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.
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Article comments
1 - Emilie
Thank you Daryl !! That was a nice reading. Foolish Games was the first song I've ever heard from Jewel and it's definitely one of her best !!!
2 - John
"Foolish Games" is an amazing song. One of the last great pop songs (if you call it pop) ever made.
3 - sandra
I think Jewel did overdo herself when she came out with her, um, "Poetry" book. Still, she's a great talent.
4 - Duganvillea
I have been a Jewel fan since the Spirit album. Recently I was asked to play the piano part for "Foolish Games" for a new remake of the "Pieces of You" album by a new talent called Bess.
Four simple cords set the groove for this deceptively simple song. I love playing this song and live with it as the soundtrack to my life this week. I hope the reinterpretaion by Bess of this classic will be a new hit.