Fool To Cry

Album: Black And Blue (1976)
Charted: 6 10
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Songfacts®:

  • This is an introspective ballad that was not typical of most Rolling Stones songs. It finds Mick Jagger feeling down on himself, and getting comfort first from his daughter, then from his lover. Both tell him he's "a fool to cry."
  • With Mick Taylor gone, The Stones were auditioning lead guitarists while recording Black And Blue. American session man Wayne Perkins played on this and almost got the job, but Ron Wood beat him out.
  • This was the only song on Black And Blue to chart in England or the US.
  • Keith Richards fell asleep while they were performing this in 1976 while touring Germany.
  • Richards: "I was just glad somebody in the band could sing that falsetto. I got a pretty good falsetto myself. But when you got a singer and he can hit those notes, baby go for it. And Mick was always fascinated with the falsetto Soul singers like Aaron Neville. That's crafty stuff, you know what I mean? But he'd been listening to so many people. It's kinda like what goes in, will come out. You'll just hear a phrase or a piece of music. And one way or another it's part of your experience. And a lot of the time it comes out what you do without even realizing it. I don't really like to think about these things too much. It's more to do with feeling than intellectualizing about it." >>
    Suggestion credit:
    Bertrand - Paris, France
  • The Canadian duo Tegan and Sara covered this in 2013 for the soundtrack for the HBO drama Girls. Their version can be found on the album, Girls, Vol. 1 (Music From the HBO Original Series). "Lena Dunham (Girls creator and star) reached out about us doing a track for the soundtrack," Tegan told the Toronto Sun. "When she said which one we were going to do I went and listened to it. I was like, 'Oh my god, this is a nightmare! How are we going to do this? It's like he's talking, he's meandering.' I was like, 'What the f---?"

    "In the end I loved doing it," she continued, "I thought it was so great. I haven't really listened to a lot of them other than the popular Rolling Stones songs but it was cool to get into a deep cut. And the response has been insane. These teenage girls are like, 'I love this song!' And I say, 'You're welcome, Rolling Stones. We just got you into another generation.'"

Comments: 10

  • Frank B. from Orangeville, OntarioI always cry to sad songs like this! Always have, and always will.
  • Jojo from New Zealand My favourite Rolling Stones' song of all time. It reminds me of when I was 16.
  • Snooker from CanadaThis was Brian Wilson's favorite Stones track.
  • Markantney from BiloxeSep 16,

    I heard this many years later after it was hit, guessing in the 90s? It's their most underrated song, an alltime underrated song, for I never hear it referenced as a Stones hit/great song. and Mick's "Riffing" at the end of the song; would make any Bluesman Proud.

    It's the one song I play if I'm taking a long drive, when I feel myself getting tired/sleepy; you play this song, you will listen and sing a-long.
  • Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn April 18th 1976, "Fool To Cry" by the Rolling Stones entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart at position #63; and on May 30th it peaked at #10 (for 2 weeks) and spent 11 weeks on the Top 100...
    Between 1964 and 1989 the Stones had twenty-two records make the Billboard Top 10 list; but this record is their only one to peak at #10...
    Sadly, three of the boys are in their 70s, and come next January I will join them!
  • William from Pheonix, AzIts a slow kinda depressing song...but in the end its pretty awsome song
  • Robert from Queens, NyMiss you was written two years after this song.

    This doesn't have a disco theme to it, at all.
  • Morgan from Summerland, CanadaThis is such a good song...not typical stones tunes..but awsome
  • Homero from Monterrey , MexicoThis was one of the Disco Music style songs. Remember Miss You ??
  • Mr. Chimp from Brno, Czech RepublicMick Jagger played the electric piano on this.
see more comments

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