I Pity the Fool

For the TV series starring Mr. T, see I Pity the Fool (TV series).

"I Pity the Fool"
Song
A-side	"I Pity the Fool"
B-side	"Close To You"

"I Pity the Fool"
Song
B-side	"Take My Tip"

"I Pity the Fool" is a song originally done by Bobby Bland in 1961 for Duke Records. The song was credited to Deadric Malone, a pseudonym of Duke Records owner Don Robey. David Bowie covered it under the name The Manish Boys in 1965 and it was released as his second single.

Bobby Bland version

The recording was made in Houston, Texas in 1960 probably with Joe Scott and Melvin Jackson on trumpets, Pluma Davis on trombone, Robert Skinner and L.A. Hill on tenor saxophone, Rayfield Devers on baritone saxophone, Teddy Raynolds on piano, Wayne Bennett on guitar, Hamp Simmons on bass, John "Jabo" Starks on drums and with unknown flute, choir and strings.

Bland was enjoying highly successful point of his career at the time sending five consecutive songs into Billboard R&B chart. The song "I Pity the Fool" became one of his biggests hits of his career topping the R&B chart and also reaching #48 on the pop chart.

David Bowie version

Bowie's version was released in 1965 under the name The Manish Boys. The recording was produced by Shel Talmy, who was also producing the early singles and albums by The Who and The Kinks. Jimmy Page was Talmy's regular session musician and he played the guitar solo on "I Pity the Fool".

During these sessions Page gave Bowie a guitar riff, which he didn't know what to do with. Bowie later used this guitar riff in two different songs, first on "The Supermen" from 1971 and second on "Dead Man Walking" from 1997.

The B-side, "Take My Tip" was the first song written by David Bowie to be released on record.

Track listing

1. "I Pity the Fool" (Malone) - 2:08
2. "Take My Tip" (Bowie) – 2:15

Production credits

• Producers:
  • Shel Talmy

• Musicians:
  • David Jones: Vocals, Alto sax
  • Johny Flux John Edward: lead Guitar (born in 1944)
  • Jimmy Page: Guitar solo
  • John Watson: Bass (born in 1944)
  • Mick White (John Whitehead): Drums (born in 1943)
  • Bob Solly: organ (born Robert Solly, in 1946)
  • Wilf Byrne: Baritone sax and harmonica (born in 1941)
  • Paul Rodriguez: Tenor sax and Trumpet (born in 1944)

Other singles and compilations

• Both the A and B-side was re-released by EMI in the UK in March 1979 on one side of a 7". On the B-side of this re-release was "You've Got a Habit of Leaving" and "Baby Loves That Way". This version was again released by See For Miles Records in the UK in October 1982, and as a 12" picture disc in June 1985. The re-release by See For Miles in 1982 took the edge off a collector's market since EMI's March 1979 reissue disappeared almost as quickly as it had arrived.
• It also appeared on the compilation Early On (1964-1966) from 1991. Both "I Pity the Fool" and "Take My Tip" also appear with alternate vocals as bonus tracks on some releases of Early On.

Other covers

• Cyndi Lauper sing that song in 1993 in Live at Jack Dee Show.
• Another version of "I Pity the Fool" by popular blues musician Robert Cray gained some fame and popularity as well, with the release of "Martin Scorsese Presents The Blues" in 2003. Additional vocals were delivered by Shemekia Copeland. The same version was latterly used for the score of Antoine Fuqua's documentary "Lightning In A Bottle" (released as a soundtrack in the US in September 2004).