My Top Ten April Fool's Day Songs

Ten songs about April Fool's Day, along with ten amazing facts about the artists in question. But which ones are true and which ones are the APRIL FOOL?!?



10. Soul Asylum - April Fool

It was only after failing the audition to play bass in Soul Asylum that Kurt Cobain decided to form Nirvana. As a result, Soul Asylum's place in rock 'n' roll history is set in stone.

9. Aretha Franklin - April Fools

Following her acting debut in the film Blues Brothers, Aretha Franklin briefly considered taking the Kathy Bates role in the film adaptation of the Stephen King novel Misery. She was talked out of it by her good friend George Michael (with whom she duetted on the 1987 Number One, I Knew You Were Waiting For Me).

8. Patti Smith - April Fool 

When 90s singer-songwriter Patti Smyth had a big hit with her Don Henley duet, Sometimes Love Ain't Enough, the original Patti Smith sued her for the right to the pronunciation of her own name. When Patti the first won the case, Patti the second was forced to change the i sound in her name to a y sound to avoid confusion.

7. My Life Story - April 1st

Comedian and Pointless presenter Alexander Armstrong was a member of Jake Shillingford's My Life Story orchestra. He played trumpet on a number of MLS songs, though not, sadly, this one.

6. Del Amitri - April The First

Del Amitri's lead singer & songwriter Justin Currie is a distant relative of infamous Spitting Image puppet and John Major bit on the side, Edwina Curry. (Seriously, April Fool's gags aside... imagine going down in history as "John Major's bit on the side". You've got to have some sympathy for poor Edwina...)

5. Loudon Wainwright III - April Fool's Day Morn

Loudon Wainwright III is actually the fourth generation of Loudon in his family. He just thought III sounded cooler. Then he decided to mess with tradition and call his own son...

4. Rufus Wainwright - April Fools

Rufus wrote the lyrics to one of his best songs, Going To A Town, while under general anaesthetic for an operation on a particularly nasty ingrowing toenail.

3. Kurt Wagner & Cortney Tidwell (KORT) - April's Fool

Lambchop mainman Kurt Wagner was such a fan of Marvel's X-Men comic book in his youth that he wrote a fan letter to the book every month. In recognition of his dedication, writer Len Wein named an X-Man after him. Kurt Wagner: Nightcrawler.

2. U2 - April Fool's Day

Following the success of their 1983 hit New Year's Day, Bono and Thedge briefly considered recording a whole album based around days of the year. The project was soon abandoned, but this track did later resurface as the b-side to their 1987 release, In God's Country (not a big hit, probably because it was the SEVENTH single from The Joshua Tree). I'm not the world's biggest U2 fan, but I do think this is one of the best things they ever recorded.

1. Kenny Rogers & The First Edition - Just Checked In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In)

My favourite April Fool's song doesn't actually have April Fool in the title. It does feature in the lyrics though...

Someone painted April Fool in big black letters on a Dead End sign
I had my foot on the gas as I left the road and blew out my mind
Eight miles outta Memphis and I got no spare
Eight miles straight up downtown somewhere
I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

When Kenny disbanded the First Edition in the early 80s to go solo, several other members of the band went on to form New Edition and top the charts with the song Candy Girl.



I'll reveal the answers next week. In the meantime have fun guessing the April Fools...