What a Fool Believes

Kenny Loggins co-wrote "What a Fool Believes" with Doobie Brothers lead singer Michael McDonald. Loggins put his version on his album Nightwatch, which was released in July 1978, five months before The Doobies included it on their Minute by Minute album. Loggins' version was never released as a single, but The Doobie Brothers took it to #1 in the US in April 1979.

Michael McDonald's concept for the lyric was a scenario where two people meet in a restaurant - two people who had a passionate relationship long ago. To the man, the affair was the best thing in his life; to the woman, it was fun, but it was time to move on. In the conversation, the man makes a complete fool of himself. When the woman excuses herself to leave, he doesn't get the message, believing he still has a shot and that their affair was much more meaningful than it actually was. Love makes a man a fool, and even a wise one can't reason it away.

Producer Ted Templeman described this as a "floppy record" and wanted a "floppy feel" for the percussion, so he played drums alongside drummer Keith Knudson "to get the feeling right." They had been recording the song for five or six straight days when he made this decision.