Watching Her Go

Kenny Loggins co-wrote ‘What a Fool Believes’ with Doobie Brothers lead singer Michael McDonald.  Loggins put his version on his album Nightwatch, which was released in July 1978, five months before The Doobies included it on their Minute by Minute album.  Loggins’ version was never released as a single, but The Doobie Brothers took it to #1 in the US in April 1979 and it was nominated for a Grammy Award and won for Record of the Year and Song of the Year.  The song is about a man trying to reconnect with a woman he knew in the past.  A man who tries to convince himself that the woman he loves will come back to him, as they had some sort of relationship in the past.  The man intends to use this meeting as an opportunity to rekindle the old feelings he had with his former love interest, but sadly this lady was never really interested in him.  She only chose to meet him out of respect, as at one time they had fun together, but she knew when it was time to move on.  She was the best thing that ever happened to him, and he is refusing to throw in the towel.  She apologizes to him and excuses herself to leave, but he doesn’t catch her signal, believing he still has a shot with her.  Love has made him into a fool, and even a wise person can’t figure out the reason why it goes away.
Minute by Minute was The Doobie Brothers eighth studio album and their last album to include drummer John Hartman (until Cycles) and lead and rhythm guitarist Jeff “Skunk” Baxter who was formerly from Steely Dan.  The Doobie Brothers featured more of a soft rock sound with Michael McDonald as lead singer after they lost lead singer Tom Johnston due to illness in the mid-‘70s.  The Doobie Brothers bassist Tiran Porter was a good friend of Kenny Loggins and he suggested Loggins to McDonald when McDonald got stuck on the bridge of the song.  Michael McDonald started writing this on his own and he had the first verse, and the general storyline.  He knew that this song was about an old ex-couple that had broken up, and they were meeting again to catch up.  The man thinks they’re about to rekindle things and the woman is just being polite, but the man just can’t let go of what he thought they had.

He came from somewhere back in her long ago
The sentimental fool don’t see
Trying hard to recreate what had yet to be created
Once in her life, she musters a smile for his nostalgic tale
Never coming near what he wanted to say
Only to realize it never really was

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He’s watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be
Is always better than nothing
Than nothing at all keeps sending him

Somewhere back in her long ago
Where he can still believe there’s a place in her life
Someday, somewhere, she will return

She had a place in his life
He never made her think twice
As he rises to her apology
Anybody else would surely know
He’s watching her go

But what a fool believes he sees
No wise man has the power to reason away
What seems to be (if love can come and love can go, then why can’t love return once more?)
Is always better than nothing
(Who got the power?)
Than nothing at all (oh, now)
What a fool believes he sees (I believe she’s never gone away)
No wise man has the power
To reason away (to reason away)
What seems to be (oh, if love can come and love can go, oh, mama)
Is always better than nothing (better than nothing)
Than nothing at all (oh, I believe)

Written for Song Lyric Sunday where the theme this week is Yacht Rock suggested by John Holton.