| "The Fool on the Hill" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Song by The Beatles
from the album Magical Mystery Tour |
||||
| Released | 27 November 1967 (US LP) 8 December 1967 (UK EP) 19 November 1976 (UK LP) |
|||
| Recorded | 25 September 1967 | |||
| Genre | Psychedelic pop, folk | |||
| Length | 3:00 | |||
| Label | Parlophone, Capitol, EMI | |||
| Writer | Lennon/McCartney | |||
| Producer | George Martin | |||
| Magical Mystery Tour track listing | ||||
|
||||
"The Fool on the Hill" is a song by The Beatles. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney[1][2] (credited to Lennon/McCartney) and recorded in 1967. It was included on the Magical Mystery Tour EP and album, and presented in the Magical Mystery Tour film, with a promotional sequence shot near Nice, in France from 30-31 October 1967.
Contents |
Origins
McCartney said of the song:
| “ | 'Fool on the Hill' was mine and I think I was writing about someone like Maharishi. His detractors called him a fool. Because of his giggle he wasn't taken too seriously ... I was sitting at the piano at my father's house in Liverpool hitting a D 6th chord, and I made up 'Fool on the Hill.'[1] | ” |
Alistair Taylor, in the book Yesterday, reports a mysterious incident involving a man who inexplicably appeared near him and McCartney during a walk on Primrose Hill and then disappeared again, soon after McCartney and Taylor had conversed about the existence of God; this allegedly prompted the writing of the song.[3]
McCartney played the song for John Lennon during a writing session for "With a Little Help from My Friends," and Lennon told him to write it down. McCartney didn't; he was sure he wouldn't forget it.[1] In his 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon said, "Now that's Paul. Another good lyric. Shows he's capable of writing complete songs."[2]
Recording
McCartney recorded a solo demo version of the song on 6 September 1967.[4] This version was later released on the Anthology 2 compilation.[5] Recording began in earnest on 25 September, with significant overdubs by the Beatles on 26 September. Mark Lewisohn said that the 26 September version was "almost a re-make."[6] A take from 25 September is also included on Anthology 2.[5] After another session on 27 September where McCartney added another vocal,[7] the song sat for a month before flutes were added on 20 October.
Personnel
- Paul McCartney – vocal, piano, acoustic guitar, recorder, bass
- John Lennon – harmonica, jaw's harp
- George Harrison – acoustic guitar, harmonica
- Ringo Starr – drums, finger cymbals, maracas
- Christopher Taylor – flute
- Richard Taylor – flute
- Jack Ellory – flute
- Personnel per Ian MacDonald.[8] Flautists also documented by Mark Lewisohn.[9]
Critical reaction
Richie Unterberger of Allmusic said that "The Fool on the Hill" was the best of the new songs on Magical Mystery Tour aside from "I Am the Walrus".[10] Tim Riley, a music critic who has contributed to NPR, was not impressed, and unfavorably compared the subject of this song to fools in Shakespeare. Riley wrote, "Possibilities in this song outweigh its substance—it's the most unworthy Beatles standard since 'Michelle.'"[11]
Cover versions
Music service Allmusic lists more than 100 cover versions of the song.[12]
| Year | Artist | Release | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1968 | Sergio Mendes | (single) | Reached #6 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart;[13] this version also spent six weeks at #1 on the adult contemporary chart.[14] Also released on his album Fool on the Hill. |
| 1968 | Eddie Fisher | (single) | Charted on the Record World magazine Non-Rock survey, the first version of the song to make the US singles charts and the last US chart single by Fisher |
| 1968 | Bobbie Gentry | Local Gentry | |
| 1969 | The Four Tops | The Four Tops Now! | |
| 1969 | Shirley Bassey | (single) | Reached number number 48 on the UK Singles chart.[15] |
| 1969 | Petula Clark | ||
| 1969 | Stone the Crows | Stone the Crows | |
| 1976 | Helen Reddy | All This and World War II | |
| 1977 | Björk | Björk[16] | |
| 1981 | Sarah Vaughan | Songs of the Beatles | |
| 1982 | John Williams | The Portrait of John Williams | Classical guitar version |
| 2007 | Aretha Franklin | Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul | Recorded in 1970 during the sessions for This Girl's in Love with You. |
| 2007 | Vera Lynn | The Singles Collection |
Personal computer reproduction
In April 1975, at the Homebrew Computer Club fourth meeting, Steve Dompier programmed his MITS Altair 8800 personal computer to play "The Fool on the Hill". The trick was that the output device was a nearby AM radio. Dompier had programmed his computer so that the Electromagnetic interference created by the primitive PC produced recognizable tones on the radio.[17][18]
Notes
- ^ a b c Miles 1997, pp. 365–366.
- ^ a b Sheff 2000, p. 186.
- ^ Turner 2005, pp. 143–144.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 123.
- ^ a b Apple Records 1994, pp. 41,42.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 126.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 127.
- ^ MacDonald 2005, p. 270.
- ^ Lewisohn 1988, p. 129.
- ^ Unterberger 2007.
- ^ Riley 1988, p. 240.
- ^ Allmusic 2007.
- ^ Songfacts.com 2009.
- ^ Whitburn 1996.
- ^ Roberts 2006, pp. 44–45.
- ^ Fritsch 2001.
- ^ Grier 2008.
- ^ Polsson 2009.
References
- "Performers of "The Fool on the Hill". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=17:513103. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- (1994) Album notes for Anthology 2 by The Beatles [booklet]. London: Apple Records (31796).
- Fritsch, Oliver (2001). "Official Bjork DIcography". bjork.com. http://unit.bjork.com/77island/early/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- Grier, David (18 February 2008). "Why does my cell phone make screechy noises when I place it near my computer?". Scientific American. http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=experts-cell-phone-screeching.
- Lewisohn, Mark (1988). The Beatles Recording Sessions. New York: Harmony Books. ISBN 0-517-57066-1.
- MacDonald, Ian (2005). Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties (Second Revised ed.). London: Pimlico (Rand). ISBN 1-844-13828-3.
- Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
- Riley, Tim (1988). Tell Me Why. New York: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN 0-394-55061-7.
- Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- Polsson, Ken (1 November 2009). "Chronology of Personal Computers". http://www.islandnet.com/~kpolsson/comphist/comp1975.htm.
- Sheff, David (2000). All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono. New York: St. Martin's Press. ISBN 0-312-25464-4.
- "The Fool On The Hill". Songfacts.com. http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=134. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
- Turner, Steve (2005). A Hard Day's Write: The Stories Behind Every Beatles Song (3rd ed.). New York: Harper Paperbacks. ISBN 0-06-084409-4.
- Unterberger, Richie (2007). "Review of "The Fool on the Hill"". Allmusic. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=33:k06atr68kl5x. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (6th ed.). New York: Billboard Publications.
This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)
