Recently, I wrote an article about Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer,” one of the hymns of rock music. Shortly after the release of the original song, the Massachusetts rock band The Fools made a remake of the song, which was an actual parody entitled “Psycho Chicken.” The Fools initially became known for their humoristic style, party atmosphere of their live performances and tongue-in-cheek original songs, covers, and parodies. But at the time of the release of their remake, who would have thought that “Psycho Killer” was going to become such a classic. Talking Heads remained legends to this day, but I doubt anyone would remember The Fools if it wasn’t for this cover.
Upon its release, “Psycho Chicken” became an immediate hit on Boston radio stations. The band followed it up with "It's a Night for Beautiful Girls," which peaked at number 67 on the Billboard charts, and the success of the two singles got them a contract with EMI. The label sent them on a U.S. tour with The Knack, after which they recorded their debut album, Sold Out. The Fools released their second album “Heavy Mental” in 1981, which featured a cover of Roy Orbison's "Running Scared" that reached the number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100. The same year, the group was the opening act for Van Halen on their Fair Warning tour. In spite of their moderate success, EMI dropped the band, so the next album called “World Dance Party” was released independently. Four of the songs - "World Dance Party," "Life Sucks...Then You Die", "She Makes Me Feel Big," and a remake of Manfred Mann's "Doo Wah Diddy" - received considerable radio airplay throughout New England and the video for "Doo Wah Diddy" was shown extensively on MTV. The Fools still exist as a unit and continue to tour today. For further exploration of the band’s hilarious history, I recommend you read the book "Psycho Chicken & Other Foolish Tales," written by the singer Mike Girard and released in 2011.
