Only a Fool Would Say That

"Only a Fool Would Say That"
"Only a Fool Would Say That"
	US b-side vinyl label
Song by Steely Dan
from the album Can't Buy a Thrill
A-side	"Reelin' In the Years"
Released	March 1973
Genre	Soft rock
Length	2:57
Label	ABC
Songwriter	Donald Fagen • Walter Becker
Producer	Gary Katz
Official audio
	"Only a Fool Would Say That" on YouTube

"Only a Fool Would Say That" is a song by the American rock band Steely Dan from their 1972 debut album Can't Buy a Thrill, written by Donald Fagen and Walter Becker.

Background

"Only a Fool Would Say That" is a song with lyrics rumoured to mock John Lennon’s 1971 song "Imagine".^[2] In 2024, American Songwriter claimed that the lyrics were chiding Lennon for "being out of touch with reality."^[3]

The track ends with the phrase "Solamente un tonto diría eso", Spanish for "only a fool would say that", spoken by Jeff "Skunk" Baxter.

Release

"Only a Fool Would Say That" was released in March 1973 as the B-side to the single "Reelin' In the Years".^[4]

Reception

Mojo magazine ranked it number 25 in their list of Steely Dan's 30 greatest songs.^[5] The British broadcast service BBC called it "quintessential Dan: mellifluous yet mordant, easy on the ear but as caustic as any dissection of the American dream."^[6]

Personnel

Steely Dan

Jeff "Skunk" Baxter – guitar, pedal steel guitar, spoken Spanish
Walter Becker – electric bass guitar, backing vocals
Denny Dias – guitar
Donald Fagen – piano, electric piano, lead vocals
Jim Hodder – drums, percussion, backing vocals
David Palmer – co-lead vocals, backing vocals

Production

Gary Katz – producer
Roger Nichols – engineer
Tim Weston – assistant engineer
Doug Sax – mastering engineer

Cover versions

The American indie pop band Ivy released a cover version on their 2002 album Guestroom.^[7]

References

^ Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X
^ Casalena, Em (2024-11-22). "3 Times Steely Dan Caused a Stir With Fellow Musicians". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
^ Hopper, Alex (2024-07-31). "Behind the Meaning of Steely Dan's Response to John Lennon, "Only a Fool Would Say That"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
^ Sweet, Brian (2018-08-16). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-78759-129-5.
^ "Steely Dan's 30 Greatest Songs Ranked". Mojo. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-10-25.
^ Lester, Paul. "BBC - Music - Review of Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-22.
^ Dix, Noel (January 1, 2006). "Ivy - Guestroom". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2025-05-22.

[1] Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN 0-89820-089-X

[2] Casalena, Em (2024-11-22). "3 Times Steely Dan Caused a Stir With Fellow Musicians". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2025-05-22.

[3] Hopper, Alex (2024-07-31). "Behind the Meaning of Steely Dan's Response to John Lennon, "Only a Fool Would Say That"". American Songwriter. Retrieved 2024-10-25.

[4] Sweet, Brian (2018-08-16). Steely Dan: Reelin' in the Years. Omnibus Press. p. 51. ISBN 978-1-78759-129-5.

[5] "Steely Dan's 30 Greatest Songs Ranked". Mojo. 2024-09-07. Retrieved 2024-10-25.

[6] Lester, Paul. "BBC - Music - Review of Steely Dan - Can't Buy a Thrill". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2025-05-22.

[7] Dix, Noel (January 1, 2006). "Ivy - Guestroom". Exclaim!. Retrieved 2025-05-22.

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v t e Steely Dan
Donald Fagen Walter Becker Jeff "Skunk" Baxter Denny Dias Jim Hodder David Palmer Royce Jones Michael McDonald Jeff Porcaro
Studio albums	Can't Buy a Thrill (1972) Countdown to Ecstasy (1973) Pretzel Logic (1974) Katy Lied (1975) The Royal Scam (1976) Aja (1977) Gaucho (1980) Two Against Nature (2000) Everything Must Go (2003)
Live albums	Alive in America (1995) Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz with Steely Dan (2005) Northeast Corridor (2021)
Singles	"Dallas" "Do It Again" "Reelin' In the Years" "Show Biz Kids" "My Old School" "Rikki Don't Lose That Number" "Pretzel Logic" "Bad Sneakers" "Kid Charlemagne" "Peg" "Deacon Blues" "FM (No Static at All)" "Josie" "Hey Nineteen" "Time Out of Mind" "Cousin Dupree"
Album tracks	"Aja" "Any Major Dude Will Tell You" "Dirty Work" "Only a Fool Would Say That"
Compilations	Greatest Hits (1978) Steely Dan (1978) Gold (1982/91) A Decade of Steely Dan (1985) Reelin' In the Years (1985) Do It Again (1987) Citizen Steely Dan (1993) Then and Now (1993) Showbiz Kids (2000) The Definitive Collection (2006) 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Steely Dan (2007) Found Studio Tracks (2007)
Video albums	Plush TV Jazz-Rock Party (2000)
Related articles	Discography Gary Katz Members Roger Nichols Yacht rock You've Got to Walk It Like You Talk It or You'll Lose That Beat
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"Only a Fool Would Say That"
US b-side vinyl label
Song by Steely Dan
from the album Can't Buy a Thrill
A-side	"Reelin' In the Years"
Released	March 1973^[1]
Genre	Soft rock
Length	2:57
Label	ABC
Songwriter	Donald Fagen • Walter Becker
Producer	Gary Katz

Official audio
"Only a Fool Would Say That" on YouTube