“Foolish Heart” by Steve Perry
Steve Perry’s “Foolish Heart” actually features a sentiment we come across regularly via popular musicians now in the 21st century. And that is the vocalist being afraid of falling in love apparently due to past romantic disappointments.
Steve is not frightened to the point where he’s too shook to take the risk, as his loneliness dictates otherwise. But his disposition appears to be such that he is very much convinced, amidst being on the verge of getting into another serious relationship, that this romance too is going to fail, and he’ll come out the loser in the aftermath.
So that’s why we find the vocalist referring to his own “heart” as being a “foolish” one. Or using a metaphor of our own, it’s as if Steve feels that he’s gambling and will inevitably lose in the process, as in there being no way he can possibly emerge victorious.
So ultimately, in a roundabout way, it can be said that this piece speaks to the human tendency to fall in love despite many of us being in situations where we may feel that there’s minimal chance of a romance actually lasting.
Steve Perry
Steve Perry is a singer who made a name for himself fronting Journey for about a decade, from the late 1970s into the 1980s, at a time when the band was ridiculously successful. During that time, he also dropped his first solo album, “Street Talk” (1984) which, as expected, did pretty well for itself.
When was “Foolish Heart” released?
“Foolish Heart”, which Columbia Records put out during November of 1984, was the final single from Perry’s “Street Talk” album.
How successful was this song?
“Foolish Heart” managed to break the top 20 of the Billboard Hot 100. In addition to this, it was a top-10 hit on the US Adult Contemporary chart. On this chart, it managed to peak at the second position.
Credits for “Foolish Heart”
The producer of this track’s music video, Jack Cole, opted to utilize a technique whereas the entire clip was filmed in one shot. However, there’s also a version of the clip with an alternate ending. And in that instance, a second shot is used in which Perry’s Journey bandmates make a cameo appearance.
Steve Perry wrote this track with Randy Goodrum, over a almost a week-long songwriting session which resulted in the quartet of songs they respectively composed daily being featured on “Street Talk”. And Perry also co-produced “Foolish Heart” and on that end worked alongside Bruce Botnick.
Covers
Since “Foolish Heart” was officially released in the mid 1980s, it has been covered time and again by many singers and bands. Below is a list of some of the notable covers:
- Sharon Bryant covered this in the late 1980s. Her version became her solo hit in 1989, after leaving R&B group Atlantic Starr.
- R&B band Side A featured their take of this track in their 1995 “Side A Live!: The 10th Anniversary Album”.
- In 1997, Sheena Easton released her 13th album, “Freedom”. One of the tracks on the album was her cover of “Foolish Heart”.
- Nina’s jazz lounge rendition was part of her debut album “Heaven” in 2002.
“Foolish Heart” in “CSI: Cyber”
In 2015, the track was featured on the 2nd season of “CSI: Cyber”. It was specifically used in its 12th episode. It is present at the end of the episode as D.B (Ted Danson) meets a woman, whom he thought was the one texting him, at a restaurant.
