You Little Fool

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Daddy's best girl in the world is not supposed to have a boyfriend
But she's never wanted at home
Other girls are allowed to wear their makeup
She sneaks out her lipstick, powder and comb
She surrounds his name with hearts and flowers
Talks on the telephone for hours and hours
But with the bird in his hand
And two on a string
The words of love have an imitation ring

Chorus:
You little fool, you little fool
I suppose that you're going to stay all night
You little fool
Don't look at me that way, you know it isn't right
You little fool

They say no news is good news
The little girl wants information
Mother just gives her some pills to choose
And says go and use your imagination

Daddy's best girl in the world says just look what I got
As she sits beside him on the high stool
With his arm around her neck, snowball in one hand
And the other full of imitation jewels
She fingers a string of pearls
An imitation but he'll never know it
Imitation lashes flutter above
Looking for an imitation of love

(Chorus)

You Little Fool
Written byElvis Costello
Performed byElvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced byGeoff Emerick from an original idea by Elvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedNovember 1981, AIR Studios, London
ReleasedJune 1982
AlbumsImperial Bedroom, 1982
SinglesYou Little Fool, 1982
CollectionsSingles, Volume 2, 2003
PromosA Conversation With Elvis Costello, 1982
The Rykodisc/Hannibal Fall '94 Collection, 1994
Selections From Armed Forces - Imperial Bedroom - Mighty Like A Rose, 2002
VideosThe Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The Videos, 2005
Length3:08

First known performance:
April 20, 1982, Leiden, Netherlands
Last known performance:
February 17, 2023, New York, NY
     (91 known performances)


Alternate versions

You Little Fool (Demo)
Performed byElvis Costello
Produced byElvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, all instruments
RecordedAugust 21-22 1981, Pathway Studios, London
ReleasedOctober 28, 2002
AlbumsImperial Bedroom (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2002
Length3:07

You Little Fool (Alternate Version)
Performed byElvis Costello & The Attractions
Produced byGeoff Emerick from an original idea by Elvis Costello
MusiciansElvis Costello - vocals, guitar
Steve Nieve - keyboards
Bruce Thomas - bass
Pete Thomas - drums
RecordedNovember 1981, AIR Studios, London
ReleasedOctober 28, 2002
AlbumsImperial Bedroom (Rhino/Edsel reissue), 2002
Length2:57
Imperial BedroomIB album cover large.jpg

Single: You Little FoolYou Little Fool UK 7" single front sleeve.jpg

A Conversation With Elvis CostelloA Conversation With Elvis Costello album cover.jpg

Singles, Volume 2Singles Volume 2 album cover.jpg

The Right Spectacle: The Very Best Of Elvis Costello - The VideosTRS dvd cover.jpg

Covers

Erich Sellheim home studio production, sung in German 2016 YouTube

Internal links

External links