Clark was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma, but was raised in Phoenix, Arizona, from the age of 9. He first began performing in the Phoenix area in the early 1950s. He spent time in the Air Force in the South Pacific; he formed a band there which won a talent show in Hawaii. Returning to Phoenix, he and his friend Al Casey met Lee Hazlewood, then a local DJ. Clark, with Casey on guitar, recorded one of Hazlewood's songs, "The Fool", on MCI Records in 1956. Dot Records picked the song up for national distribution after a Philadelphia deejay tipped them off to it. The song became a hit in the U.S., peaking at No. 14 on the Country Singles chart, No. 5 on the Black Singles chart, and No. 7 on the Billboard Top 100. Following the song's success, Clark opened on tour for Ray Price and Roy Orbison.
Clark's 1957 follow-up single, "The Cheat", gave him a second minor hit, peaking at No. 74 Pop. He and Dot Records' owner Randy Wood quarreled over the singer's image, and he eventually signed to Jamie Records in 1958, continuing to work with Hazlewood. In 1959 Sanford Clark recorded a song, "Son of a Gun", about the son of a western gunslinger. This song is also referenced in Keith Richards' book life published in October 2010. He credits the song as being one of the first song he learned and performed on stage prior to forming the Rolling Stones.
Moving to Hollywood, he recorded for several other labels and had several almost-comebacks; his 1964 version of Hazlewood's "Houston" was eclipsed by Dean Martin's version, and in 1965 he re-recorded "The Fool" with Waylon Jennings on guitar. Hazlewood, by now an established songwriter, signed Clark to his own label, LHI, on which Clark released Return of the Fool in 1969.
A few years later Clark left the music business, working in construction, though he occasionally recorded in later decades on his own label, Desert Sun Records.
"The Fool" has been recorded by Chris Farlowe (1965 single), Elvis Presley for Elvis Country (I'm 10,000 Years Old) (1971), The Animals for Before We Were So Rudely Interrupted (1977) and by Richard Thompson on 1000 Years of Popular Music (live) among many others.
Sanford Clark died on July 4, 2021 at Mercy Hospital in Joplin, Missouri of COVID-19 at the age of 85.
The Fool
Sanford Clark Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold your glasses high
And drink to a fool, a crazy fool who told his baby goodbye
Too late he found out he loves her
So much he wants to die
But drink to a fool, a crazy fool who told his baby goodbye
He needs her, he needs her so
He wonders why he let her go
She's found a new love, buddy
He's a lucky guy
So drink to the fool, 'cause I'm that fool who told his baby goodbye
He needs her, he needs her so
He wonders why he let her go
She's found a new love, buddy
He's a lucky guy
So drink to the fool, 'cause I'm that fool who told my baby goodbye
Who told my baby goodbye, who told my baby goodbye
The song "The Fool" by Sanford Clark tells the story of a man who made the foolish decision to leave his love. He realized too late that he was still in love with her and now regrets his decision. Throughout the song, the singer urges his friends to raise their glasses and drink to him, a "crazy fool" who let his baby go. He admits that he needs her and wonders why he ever let her go. The song ends with the singer acknowledging that she has found a new love and he is now left alone with his regrets.
The lyrics of this song are simple yet heart-wrenching, as they convey the pain of lost love and the regret that accompanies it. The song has a melancholy tone that is emphasized by the slow and mournful melody. The lyrics are poignant and relatable, as most people have experienced the pain of lost love at some point in their lives.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather round me buddies
Come closer to me, my friends
Hold your glasses high
Raise your glasses in cheers
And drink to a fool, a crazy fool who told his baby goodbye
Let's toast to a foolish man who ended his relationship and lost his love
Too late he found out he loves her
He realized his love for her too late
So much he wants to die
He is in immense pain and agony over losing her
He needs her, he needs her so
He desires her presence and love intensely
He wonders why he let her go
He questions his foolish decision to end his relationship with her
She's found a new love, buddy
She has moved on and found a new romantic partner
He's a lucky guy
Her new partner is fortunate to have her
So drink to the fool, 'cause I'm that fool who told his baby goodbye
Let's raise our glasses in toast to me, the foolish man who ended his relationship and regrets it
Who told my baby goodbye, who told my baby goodbye
Repeating the chorus to emphasize the pain and regret of his decision to end the relationship
Lyrics © Kanjian Music, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Lee Hazlewood
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Buggle Magnum
Gather around me buddies
Hold your glasses high
And drink to a fool a crazy fool
Who told his baby goodbye
Too late he's found he loves her
So much he wants to die
But drink to a fool a crazy fool
Who told his baby goodbye
He needs her, he needs her so
He wonders why he let her go
She's found a new love buddy
He's a lucky guy
So drink to a fool cause I'm that fool
Who told my baby goodbye
He needs her, he needs her so
He wonders why he let her go
She's found a new love buddy
He's a lucky guy
So drink to a fool cause I'm that fool
Who told my baby goodbye
Who told my baby goodbye
Who told my baby goodbye...
danny reddick
Gather round me buddy, raise your glasses high
And drink to a fool, a crazy fool
Who told his baby goodbye
Too late he found he loved her so much he wants to die
So drink to a fool, a crazy fool
Who told his baby goodbye
He needs her, he needs her so
He wonders why he let her go
She's found, she's found, she's found
A new love buddy, he's a lucky guy
So drink to a fool, a crazy fool
Who told his baby goodbye
robin clark
He's a wonderful man, and a great father. I love you dad! God bless.
M1996A1
Does your dad have a fan mail address? I would absolutely lose my mind to get an album sleeve signed.
fred dog
listened to this song in my 49 in front of the studio on 7th street 1960
Blkout88
Your old man is one of the coolest country cats that ever existed. Him and Eddie Noack are badass.
irishmossdubwise
Big him up for me. I've been learning about him for two weeks and showing friends.
Great music. Respect
Wayne S.
Rest In Peace Mr. Clark… Thank You for the great work you leave behind! 🙏
Liv Marlin
He was a raper.
wayne perry
@Liv Marlin Seriously? How do you know? Seems like everyone else on here has only good things to say about Sanford.
Stu
I love rockabilly and read that Mr Clark passed away. I didn't think I was familiar with his work but instantly recognized The Fool as soon as it started to play. He was a pioneer, an under appreciated artist.
Wes Smith
One of my most favorites of all-time and Sanford is one of the nicest guys that I ever had the pleasure of talking to! He really appreciates his fans.What a great voice and what great songs he recorded and what a great guitar player Al Casey was.