Statue of a Fool
"Statue of a Fool" is a song credited to Jan Crutchfield and has been recorded by a number of country artists such as Jack Greene; Brian Collins; Ricky Van Shelton; and Bill Medley, formerly of The Righteous Brothers.
"Statue of a Fool" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Jack Greene | ||||
from the album Statue of a Fool | ||||
B-side | "There's More to Love" | |||
Released | May 10, 1969 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 2:48 | |||
Label | Decca | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jan Crutchfield | |||
Producer(s) | Owen Bradley | |||
Jack Greene singles chronology | ||||
|
"Statue of a Fool" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Brian Collins | ||||
from the album This Is Brian Collins | ||||
B-side | "How Can I Tell Her (About You)" | |||
Released | 1974 | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | Dot17499 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jan Crutchfield | |||
Producer(s) | Jim Foglesong[1] | |||
Brian Collins singles chronology | ||||
|
"Statue of a Fool" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Ricky Van Shelton | ||||
from the album RVS III | ||||
B-side | "He's Got You" | |||
Released | November 7, 1989[2] | |||
Recorded | June 14, 1989[2] | |||
Genre | Country | |||
Length | 3:04 | |||
Label | Columbia Nashville 38-73077 | |||
Songwriter(s) | Jan Crutchfield | |||
Producer(s) | Steve Buckingham | |||
Ricky Van Shelton singles chronology | ||||
|
Question of Authorship
Authorship of the song is surrounded in controversy. According to Genna Sapia-Ruffin, girlfriend of David Ruffin, former member of The Temptations, on page 251 of her book A Memoir: David Ruffin -- My Temptation (1993-2003, 1st Books Library), Ruffin wrote and originally released the song on a 78 RPM in 1958, when he was recording under the name "Little Eddie Bush.' However, as he was only seventeen years old at that time, later covers of the song gave writing credits to Jan Crutchfield. (David himself, stated that he wrote it just before he sang it during one of his last concerts with Dennis Edwards and Eddie Kendrick, also there is a YouTube video that shows the night he said it)
Ruffin rerecorded the song in 1975 for the album Who I Am, with his name unchallenged as the sole writer.
Chart performance
Jack Greene version
Chart (1969) | Peak position |
---|---|
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Songs[3] | 1 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 3 |
Brian Collins version
Chart (1974) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[4] | 10 |
Canadian RPM Country Tracks | 6 |
Bill Medley version
Chart (1979) | Peak position |
---|---|
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[5] | 91 |
Ricky Van Shelton version
Chart (1989–1990) | Peak position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[6] | 1 |
US Hot Country Songs (Billboard)[7] | 2 |
Year-end charts
Chart (1990) | Position |
---|---|
Canada Country Tracks (RPM)[8] | 39 |
US Country Songs (Billboard)[9] | 19 |
References
- Archived 2014-05-26 at the Wayback Machine
- Greatest Hits Plus (CD). Ricky Van Shelton. Columbia Records. 1992. 52753.CS1 maint: others (link)
- Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 143.
- "Brian Collins Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "Bill Medley Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "Top RPM Country Tracks: Issue 6704." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. February 17, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- "Ricky Van Shelton Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
- "RPM Top 100 Country Tracks of 1990". RPM. December 22, 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.
- "Best of 1990: Country Songs". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. 1990. Retrieved August 23, 2013.