Jewel “Foolish Games” hit the Hot 100

Foolish Games Jewel

Writer(s): Jewel Kilcher (see lyrics here) Released: July 8, 1997 First Charted: July 19, 1997 Peak: 7 BB, 13 BA, 13 GR, 14 RR, 4 AC, 15 A40, 2 CN, 12 AU, 19 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.0 US Airplay/Streaming (in millions): -- radio, 52.76 video, 71.29 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Jewel finally broke through in mid-1996 with “Who Will Save Your Soul?”, the first single from Pieces of You, her debut album which had been released more than a year before. Once Jewel arrived, however, she left her mark. The album climbed to #4 and sold fifteen million copies worldwide and the strength of that single and its next two. “Foolish Games”was released as the third single on July 8, 1997. It was also featured on the soundtrack for the Batman and Robin film. However, the song was actually released nearly a year earlier as a B-side to Jewel’s single “You Were Meant for Me.” This made for some chart-breaking history. When the song made its debut on the Billboard Hot 100 the week of September 13, 1997, it was listed with “You Were Meant for Me.” That song had already logged 41 weeks on the chart, reached #2, and gone platinum. However, by pairing the songs together on the chart, “You Were Meant for Me” climbed back into the top ten and, before its chart run was finished, ended up with a then record-breaking 65 weeks on the charts. Billboard’s Chuck Taylor said, “the vocally sweeping ballad offers the richest arrangement among her hits, with lyrics that affectingly express the emotional descent of a woman whose love is unappreciated, perhaps even unseen, by her object of affection.” BB He called it the “quintessential musical moment” from the Pieces of You album. BB Slant magazine’s Sal Cinquemani called it “one of the great pop songs of the ‘90s.” SM “Foolish Games” received a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Resources: BB Billboard (6/21/1997). “Jewel of a Single from ‘Pieces of You’.” by Chuck Taylor. Page 78. SM SlantMagazine.com (2/16/2013). “Review: Jewel, Greatest Hits” by Sal Cinquemani WK Wikipedia Related Links: First posted 1/14/2025.

 

Jewel “You Were Meant for Me” released

You Were Meant for Me Jewel

Writer(s): Jewel Kilcher, Steve Poltz (see lyrics here) Released: October 15, 1996 First Charted: November 1, 1996 Peak: 2 BB, 19 BA, 2 GR, 15 RR, 11 AC, 16 A40, 6 AA, 26 MR, 32 UK, 2 CN, 3 AU, 13 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.3 US, -- UK, 1.37 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 1.0 radio, 55.5 video, 128.98 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Jewel finally broke through in mid-1996 with “Who Will Save Your Soul?”, the first single from Pieces of You, her debut album which had been released more than a year before. Once Jewel arrived, however, she left her mark. The album climbed to #4 and sold fifteen million copies worldwide and the strength of that single and its next two. The second single, “You Were Meant for Me,” was arguably the album’s signature song. On the Billboard Hot 100 chart dated September 6, 1997, the song sat at #25, slowly decling from a #2 peak in May. It had already logged an impressive 41 weeks on the chart and achieved platinum status. However, the next week “Foolish Games” was officially released as a single. Since it had originally been a B-side for “You Were Meant for Me” the songs were listed together and climbed back into the top 10. By the time all was said and done, “You Were Meant for Me” had racked up a then-record 65 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100 and ended up the most played song of 1997. RC At the time it was also the biggest-selling single in the history of Atlantic Records. SF The song was written by Jewel with Steve Poltz; they were a couple at the time. He explained that they wrote the song while in Mexico but they almost lost the song when the lyrics flew out of the car window while they were driving. SF Like “Who Will Save Your Soul?,” “You Were Meant for Me” was re-recorded for single release. In fact, it was recorded three times. There was also more than one video for the song. Sean Penn directed the original and then Lawrence Carroll shot a video for the radio version of the song. Carroll’s version won the MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video. Resources: RC Rod Couch (2015). The Top 500 Songs of the Rock Era: 1955-2015. Page 389. SF Songfacts Related Links: First posted 1/14/2025.

Tracy Chapman “Give Me One Reason” single released

Give Me One Reason Tracy Chapman

Writer(s): Tracy Chapman, Don Gehman (see lyrics here) Released: November 19, 1995 First Charted: January 20, 1996 Peak: 3 BB, 2 CB, 2 GR, 12 RR, 3 AC, 18 A40, 3 AA, 35 RB, 95 UK, 11 CN, 3 AU, 4 DF (Click for codes to charts.) Sales (in millions): 1.1 US, -- UK, 1.17 world (includes US + UK) Airplay/Streaming (in millions): 0.7 radio, 177.3 video, 284.83 streaming

Awards: Click on award for more details.

About the Song: Tracy Chapman burst out of the gate so strongly with her 1988 debut album that it seemed clear the Ohio-born singer/songwriter would never reach such heights again. The album, which featured the iconic top-ten hit “Fast Car,” reached #1 in the United States and went six times platinum. Her next outing, 1989’s Crossroads, peaked at #9 and sold a million copies. By her third album, 1992’s Matters of the Heart, she was starting to look like an also-ran. The album went gold but stalled at #53. She’d also failed to crack the Top 40 again after “Fast Car.” Matters of the Heart didn’t even produce a charting single. Chapman, however, was not done. In 1995, she released the album New Beginning, which Pitchfork’s Eric Torrest said “brightened the corners of her folk music with an eye toward renewal and environmentalism.” PF It peaked at #4 in the U.S. and went five times platinum. Even more startling, however, was the success of single “Give Me One Reason,” the album’s “bluesy highlight.” PF The platinum-selling single actually outdid “Fast Car” commercially, getting to #3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and going platinum. In Pitchfork magazine’s ranking of the 250 best songs of the 1990s, Eric Torres said, the song was about “the push and pull of loving someone who can’t give you what you need.” PF In the UK magazine Music Week, Alan Jones said the song was “less intense and somewhat looser” MW than “Fast Car.” He also said the song “perfectly mixes her folksy style with traditional R&B qualities, intelligent lyrics and that edgy distinctive voice.” MW The song won a Grammy for Best Rock Song and received nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Female Rock Vocal Performance. Resources: MW Music Week (3/22/1997). “Talking Music” by Alan Jones. Page 8. PF Pitchfork (9/27/2022). “The 250 Best Songs of the 1990s” by Eric Torres. Related Links: First posted 1/12/2025.