Comments: 18

• Suellynmy English teacher loves this
• Todd from NyI would like to learn more about the original words regarding slavery and the cycle of poverty.
• Tonymy father wrote chain of fools about mental slavery and the cycle of poverty with a message look read the words slavery words
• Randy from Houghton Lake, MiI was 12 years old listening to the radio and it was announced that Martin Luther King Jr was assassinated. Right after that this song was played and every time I hear it I remember that moment.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaRotunda have heard recently that it wasn't Joe but another player who did the opening.
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaDidn't the Swampers from Muscle Shoals play on this track?
• Jennifur Sun from RamonaLove that opening, sort of growling guitar not by the late Joe South.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 27th 1967, Aretha Franklin was a guest on the NBC-TV's Kraft Music Hall special, 'Woody Allen Looks at 1967'...
  At the time she had two records on Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; "Chain of Fools" was in it first of two weeks at #7, and on January 14th, 1968 it peaked at #2 {see second post below}...
  Her other Top 100 record at the time was "Mockingbird"; it was in its second week a #94, that was also its peak position, for it only stayed on the chart for two weeks...
  Interestingly, on the Allen special she performed "Respect", which peaked at #1 {for 2 weeks} earlier in 1967 on May 28th.
• Rotunda from Tulsa, OkMercy! What a huge hit for Aretha! I love the guitar work on this & didn't know it was by the famous Joe South, until I read it right here on Songfacts.com. Interesting. I recall seeing a photo of Aretha being presented a Gold Record award for "Chain of Fools" in some magazine (Billboard?). She has a slew of gold records! And she's still The Queen.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyOn December 23rd 1967, "Chain of Fools" by Aretha Franklin peaked at #1 (for 6 weeks) on Cash Box's Top R&B Singles chart...
  (Note: From Nov. 1963 to Jan. 1965 Billboard did not publish an R&B Singles chart)...
  And on December 3rd, 1967 it entered Billboard's Hot Top 100 chart; on January 14th, 1968 it peaked at #2 (for 2 weeks) and spent 12 weeks on the Top 100...
  The two weeks it was at #2 on the Top 100, the #1 record was "Judy In Disguise (With Glasses)" by John Fred and His Playboy Band...
  It won a Grammy Award for 'Best Female R&B Vocal Performance'...
  Was track one of side one of her album, "Lady Soul", and on March 2nd, 1968 the album peaked at #1 (for 16 non-consecutive weeks) on Billboard's Top R&B Albums chart.
• Elmer H from Westville, Ok"Chain of Fools" is one of my all-time favorites. Awesome hit for Aretha. I love the guitar, the driving drums, and Aretha's voice. And wasn't 1967 a great year for Aretha? What was it that "they" used to call it on the radio? Oh yaah, "gut-bucket soul." Mercy!!!
• Robin from Bolton, United KingdomDon Covay (with Booker T/Stax/Blues Brothers guitar star Steve Cropper) was co-writer of Aretha's 1968 single See Saw.
• Barry from Sauquoit, NyThe great jazz organist Jimmy Smith did a cover version of this song in 1968; it made Billboard's Top 100, but just barely, it peaked at No. 100 and stayed there for two weeks...
• Greg from Price, UtCover all you want, but Aretha's version can never be touched. Guitarist Joe South had several hits of his own, including "Walk a Mile in My Shoes" and the Grammy-winning "Games People Play" (not to be confused with the Spinners' 1975 Top Five hit).
• Faye from New Bern, NcThis is one of my all time favorite songs. Also the movie "Michael" is wonderful. I never watch it without tears. ~^-.-^~
• Kimmie from Dallas, GaI adore this song! This is wonderful for improv musical preformances.
• Steve from Gaithersburg, MdA great cover version of this song was done for the 1991 movie "The Commitments".
• Ron from Bentonville, ArThis was also featured in 1990's Sneakers, a great computer thriller with great music.

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