Everybody Plays the Fool

"Everybody Plays the Fool" is the title of a popular song written by J.R. Bailey, Rudy Clark and Ken Williams. The song was nominated for a Grammy Award in the category Best R&B Song at the 1973 ceremony.

The first recording of the song to reach the Top 40 in the United States was by the R&B group The Main Ingredient, a trio consisting at the time of Cuba Gooding, Sr., Tony Silvester and Luther Simmons, Jr. Their version of "Everybody Plays the Fool" rose to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the fall of 1972 and was certified gold by the RIAA.^[1] This version also peaked at #2 on the Billboard R&B chart and at #25 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.^[2] It was the group's highest charting hit single.

Singer Aaron Neville recorded a cover version of "Everybody Plays the Fool" in 1991 which also hit the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, reaching #8 in the fall of that year.^[1] This was Neville's third Top 10 hit on the pop chart, following "Tell It Like It Is" (1967, #2) and his duet with Linda Ronstadt, "Don't Know Much" (1989, #2). Neville's single also went to #1 on the Billboard adult contemporary chart.^[2] In addition, it was a #1 single in New Zealand.

The electronic dance music artist Bassix also recorded a version of "Everybody Plays the Fool" during the late 1980s.

The song also featured in an episode of Everybody Hates Chris entitled Everybody Hates Badboys.

The song also featured in an episode of Supernatural, episode 10 of season 5, "Abandon All Hope".

Charts

References