Foolish Games

"Foolish Games"
Single by Jewel
from the album Pieces of You and Batman & Robin
B-side	"Angel Needs a Ride" "Everything Breaks"
Released	July 8, 1997
Format	CD single
Recorded	1994
Genre	Folk
Length	5:39 (album version) 4:02 (radio edit)
Label	Atlantic
Writer(s)	Jewel Kilcher
Producer(s)	Peter Collin
Jewel singles chronology
"You Were Meant for Me" (1996) "Foolish Games" (1997) "Morning Song" (1997)
Music sample "Foolish Games"

"Foolish Games" is a song by American recording artist Jewel from her debut studio album Pieces of You (1995). It was also the third single to be lifted from the Batman & Robin motion picture soundtrack. Jewel re-recorded the single for the soundtrack to produce a more radio-friendly version, similar to her other singles "Who Will Save Your Soul" and "You Were Meant for Me". This version is shorter than the album version by one verse. The song details the frustration and agony of knowing that the intensity of one's love is not reciprocated by one's lover. The melodic line and chord progression of the verses in "Foolish Games" carry echoes of "Diamonds & Rust", recorded by Joan Baez.

A CD single for the song was not issued in the United States. However, a re-released version of the "You Were Meant for Me" single CD had a hidden bonus track of the single version of "Foolish Games". Because of this, instead of debuting and charting on the chart in the traditional way, "Foolish Games" was able to continue the chart life of "You Were Meant for Me". The latter, which was on its' 41st week on the chart at number 25, rebounded to number 12 as "Foolish Games", eventually peaking at number 7 eight weeks later. Despite this, Billboard counted the two singles as one, and such, "Foolish Games" was also listed for peaking at number two, despite the song never actually peaking at that position, thanks to the peak of the second single.^[1] "Foolish Games/You Were Meant for Me" was listed as the second best-performing song of 1997 by Billboard, behind Elton John's "Candle in the Wind 1997".

"Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant for Me" ranked at number 15 on Billboard's All Time Top 100^[2] and held the record in the Guinness Book of World Records for longest chart run of a single for "Foolish Games"/"You Were Meant for Me", which charted for 65 weeks. This record was later surpassed by "How Do I Live" by LeAnn Rimes, also in 1997 and 1998 with 69 weeks, and "I'm Yours" by Jason Mraz in 2008 and 2009 with 76 weeks, and then "Sail" by Awolnation at 79 weeks and "Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons at 87 weeks in 2013 and 2014. Jewel was also nominated for Grammy Award for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for this song.

The song is featured on Jewel's Greatest Hits as a duet with Kelly Clarkson.

Track listing

US promo

1. "Foolish Games" (radio edit)

European CD single

1. "Foolish Games" (radio edit)
2. "Angel Needs a Ride"
3. "Everything Breaks"

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1996–97) Peak position Australia (ARIA)[3] 12 Belgium (Ultratip Flanders)[4] 8 Canada Adult Contemporary (RPM)[5] 1 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[6] 2 Netherlands (Dutch Top 40)[7] 9 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[8] 10 New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[9] 23 US Billboard Hot 100[10] 2 US Adult Contemporary (Billboard)[11] 4 US Adult Top 40 (Billboard)[12] 1 US Radio Songs (Billboard)[13] 1 US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[14] 1 US Rhythmic (Billboard)[15] 30

Year-end charts Chart (1997) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[16] 2 Australia (ARIA)[17] 47 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[18] 95 Chart (1998) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[19] 87 Netherlands (Single Top 100)[20] 40 Decade-end charts Chart (1990–1999) Position U.S. Billboard Hot 100[21] 67

References

1. http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/1051360/chart-beat-chat. Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. "Top 100 Music Hits, Top 100 Music Charts, Top 100 Songs & The Hot 100". Billboard.com. Retrieved 2011-01-02.
3. "Australian-charts.com – Jewel – Foolish Games". ARIA Top 50 Singles. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
4. "Ultratop.be – Jewel – Foolish Games" (in Dutch). Ultratip.
5. "Top RPM Adult Contemporary: Issue 3363." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 3342." RPM. Library and Archives Canada.
7. "Nederlandse Top 40 – Jewel search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
8. "Dutchcharts.nl – Jewel – Foolish Games" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
9. "Charts.org.nz – Jewel – Foolish Games". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
10. "Jewel – Chart history" Billboard Hot 100 for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
11. "Jewel – Chart history" Billboard Adult Contemporary for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
12. "Jewel – Chart history" Billboard Adult Pop Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
13. "Jewel – Chart history" Billboard Radio Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
14. "Jewel – Chart history" Billboard Pop Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2010-08-31.
15. "Jewel – Chart history" Billboard Rhythmic Songs for Jewel. Retrieved 2014-05-16.
16. "Billboard Top 100 - 1997". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
17. "The ARIA Australian Top 100 Singles 1997". The Australian Record Industry Association Ltd. Archived from the original on November 2, 2015. Retrieved November 2, 2015.
18. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1997" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
19. "Billboard Top 100 - 1998". Retrieved 2010-08-28.
20. "Jaaroverzichten – Single 1998" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Hung Medien. Retrieved 21 July 2014.
21. Geoff Mayfield (December 25, 1999). 1999 The Year in Music Totally '90s: Diary of a Decade - The listing of Top Pop Albums of the '90s & Hot 100 Singles of the '90s. Billboard. Retrieved October 15, 2010.