Fool in Love
Encyclopedia
"Fool in Love" is a song by Barbadian
recording artist Rihanna
, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk
(2011). The song was written by Ester Dean
, Lukasz Gottwald
, Henry Walter, and was produced Lukasz Gottwald
, Cirkut and Dean.
, Lukasz Gottwald
and Henry Walter, with production helmed by Dr. Luke
, Cirkut and Dean. As noted by Katherine St Asaph of Popdust and Amy Sciarretto of Popcrush, the opening lyrics of "Fool in Love" feature close similarities to that of Queen
"Bohemian Rhapsody
" from their album A Night at the Opera
(1975), with regard to the opening lyric "Mama, I found a man." St Asaph also compared the song's composition to Britney Spears
"Criminal
" from her album Femme Fatale
(2011), with regard to how "Fool in Love" instrumental begins with "panning synths
" and acoustic guitar. "Fool in Love" also features a single and double guitar sequence toward the end of the song, which begins with one electric guitar being played and begins to incorporate a second, creating a "twinned" effect, before the song descends into a prolonged fade
at the end.
Musically, "Fool in Love" is a rhapsodic
ballad
, which incorporates acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers and drums. Lyrically, Rihanna tells of how she has met a relatively good man who her parents do not approve of, but requests that they accept her decision to be with him due to their love for each other, despite familial concerns. Rihanna's vocal performance in the song was described as the singer's "biggest ornamented" song by Robert Everett-Green of The Globe and Mail
, as well as noting that the singer emotes a sense of fatality in her vocals during the bass sequences in the song. "Fool in Love" displays Rihanna emoting a vulnerable style of singing, due to the lyrical content and mood in the song, which can be heard in the lyrics "Papa, are you ashamed of how your little girl turned out?" due to how the singer feels as though her parents are disappointed in her choice of man.
commended the balladry on Talk That Talk, paying particular attention to "Fool in Love" and "Farewell", writing "anyone questioning her motives need only hear ballads 'Farewell' and 'Fool in Love' to find out not only does she have a heart, but she's without doubt been putting all of it into these past six years." Robert Everett-Green of The Globe and Mail
praised the song, writing "Fool in Love rings down the curtain with a towering anthem that somehow squeezes fresh feeling from a tired lyrical concept." Katherine St Asaph of Popdust emoted a mixed response to "Fool in Love", giving the song three and a half stars out of five and writing that it is "so-bad-it's-good". St Aspash praised "Fool in Love" composition and musical influences, but criticized the song was not providing "dynamic variety" amongst Talk That Talk material.
on November 27, 2011.
Barbadian people
Barbadians are people originating on the Caribbean island of Barbados whether they live there or in the Barbadian diaspora.Rihanna is by far the most popular Barbadian on the planet.-Diaspora:...
recording artist Rihanna
Rihanna
Robyn Rihanna Fenty , better known as simply Rihanna, is a Barbadian recording artist. Born in Saint Michael, Barbados, Rihanna moved to the United States at the age of 16 to pursue a recording career under the guidance of record producer Evan Rogers...
, from her sixth studio album Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk
Talk That Talk is the sixth studio album by Barbadian recording artist Rihanna and was released on November 18, 2011, through Def Jam Recordings. The lead single from the album, "We Found Love" featuring Calvin Harris, premiered on Capital FM radio on September 22, 2011, and was released on iTunes...
(2011). The song was written by Ester Dean
Ester Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, Lukasz Gottwald
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Henry Walter, and was produced Lukasz Gottwald
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Cirkut and Dean.
Background and composition
"Fool in Love" was written by Ester DeanEster Dean
Ester Renay Dean is an American singer and songwriter, and record producer signed to Zone 4 Records/Interscope Records. She is most notable for her dual appearance on Rio: Music From The Motion Picture and her 2009 US hit single "Drop It Low", which featured singer Chris Brown...
, Lukasz Gottwald
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
and Henry Walter, with production helmed by Dr. Luke
Dr. Luke
Lukasz Gottwald , better known as Dr. Luke, is an American songwriter, record producer, and remixer. Luke performed with the Saturday Night Live Band for ten seasons until 2007. He has co-written and co-produced a string of commercially successful songs...
, Cirkut and Dean. As noted by Katherine St Asaph of Popdust and Amy Sciarretto of Popcrush, the opening lyrics of "Fool in Love" feature close similarities to that of Queen
Queen (band)
Queen are a British rock band formed in London in 1971, originally consisting of Freddie Mercury , Brian May , John Deacon , and Roger Taylor...
