12 Inch Berlin" remixes appeared again later on the '' Dreamscapes'' release, where the Berlin remix was re-labeled as the "Speed" remix.

Charts

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fools (Alphaville Song) 1994 singles Alphaville (band) songs Songs written by Marian Gold Warner Music Group singles Songs written by Ricky Echolette Songs written by Bernhard Lloyd 1994 songs