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Introduction
At the age of 15, Sheeley composed the song after meeting Elvis Presley, who motivated her to pursue songwriting. The inspiration behind the lyrics stemmed from her disappointment following a brief relationship with Don Everly of The Everly Brothers. Sheeley approached Ricky Nelson to record the song, feigning a car breakdown to get his attention. When Nelson came to her aid, she unveiled the song, which was notably faster than his eventual recording.
Ricky Nelson recorded the song on April 17, 1958, and it was released on Imperial Records under catalog number 5528. The recording featured background vocals by the Jordanaires. On August 4, 1958, the song claimed the top spot on Billboard magazine’s newly introduced Hot 100 chart, displacing the Jockeys and Top 100 charts. It held the number-one position for two weeks and also achieved top 10 status on the Billboard Country and Rhythm and Blues charts. Following the success of “Poor Little Fool,” Sheeley collaborated with Eddie Cochran.
The song gained further prominence when included in a four-song extended-play 45 rpm disc, excerpted from Ricky Nelson’s second LP. In response to its popularity, Lew Chudd, the founder of Imperial Records, hastily released a single version (on both 45 and 78 rpm). However, Nelson objected, fearing it would negatively impact the EP’s sales. According to his contract, Nelson had approval rights for all picture-sleeve art, so in protest against Chudd’s decision, he opted not to select a photograph for the “Poor Little Fool” single. Consequently, “Poor Little Fool” stood out as the only Ricky Nelson single released by Imperial in the United States without a photo, featuring a plain-label, cut-out sleeve.