Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

HOW MICHAEL MCDONALD ALMOST DIDN’T WRITE ‘WHAT A FOOL BELIEVES’
UltimateClassicRock ^ | March 2, 2021 | Martin Kielty

Posted on 03/03/2021 1:38:35 AM PST by nickcarraway

If Michael McDonald had followed his gut instinct, he may never have written the 1978 Doobie Brothers hit “What a Fool Believes.”

The song, which he created with Kenny Loggins, topped the chart the following year and went on to win two Grammys, but as McDonald told Apple Music’s Zane Lowe recently, he almost abandoned the rough version.

“The first verse was something I jotted down on an envelope … on a flight from New York back to L.A,” he said. “It just kind of popped in my head … and the piano verse was basically something that I’d been messing with for the better part of a year.”

He happened to be playing the idea on his piano at home as he waited for Loggins to arrive one day: “I thought, ‘This is just kind of a strange pop ditty. I don't know that I'd play that for Kenny.’ And when I answered the door he goes, ‘Before we say anything, you were just playing something on a piano, I could hear it through the door. Is that something new?’ And I said, ‘Well, yeah, I was actually thinking of playing it, but I wasn't sure.’ And he goes, ‘That's what I want to work on first.’ So, thankfully he heard it through the door, or I might never have played it for him.”

McDonald also recalled how the envelope with the scribbled lyric went on an unusual six-year journey before it got back to him. “There was just song lyrics, unfinished lyrics, you name it, just piled on the piano all the time,” he said. “And our publicist at the time was David Gest … he came to my house and I was at the piano working. … He looked down and he saw that jotting of that lyric. He goes, ‘What is this?’ I said, ‘Oh, that's actually the original thought I had.’ And it had already been a Grammy winner by then. … He goes, ‘Can I have this?’ And I said, ‘Sure.’”

He thought no more about it until, years later, he was eating at a Hard Rock Cafe. “I looked up, and behind my booth … there's this framed little piece of paper," McDonald recalled. "I recognized the doodling on it. And I went, ‘That couldn't be … .’ And sure enough, it was that lyric I gave to [Gest], and he’d had it framed. … I wrote a letter to the Hard Rock corporation. I said, ‘If it's not too much to ask, I’d like to buy that piece. Because I wrote the song with my friend Kenny Loggins, and I regretted giving it away.’ And they sent it to me gratis.”


TOPICS: Music/Entertainment
KEYWORDS: 70s; doobiebrothers; kenyloggins; michaelmcdonald; whatafoolbelieves; yachtrock
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-60 last
To: woweeitsme

THE absolute best version of “Pretzel Logic” featuring Drew Zingg on guitar - KILLER!!!

Poor video quality...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wt2zKrx0iYE


41 posted on 03/03/2021 7:55:42 AM PST by newfreep (“Leftism, under all of its brand names, is a severe, violent & evil mental disorder.”)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 30 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

First thing that comes to mind with Michael McDonald

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JLbhEUE_5U


42 posted on 03/03/2021 7:57:17 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: woweeitsme
Yes! The Captain and Me is one of my favorite albums of all time. Not a bad song on it.

Stampede is their best, especially Neal's Fandango and I Cheat The Hangman.

43 posted on 03/03/2021 7:59:20 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: Tallguy

Tiran Porter was a beast on bass.


44 posted on 03/03/2021 8:00:16 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 28 | View Replies]

To: mcmuffin

45 posted on 03/03/2021 8:05:39 AM PST by montag813 ("Fallen, fallen, is Babylon the Great")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Oshkalaboomboom

It depends. A lot of the remastering is done to renew copyright because it actually does expire in England. That being said if the engineer is good the remastering can be good. Steve Wilson, who’s become the prog rock remaster king, makes AMAZING mixes. He insists on getting all the tapes, false starts, rehearsals, thrown out songs, everything. Not necessarily to use them but to get a feel for what the band was trying to accomplish. Then digitizes then base tracks and remixes from scratch. His mixes are renown for being very crisp, very clean, and having plenty of room to breath.


46 posted on 03/03/2021 8:17:34 AM PST by discostu (Like a dog being shown a card trick )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Oshkalaboomboom

You do realize that people are going to want to know - what’s it like there? How’s the cost of living? Do you like it, would you recommend?

(Oh, and by the way, meh on the tune, don’t hate it, just doesn’t do a lot for me. Rather listen to Rush’s Marathon)


47 posted on 03/03/2021 8:19:35 AM PST by Kommodor (Solzhenitsyn was an optimist...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 7 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Arguably velvet voice is one of the nicest folks in music industry

But I prefer pre Michael Doobies

When Simmons ran the show...

