Fool on the Hill is unjustly ignored

I love the lyrics for this song, but what bothers me a little are the winds. The melody and the lyrics are great.

what I also like very much about this song is when Paul says "but the fool on the hill" and John's voice appears That's great.

beautiful song really..............

*Was* it ignored? Didn't Brasil '66 do a really cool cover version shortly after the original came out? (shamefacedly admits that the Brasil '66 version was the first version of the song I ever heard. I didn't hear the original until years later).

When I very first listened to Magical Mystery Tour, Fool On The Hill stuck out and became my favorite first. I thought it was John that sang it and I still think it sounds a lot like John. The demo versions from Anthology 2 are painfully good and I can only imagine what it was like to have to decide if the song was going to be revamped or simplified or changed in any which way.

My favorite part of the song is when the mood turns suddenly somber-ish when the line "But the fool on the hill sees the sun going down and the eyes in his head see the world spinning round" and then turns into a brighter tune in just one instant.

Sorry to crash the "Fool On The Hill" love-in, but I just don't like it that much.
I should specify--it's not a bad song, but it's certainly not one of Paul's better efforts. I think it's just too long, by about one chorus. Just when it sounds as if he should be heading towards the finish, he keeps going! I've always felt "You Won't See Me" has the same problem--in both cases, Paul should have edited himself just a bit.

I like it a lot. I dont know why really.

i've really gotten back into MMT in the past few months, and while i agree it's a great macca vocal, i often find myself skipping it .

Originally Posted by luvsthebeatles

What does it really matter what he's talking about? Just as long as you can have your own meaning for it. Tell me then, what is John talking about in I Am The Walrus?

Stream of consciousness strawberry fields lyrics versus his nonsensical walrus lyrics. I find it nearly impossible to know precisely what he was singing about, but that's half the fun.

I think this song is saying basically the same thing as John Lennon's "Watching the Wheels". It's the perspective of someone who's played the game of life to the point where he can see it's just a game, just a sport. The few who are able to look at life from the viewpoint of both performer and audience might appear foolish to most people who have different priorities and values.

Just today, my aunt asked me if I like going out to dance. I told her that I don't really like it. Actually, I really meant that I just don't like most kinds of social dancing. But I think the music in "The Fool on the Hill" very much has a dancing feeling to it. It makes me think of ancient times, pan pipes, and festive bacchanals. Sort of a sacred tune - the kind you can dance to if you're the kind of "fool" who's "keeping perfectly still". You watch "the world spinning round" as the universe dances for you.

So I think it would be cool if this song got more air time. But maybe the reason it doesn't is because most people don't think of dancing as something to do while sitting still by themselves. Personally, I think the fools who can play their own heart strings and dance inside are in better company.

Yeah, for some reason I was never all that nuts about "Fool", either... Pauly wrote other songs during that ear that are much better.

To me it's one of Paul's strangest songs, it just seems so morose when compared to his usual songwriting. I mean on the same album he had "Hello Goodbye" which is worlds away from "Fool on the Hill". I'm still unsure what I think of this song, there are better songs on Magical Mystery Tour but it isn't the worst. I think I like the Anthology take 4 version best.

I love Fool On The Hill and Magical Mystery Tour! I like them better than I Am The Walrus :)

I agree. It's unjustly ignored. I like the wistful feeling in the song and the flutists backing. Love that choice of instrumentation and the arrangement is great. Also love the Sarah Vaughn cover of this song that was a bit of a hit in the early '80s. This was probably one of my very favorite Beatles' songs for a long time.

Fool on the Hill is not high on my list of favorites. That may be because the psychedelic period is not my favorite Beatles era. That's not to say I think it's inferior in any way. Just doesn't grab me.

I really love the video of Paul with the footage from his small cottage... you can find it on youtube. I should upload it to my channel...

I didn't really go overly crazy for the song at first, but recently I've been listening to it a lot! Very underrated song! Great vocal performance from Paul. Not sure where I'd rank it alongside Penny Lane, All you need is love and Hello Goodbye :/ For me, it's at about a smilar level.

Used to like it a lot, but now it sounds too repetitious to me. Never reaches a strong resolution like it should have in my opinion. Still, I enjoy it if I hear it occasionally.

Among Paul's best IMO..........particularly the lyrics

Always been one of my favorites. Just wish there was more flute in it, like the whole song.

I love this song, one of few I remember as a current hit. My oldest brother had the album.