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Just a Fool

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"Just a Fool"
Song

"Just A Fool" is a song by American recording artist Christina Aguilera, taken from her seventh studio album Lotus (2012). The song is a duet with American recording artist Blake Shelton and was written by Steve Robson, Claude Kelly and Wayne Hector, while production was handled by Robson. It is a country pop ballad and, lyrically, it is about the pain of a break-up.

After the album's release, the song went to reach the top 15 of the iTunes Store, leading her record label RCA Records to announce it as the second single from the album. It will be sent to radio in the United States on December 4, 2012. The song received mostly positive reviews from music critics, who agreed that they had chemistry and it was a surprisingly standout track on the album. Aguilera and Shelton performed the song on The Voice, on November 19, 2012.

Background

American recording artist, colleague from The Voice and Aguilera's friend Blake Shelton is featured on the track.

Shelton and Aguilera both are coaches on the NBC's American reality talent show The Voice and became good friends during production. In an interview, Aguilera said: "He's my big brother, I'm the closest to him of all the guys. Blake is just a rockstar; he's great. He's so playful, so fun and down to earth. He's got a lot of heart."[1][2] The whole idea for the duet between Christina and Blake came into being when Christina started a performance with a snippet of his song "Hillbilly Bone".[3] Blake tweeted he was speechless, and Christina tweeted back: "Now we need to team up for a country duet Blake!! I'm down!!".[4] Aguilera spoke in an interview with Rolling Stone about teaming up with her colleagues:

"I'm one that likes to collaborate. I love feeding off the creative energy, and it only makes me better," she said. "I'm on a continual path both personally and professionally. All-around, it's my goal to better myself as a person and an artist, and the show is one of those contributing factors and the guys are great friends at this point. It's fun collaborating with them at this point."[5]

Only on October 16, 2012, it was announced that the duet was called "Just a Fool" and that it will be included on the album.[6] "Just a Fool" is also the first Aguilera song in the country music genre.[7] It was announced on November 16, 2012 to be sent to radio in the United States on December 4 as the second single from Lotus.[8][9]

Composition

"Just a Fool"
A 30 second sample of "Just a Fool" featuring Aguilera and Shelton singing the chorus over a country pop and soft rock background.
Problems playing this file? See media help.

"Just a Fool" was written by Steve Robson, Claude Kelly, Wayne Hector, while production was handled by Robson.[10] It is a country pop and soft rock ballad[11] about the pain of a break-up.[12] It starts with a simple guitar riff and a toe-tapping mid-tempo drum beat as Christina takes the first verse singing about sitting alone in a bar late at night, "Another shot of whisky please bartender, keep it coming till I don't remember", while Blake sings the second in his raspy country tones and the two unite for the chorus.[12] "I had my heart set on you/ Nothing else hurts like you do," they sing.[11]

Critical reception

"Just a Fool" received mostly positive reviews from music critics. In a track-by-track review, Robert Copsey of Digital Spy wrote that the song "looks obligatory on paper but fortunately isn't so bad in reality. Like most country songs, it's packed with melancholy and includes a sing-songy chorus. Truth be told, we suspect there's a good reason why this has been saved for the back-end of the album."[11] Chris Younie of 4Music praised the song, writing that "It's mature, sophisticated and unlike anything else we've heard on the album. If you want variety, you got it."[12] Andrew Hammp of Billboard was also positive, writing that "Aguilera's giant, bloody stab at country soul with Blake Shelton sounds like, rattling the speakers and all the whiskey off the bar with an epic chorus that only increases in volume as the song progresses. In case you forgot that Aguilera was a singer with a capital S, this song is one last helpful reminder."[13] In an extremely positive review, Glenn Gamboa of Newsday wrote that Aguilera and Shelton "empty their broken hearts in a magnificently sung breakup song that should stand next to 'Beautiful' as her career signature."[14] Mike Wass of Idolator compared the Cee Lo Green and Blake Shelton collaborations, writing that "Just a Fool is a gorgeous country ballad. It’s something of a shock that the latter is vastly better."[15]

Sarah Godfrey of The Washington Post called it "a straightforward country-pop piece tacked onto the end of the album,[16] " while Stephen Thomas Erlewine of Allmusic named it "a slow, bluesy closer."[17] Melinda Newman of HitFix analyzed that "Aguilera sounds like former collaborator Linda Perry on the 'yeah, yeah, yeah' portions and she over sings, but Shelton rises to the occasion and plays the perfect partner. Could a country hit be in her near future?," she asked.[18] Michael Galluci of Pop Crush praised "Aguilera’s throaty rasp", writing that "it sounds great."[19] Jim Farber of New York Daily News was mixed, writing that "He sings with measured resolve while she nearly suffocates him. It’s certainly a powerful approach, but it comes at the cost of communicating genuine soul."[20] Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine was negative, calling it "an out-of-place country-pop duet with Blake Shelton, who feels like a cheap cash-in."[21]

Chart performance

"Just a Fool" debuted at number 92 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming the second chart hit pairing Aguilera and a fellow judge on The Voice (the first being on Adam Levine's Maroon 5 song "Moves like Jagger").[22] It peaked at 25 in Billboard Digital Songs in the Lotus next week release. Cite error: The <ref> tag has too many names (see the help page). The song jumped to number 71, in its second week. To date, the single sold 125,374 copies in United States.