"Bohemian Rhapsody
Bohemian Rhapsody
"Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen. It was written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera...
" from their album A Night at the Opera
A Night at the Opera (Queen album)
A Night at the Opera is the fourth studio album by the British rock group Queen, released in November 1975. Co-produced by Roy Thomas Baker and Queen, A Night at the Opera was, at the time of its release, the most expensive album ever recorded...
(1975), with regard to the opening lyric "Mama, I found a man." St Asaph also compared the song's composition to Britney Spears
Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears is an American recording artist and entertainer. Born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, Spears began performing as a child, landing acting roles in stage productions and television shows. She signed with Jive Records in 1997 and released her debut album...
"Criminal
Criminal (Britney Spears song)
"Criminal" is a song by American recording artist Britney Spears from her seventh studio album, Femme Fatale. The Radio Mix of the song was released as the fourth single from the album. "Criminal" was written and produced by Max Martin and Shellback, with additional writing by Tiffany Amber...
" from her album Femme Fatale
Femme Fatale (Britney Spears album)
Femme Fatale is the seventh studio album by American recording artist Britney Spears. The album was released on March 25, 2011 by Jive Records . Recorded between 2009 and 2011, the album featured Spears working mainly alongside longtime collaborators Max Martin and Dr. Luke, who served as the...
(2011), with regard to how "Fool in Love" instrumental begins with "panning synths
Synthesizer
A synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
" and acoustic guitar. "Fool in Love" also features a single and double guitar sequence toward the end of the song, which begins with one electric guitar being played and begins to incorporate a second, creating a "twinned" effect, before the song descends into a prolonged fade
Fade (audio engineering)
In audio engineering, a fade is a gradual increase or decrease in the level of an audio signal. The term can also be used for film cinematography or theater lighting, in much the same way ....
at the end.
Musically, "Fool in Love" is a rhapsodic
Rhapsody (music)
A rhapsody in music is a one-movement work that is episodic yet integrated, free-flowing in structure, featuring a range of highly contrasted moods, colour and tonality. An air of spontaneous inspiration and a sense of improvisation make it freer in form than a set of variations...
ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
, which incorporates acoustic and electric guitars, synthesizers and drums. Lyrically, Rihanna tells of how she has met a relatively good man who her parents do not approve of, but requests that they accept her decision to be with him due to their love for each other, despite familial concerns. Rihanna's vocal performance in the song was described as the singer's "biggest ornamented" song by Robert Everett-Green of The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
, as well as noting that the singer emotes a sense of fatality in her vocals during the bass sequences in the song. "Fool in Love" displays Rihanna emoting a vulnerable style of singing, due to the lyrical content and mood in the song, which can be heard in the lyrics "Papa, are you ashamed of how your little girl turned out?" due to how the singer feels as though her parents are disappointed in her choice of man.
Critical reception
Robert Copsey of Digital SpyDigital Spy
Digital Spy is a British entertainment and media news website. According to Alexa Internet traffic statistics, as of February 2011, Digital Spy is the 93rd most popular website in the United Kingdom, with an overall Alexa ranking of 2,088....
commended the balladry on Talk That Talk, paying particular attention to "Fool in Love" and "Farewell", writing "anyone questioning her motives need only hear ballads 'Farewell' and 'Fool in Love' to find out not only does she have a heart, but she's without doubt been putting all of it into these past six years." Robert Everett-Green of The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail
The Globe and Mail is a nationally distributed Canadian newspaper, based in Toronto and printed in six cities across the country. With a weekly readership of approximately 1 million, it is Canada's largest-circulation national newspaper and second-largest daily newspaper after the Toronto Star...
praised the song, writing "Fool in Love rings down the curtain with a towering anthem that somehow squeezes fresh feeling from a tired lyrical concept." Katherine St Asaph of Popdust emoted a mixed response to "Fool in Love", giving the song three and a half stars out of five and writing that it is "so-bad-it's-good". St Aspash praised "Fool in Love" composition and musical influences, but criticized the song was not providing "dynamic variety" amongst Talk That Talk material.
Charts
Upon the release of Talk That Talk in the United Kingdom, "Fool in Love" debuted at number 35 on the UK R&B ChartUK R&B Chart
The Official UK R&B Chart is a forty-position R&B/Hip-Hop chart compiled by The Official UK Charts Company. Although the chart does not receive any airplay, its compilation is viewed on BBC Radio 1's website and publications such as ChartsPlus and Music Week...
on November 27, 2011.
| Chart (2011) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| UK R&B (The Official Charts Company UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... ) |
35 |