"Fools Gold" is a song by British rock band the Stone Roses. It was released as a double A-side 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, dance-rock, and funk rock song. The dance-oriented song showcased the rhythm section of Mani on bass and Reni on percussion. Ian Brown stated the song was written over "The Funky Drummer" by James Brown, which Reni had to learn the beat from. However the actual source of the beat is "Hot Pants" by Bobby Byrd. John Squire also plays guitar with various wah-wah pedal effects. Ian Brown 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, which Mani heard after going clubbing "looking for things to pinch". The lyrics reference Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" and Marquis de Sade. According to Brown, the song's verses were inspired by John Huston'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, Canary Islands. 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 as the Happy Mondays, who performed "Hallelujah" from the Madchester Rave On EP, is regarded as a "cultural high-water mark", exposing the emerging Madchester scene to a wider audience, and popularizing a new dance-oriented music genre, baggy. Although a non-album double A-sided single, both tracks have appeared on the compilation albums Turns into Stone, 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, although "Fools Gold" has appeared more often than "What the World Is Waiting For".

Legacy

In May 2007, NME 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 voted "Fool's Gold" number 76 in the Triple J Hottest 100 of All Time.

Track listings

1989 UK release CD (Silvertone ORE CD 13) 1990 US release cassette (Silvertone 1315-4-JS) CD (Silvertone 1315-2-JD) 1989 Japanese release Fools Gold 1992 UK reissue Fools Gold '95 Fools Gold (1999 remix) UK release Fools Gold (1999 remix) German release Fools Gold (1999 remix) US release Fools Gold (UK 2009 remaster) CD (Silvertone 886975631124)

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

Notes and references