Don't Make a Fool of Yourself
Encyclopedia
"Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" is a song by American
recording artist Stacey Q
. The song was written by Stacey Swain, Jon St. James
and Skip Hahn and was produced by Jon St. James. The song was mixed by musician Shep Pettibone
, who collaborated with artists like Madonna
, Pet Shop Boys
, Janet Jackson
and others. It is the second single from Stacey Q's third studio album, Hard Machine
and has peaked at #66 on the Billboard
Hot 100 and #4 on the Billboard
Dance charts.
– somewhat different composition from her mostly hi-NRG
/New Wave
musical material. The length of the song may vary; see track listing for more information. It is set in common time
and has a moderate tempo of 115 beats per minute.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
recording artist Stacey Q
Stacey Q
Stacey Q is a pop singer, dancer and actress. She is best known for her 1985 hit single "Two of Hearts".-Early life:Stacey Swain was born on November 30, 1958 in Fullerton, California. She is the youngest of three children...
. The song was written by Stacey Swain, Jon St. James
Jon St. James
Jon St. James is an American guitarist, songwriter–composer, producer and engineer whose Casbah Recording Studio was a part of Orange County, California's new music scene in the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s. St. James' first album was as leader–frontman–songwriter of the progressive rock group...
and Skip Hahn and was produced by Jon St. James. The song was mixed by musician Shep Pettibone
Shep Pettibone
Robert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
, who collaborated with artists like Madonna
Madonna (entertainer)
Madonna is an American singer-songwriter, actress and entrepreneur. Born in Bay City, Michigan, she moved to New York City in 1977 to pursue a career in modern dance. After performing in the music groups Breakfast Club and Emmy, she released her debut album in 1983...
, Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys
Pet Shop Boys are an English electronic dance music duo, consisting of Neil Tennant, who provides main vocals, keyboards and occasional guitar, and Chris Lowe on keyboards....
, Janet Jackson
Janet Jackson
Janet Damita Jo Jackson is an American recording artist and actress. Known for a series of sonically innovative, socially conscious and sexually provocative records, as well as elaborate stage shows, television and film roles, she has been a prominent figure in popular culture for over 25 years...
and others. It is the second single from Stacey Q's third studio album, Hard Machine
Hard Machine
Hard Machine is the third solo album of singer Stacey Q, released in 1988. It includes the moderate hit, "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" which peaked at #66. While the album was not very successful with mainstream audiences, it fared slightly better with electronic dance music audiences. It also...
and has peaked at #66 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Hot 100 and #4 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Dance charts.
Composition
"Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" is a dance-pop song with elements of garage house and contemporary R&BContemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
– somewhat different composition from her mostly hi-NRG
Hi-NRG
Hi-NRG describes a form of high-tempo disco music as well as a genre of electronic dance music originating in the United States during the late 1970s...
/New Wave
New Wave music
New Wave is a subgenre of :rock music that emerged in the mid to late 1970s alongside punk rock. The term at first generally was synonymous with punk rock before being considered a genre in its own right that incorporated aspects of electronic and experimental music, mod subculture, disco and 1960s...
musical material. The length of the song may vary; see track listing for more information. It is set in common time
Common Time
"Common Time" is a science fiction short story written by James Blish. It first appeared in the August 1953 issue of Science Fiction Quarterly and has been reprinted several times: in the 1959 short-story collection Galactic Cluster; in The Testament of Andros ; in The Penguin Science Fiction...
and has a moderate tempo of 115 beats per minute.
Track listing
- Promotional 12" single
- "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" (The Shep Pettibone Mix) – 7:05
- "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" (Shep Pettibone Radio Edit) – 4:00
- "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" (Try It Out Lover Mix) – 7:47
- "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" (Pumpin Mix) – 4:25
- Cassette single
- "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" (The Shep Pettibone Mix) – -:--
- "Fly By Night" – -:--
- "Don't Make a Fool of Yourself" (The Shep Pettibone Mix) – -:--
- "Fly By Night" – -:--
Personnel
- Skip Hahn, Stacey QStacey QStacey Q is a pop singer, dancer and actress. She is best known for her 1985 hit single "Two of Hearts".-Early life:Stacey Swain was born on November 30, 1958 in Fullerton, California. She is the youngest of three children...
– Backing vocalistBacking vocalistA backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists... - Jon St. JamesJon St. JamesJon St. James is an American guitarist, songwriter–composer, producer and engineer whose Casbah Recording Studio was a part of Orange County, California's new music scene in the late 1970s and early to mid 1980s. St. James' first album was as leader–frontman–songwriter of the progressive rock group...
, Karl Moet – drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person .... - Karl Moet – samplerSampler (musical instrument)A sampler is an electronic musical instrument similar in some respects to a synthesizer but, instead of generating sounds, it uses recordings of sounds that are loaded or recorded into it by the user and then played back by means of a keyboard, sequencer or other triggering device to perform or...
- Skip Hahn – guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Jon St. James, Rich West, Skip Hahn – keyboards
- percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
– Jon St. James, Karl Moet - Shep PettiboneShep PettiboneRobert E. Pettibone, Jr. is a record producer, remixer, songwriter and club DJ, one of the most prolific of the 1980s. His earliest work known to the public was for one of New York City's top disco/dance radio stations, WRKS 98.7 "Kiss" FM, and later as remixer/producer for the disco label Salsoul...
– mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may... - Shep Pettibone, Tuta Aquino – editing
- Steve Peck – mix engineerMix engineerA mix engineer, also referred to as "mixing engineer", is a person who, once all instruments, voices, and sounds, etc., have been recorded, creates what is called the final version of a song, hence the term "mix engineer"...
- St. James, Hahn, Swain – songwriterSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
s - Jon St. James – producerRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
Chart positions
| Chart (1988) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
66 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Club Play Hot Dance Club Play The Hot Dance Club Songs chart is a weekly national survey of the songs that are most popular in U.S. dance clubs... |
4 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot Dance Music/Maxi-Singles Sales | 1 |
| Australian Singles Chart | 73 |