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"What A Fool Believes"-Does

anybody actually like this song?
Thread Status: Not open for further replies.

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JayB
Senior Member

It's ok, but like a lot of the later-period Doobies I don't

go out of my way to listen to it.
Feb 28, 2010

lv70smusic
Senior Member

I like the song so much that I bought the 12" disco mix
single of it back in 1979 and I recently did a needle drop
of it so I can hear the song while doing cardio at the
gym.

It's a catchy pop song.

I'm not a big Michael McDonald fan, but some of his

stuff (with and without the Doobies) is alright.

I also like some of the pre-MM Doobies stuff, though,

percentage wise, probably not any more than the stuff
they recorded with MM.
Feb 28, 2010

Chris C
Music was my first love and it will be my last!

Give it a break! Those of you that are always saying that

Michael McDonald killed the Doobies, it's just plain
stupid. That band was already on a slow death when he
arrived, so if anything, he saved them, as GOD knows
that they've been dead since he left, so don't blame
Michael!

I'm guessing that, for the few of us that do like Michael

and his contributions to the Doobies, that this rare
DISCO version of "What A Fool Believes" will certainly
prove to the nay sayers, the POWER of one Michael
McDonald.

Honestly, it's NOT my favorite McDonald song with the

Doobies and it is rather dated sounding, but this mother
was HUGE back in the day and don't tell me that Patrick
Simmons, John Hartman and Tom Johnston, didn't all
laugh, all the way to the bank, after it charted?

Chris C
Feb 28, 2010

JonUrban likes this.

I_Zimbra
New Member

I'm not a Michael McDonald fan but I have to admit his

vocals on a few songs transcend the mediocre and lift
them to a higher plain - this is definitely one of them,
along with I Keep Forgetting and Yah Mo B There.
Feb 28, 2010

Jackson
Forum Resident

I've never care much for the Doobies or Michael

McDonald, but i think that's a very cool song, almost as
good as ''Minutte By Minute'' in fact these might be the
two best Doobie Brothers tracks.
Feb 28, 2010

fxsuperglide
Active Member

Michael said: ↑

I can't stand it...the downward spiral of the Doobies...

I was thinking the same thing myself. ... IMHO, it just

sounds like 3 random songs pieced together, and I just
don't like it - and don't think I ever really did. Not even
sure about the lyrics, either. Then there's that Moog
synthesizer (much better sounding on a Hot Butter song
or a Perrey-Kingsley composition). Amazing how a
barely mediocre song like this could become a "playlist
classic", while other much better songs are simply
forgotten.
Feb 28, 2010

xios
Senior Member

I always thought the keyboard sound was ripped from

some of the little riffs in "Mt Vernon and Fairway" and
"All This Is That" (and I saw the original Doobies open
for the Beach Boys in Columbus Ohio in 1973). I think
the Loggins version came out first- don't know if it was a
single. Regardless- in '78-79 it was a very easy way to get
people dancing at clubs and parties- even those who
hated disco. I don't own a copy and I've heard it a
million times and I have never bothered listening to the
words, but it's a pleasant LA pop record from that time.
My willingness to dance to it probably led to an
evening's happy ending or two so I will say I like it.
Feb 28, 2010

vonwegen
Forum Resident

McDonald himself has a lot of nice things to say about

the Tom Johnson era-Doobies (scroll down to find that).
Here's the exceptional hell that went into the making of
the track:

Mix magazine "Classic Tracks said:

No one was more surprised than Michael McDonald when the

song he wrote for the Doobie Brothers, “What a Fool Believes,”
earned Grammys for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, as
well as Best Arrangement Accompanying Vocalists at the 1980
awards ceremony. The album it was on, Minute By Minute, also
took Best Pop Vocal Performance by a Duo, Group or Chorus,
even though, McDonald recalls, the record executives had
predicted the opposite.

