Adele wanted to record One Direction’s “Fool’s Gold,” but the song had already been promised to the band.
Adele called songwriter Jamie Scott after hearing “Fool’s Gold,” hoping to record the song that would become part of One Direction’s 2014 album Four. Scott and co-writer Mozella say their commitment to the band kept it there.
The pair recount the story in Jason Lipshutz’s book A Whole Lotta History. They wrote “Fool’s Gold” during a session that produced 2 songs in a single day. “We thought it was special – just this real, honest, raw song,” Mozella said.
Scott played the finished track for Harry Styles, who loved it. Adele also heard it and called Scott. Mozella explained: “Basically, [Adele] heard it and was like, ‘I love this!’ But he had already promised it to the boys, so we couldn’t take it back.“
“Fool’s Gold” appeared on Four, the fourth studio album from Styles, Niall Horan, Louis Tomlinson, Liam Payne and Zayn Malik. The album reached No. 1 in both the UK and the US.