This article is about the song. For the catchphrase, see Mr. T. For the TV series, see I Pity the Fool (TV series).
"I Pity the Fool"
Single by Bobby Bland
from the album Two Steps from the Blues
B-side
"Close to You"
Released
1961 (1961)
Recorded
1960
Studio
Chicago
Genre
Soul blues
Length
2:30
Label
Duke
Songwriter(s)
Deadric Malone (credited)[1]
Joe Medwick (actual)[2]
Producer(s)
Don Robey
Bobby Bland singles chronology
"Cry, Cry, Cry" (1960)
"I Pity the Fool" (1961)
"Don't Cry No More" (1961)
"I Pity the Fool" is a soul blues song originally recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961 for his first Duke Records album, Two Steps from the Blues. Many music writers believe it was written by Joe Medwick,[2] although Duke owner Don Robey (using the pseudonym "Deadric Malone") appears on the songwriting credits.[1]
The lyrics tell of a man, who, while pitying others for falling for a certain woman, knows that he is also shamed. After its release as a single, it became one of Bland's biggest hits and most identifiable songs. Subsequently, several artists have recorded renditions.
^ ab
Hogan, Ed. "Deadric Malone – Biography". AllMusic. Retrieved November 13, 2016.
^ ab
Wood, Roger (2012). Jasinski, Laurie E. (ed.). Handbook of Texas Music (2nd ed.). College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press. p. eBook. ISBN 978-0876112977.
"IPitytheFool" is a soul blues song originally recorded by Bobby Bland in 1961 for his first Duke Records album, Two Steps from the Blues. Many music...
also served as an arranger. The album was critically and commercially successful. It produced two singles, "IPityTheFool" and "Don't Cry No More", which...
to that" in 1971. She continued to have R&B hits in the early 1970s, including "IPitytheFool," "Slipped, Tripped and Fell in Love," "Breaking Up Somebody's...
series of early-1960s releases, including "Cry Cry Cry", "IPitytheFool" (number 1 on the R&B chart in 1961) and "Turn On Your Love Light", which became...
released the single "IPitytheFool" which featured Jimmy Page on lead guitar. Jones joined a band called the Lower Third in early 1965, the band included...
Unlike Deuces Wild and 80, all the guests come from the blues and R&B scene. The only song which is not a duet is the original "I Gotta Move Out Of This Neighborhood"...
Page when the latter, who was Shel Talmy's session guitarist in the mid-1960s, played on one of Bowie's early releases, "IPitytheFool". The riff was...
Hal Horowitz stated that the album "puts you in the middle of the music, making this the perfect way to absorb the impact of the Tedeschi Trucks Band firing...
fadeout to the song. "As the chorus repeats to a fade, Hunter calls out: 'Hey, you there. You with the glasses. I want you. I want you in the front. Now...
The Resurrection of Pigboy Crabshaw is the third album by the American blues rock band Paul Butterfield Blues Band. Its name refers to Elvin Bishop, whose...
including The Best of Bobby Bland and IPitytheFool: The Duke Recordings, Vol. 1. Eric Clapton recorded several versions of "Farther Up the Road" over the years...
"I Feel Free" is a song first recorded by the British rock band Cream. The lyrics were written by Pete Brown, with the music by Jack Bruce. The song showcases...
Global Information