The Fool on the Hill

"The Fool on the Hill"
The 1996 U.S. jukebox single release of the song, as the B-side to "Magical Mystery Tour"
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 25–27 September, and 20 October 1967
Genre Baroque pop,[1] psychedelic folk
Length 3:00
Label Parlophone, Capitol, EMI
Songwriter(s) Lennon–McCartney
Producer(s) George Martin

"The Fool on the Hill" is a song by the Beatles. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney[2][3] (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 filmed near Nice, in France from 30–31 October 1967. The song achieved perhaps its most widespread popular audience as a top ten hit single by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 in 1968.

Composition

The song's lyrics describe the titular "fool", a solitary figure who is not understood by others, but is actually wise. McCartney said the song relates to someone like Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:

'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.'[2]

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.[4]

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 did not; he was sure he would not forget it.[2] In his 1980 interview with Playboy magazine, Lennon said, "Now that's Paul. Another good lyric. Shows he's capable of writing complete songs."[3]

Musical structure

The song involves alternations of D major and D minor in a similar manner to Cole Porter's alternations of C minor and C major in "Night and Day".[5] Thus the D major tonality that begins with an Em7 chord on "Nobody wants to know him" moves through a ii7–V7–I6–vi7–ii7–V7 progression until the shift to the Dm tone and key on "but the fool". Other highlights are the inspired use in the Dm section of a minor sixth (B♭) melody note on the word "sun" (with a Dm♯5 chord) and a major ninth (E melody note) on the word "world" (with a Dm chord).[6]

Recording

McCartney recorded a solo demo version of the song on 6 September 1967.[7] This version was later released on the Anthology 2 compilation.[8] 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".[9] A take from 25 September – noticeably slower, somewhat heavier and with slightly different vocals – is also included on Anthology 2.[8] After another session on 27 September where McCartney added another vocal,[10] the song sat for a month before flutes were added on 20 October.[11]

Ray Thomas, flautist with the Moody Blues, reported that he and bandmate Mike Pinder contributed harmonicas to the song alongside Lennon and George Harrison.[12]

It was later remixed for the 2006 Beatles album, Love.

Personnel

Personnel per Ian MacDonald.[14] Flautists also documented by Mark Lewisohn.[15]

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".[16] Tim Riley, a music critic who has contributed to NPR, was not impressed, and unfavourably 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.'"[17] In 2012, the song was ranked the 420th best classic rock song of all time by New York's Q104.3.[18]. Robert Christgau, of Esquire Magazine in May 1968, wrote it "shows signs of becoming a favorite of the Simon & Garfunkel crowd and the transcendental meditators, who deserve it. A callow rendering of the outcast-visionary theme, it may be the worst song the Beatles have ever recorded."[19]

Performance history

The Beatles were no longer performing regular concerts when they released "The Fool on the Hill" on record. McCartney performed it live with Wings on their 1979 tour of the UK.[20] He also included it on his 1989–1990 world tour.[21] The performances on this tour incorporated sound bites from Martin Luther King, Jr.'s I Have a Dream speech.[22] A live version from this tour is found on the album Tripping the Live Fantastic.[23] The song surfaced again for McCartney's 2001–2002 tours, and another live version appeared on the Back in the US album.

The song is used for the opening titles of the 2010 Jay Roach movie Dinner for Schmucks. It is claimed that Paramount/DreamWorks paid $1.5 million to buy the rights for the song in perpetuity.[24]

Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 version

"The Fool on the Hill"
Single by Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66
from the album Fool on the Hill
Released 1968 (1968)
Genre Bossa nova
Length 3:15
Label A&M Records
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s) Sérgio Mendes

Sérgio Mendes & Brasil '66 recorded "Fool on the Hill", using their approach of marrying a simple bossa nova rhythm with a string accompaniment.[25] The lead vocal was by Lani Hall. Released as a single, it was a big hit, reaching No. 6 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.[26] It also spent six weeks at No. 1 on the easy listening chart.[27] It was included on Mendes' album Fool on the Hill.

Other versions

Music service AllMusic lists more than 100 cover versions of the song.[28]

