Foolish Games

"Foolish Games" is a song by Jewel, originally released as a single from her debut album Pieces Of You. It was re-recorded for her 2013 greatest hits album as a duet with Kelly Clarkson, which debuted on JT40 in February 2013 and became a #1 success, becoming Jewel's first ever #1 after a career dating back to the very first chart, as well as Kelly's record-tying ninth #1.

In 1995, a little-known singer from Alaska named Jewel Kilcher - better known only by her first name - dropped an unassuming album of folk rock ballads, Pieces Of You. The album didn't make Jewel a household name overnight, but in the following two years her music became pop and adult contemporary radio mainstays. Almost 18 years after the release of her debut album, despite abandoning pop music for country, Jewel revisited the past on her greatest hits album by covering its two biggest hits with contemporary artists. "You Were Meant For Me" was re-recorded with guest vocals from Miranda Lambert and her band the Pistol Annies. "Foolish Games" was re-recorded with the first American Idol and one of pop music's biggest stars, Kelly Clarkson.

Neither of those songs were released as singles, with the new song "Two Hearts Breaking" serviced to lead the greatest hits album. But it was Jewel and Kelly's fresh take on "Foolish Games" that caught my ear, with one of my favorite female artists of the 90s teaming up with one of my favorite female artists of today.

In an interview with MTV, Jewel said Kelly was her first choice to re-record "Foolish Games" with, wanting to record the song with "a great vocalist". She also complimented Kelly for being down to earth in the studio: "I mean, you go in there, and I was singing this long note and I was holding it as long as I could and as high as I could and I was on my tiptoes doing it and she walked in there and was like, that was great, and then she just did a whole three, you know, steps above it and just sailed through it like it was nothing. She's a freak of nature. Kelly is great, you know she doesn't have a big ego or anything, she wants to make me sound good and I'm the same way, I want to make her sound good so we kind of wanted to work out parts that hopefully benefited each other and yeah, it was fun."

The 2013 version of "Foolish Games" charted upon its release at the end of January 2013. Its debut proved to be a major accomplishment for both artists - it was Jewel's first chart entry in five years, and Kelly's 22nd hit, breaking Tori Amos's record for most top 40 hits. It climbed up the top 40 fast, proving to be Jewel's biggest hit in many years while effortlessly adding to Kelly's recent catalog of major hits. "Foolish Games" reached #1 the week of April 7, 2013, becoming Jewel's first chart-topper and breaking the record set by Garbage's "Blood For Poppies" a year earlier for longest wait for an artist's first #1, coming almost a decade after "Intuition" appeared on the first-ever JT40 chart. However that record was broken a week later by Mariah Carey. Kelly also tied Lita Ford for most #1 songs, with "Foolish Games" becoming her ninth chart-topper.