Why Do Fools Fall in Love (song) - Other Cover Versions

Other Cover Versions

The song was used as a B-side for The Beach Boys single "Fun, Fun, Fun", which reached #5 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. The Beach Boys version of the song charted at #120. It was included on the Beach Boys 1964 album Shut Down Volume 2. It had only appeared in mono since the release of the single back in 1964. The only release that was heard through the 90's and 2001 was the album mono mix. The single mix of the song was found and used on the 2007 The Warmth of the Sun Compilation and on 2008 Singles Boxset. The 2008 Boxset also used a recently found mono Single Edit mix. In 2009, a new stereo mix was created with an amazing newly discovered intro thanks to the discovery of the original multitrack masters by Jon Stebbins. That version is featured on the band's new compilation Summer Love Songs.

Why Do Fools Fall in Love has also been covered by Barry Frank, Kenny Rankin, Gale Storm, The Fabulous Four, Marion Ryan, Alma Cogan, Voices of Theory, Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons and Joni Mitchell. The Gale Storm version on Dot Records was recorded shortly after the Frankie Lymon original was released. It sold well and many white radio listeners of the time had heard only the Storm version and had no idea another version existed. Storm had a light soprano voice, and sounded classically trained; she had nearly no feel for rhythm and blues and yet her record in its way is as significant as the Lymon original. She approaches the song ironically and playfully. Virtually all of Storm's hits were covers of other artists' songs, but, she never simply copied the originals. She always brought her own qualities to them.

It's notable that both Diana Ross and Ronnie Bennett Spector said they had wanted to sound like Frankie Lymon and had been inspired by the tone and texture of his voice and particularly its clear, ringing quality. At the time of releasing her version of "Why" as her first RCA Victor single and the title track on her premier RCA album, Ross paid tribute to Lymon's inspiration.

The song was covered by the English glam rock band Mud in 1979 .

Gina Thompson and female rapper Mocha covered the song with production by Timbaland and Missy Elliott for the 1998 original soundtrack of the film of the same name.

This song was also covered in more recent years by The Overtones on their debut album Good Ol' Fashioned Love in November 2010.