{{Short description|1996 single by Queen}} {{More citations needed|date=December 2015}} {{Use British English|date=July 2014}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2026}} {{Infobox song | name = You Don't Fool Me | cover = Queen - You Don't Fool Me.jpg | caption = Artwork for Holland release | alt = | type = single | artist = Queen | album = Made in Heaven | released = {{start date|1996|2|26|df=y}}<ref name="queenvault">{{Cite web|url=http://www.queenvault.com/youdontfoolmesingle.html|title = You Don't Fool Me| website=Queen Vault }}</ref> | recorded = | studio = | venue = | genre = | length = * 5:25 (album version) * 3:54 (single version) | label = Parlophone | writer = Queen | producer = Queen | prev_title = Let Me Live | prev_year = 1996 | next_title = No-One but You (Only the Good Die Young) | next_year = 1997 | misc = {{External music video|{{YouTube|9enOd3Z7vcY|"You Don't Fool Me"}}}} }}
"'''You Don't Fool Me'''" is a song by British rock band Queen from their 15th and final studio album, ''Made in Heaven'' (1995). It was released as a single in February 1996, by Parlophone, in Europe and in November 1996 in the United Kingdom,<ref name="queenvault"/> containing various remixes of the song. The song is one of the few which were actually written and recorded after the ''Innuendo'' sessions, and was written and composed by the band, under David Richards' supervision. It proved to be the band's final European hit.
==Background== "You Don't Fool Me" was one of the last tracks recorded for the album ''Made in Heaven'' and came about in a most unusual way. Brian May has explained on his website<ref name=":0">{{cite web|last1=May|first1=Brian|title=YOU DON'T FOOL ME|url=https://brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/youdontfoolme_jul2004.html|website=Brian's Soapbox|access-date=7 November 2017|archive-date=30 March 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150330030807/http://www.brianmay.com/brian/brianssb/youdontfoolme_jul2004.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> that all they had were unfinished musical fragments & ideas recorded with Freddie Mercury during his final sessions in Montreux in May 1991 prior to his death. There was no full song to speak of until the ''Made in Heaven'' sessions, when co-producer David Richards helped edit these musical ideas together to create the song, creating a basic framework.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Quote related to 'You Don't Fool Me' from 'Made In Heaven' {{!}} Queen Songs |url=https://www.queensongs.info/quotes/207 |access-date=2026-03-11 |website=www.queensongs.info}}</ref> The remaining band members – May, John Deacon and Roger Taylor – contributed further ideas, and fleshed out the track with instrumentation & backing vocals.<ref name=":0" /> The style of the song is reminiscent of their 1982 album ''Hot Space'', and a comment over that featured on their ''Greatest Hits III'' album.
==Music video== The video is set in a night club where a young man encounters his former girlfriend and recounts the memories of their brief relationship. The theme of the song could possibly be a continuation of the story set up by earlier Queen songs "Play the Game" and "It's a Hard Life".
==Track listings== ===Original version=== '''CD single''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (edit) – 3:54 # "You Don't Fool Me" (album version) – 5:25
'''CD maxi''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (album version) – 5:25 # "You Don't Fool Me" (edit) – 3:54 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Sexy Club Mix) – 10:18 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Dancing Divaz Club Mix) – 7:07
'''12-inch maxi – Europe''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (Sexy Club Mix) # "You Don't Fool Me" (Dancing Divaz Club Mix) # "You Don't Fool Me" (B.S. Project Remix) # "You Don't Fool Me" (Dancing Divaz Instrumental club mix)
'''12-inch maxi – U.S.''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (Freddy's Club Mix) – 7:02 # "You Don't Fool Me" (album version) – 5:24 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Freddy's Revenge Dub) – 5:53 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Queen for a Day mix) – 6:33
===Remixes=== '''CD single''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (B.S. Project remix – edit) – 3:15 # "You Don't Fool Me" (edit) – 4:40
'''CD maxi – UK release only''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (album version) – 5:24 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Dancing Divaz Club Mix) – 7:05 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Sexy Club mix) – 10:53 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Late Mix) – 10:34
'''12-inch maxi – UK release only''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (Dancing Divaz Club Mix) – 7:05 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Late Mix) – 10:34 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Sexy Club Mix) – 10:53 # "You Don't Fool Me" (album version) – 5:24
'''Cassette single''' # "You Don't Fool Me" (album version) – 5:24 # "You Don't Fool Me" (Dancing Divaz Club Mix) – 7:05
The Sexy Club Mix is the nearly the same on all formats. The UK CD and 12-inch versions list the wrong time of 10:53, when it should only be 10:18 like the other formats list it. The UK CD version has a mastering error and the first four seconds are lost, bringing the running time down to 10:14.
==Personnel== {{Unreferenced section|date=December 2017}} *Freddie Mercury — lead and backing vocals *Brian May — electric and acoustic guitars *Roger Taylor — drums, percussion, keyboards, backing vocals *John Deacon — bass guitar
==Charts== {{col-begin}} {{col-2}}
===Weekly charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1996) !Peak<br/>position |- {{single chart|Austria|23|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|Flanders|13|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|Wallonia|14|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|France|14|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|Germany|26|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|songid=3196|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|Ireland2|23|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- !scope="row"|Italy (''Musica e dischi'')<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php|title=Classifiche|work=Musica e Dischi|language=it|access-date=28 May 2022}} Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "Queen".</ref> | 24 |- {{single chart|Dutch40|21|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=21 August 2020}} |- {{single chart|Dutch100|22|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|Sweden|52|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|Switzerland|27|artist=Queen|song=You Don't Fool Me|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025}} |- {{single chart|UK|17|date=19961124|rowheader=true|access-date=11 May 2025|note=Remixes}} |- !scope="row"|UK Pop Tip Club Chart (''Music Week'')<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1996/Music-Week-1996-09-21.pdf#page=32|title=On a Pop Tip Club Chart|department=''Record Mirror''|magazine=Music Week|page=8|date=21 September 1996|access-date=20 March 2026}}</ref> | 2 |} {{col-2}}
===Year-end charts=== {|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center" !Chart (1996) !Position |- !scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Flanders)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/nl/annual.asp?year=1996|title=Jaaroverzichten 1996|publisher=Ultratop|language=nl|access-date=11 May 2025}}</ref> | 58 |- !scope="row"|Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.ultratop.be/fr/annual.asp?year=1996|title=Rapports annuels 1996|publisher=Ultratop|language=fr|access-date=11 May 2025}}</ref> | 70 |- !scope="row"|Germany (Media Control)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/single-jahr/for-date-1996|title=Top 100 Single–Jahrescharts 1996|publisher=GfK Entertainment|language=de|access-date=7 August 2015}}</ref> | 90 |} {{col-end}}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== * {{YouTube|id=9enOd3Z7vcY|title=Official video (based on a short film)}} * [http://www.queenonline.com/en/the-band/discography/made-heaven/#lyrics Lyrics at Queen official website]
{{Queen singles}} {{Authority control}}
Category:Queen (band) songs Category:1995 songs Category:1996 singles Category:Hollywood Records singles Category:Parlophone singles Category:Songs released posthumously Category:Songs written by Brian May Category:Songs written by Freddie Mercury Category:Songs written by John Deacon Category:Songs written by Roger Taylor (Queen drummer)