Year Artist Release Notes
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
1968 Corry Brokken Das war ein harter Tag: Beatles-Lieder auf deutsch In German: "Der Mann, den ich will". Recorded in 1968, but not released until 1995, on a German compilation album Das war ein harter Tag: Beatles-Lieder auf deutsch.[29] It uses an arrangement similar to Sergio Mendes' version.
1969 Four Tops The Four Tops Now!
1969 Dorothy Ashby Dorothy's Harp
1969 Petula Clark Just Pet
1969 Roslyn Kind Give Me You
1969 Stone the Crows Stone the Crows
1969 Vera Lynn B-side of single Goodnight[30] Also on double album The Singles Collection (2007)
1970 Shirley Bassey (single) No. 48 on the UK Singles Chart;[31]
b/w "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life"[32]
1971 Ron Goodwin Ron Goodwin in Concert Orchestral version. Goodwin's orchestration gives the opening penny whistle solo to the violas of the orchestra.
1971 The Chopsticks All of a Sudden
1976 Helen Reddy All This and World War II
1977 Björk Guðmundsdóttir Björk[33] Sung in Icelandic.
1981 Sarah Vaughan Songs of the Beatles
1981 John Paul Young The Singer
1982 John Williams The Portrait of John Williams Classical guitar version
1984 Sky Fool on The Hill Also on 2015 reissue edition of Cadmium.
2007 Beatallica Masterful Mystery Tour Merged with Metallica's "Fuel" to create "Fuel on the Hill"
2007 Aretha Franklin Rare & Unreleased Recordings from the Golden Reign of the Queen of Soul Recorded in 1969 during the sessions for This Girl's in Love with You.
2009 Mark Mallman Minnesota Beatle Project, Vol. 1
2014 Eurythmics The Night That Changed America: A Grammy Salute to The Beatles This performance was the first and only reunion of Eurythmics founding members Annie Lennox and David A. Stewart after the duo's disbanding in 2005.

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ Bogdanov, p. 54.
  2. 1 2 3 Miles 1997, pp. 365–366.
  3. 1 2 Sheff 2000, p. 186.
  4. ↑ Turner 2005, pp. 143–144.
  5. ↑ Dominic Pedler. The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles. Music Sales Limited. Omnibus Press. NY. 2003. pp183-184
  6. ↑ Dominic Pedler. The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles. Music Sales Limited. Omnibus Press. NY. 2003. p184
  7. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 123.
  8. 1 2 Apple Records 1994, pp. 41,42.
  9. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 126.
  10. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 127.
  11. ↑ Kevin Ryan; Brian Kehew (2006). Recording the Beatles: The studio equipment and techniques used to create their classic albums. Curvebender. p. 470. ISBN 978-0-9785200-0-7. Retrieved 12 June 2011.
  12. ↑ Schnee, Stephen (15 January 2015). "An Exclusive interview with The Moody Blues' Ray Thomas!". Discussions Magazine. Retrieved 27 February 2016.
  13. ↑ George Martin interviewed on the Pop Chronicles (1969)
  14. ↑ MacDonald 2005, p. 270.
  15. ↑ Lewisohn 1988, p. 129.
  16. ↑ Unterberger 2007.
  17. ↑ Riley 1988, p. 240.
  18. ↑ "The Top 1,043 Classic Rock Songs of All Time: Dirty Dozenth Edition". Q1043.com. Archived from the original on 14 December 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  19. ↑ "Dylan-Beatles-Stones-Donovan-Who, Dionne Warwick and Dusty Springfield, John Fred, California". Esquire Magazine. Retrieved 2017-10-17.
  20. ↑ Madinger & Easter 2000, p. 254.
  21. ↑ Madinger & Easter 2000, p. 317.
  22. ↑ Pereles 1989.
  23. ↑ Madinger & Easter 2000, p. 334.
  24. ↑ "Song for "Schmucks": Beatles Score $1.5 Mil for "Fool on the Hill"". 20 July 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  25. ↑ Ginell, Richard S. "Fool on the Hill". AllMusic. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  26. ↑ Songfacts.com 2009.
  27. ↑ Whitburn 1996.
  28. ↑ Allmusic 2007.
  29. ↑ Radio interview with the writer of the booklet accompanying Das war ein harter Tag Archived 4 June 2012 at Archive.is (in German). Corry Brokken is called Conny Brokken and Corry Broken respectively
  30. ↑ "Vera Lynn 45 catalogue". 45cat.com. Retrieved 2014-02-03.
  31. ↑ Roberts 2006, pp. 44–45.
  32. ↑ "Shirley Bassey - The Fool On The Hill". Retrieved 25 January 2018.
  33. ↑ Fritsch 2001.

References

  • Bogdanov, Vladimir. All music guide to electronica: the definitive guide to electronic music. ISBN 0-87930-628-9.
  • "Alan Pollack review of "The Fool on the Hill"". Alan W. Pollack.
  • "Performers of "The Fool on the Hill". Allmusic. Archived from the original on 28 December 2006. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  • Anthology 2 (booklet). The Beatles. London: Apple Records. 1994. 31796.
  • Fritsch, Oliver (2001). "Official Bjork Discography". bjork.com. Archived from the original on 5 March 2007. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  • 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 1-84413-828-3.
  • Madinger, Chip; Mark Easter (2000). Eight Arms To Hold You: The Solo Beatles Compendium. Chesterfield, MO: 44.1 Productions, LP. ISBN 0-615-11724-4.
  • Miles, Barry (1997). Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now. New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 0-8050-5249-6.
  • Pereles, Jon (13 December 1989). "More Nostalgia Than Rock in Paul McCartney's Return". Reviews/Music. New York Times. Retrieved 23 July 2011.
  • 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".
  • 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. Retrieved 10 November 2009.
  • 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. Retrieved 12 March 2007.
  • Whitburn, Joel (1996). The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits (6th ed.). New York: Billboard Publications.
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