"Poor Little Fool" became a radio hit when it was released as part of a four-song extended-play 45 rpm disc, which was excerpted from the artist's second LP, Ricky Nelson.
Responding to the buzz, Lew Chudd, the founder and head of Imperial Records, rushed out a single version (on both 45 and 78 rpm).
Under his contract with Imperial, the singer had approval rights for all picture-sleeve art, so to express his displeasure with Chudd's decision, he chose not to select a photograph for the "Poor Little Fool" single.
As a result, "Poor Little Fool" was the only Ricky Nelson single released by Imperial to be issued in the United States without a photo in a plain-label, cut-out sleeve.
[7] Tom Breihan of Stereogum called "Poor Little Fool" a "negligible midtempo bopper" with a whiny vocal performance and a "staid plonk" of a rhythm.