“The famous quote at Click

one to
ofexpand...
the production meetings
was, ‘This is the end of these guys. This is over.’ We

Feb 28, 2010

fxsuperglide
Active Member

Chris C said: ↑

I'm guessing that, for the few of us that do like Michael and his
contributions to the Doobies, that this rare DISCO version of
"What A Fool Believes" will certainly prove to the nay sayers, the
POWER of one Michael McDonald. ......

Chris C

As much as I'm not fond of the song (as I just mentioned

in my previous post), just the same, I'd be curious to
hear what the aforementioned DISCO version sounds
like, if only for one time.
Feb 28, 2010

Jackson
Forum Resident

Chris C said: ↑

Give it a break! Those of you that are always saying that Michael
McDonald killed the Doobies, it's just plain stupid. That band was
already on a slow death when he arrived, so if anything, he
saved them, as GOD knows that they've been dead since he left,
so don't blame Michael!

Chris C

I agree with you 100% that MM saved the group, i

mean what was so special about the music of the
Doobies before MM, do people really think ''Rockin'
Down The Highway'' is a good song.
Feb 28, 2010

Mechanical Man likes this.

Jose Jones
Outstanding Forum Member

flashdaily said: ↑

At the risk of sounding contradictory, I'd venture that the fact

that it is"flawless, perfectly executed pop" is quite possibly WHY I
don't like the song, and why others do. Not that I agree that it's
"perfect", but I can see why some people would call it that.

No doubt it is too smooth and polished for some folk's

taste.

It's just a "sound" to me. I don't pay any attention to the

lyrics. It's far from my favorite song but I don't hate it
either. I would venture that those who do complain
about the lyrics have no problem with "Whiter Shade Of
Pale" or "I Am The Walrus", lyrically.
Feb 28, 2010

Chris C
Music was my first love and it will be my last!

fxsuperglide said: ↑

As much as I'm not fond of the song (as I just mentioned in my

previous post), just the same, I'd be curious to hear what the
aforementioned DISCO version sounds like, if only for one time.

Just imagine the song longer and with an added "heavy

disco" drum beat throughout and that's about it.

Chris C
Feb 28, 2010

Drew
Senior Member

Its tolerable. Barely.

Feb 28, 2010

Chris C
Music was my first love and it will be my last!

Jackson said: ↑

I agree with you 100% that MM saved the group, i mean

what was so special about the music of the Doobies before MM,
do people really think ''Rockin' Down The Highway'' is a good
song.

Honestly, I don't want anyone to think that I don't

believe that the Doobies were a top notch rockin' band,
that made many great records, before MM showed up.
But, Just listen to "Stampede" and tell me that you can't
hear a once great band, losing their own focus? They
kept trying to re-write "Long Train Runnin", over and
over and their sound was getting tired. The fact that the
Doobies covered the MOTOWN chestnut, "Take Me In
Your Arms", prior to MM's arrival, almost screams that
they wanted to head in that "soulful bluesy" direction.
Sadly, I think that most of Michael's best songs with the
Doobies were overlooked, like, "You're Made That Way",
"Nothing But A Heartache" and "Open Your Eyes". All of
those songs are solid contenders as possible hits, as
opposed to "Real Love" and "Little Darlin".

Chris C
Feb 28, 2010

W.B.
The Collector's Collector

flashdaily said: ↑

Michael McDonald's throaty, whiskey and cigarette flavored

voice (some folks claim he's got a soulful voice, to me it sounds
like whiskey and cigarettes)

That wasn't what came to my mind; to me Mr.

McDonald always sounded like someone who sang with
his mouth full as he was eating.

Having said that, I've always been a fan of this number.

It moves at a sprightly pace, and there's a certain
quirkiness to the lyrics.

Let's remember that later in the year, the two

songwriters responsible for this, collaborated on Kenny
Loggins' "This Is It" (another favorite of mine). Yep,
both that and "What a Fool Believes" were written by
Mr. McDonald and Mr. Loggins.
Feb 28, 2010

Lownote30 likes this.

