In late Summer 1997, the world was mourning the death of Princess Diana while still laughing over Eddie Murphy’s sexual fling with a transvestite. The Spice Girls were still hot on the music scene and My Best Friend’s Wedding, starring Julia Roberts, was at the top of the box office.

Jewel had released “Foolish Games,” her third radio release off her album Pieces of You. This track was actually redone for the soundtrack of the film Batman & Robin to make it sound more commercial, but most radio stations stuck to playing the original recording. “Foolish Games” was actually never released as a commercial single: record companies started doing this in order to promote album sales. It did appear as a B-side to “You Were Meant for Me,” which climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Had “Foolish Games” been released as an actual single, it surely would have hit number one since the song was the most played song in the country for several weeks during September and October of 1997.

“Foolish Games,” a mournful ballad about a relationship going sour, includes some of the following lyrics:

     Well in case you failed to notice, in case you failed to see
     This is my heart bleeding before you, this is me down on my knees
     These foolish games are tearing me apart
     Your thoughtless words are breaking my heart

Many listeners were intrigued that a “breakup” song could actually be somewhat intelligent. Others thought Jewel’s lyrics were nothing but “psycho-babble.” The “Foolish Games” video itself did nothing to clarify the lyrics, and instead resembled a cliché of Madonna’s more innocent videos from the '80s. There was also a little bit of Whitney Houston’s “How Will I Know” in there too.

Jewel never needed to resemble any act - she’s an amazing talent all by herself: her songwriting is meaningful (even if a little bit overdone); her voice is angelic; and unlike most other pop stars, she actually knows how to play an instrument. It’s a shame her recent efforts have failed, both artistically and commercially, to rival her '90s output. Still, songs like “Foolish Games” are rare and timeless.