Live performances

On November 19, 2012, Aguilera and Shelton performed "Just a Fool" on The Voice. Wearing semi-casual outfits, they arrived at opposite sides of the stage before coming together centerstage on the shared second chorus. Aguilera kept her signature belting to a minimum, before the two celebrated the end of their performance with a hug.[23] After the performance, Aguilera tweeted, "Damn @BlakeShelton, that was so great!! #JustAFool #TheVoice".[24] Caila Ball from Idolator commented: "It was a refreshingly stripped down performance from Xtina – who uncharacteristically took the stage in jeans. Blake, on the other hand, looked a little awkward up there without a guitar and a stool."[25] On December 7, 2012, Aguilera and Shelton performed "Just a Fool" on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.

Track listing

  • Digital download
  1. "Just a Fool" – 4:14[26]

Charts and certifications

Chart (2012) Peak
position
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[27] 37
US Billboard Hot 100[28] 71

References

  1. ^ Staff Writer, RTT (2012-11-10). "Christina Aguilera And Blake Shelton Duet 'Just A Fool' Released". RTT News. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  2. ^ DiFalco, Gina (2012-11-08). "Christina Aguilera debuts 'Just a Fool,' a duet with 'The Voice' co-star Blake Shelton (Video)". The Celebrity Cafe. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  3. ^ "Christina Aguilera Wants To Team Up For A Country Duet With Blake Shelton". Country Music Rocks. April 18, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  4. ^ Schmitt, Brad (October 18, 2012). "Blake and Christina Aguilera Really Do Cut a Duet". Country Weekly. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  5. ^ Baltin, Steven (August 14, 2012). "Christina Aguilera on Pairing With Billie Joe Armstrong on 'The Voice'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  6. ^ "Blake Shelton Among Guest Artists On Christina Aguilera's "Lotus"". CBS. October 16, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  7. ^ "Christina Aguilera goes country with 'The Voice' co-star Blake Shelton". Toronto Sun. October 21, 2012. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  8. ^ LEM (2012-12-17). "Xtina's Second 'Lotus' Single Is 'Just A Fool'". MartianTV. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |acessodata= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Top 40/Mainstream Spotlight Trax". All Access. All Access Music Group. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  10. ^ "Christina Aguilera – Lotus at Discogs". Discogs. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  11. ^ a b c Copsey, Robert (November 2, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's new album 'Lotus': First listen". Digital Spy. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  12. ^ a b c Younie, Chris (November 2, 2012). "News: Review: Christina Aguilera - Lotus". 4Music. Retrieved November 2, 2012.
  13. ^ Hampp, Andrew (November 12, 2012). "Christina Aguilera, 'Lotus': Track-By-Track Review". Billboard. Retrieved November 10, 2012.
  14. ^ Gamboa, Glenn (November 9, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus' review: nice comeback". Newsday. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  15. ^ Wass, Mike (November 13, 2012). "Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus': Album Review". Idolator. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  16. ^ Godfrey, Sarah (November 12, 2012). "Album review: 'Lotus,' by Christina Aguilera". The Washington Post. Retrieved November 12, 2012.
  17. ^ Erlewine, Stephen Thomas (November 13, 2012). "Lotus - Christina Aguilera : Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards : AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved November 14, 2012.
  18. ^ Newman, Melinda (November 12, 2012). "Album Review: Christina Aguilera blooms on 'Lotus'". HitFix. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  19. ^ Galluci, Michael (November 7, 2012). "CHRISTINA AGUILERA, 'LOTUS' – ALBUM REVIEW". Pop Crush. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  20. ^ Farber, Jim (November 13, 2012). "Album review: Christina Aguilera's 'Lotus'". New York Daily News. Retrieved November 13, 2012.
  21. ^ Cinquemani, Sal (November 4, 2012). "Christina Aguilera: Lotus". Slant Magazine. Retrieved November 17, 2012.
  22. ^ Grein, Paul (November 21, 2012). "Week Ending Nov. 18, 2012. Songs: Rihanna Ties Madonna". Yahoo! Music. Retrieved November 21, 2012.
  23. ^ Benjamin, Jeff (2012-11-20). "Christina Aguilera, Blake Shelton Unveil 'Just A Fool' on 'The Voice'". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  24. ^ "Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton: 'Just A Fool' Performance on 'The Voice'!". I4U News. 2012-11-20. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  25. ^ Ball, Ball (2012-11-20). "The Voice: Christina Aguilera & Blake Shelton Perform "Just A Fool"". Retrieved 2012-11-21. {{cite web}}: Text "publisherIdolator" ignored (help)
  26. ^ "Lotus (Deluxe Version) - Christina Aguilera". iTunes Store. Apple Inc. Retrieved 2012-11-21.
  27. ^ "Christina Aguilera Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard.
  28. ^ "Christina Aguilera Album & Song Chart History | Billboard Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved November 29, 2012.
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