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Ship of Fools (World Party song)

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1986 single by World Party
"Ship of Fools"
Single by World Party
from the album Private Revolution
B-side"World Groove
(Do The Mind Guerrilla)"
Released25 November 1986
GenreRock
Length4:27
LabelChrysalis Records – 43052
Songwriter(s)Karl Wallinger
Producer(s)Karl Wallinger
World Party singles chronology
"Private Revolution"
(1986) 		"Ship of Fools"
(1986) 		"Put the Message in the Box"
(1990)
Music video
"Ship of Fools" on YouTube

"Ship of Fools" (subtitled "Save Me from Tomorrow") is a rock song by World Party released as a second single from the 1987 debut album Private Revolution. It was written and produced by singer and multi-instrumentalist Karl Wallinger, formerly of The Waterboys. Wallinger was the sole member of World Party at the time of release.

Overview

It was World Party's sole Billboard Top 40 single, debuting on that chart on 4 April 1987 and peaking at number 27. It also reached no. 42 on the UK singles chart, no. 5 on the Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and no. 4 on the Australian Music Report chart.

A longer version, at 6 minutes and 40 seconds, was released as a 12" single, with a double B Side of World Groove (Do The Mind Guerrilla) and Nowhere Man (Ensign ENYX 6606).

Owing to its environmentalist lyrics and content, the song has also been included on over a dozen compilations, including Greenpeace's Rainbow Warriors compilation. The music video also heavily features environmental themes, with Wallinger and a group of musicians superimposed over images depicting environmental issues.

World Party performed “Ship Of Fools” on one of the last editions of "Whistle Test", recorded at BBC Cymru Wales's Studio C1, in Cardiff. They were a last minute replacement for The Smiths, who pulled out following the death of Morrissey’s grandmother.

Track listings

All songs by Karl Wallinger except where noted

7-inch single

  1. "Ship of Fools" – 4:13
  2. "World Groove (Do You Mind Guerrilla)" – 2:48

12-inch single

  1. "Ship of Fools" – 6:37
  2. "World Groove (Do You Mind Guerrilla)" – 2:48
  3. "Nowhere Man" (John Lennon, Paul McCartney) – 2:45

Charts

Weekly charts

Chart (1987) Peak
position
Australia (Kent Music Report) 4
Canada Top Singles (RPM) 42
Netherlands (Single Top 100) 65
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ) 21
UK Singles (OCC) 42
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 27
U.S. Billboard Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks 5

Year-end charts

Chart (1987) Position
Australia (Australian Music Report) 39

Cover versions

Australian indie pop/rock band Something for Kate released an acoustic cover version of the song on their Live at the Corner album in 2008. A 2017 episode of the TV show Fargo (S3E5 "The House of Special Purpose) features a minimalist cover of "Ship of Fools" performed for the series by show runner Noah Hawley and composer Jeff Russo. In 2021 alternative rock band Lazlo Bane released a music video for the song and later included it on their 2021 album Someday We'll Be Together.

References

  1. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (8th ed.). Billboard Books. p. 689. ISBN 0-8230-7499-4.
  2. ^ DeGagne, Mike. "Ship of Fools: Song Review". allmusic. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
  3. ^ "Chart History: World Party". Billboard. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Chart History: World Party > Mainstream Rock Songs". Billboard. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  5. ^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970–1992 (illustrated ed.). St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 343. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
  6. "Top RPM Singles: Issue 0817." RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Retrieved 20 August 2021.
  7. "World Party – Ship of Fools" (in Dutch). Single Top 100. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  8. "World Party – Ship of Fools". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  9. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  10. "Australian Music Report No 701 – 28 December 1987 > National Top 100 Singles for 1987". Australian Music Report, via Imgur.com. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
  11. tunefind (2017-05-18). "Who sings the cover of Ship of Fools on Fargo?". Tunefind. Retrieved 2022-09-08.
  12. "Ship of Fools (Lazlo Bane)". youtube.com. August 19, 2021. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved 2021-08-20.
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