About The Song
“(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I” was written by Bill Trader and recorded by Hank Snow on May 19, 1952. Released by RCA Victor in November of that year, the single featured “The Gal Who Invented Kissin’” as the B-side. Snow was already one of the leading figures in country music following the enormous success of “I’m Movin’ On,” and this recording continued his strong run of hits in the early 1950s.
The record reached the upper ranks of the Billboard country charts in early 1953, peaking at number three or four depending on the specific listing. It became one of the better-known ballads in Snow’s extensive catalogue and helped maintain his presence on radio and jukeboxes during a highly productive period.
The lyric centers on a man who acknowledges his own lingering attachment. He admits that now and then there is a fool such as he, still hoping for a love that has already ended. Snow’s clear, measured vocal delivery and the straightforward country arrangement of the time gave the song a direct emotional quality that resonated with listeners.
By the early 1950s Snow had established himself as a major recording artist after relocating from Canada to Nashville. His association with RCA Victor and producer Stephen Sholes produced a long series of successful singles. “(Now and Then There’s) A Fool Such as I” fit comfortably into that body of work, offering a quieter, more reflective contrast to some of his up-tempo train and travel songs.
The composition later found even wider popularity when Elvis Presley recorded it in 1958 during his Army years. Presley’s version, released in 1959, became a major international hit, reaching number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one in the United Kingdom. Other artists, including Jo Stafford, Bob Dylan, and Baillie & the Boys, also recorded the song in subsequent decades.
Within Hank Snow’s career, the 1952 recording stands as a solid example of his ability to interpret ballads with clarity and restraint. Though later versions brought the song to new audiences, Snow’s original remains an important early version of a piece that has endured across multiple generations of country and popular music.
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Lyric
Pardon me if I’m sentimental when we say goodbye
Don’t be angry with me should I cry
When you’re gone, yet I’ll dream our little dream as years go by
Now and then, there’s a fool such as I
Now and then, there’s a fool such as I am over you
You taught me how to love and now you say that we are through
I’m a fool, but I’ll love you, dear, until the day I die
Now and then, there’s a fool such as I
Now and then, there’s a fool such as I am over you
You taught me how to love and now you say that we are through
I’m a fool, but I’ll love you, dear, until the day I die
Now and then, there’s a fool such as I