Released January 29, 2002 Recorded 2001 Length 3:47 | Format CD single Genre R&B Label Murder Inc. | |
"Foolish" is the debut single by American R&B singer Ashanti from her debut album. It was written by Ashanti, 7 Aurelius, Mark DeBarge and producer Irv Gotti. It uses a sample of DeBarge's "Stay with Me" and features elements from the remix of "One More Chance " by The Notorious B.I.G. and "M.V.P" by Big L. Also, special version of single named "Unfoolish (Foolish Remix)" features B.I.G. verse from his song "F--king You Tonight".
Contents
The song was released as the album's lead single on January 29, 2002. It spent ten weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot R&B Songs chart. The song became Ashanti's second number one and third top ten on both charts. The song was in the top ten in United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, Canada, Germany and Japan.
In 2009, it was named the 19th most successful song of the 2000s on the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade. As of June 2012, it is the second best selling physical single of the 21st century, having sold over 8.4 million copies to date.
Music video and awards
The filming session of the video for the single took place during January 2002. It was directed by Irv Gotti himself. The video shows the viewer a relationship where a man, played by Terrence Howard, gets involved into some criminal acts and is unfaithful to Ashanti with Love & Hip Hop: Atlanta reality star Althea, which ends up in a break-up after some quarrel. As the song suggests, Ashanti feels that she still loves her ex and that she just can't seem to get over him and becomes frusturated since her heart and her mind force her to love him and hate him at the same time. In supporting roles we can also see Charli Baltimore, Vita, Ja Rule and Irv Gotti. The video is set in the fashion of the movie Goodfellas, with Ashanti in the role of Karen Hill and Terrence Howard in the role of Henry Hill. Irv Gotti and Ja Rule are also in a scene appearing to take the roles of Jimmy Conway and Paulie Cicero. The video was a three-time nominee at the 2002 MTV Video Music Awards for Best Female Video, Best R&B Video, and Best New Artist.
The song was nominated at the 2003 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Vocal Performance - Female, and Ashanti for Best New artist and won a Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single for Female
There are several Ashanti publications and releases under the name "Foolish" and "Unfoolish" and inspired by the single (or vice versa). A book called Foolish/Unfoolish - Reflections on love contains Ashanti's teenage poems and diary extracts. It was followed by an audio book with the same name defined as A spoken word album - read by the author released by Hyperion.
Track listings
European CD Single
- "Foolish" [Radio Edit] - 3:52
- "Foolish" [Instrumental] - 3:52
Australian/U.S. Maxi single
- "Foolish" [Radio Edit] - 3:52
- "Foolish" [Album Version] - 3:48
- "Foolish" [Instrumental] - 3:51
- "Foolish" [Video]
UK 5" CD single
- "Foolish" [Album Version] - 3:48
- "Unfoolish" [Clean Album Version] - 3:15
- "Foolish" [Topnotch Remix]
- "Foolish" [Video]