User:Shmego/Draft space
1977 song by Supertramp
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"Fool's Overture" is a song by the British rock band Supertramp, written by Roger Hodgson and also credited to other band member Rick Davies. Released on the 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments..., it was later released on their compilation album, The Very Best of Supertramp 2, in 1992.
| "Fool's Overture" | |
|---|---|
| Song by Supertramp | |
| from the album Even in the Quietest Moments... | |
| Released | 8 April 1977 |
| Recorded | 1972–1977 |
| Studio | Caribou Ranch (Nederland, Colorado) |
| Genre | |
| Length | 10:52 |
| Label | A&M |
| Songwriters | |
| Producer | Supertramp |
Background and composition
Fool's Overture's was inspired by The Beatles, classical music, and the post-war era.[1] According to John Helliwell: "It came primarily from a few melodies Roger worked out on the string machine thing we use on stage."[2] The flageolet-sounding instrument plays an excerpt from Gustav Holst's "Venus", from his orchestral suite The Planets.[3] The song was also inspired by William Blake's hymn And did those feet in ancient time and a Winston Churchill's "We shall fight on the beaches" speech. The song also included chimes from London clock tower Big Ben, crowd sounds, and police sirens. Writer Roger Hodgson stated that the song was a combination of three classical music pieces he had written. The lyrics also address the fall of human kind, with Hodgson pointing out the lyric "history recalls how great the fall can be."[4] On the song's meaning, Hodgson stated: "It was very much the way I was perceiving life, that people were in denial of the way we were heading and the way the planet was heading."[5] However, he has also said that the song's lyrics have essentially no meaning, explaining: "I like being vague and yet saying enough to set people's imaginations running riot."[6]The song also includes a short sample of the lead single from Supertramp's album Crime of the Century, Dreamer.[7][3]
The song was written and recorded using an Elka Rhapsody synthesizer.[4]
Reception
In a review of the album, Prorography mentioned Fool's Overture as one of the songs that inflated the album, along with "Lover Boy" and "Babaji." It was later described as an 'ill-conceived wedding cake.'[8] Classic Rock Review praised the album and called Fool's Overture an 'epic closer.'[9] AllMusic called the album itself unfinished, but praised Fool's Overture as one of the standouts of the album.
Roger Hodgson rated it as one of the best songs he ever wrote.[10] Ultimate Classic Rock critic Nick DeRiso rated it as Supertramp's seventh-best song.[3] The song was also eventually released on Supertramp's compilation album The Very Best of Supertramp 2 in 1992.[11]