“Foolish Games” by Jewel

“Foolish Games” is a song based on Jewel’s love for a guy who does not notice or acknowledge the feelings she has for him. She gets caught up admiring every part of this guy only to be left with an unreciprocated love.

The singer is the one who first notices and falls for him from afar, as she poetically details how cool he is. She is often disappointed in their interactions as she realizes that this guy is not interested in having a deep conversation with her, not to talk of a possible relationship. Tired of his failure to notice her love for him, she bares it out, stating that he’s breaking her heart with his actions and inactions.

Apparently, the singer may have misread his gestures and friendship which she thought were signs that he liked her. She realizes this and admits her mistake of thinking that he actually had the same affection she did. For her, the foolish games are the ambiguous actions of this guy, and it hurts her even more to know that they simply cannot be together.

Autobiographical Lyrics

This track was inspired by a guy that Jewel was attracted to when she was a teenager. She wrote about this guy in her personal journal, which she later turned into poems and subsequently, into a song.

Facts about “Foolish Games”

• Jewel self-penned “Foolish Games”. The song was produced by seasoned English producer, Peter Collins.  
• Jewel released this song on the 8th of July 1997. It is part of the songs on the playlist of her first album, entitled, Pieces of You. A different version of this tune was included on her Greatest Hits album of 2013. This version features singer Kelly Clarkson.
• “Foolish Games” was part of the soundtrack for the 1997 popular superhero movie, Batman & Robin.
• The track earned Jewel a nomination at the 1998 Grammy Awards, where she was selected for the Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. She missed out on the award to Sarah McLachlan, whose “Building a Mystery” was adjudged the winner.
• “Foolish Games” attained admirable successes in a host of countries, including Canada and the United States, where it ranked at #2. Though it did not find similar success in the UK, it performed quite well in other European regions. For example, in Belgium and The Netherlands it peaked at #8 and #9 respectively.
• The 1998 song titled, “The Way” by the rock band, Fastball has samples of “Foolish Games” in it. German artist, Bushido featured Baba Saad in his 2006 song, “Auf Der Suche”, which also samples this tune.