I Pity the Fool
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Witchwooder
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{{For|the TV series starring [[Mr. T]]|I Pity the Fool (TV series)}}
{{Infobox Single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
| Name = I Pity the Fool
| Cover = Bowie I Pity the Fool.jpg
| Caption =
| Artist =The Manish Boys
| from Album =
| A-side =
| B-side = "Take My Tip"
| Released = [[March 5]], [[1965]]
| Format = [[Single (music)|7" single]]
| Recorded =
| Genre = [[R&B]]
| Length = 2:08
| Label = [[Parlophone]]<small> R5250</small>
| Writer = Deadric Malone
| Producer = [[Shel Talmy]]
| Certification =
| Chronology = [[David Bowie]]
| Last single = "[[Liza Jane]]"<br>Davie Jones & the King Bees <br>([[1964]])
| This single = "I Pity the Fool"<br>The Manish Boys <br>([[1965]])
| Next single = "[[You've Got a Habit of Leaving]]"<br>Davy Jones & the Lower Third<br>([[1965]])
| Misc =
}}
"'''I Pity the Fool'''" is a song written by [[Deadric Malone]]. The song had been an R&B-topper for [[Bobby Bland]] in 1961.
This was the second single by [[David Bowie]] and it was released under the name The Manish Boys. The single 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 (song)|Dead Man Walking]]" from 1997.
The B-side, "Take My Tip" was the first song written by David Bowie to be released on record.
The Manish Boys performed gigs at the [[Marquee Club]] and the [[The Roundhouse|Roundhouse]] in London, and even was a support act for a [[Gene Pitney]] and [[Gerry and the Pacemakers]] tour in 1965. They also appeared on TV shows like ''[[Juke Box Jury]]'', BBC2's ''[[Gadzooks]]'' and ''[[The Beat Room]]''.
==Track listing==
# "I Pity the Fool" (Malone) - 2:08
# "[[Take My Tip]]" (Bowie) – 2:15
==Production credits==
* '''[[Record producer|Producer]]s''':
** [[Shel Talmy]]
* '''[[Musician]]s''':
** David Jones: [[Singer|Vocals]], [[Alto sax]]
** Johny Flux [[Johnny Edward|John Edward]]: [[lead Guitar]] (born in [[1944]])
** [[Jimmy Page]]: [[Guitar solo]]
** John Watson: [[Bass guitar|Bass]] (born in [[1944]])
** Mick White (John Whitehead): [[Drum]]s (born in [[1943]])
** Bob Solly: [[organ (music)|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 releases==
* 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''.
* Another version of "I Pity the Fool" by populair [[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).
==References==
David Buckley (1999), ''Strange Fascination - David Bowie: The Definitive Story'', p. 29
{{David bowie}}
[[Category:1965 singles]]
[[Category:David Bowie songs]]