Thread: "The Fool On The Hill"

Aside from where you posted it in my thread, I have never heard it.

I know every damn song by the Beatles. If you were ever a Beatles fan, this one should be well known because of the little controversy about the music video for it.

The Beatles had 27 number one songs, and "The Fool On the Hill" was not one of them. It was also not on their 1967-1970 greatest hits double album. But pretty much all Beatles fans have heard it. I am a Beatles fanatic, and I think it's a good song, but not a great song.

The song is about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, by the way. So is "Sexy Sadie", which was written after they had turned against Maharishi and wanted to make fun of him.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

I am a Beatles fanatic

Awesoooooooome!!! Though I gotta admit that I was one. I overdid it for quite a few years and it has since died down.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

Awesoooooooome!!! Though I gotta admit that I was one. I overdid it for quite a few years and it has since died down.

It will probably come back again. I go through phases that last years at a time. The Beatles have been my favorite band since I was in the third grade, but I go through phases where I listen to them just sometimes for a few years. But there always comes a point when I hear one of their songs and get a major rush and realize that they were not of this Earth and start listening to them constantly.

For me, their only real competition is Joni Mitchell. She is not a band, so I'm clear on who my favorite band is. But as far as my favorite musical act, it is about a tie between Joni and The Beatles. They pretty much take turns being the primary object of my musical fanaticism. Jefferson Airplane is next on the ladder, but my obession with them stays pretty constant.

I've heard of it, is there any chance the people you are asking know who the Beatles are?

I guess I know all the Beatles songs. Probably even 95+% of all the lyrics.

The Fool on the Hill was on the album "Magical Mystery Tour," which was a relative flop, compared to Sgt. Pepper, which came just before it. The movie of the same title was a complete flop. It was actually pretty hard to sit through.

See the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning 'round...

Eh - not one of their greats, compared to the rest of their lexicon... but a very good song by any other standard of comparison.

I like 'the fool on the hill' quite catchy, and they used windpipes!

Originally Posted by luffers

...and they used windpipes!

Hard to sing without 'em.

haha true...come to think of it they use wind pipes in all their songs!

Originally Posted by luffers

haha true...come to think of it they use wind pipes in all their songs!

Except "Flying" (also on Magical Mystery Tour), which I think is their only instrumental.

Originally Posted by skysaw

Except "Flying" (also on Magical Mystery Tour), which I think is their only instrumental.

I think there's one on a very early album as well, although it's not their original work if I'm not mistaken. Can't think of the name.

Originally Posted by skysaw

Except "Flying" (also on Magical Mystery Tour), which I think is their only instrumental.

also there is yellow submarine in pepperland, pepperland laid waste and march of the meanies, sea of monsters, sea of Time and sea of holes.

Originally Posted by luffers

also there is yellow submarine in pepperland, pepperland laid waste and march of the meanies, sea of monsters, sea of Time and sea of holes.

Those were actually written by George Martin, not the Beatles. It was incidental music from the film. As a side note, those were only on the American release of the album. The British release had only Beatles originals.

Originally Posted by skysaw

Except "Flying" (also on Magical Mystery Tour), which I think is their only instrumental.

There is singing in "Flying", just no sensical words.

Originally Posted by skysaw

The movie of the same title was a complete flop. It was actually pretty hard to sit through.

I am probably the only person in the world I know who really likes the movie. I am a big fan of theater of the absurd. When you mix that in with the Beatles, you have something very entertaining. Really, all of their movies were absurdist works, but Magical Mystery Tour was the most absurd and meaningless of all of them.

wow, I have never got into the Beatles. Even though I have such strong links with them. It's weird.

Originally Posted by Carôusoul

wow, I have never got into the Beatles. Even though I have such strong links with them. It's weird.

The time has come, young jedi.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=TcuvjYxYJz0

http://youtube.com/watch?v=cqOKvonLrH8

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9vf26cRtG_w

http://youtube.com/watch?v=xwWZjySMK0c

http://youtube.com/watch?v=YXG83p2nkHw

http://youtube.com/watch?v=h7pvA4EHi08

http://youtube.com/watch?v=FQ6r7S3_cTE

The Beatles have been my favorite band my whole life and "Fool on the Hill" is one of my favorite songs. I've heard Paul say it was not just about the Maharishi but could also be about Jesus, Budda or other figures. I'd say their most underrated song is "Norwegian Wood".

Yes. The Beatles are my favorite band... I know everything about them...

It's a great song, I have the LP record Magical Mystery Tour original record, It's on there.

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

The song is about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, by the way. So is "Sexy Sadie", which was written after they had turned against Maharishi and wanted to make fun of him.

You're right about Sexy Sadie being about the Yogi, but The Fool on the Hill is about this man Paul saw on a walk with a friend, who was on top of a hill. When they looked back, he vanished and the nearest cover was to far away to even run to... Mysterious.

Originally Posted by Grod

You're right about Sexy Sadie being about the Yogi, but The Fool on the Hill is about this man Paul saw on a walk with a friend, who was on top of a hill. When they looked back, he vanished and the nearest cover was to far away to even run to... Mysterious.

In the book The Beatles: Illustrated Lyrics by Alan Aldridge, there is a work of art illustrating the concept of the song. Under the picture is a Paul McCartney quote about Maharishi. There is also a quote from Paul you can find on the itnernet where he said the song is about "someone like Maharishi". He mentions the giggle, which is a Maharishi trademark. The point of the song is that the fool is actually an enlightened genius, and Maharishi was the epitome of that to The Beatles at the time. They were big time Maharishi people in those days. They went on a long retreat with him to India the next year. He became their officail guru. Paul said later they had gotten to the point of believing Maharishi was some kind of being of superhuman significance and enlightenment. So Maharishi is apparently the primary specific character represented, but the character also represents guru type people in general.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fool_on_the_Hill

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=9&gl=us

Originally Posted by Universal Mind

In the book The Beatles: Illustrated Lyrics by Alan Aldridge, there is a work of art illustrating the concept of the song. Under the picture is a Paul McCartney quote about Maharishi. There is also a quote from Paul you can find on the itnernet where he said the song is about "someone like Maharishi". He mentions the giggle, which is a Maharishi trademark. The point of the song is that the fool is actually an enlightened genius, and Maharishi was the epitome of that to The Beatles at the time. They were big time Maharishi people in those days. They went on a long retreat with him to India the next year. He became their officail guru. Paul said later they had gotten to the point of believing Maharishi was some kind of being of superhuman significance and enlightenment. So Maharishi is apparently the primary specific character represented, but the character also represents guru type people in general.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fool_on_the_Hill

http://209.85.165.104/search?q=cache...lnk&cd=9&gl=us

Yeah, but right under where you were quoting, on the same page, the thing I was talking about is described.

It's also here...
http://iamthebeatles.com/article1010.html

Originally Posted by Grod

Yeah, but right under where you were quoting, on the same page, the thing I was talking about is described.

It's also here...
http://iamthebeatles.com/article1010.html

It looks like the song had more than one influence and represented more than one specific person.