Song Clearance Sheet
6 sources citedWhy Do Fools Fall in Love
Doo-Wop1950s162BPM
UnconfirmedKey
More around 160 BPM → · More “Cleared After Dispute” →
Tempo/key via Deezer →
The verdict
Cleared After Dispute
A final, legally-settled outcome (a 1992 jury restored credit to the actual writers, Santiago & Merchant; the 1996 appeals court overturned it on a statute-of-limitations technicality, not the merits) and a confirmed administrator (EMI). The underlying justice question stays in the Receipts.
reportedly open to sampling
Used by independents?
Unconfirmed — the page doesn't yet document enough sampler detail to tell.
Quick Facts
Released1956
GenreDoo-Wop, R&B
LabelGee Records
ProducerGeorge Goldner
More infoWikipedia → · Discogs →
Who you need to ask
The current administrator — EMI Music Publishing
Fandom → · checked Jul 2026
The credited songwriters — Frankie Lymon & George Goldner (per the post-1996 legal outcome; the disputed real authorship is in the Receipts)
Songfacts → · checked Jul 2026
Has it been reused?
Yes — extensively covered: The Diamonds (1956), The Beach Boys (1964), Diana Ross (1981), Joni Mitchell; #307 on Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs
Do they allow reuse?
No standalone policy found, but a confirmed publisher (EMI) and a long record of legitimate cover licensing
Who Owns It
Licenses explained →The two permissions you need, and who holds them
The credited songwriters (of record)Frankie Lymon & George Goldner
The actual writersHerman Santiago & Jimmy Merchant
The recording (current administrator)EMI Music Publishing
Receipts
Every public mention of terms, policy, or past deals we've found
A dramatic credit saga with a reversal on appeal
In December 1992 a federal jury found Santiago and Merchant had been improperly denied songwriting credit and awarded it to them. In 1996 the 2nd Circuit overturned that verdict — not on the merits of who wrote the song, but on statute-of-limitations grounds — restoring credit to Lymon and Morris Levy's successors.
Rock Fandom (cross-ref. Variety) · read it →
The cost of losing the fight, first-person
Interviewed at 51, working as a stagehand and still in the Washington Heights neighborhood where the group rehearsed, Herman Santiago described the pain of hearing the song on the radio for years, knowing he helped create it while someone else profited.
The Washington Post · read it →
Frankie Lymon's own tragic end
Despite co-fronting one of the biggest early rock and roll hits, Lymon died of a heroin overdose at 25, in poverty.
Songfacts · read it →
Can You Use It for Free?
How to check PD →Is it public domain?No
Sample History
—
Times sampled
The Diamonds · The Beach Boys · Diana Ross · Joni Mitchell
Covers
1956
First flip
Who to Contact
EMI
EMI Music Publishing
The confirmed current administrator, per the post-1996 outcome
What they'll chargeNobody's shared numbers yet
Don't Want the Hassle?
Sample something pre-cleared insteadCheck Tracklib →
Find a similar sound that's 100% freeBrowse the catalog →
References
Every source cited on this page — 6 in total
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Page history · 2 updates
Jul 2026Page created — full research (Deep Batch 2)
Jul 2026BPM/Key pending a separate manual keyfinder pass