April Fool’s Day Playlist: 10 Songs To Trick Your Monday Out With

John Hamilton | April 1, 2013 5:30 am

Keep an eye on those leftover Easter eggs, folks: April Fool’s Day is upon us! April 1 may not be a recognized holiday, but the world has been honoring it for centuries with all manner of jokes, pranks and hoaxes. (Perhaps this explains Eurovision?) From reversed restroom signs, foil-covered computers or, heaven forbid, plastic-wrapped toilet seats, the irreverent celebration of foolishness is nigh and no one knows what to expect… only to expect the worst!

We can’t prepare you for the onslaught of silliness your friends and family may have planned for you, but these 10 music selections may help pass the day while you’re waiting for the inevitable surprises. Who knows — they may even provide comfort when the whoopee cushion hits the fan!

Kelis, “Trick Me” “Milkshake” enthusiast Kelis stands in for April Fools everywhere as she admonishes an errant beau to give his childish games a rest. We assume he went for the old “switching the shampoo with hair remover” routine. Not cool.

Backstreet Boys, “Quit Playing Games With My Heart” Okay, so this song pops up a lot on our playlists for a lot of different reasons. Have an unrequited crush? There it is. Feeling stupid after a romance gone sour? This one’s on us. Find your car covered in soap-scrawled expletives on the first morning of April? Play it again, Sam.

Loose Ends, “Don’t Be a Fool” Sage words from ‘80s soulsters Loose Ends. As good as this silky-smooth slice of acid jazz is, we know it’s the kind of advice that’s completely forgotten about at least one day a year.

Tegan And Sara, “I Was a Fool” Tegan and Sara, did you not just hear what Loose Ends said? Pop stars never listen, do they? With this jam from their current long-player, T&S create a new jingle just for people who forget to look at the calendar when their boyfriend runs in and announces, “We just hit the lotto!”

Doobie Brothers, “What A Fool Believes” I’ll tell you what a fool believes: a fool believes the person on the other end of the phone is genuinely interested in whether the refrigerator is running, that’s what a fool believes! In my defense, I was lonely and grateful for any kind of human contact.

Christina Aguilera feat. Blake Shelton, “Just A Fool” These veterans of The Voice sound terribly torn-up about being made to look like fools again, but we can’t feel much sympathy for them. After all, April 1 comes on the same day every year — can’t they just set up a calendar alert?

Jem, “Foolish Games” Much like the international symbol of April Fool’s Day itself, the whoopee cushion, Jem’s eurodance cover of Jewel is cheap, tasteless and smells faintly of rubber. It’s also a fun way to embarrass your friends at parties. (We included the Jewel and Kelly Clarkson version for bonus laughs…or cries?)

Fatboy Slim feat. Bootsy Collins, “The Joker” This cover of the Steve Miller Band classic injects some fun and frivolity into the stoner anthem with help from an extra-thick groove and a party-like atmosphere, courtesy special guest star Bootsy Collins.

The Royalettes, “Baby Are You Putting Me On?” Please refer to The Royalettes’ classy, retro brand of exasperation and take note: this is the way to respond to a merry prankster, with calm and cool. Just ignore their follow-up singles “Are You Effing Kidding Me?” and “I Will Murder You For This!”

Rufus Wainwright, “April Fools” Drama queen Rufus reminds us that, no matter how ridiculous the prank played on us, we can rise from the humiliation, learn to believe in love again and, next year, give back as good as we got. Maybe double.