"What A Fool Believes" lyrics

"What A Fool Believes"

He came from somewhere back in her long ago
The sentimental fool don't see
Tryin' hard to recreate
What had yet to be created once in her life
She musters a smile
For his nostalgic tale
Never coming near what he wanted to say
Only to realize
It never really was

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
And nothing at all keeps sending him...

Somewhere back in her long ago
Where he can still believe there's a place in her life
Someday, somewhere, she will return

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He's watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
There's nothing at all
But what a fool believes he sees...


Writer(s): Kenneth Clark Loggins, Michael H. McDonald
"What a Fool Believes" was first released by Kenny Loggins, its co-writer, five months earlier that The Doobie Brothers' version. He sang it from the perspective of the woman.
This single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 on April 14, 1979.
This song received Grammy Awards for both Song of the Year and Record of the Year in 1980.
In 2014, The Doobie Brothers had another version of this, featuring Sara Evans, included on their studio album Southbound.