Batfish
Forum Resident

Exactly. It's a dippy little song with an irritating beat,

and it spawned a batch of other songs with the same
beat/feel/production sheen and thus became
exponentially irritating.

steeler1979 said: ↑

I love it. It's safe to assume that Robbie Dupree (Steal Away),
Roger Voudouris (Get Used To It) and the Pointer Sisters (He's So
Shy) like it.

Feb 28, 2010

ParloFax
Forum Resident

I think it is a very good song - the melody, cha-cha

rhythm, bass guitar part and chord progression; not the
lyrics, which, like the OP, I find incomprehensible...

It's definitely a modern-day overkill on American mall-

type radio though, that made you wish something
extreme would happen to this network of sorts...
Feb 28, 2010

detroit muscle
Senior Member

I like it, but prefer the song Minute By Minute. It has

been overplayed though so I can see why some folk
would get sick of it.
Feb 28, 2010

linclink
Forum Resident

At this point in my life, I actually really dig this song.

Michael McDonald era Doobies stock has risen about as
much as older Doobie's stock has fallen for me, so
there's a rough parity now where I dig some songs quite
a bit, but probably wouldn't play any of their albums
ever...but back in the day...
Back when it came out & I was getting into punk & new
wave as a teen, and having dug the earlier rockin'
Doobie Brothers stuff some...I didn't hate it, but I didn't
really like it either. My mom, who was a teacher, had a
younger friend, also a teacher & they loved "Minute By
Minute" and some album by The Little River Band, and
lotsa stuff like that. I mean they also dug a whole lot of
stuff that I dug too- Steely Dan, "Abbey Road", etc..
Feb 28, 2010

PROG U.K.
Audiophile-Anglophile

Well written and catchy pop song. Reminds me of my

childhood, sitting on the floor of my living room and
spinning the Minute by Minute lp on my parent's
system. Great memories.
Feb 28, 2010

PhilCohen
Forum Resident

flashdaily said: ↑

Presumably somebody does, if computerized radio playlists truly

reflect the songs people want to hear on the radio, though I'm not
totally convinced of that. I am convinced that this particular
song is on just about every computerized "oldies and classic rock"
playlist ever compiled, and I suspect that it has been played on
the radio by some station every single day since it was released.
Not to offend anyone, but IMO it's one the worst songs of all time,
with it's goofy, moronic, sing-song-y beat, it's odd, almost
incomprehensible lyrics (As she rises to her apology.....Wise
man's got the power, ooo,Click
got to
theexpand...
power!), Michael McDonald's
throaty, whiskey and cigarette flavored voice (some folks claim
Well, NARAS members(Grammy organisation) like the
song!
Feb 28, 2010

PhilCohen
Forum Resident

W.B. said: ↑

That wasn't what came to my mind; to me Mr. McDonald always

sounded like someone who sang with his mouth full as he was
eating.

Having said that, I've always been a fan of this number. It moves
at a sprightly pace, and there's a certain quirkiness to the lyrics.

Let's remember that later in the year, the two songwriters

responsible for this, collaborated on Kenny Loggins' "This Is It"
(another favorite of mine).Click to both
Yep, expand...
that and "What a Fool
Believes" were written by Mr. McDonald and Mr. Loggins.
McDonald is often a composer-only, and his
collaborators are usually lyricists, so Mr.Loggins was
likely the lyricist.
Feb 28, 2010

slstokes2216
Forum Resident

GreenDrazi said: ↑

Michael McDonald?

I always thought that was Elmer Fudd singing lead.

No- Scooby Do
Feb 28, 2010

pharmboycu
Forum Resident

Yes. I like it! Love the whole "Minute By Minute" album.

ESPECIALLY my A.F. copy of it!
Feb 28, 2010

Dudley Morris
Resident

Don't love it, don't hate it. It's a piece of innocuous

yacht-rock and it's just kinda there.
Feb 28, 2010

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