It was the third single released from his 1988 album Now and Zen, following "Heaven Knows" and "Tall Cool One".
It was Plant's tenth top-10 solo hit on the Mainstream Rock chart.
[2][3] The song was written by Plant and keyboardist Phil Johnstone, who also co-produced Now and Zen.
[4][5] In an AllMusic review of Now and Zen, reviewer Vik Iyengar singles "Ship of Fools" out for praise, calling the song a "lovely ballad" that demonstrates Plant's "vocal subtlety.
"[4] Cash Box called it "one of the best songs Plant has ever written and recorded" with "beautiful melodies and power lyrics.