The Fool on the Hill

"The Fool on the Hill" is a song by the Beatles. It was written and sung by Paul McCartney (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. 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:

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.

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. In his 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon said, "Now that's Paul. Another good lyric. Shows he's capable of writing complete songs."

The Fool on the Hill (ballet)

The Fool on the Hill is a ballet created by the British choreographer, Gillian Lynne.

Television production

In 1975 Gillian Lynne arrived in Australia to create The Australian Ballet's first work expressly commissioned for television which was jointly commissioned by The Australian Ballet and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. The The Fool on the Hill ballet was inspired by the Beatles' song and the score was arranged and orchestrated by John Lanchbery, using interpretations of Beatles' songs and featuring characters like Eleanor Rigby, and Sergeant Pepper. The director of the television production was Bryan Ashbridge.Robert Helpmann appeared as Sergeant Pepper in the original television ballet.

The ballet won a number of international television awards.

Stage production

The ballet was later revised for stage performances. It premiered as a live stage production at the Sydney Opera House on 28 April 1976.

Notes and references


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The Hill

by: Richard Buckner

SILENT before the jury
Returning no word to the judge when he asked me
If I had aught to say against the sentence,
Only shaking my head.
What could I say to people who thought
That a woman of thirty-five was at fault
When her lover of nineteen killed her husband?
Even though she had said to him over and over,
"Go away, Elmer, go far away,
I have maddened your brain with the gift of my body:
You will do some terrible thing."
And just as I feared, he killed my husband;
With which I had nothing to do, before
God Silent for thirty years in prison
And the iron gates of Joliet
Swung as the gray and silent trusties
Carried me out in a coffin.




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