Almanac Memoir (and Music): Fool For You Anyway
Fool for You Anyway
(Geelong, 1979)
I was in Year 12, and somehow I saw this tall attractive blonde girl at a bus stop outside her school, waiting with other girls. I say ‘somehow’ because the school she attended was on the other side of the city to mine, so I don’t know exactly how I came to see her there. But I suppose that doesn’t matter.
Anyway, I couldn’t get her out of my head. I wanted to get to know her, particularly as her school went to an annual formal dance with our school (a Catholic school connection). She could be my date, maybe, and perhaps we could go out other places, too. I knew that one of my classmates travelled on the same bus as her, so I asked him if he would pass on a note from me. (I had discovered her name — Tina.) He agreed. I don’t know what I put in the note, but it worked. We started going out, in a kind of innocent high school way, and I did end up taking her to the Formal. She was breezy and fun, and a great kisser.
We both enjoyed music, as most of our friends did; mainly mainstream rock. Foreigner was one of the popular bands around then and my sister Cheryl had bought their self-titled debut album, containing hits like ‘Feels like the First Time’ and ‘Cold As Ice’, so I knew their stuff well. Tina told me one of her favourite songs was a ballad from the album, ‘Fool For You Anyway’; for a while, I listened to that song repeatedly and thought of her.
I remember one day I went to her place, when some time had passed since our last outing. I’d decided to be firm and say that I wanted to see her more often, and she responded by saying, “Maybe we should cool it for a while.” She may have simply meant that we should concentrate on the upcoming final HSC exams, I don’t know – but I took it as the end.
I was sad, feeling that I had blown something good by being too pushy, but I got over it without undue angst, unusually for me.
Now when I think of Tina, which I still do from time to time, ‘Fool For You Anyway’ comes immediately to mind.
And maybe the song is a little daggy, but it was connected to young love – or, at least, a youthful, lovely crush.
(Acknowledgement: this story previously appeared on the Stereo Stories website in 2019.)
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About
Kevin Densley is a graduate of both Deakin University and The University of Melbourne. He has taught writing and literature in numerous Victorian universities and TAFES. He is a poet and writer-in-general. His fifth book-length poetry collection, Please Feed the Macaws ... I'm Feeling Too Indolent, was published in late 2023 by Ginninderra Press. He is also the co-author of ten play collections for young people, as well as a multi Green Room Award nominated play, Last Chance Gas, published by Currency Press. Other writing includes screenplays for educational films.
I’m certain many Almanackers would’ve had a similar experience to me in the above story.
I encourage you to listen to the song, too, particularly if you haven’t heard it before – a fine example of a late 1970s rock ballad.