"Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" is a song by British singer

Sonia Sonia, Sonja or Sonya, a name of Greek origin meaning wisdom, may refer to: People * Sonia (name), a feminine given name (lists people named, Sonia, Sonja and Sonya) :* Sonia (actress), Indian film actress in Malayalam and Tamil films :* Soni ...

. It was produced by Nigel Wright for Sonia's second studio album, ''

'' (1991). The song was written by

Tony Hiller Anthony Toby Hiller (30 July 1927 – 26 August 2018) was an English songwriter and record producer. He was best known for writing and/or producing hits for Brotherhood of Man, including " United We Stand" (1970) and " Save Your Kisses for Me" ( ...

, who had success in the 1970s as manager for

Brotherhood of Man Brotherhood of Man were a British pop group who achieved success in the 1970s with three number one hits in the UK. They won the 1976 Eurovision Song Contest with " Save Your Kisses for Me". Created in 1969 by songwriter and record producer ...

, and one-time member

Barry Upton Barry John Upton (born 25 February 1954) is an English singer, songwriter, arranger, musician and producer of pop, rock and electronic dance. He lives in Pattaya, Thailand, where he is the executive producer for radio & TV at Pattaya People ...

. This song was released in May 1991 by label I.Q. as the album's first single, and was a top ten hit in the United Kingdom and Ireland.

Background and writing

Co-writer Barry Upton commented that he had initially written the song with

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. Known as the "Queen of Motown Records", she was the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown#Major divisions, Motown's most suc ...

in mind, but Sonia's A&R man,

Simon Cowell Simon Phillip Cowell (; born 7 October 1959) is an English television personality and businessman. He has judged on the British television talent competition shows ''Pop Idol'' (2001–2003), ''The X Factor (British TV series), The X Factor UK ...

heard the song and took it for her. After the single's success, Upton was keen to work with her directly, but Cowell prevented this.

Critical reception

Mark Frith Mark Frith (born 22 May 1970, in Sheffield) is a British journalist, music critic, and editor. He has been a writer and editor for magazines such as ''Smash Hits'', '' Time Out'' and ''Heat''. He has since branched into TV and radio presenting, ...

from ''

Smash Hits ''Smash Hits'' was a British music magazine aimed at young adults, originally published by EMAP. It ran from 1978 to 2006, and, after initially appearing monthly, was issued fortnightly during most of that time. The name survived as a brand ...

'' described "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" as "a hand-clapping, trombone-touting song about love, boys and heartbreak that should have been made in 1963. Sonia would be

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group formed in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959 as the Primettes. A premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful Amer ...

if she could find two other people like her".

Chart performance

In the United Kingdom, "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" debuted at number 28 on 1 June 1991, climbed to number ten in its fourth week, and fell off the top 100 after eight weeks. It was much aired on the national radios, reaching number two on the airplay chart. It also reached a peak of number six in Ireland, number 29 in Finland and number 51 in Germany. On the

Eurochart Hot 100 The European Hot 100 Singles was compiled by ''Billboard'' and ''Music & Media'' magazine from March 1984 until December 2010. The chart was based on national singles sales charts in 17 European countries: Austria, Belgium (two charts separately f ...

, it started at number 64 on the chart edition of 15 June 1991, peaked at number 31 two weeks later and charted for a total of five weeks.

Track listings

* 7-inch and cassette single # "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" # "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (instrumental) * 12-inch single :A. "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (extended club mix) :B. "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (instrumental) * CD single # "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (7-inch version) # "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (extended club mix) # "Only Fools (Never Fall in Love)" (instrumental)

Charts

References

{{Authority control 1991 singles 1991 songs Sonia (singer) songs Songs written by Barry Upton Songs written by Tony Hiller