It’s like someone there listened to too much Becker and Fagen


48 posted on 03/03/2021 8:20:14 AM PST by wardaddy (P IN 1999 JIM THOMPSON WAS RIGHT ABOUT THE BUSHES ...WE WERE WRONG)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Oshkalaboomboom

“I keep forgetting they’re not the Doobies anymore...”


49 posted on 03/03/2021 8:20:51 AM PST by MarDav
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 13 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Considering that the song won 2 Grammys in 1980, one for ‘Record of the Year’, and one for ‘Song of the Year’, I’d say it’s not bad.

I guess I am one of those who don’t mind Michael McDonald.


50 posted on 03/03/2021 8:24:43 AM PST by hoagy62 (DTCM&OTTH)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway
Remember when Rerun got caught trying to tape their concert...


51 posted on 03/03/2021 8:25:35 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

He was indeed!


52 posted on 03/03/2021 11:12:16 AM PST by Tallguy
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 44 | View Replies]

To: Tallguy

LOL, at judging by the pic in #51 not a guy you’d want to tick off.


53 posted on 03/03/2021 11:14:52 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: dfwgator

Wish I owned that Galaxie Convertible.

Years ago a guy that worked for me sang in a Band. He ended up meeting Michael McDonald who introduced him to Kenny Loggins.

When they were all riding in a Limo going up to Santa Barbara they started talking about Christopher Cross. He said Loggins came across as an A-hole and he was making fun of Cross’s Weight problem.


54 posted on 03/03/2021 11:28:10 AM PST by Kickass Conservative (Don't blame me, I Voted for the guy who actually Won the 2020 Presidential Election...)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Kickass Conservative

Michael McDonald also sang the closing song in the credits of “The South Park Movie”, so he’s cool in my book.

The Eyes of a Child, so innocent and pure
A Child’s heart is full of song
Take their tiny hands,
And lead them to the light
As Adults we see the pain in the world,
And sometimes it don’t seem right.
Through the Eyes of a Child

The World seems magical
There’s a sparkle in their eyes,
They’ve yet to realise,
The darkness in their soul.
The Beauty of their smile
Adventurous and Wild.
Life is kinda gay,
But it doesn’t seem that way,
Through the Eyes of a Child.

So, don’t give up
Even when the road seems long
Just find that child inside of you
You’ve got to find it in you.
Spread your wings and fly, to the brightest star
If ya want, I can get my friend Steve to detail your car
For around twenty bucks.

Through the Eyes of a Child
The World seems magical
There’s a sparkle in their eyes,
They’ve yet to realise,
The darkness in their soul.

The Beauty of their smile
Adventurous and Wild.
Sure, life is kinda gay,
But it doesn’t seem that way,
Through the Eyes of a Child.

Through the Eyes of a Child
The World seems magical
There’s a sparkle in their eyes,
They’ve yet to realise,
The darkness in their soul.

The Beauty of their smile
Adventurous and Wild.
Sure, life is kinda gay,
But it doesn’t seem that way,
Through the Eyes of a Child.
Sure, life is kinda gay,
But it doesn’t seem that way,
Through the Eyes of a Child.


55 posted on 03/03/2021 11:31:41 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 54 | View Replies]

To: woweeitsme
Yes! The Captain and Me is one of my favorite albums of all time. Not a bad song on it.

"Clear As The Driven Snow", one of their best.

56 posted on 03/03/2021 11:34:27 AM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 20 | View Replies]

To: wardaddy
one of my favorite and lesser known Simmon's tunes..

Toulouse Street

57 posted on 03/03/2021 2:01:41 PM PST by Pelham (Liberate the Democrats from their Communist occupation)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 48 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

Good story all around. Love hearing stuff like this.


58 posted on 03/03/2021 2:06:51 PM PST by RinaseaofDs
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Kommodor

I have been answering questions about Spain here for years. I’ll be happy to answer any you have. Just send me a PM.


59 posted on 03/03/2021 3:31:07 PM PST by Oshkalaboomboom
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 47 | View Replies]

To: nickcarraway

I never liked the Michael McDonald version of the Doobie Brothers from the get go. Obviously a lot of people did not agree with me.


60 posted on 03/03/2021 4:15:31 PM PST by ChildOfThe60s (If you can remember the 60s.....you weren't really there..)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-60 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson