“What a Fool Believes” by The Doobie Brothers is a truly bizarre hit. It is not a happy song. The core of its story is a man who thinks an old flame might still feel the same, instead finds out she has no feelings for him whatsoever, and leaves him to sit in this disappointment. The lyrics are a true walk for a pop song, made all the more so by the melodious falsetto of Ferguson, Missouri’s own, Michael McDonald. Also, McDonald, having joined the Doobies just two years before, had basically changed their well-established sound, and was carving entirely new territory for this otherwise very popular band.
But it works.
From the soaring high notes, the pitch perfect harmonies, the somehow playful cadence of the verses as they tell this sad tale of a sad man who doesn’t realize how bad he has it, it all conspired to make the tune a certified gold record, a Billboard #1 hit, and a tune perhaps considered one of the best of their career.
But I’m not here to talk about The Doobie Brothers. Not really. I’m here to talk about one of my favorite conversations I’ve ever had about music, and the man I had it with.
That man was A.J. Moore.
Working a shift at Mama Jean’s years ago, the song came on over the speakers, and a look of absolute bewilderment washed over my coworker's face as he blurted out: “why is this a hit??”
This would be a legitimate question from anyone, but A.J. was a musician, a songwriter, a recording engineer, and a producer (and trust me when I say that, while there is overlap between all of those things, those are four very distinct jobs). He then began the work of pulling apart this song that had otherwise been background music to me as long as I could remember, and we broke down every unique element of it and tried to understand how a song this odd had ever become this popular.
The reason I string all this together is that A.J. is as good at putting together songs as he is breaking them down. He has many years since moved to Kansas City and pursued music up there (and a family), but his originally Springfield-based band Cloud City has been revived recently and is returning to town for a free show on the square this Saturday as part of the Live From Downtown concert series.
Cloud City is the definition of thoughtful pop music. Soothing, considered, complex but not inaccessible. Catchy, maybe a little melancholy, good for a porch sit, maybe even just slightly “Doobie-esque.” Check it out for yourself! Give “Simple” a spin, think about braving the heat on Saturday night, and we’ll see you next week!
