Songfacts®:

• Styx guitarist Tommy Shaw wrote this song, which was in part a message to his bandmate Dennis DeYoung, who hated touring and often seemed miserable. Said Shaw: "In a way that song was from me to Dennis. The seeds of discontent had started to take over on the road. The rest of us were all really happy at the time, but Dennis wasn't getting quite the same joy. I was trying to tell him there was all this great stuff going on, and to enjoy it more. It was frustrating to see someone so talented and loved, but not getting more out of the experience. Whether or not he understood, I don't know. It was fairly subtle."
  
  Shaw would later downplay the DeYoung connection and say that he realized the song could also apply to himself, as he could become cynical at times.
• The synthesizer intro on this song was played by Dennis DeYoung, with Shaw's acoustic guitar strumming along. This intro was typical of the prog-rock that was popular at the time in bands like Yes and Emerson, Lake & Palmer. Styx had a prog influence and did concept albums, but they're songs tended to be much tighter and more radio-friendly than the prog rockers.
• Following "Come Sail Away," "Fooling Yourself" was the second single from Styx' breakthrough album, The Grand Illusion. Running 5:27 with a vocal that doesn't start until the 1:22 mark, it's not a typical pop song, but Styx didn't release a radio edit, as shaving down the intro would be like cutting the wedding scene from The Godfather. The song wasn't a huge hit, reaching just #29 in the US, but it helped the album sell over 3 million copies and stuck around on Classic Rock radio. Styx became a stadium act, to the dismay of many music critics.
• At the 3:04 mark, a faint voice comes in just before Dennis DeYoung launches into a synthesizer solo. It's Tommy Shaw saying, "C'mon, Doctor," a reference to DeYoung's nickname.
  
  As DeYoung explained in a Facebook post, in the early days of the band, Styx drummer John Panozzo was working at a music store to supplement his income. One day, a customer who had seen a Styx show came in and asked him how "Doc" tunes his organ (yes, organs don't get tuned). Panozzo shared this story with the band, which started calling DeYoung "Doctor." They even did a bit before their encores where every band member except DeYoung would return to the stage and Tommy Shaw would ask the audience if anyone has seen "The Doctor." DeYoung would then show up with a lab coat and stethoscope to prescribe "more rock and roll." >>

  Suggestion credit:
  Bernie - New Jersey
• On May 16, 1983, a 24-year-old man named Robert Wickes, who had been fired from his job as a teacher's aide, took hostages at Brentwood Junior High School in New York before killing himself inside a classroom. During hostage negotiations, he used the local radio station WBLI as a pulpit, having them read an angry message and play this song, which the station did. Wickes ordered the song dedicated to his brother and parents.
  
  Wickes had requested other songs earlier in the negotiations, including "Penny Lane" and "Angie," which the station played in return for the release of a hostage each time. "Fooling Yourself" was the last song played before he killed himself.
  
  Wickes clearly didn't heed the song's message, which assures the "angry young man" that he has a lot to live for: "Your future looks quite bright to me."
• Billy Joel beat Styx to the theme, releasing "Angry Young Man" in 1976.