Fool's Overture
Encyclopedia
"Fool's Overture" is the closing track from Supertramp
's 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments
. Written and sung by guitarist, keyboard player, singer and songwriter Roger Hodgson
, the song tells about World War II
Britain and the lessons learned from it. The song, which is over 10 minutes long, is a collage of progressive instrumentation and sound samples. First there are excerpts of Winston Churchill
's famous June 4, 1940 House of Commons speech regarding Britain's involvement in World War II ("Never Surrender"
), and later sounds of police cars and church bells are heard. The flageolet
-sounding instrument plays an excerpt from Gustav Holst
's "Venus", from his orchestral suite The Planets
. There is also a reading of the first verse of William Blake
's poem "And did those feet in ancient time
" (more commonly known as "Jerusalem"), ended by a very short sample of the band's song "Dreamer
".
Its writing credits are given to Rick Davies
and Roger Hodgson
, although it is a Hodgson composition. Like John Lennon and Paul McCartney
of The Beatles
, Hodgson and Davies joined writer's credits from 1974 until 1983, when Hodgson left Supertramp to pursue a solo career.
would play a different saxophone solo each performance with some ranging from "The Star Spangled Banner" to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home
" to just a plain saxophone doodle. A live version of the song, recorded in 1979, is included in the Paris
live album. The song has less frequently appeared on live setlists following the 1983 tour due to Hodgson's departure.
In the Netherlands, the synthesized instrumental part of the track was used as the background music for the gig
guide on Radio Veronica
, during their broadcast of the national Top 40
chart throughout the 1980s.
Supertramp
Supertramp are a British rock band formed in 1969 under the name Daddy before renaming to Supertramp in early 1970. Though their music was initially categorised as progressive rock, they have since incorporated a combination of traditional rock and art rock into their music...
's 1977 album Even in the Quietest Moments
Even in the Quietest Moments
Even in the Quietest Moments... is the fifth album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in April 1977.The album was recorded mainly at Caribou Ranch Studios in Colorado with overdubs, vocals and mixing completed at The Record Plant in Los Angeles and was Supertramp's first album to use...
. Written and sung by guitarist, keyboard player, singer and songwriter Roger Hodgson
Roger Hodgson
Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
, the song tells about World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
Britain and the lessons learned from it. The song, which is over 10 minutes long, is a collage of progressive instrumentation and sound samples. First there are excerpts of Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer-Churchill, was a predominantly Conservative British politician and statesman known for his leadership of the United Kingdom during the Second World War. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest wartime leaders of the century and served as Prime Minister twice...
's famous June 4, 1940 House of Commons speech regarding Britain's involvement in World War II ("Never Surrender"
We shall fight on the beaches
We Shall Fight on the Beaches is a common title given to a speech delivered by Winston Churchill to the House of Commons of the Parliament of the United Kingdom on 4th June 1940...
), and later sounds of police cars and church bells are heard. The flageolet
Flageolet
The flageolet is a woodwind musical instrument and a member of the fipple flute family. Its invention is ascribed to the 16th century Sieur Juvigny in 1581. There are two basic forms of the instrument: the French, having four finger holes on the front and two thumb holes on the back; and the...
-sounding instrument plays an excerpt from Gustav Holst
Gustav Holst
Gustav Theodore Holst was an English composer. He is most famous for his orchestral suite The Planets....
's "Venus", from his orchestral suite The Planets
The Planets
The Planets, Op. 32, is a seven-movement orchestral suite by the English composer Gustav Holst, written between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System and its corresponding astrological character as defined by Holst...
. There is also a reading of the first verse of William Blake
William Blake
William Blake was an English poet, painter, and printmaker. Largely unrecognised during his lifetime, Blake is now considered a seminal figure in the history of both the poetry and visual arts of the Romantic Age...
's poem "And did those feet in ancient time
And did those feet in ancient time
"And did those feet in ancient time" is a short poem by William Blake from the preface to his epic Milton a Poem, one of a collection of writings known as the Prophetic Books. The date on the title page of 1804 for Milton is probably when the plates were begun, but the poem was printed c. 1808...
" (more commonly known as "Jerusalem"), ended by a very short sample of the band's song "Dreamer
Dreamer (Supertramp song)
"Dreamer" is a hit single from Supertramp's 1974 album Crime of the Century. It peaked at Number 13 on the UK singles chart in February 1975. In 1980, it appeared on their live album Paris...
".
Its writing credits are given to Rick Davies
Rick Davies
Rick Davies is an English musician, best known as the founder and keyboardist of progressive rock band Supertramp...
and Roger Hodgson
Roger Hodgson
Charles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
, although it is a Hodgson composition. Like John Lennon and Paul McCartney
Lennon/McCartney
The Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership is one of the best-known and most successful musical collaborations in history...
of The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
, Hodgson and Davies joined writer's credits from 1974 until 1983, when Hodgson left Supertramp to pursue a solo career.
Live performances
"Fool's Overture" was the closing song on Supertramp's 1977, 1979 and 1983 tours before the encore. It is still the case for Hodgson's 2010 solo tour. When this song was played live, a video of World War II would be shown during the Winston Churchill speech and another film of bombs and houses exploding before the grand finale of the song. During the song's finale, the band decided to "go crazy" by bringing on stage Superman, a holy man, John in his Spider-Man glasses plus a conductor's jacket, dancing gorillas, cops, robbers, Indians, a banana and an Adolf Hitler look-alike. During the music explosion/Jerusalem section of the piece, when performed live from 1977 to 1983, John HelliwellJohn Helliwell
John Helliwell is an English musician and the saxophonist and occasional keyboardist and woodwind player for the rock band Supertramp...
would play a different saxophone solo each performance with some ranging from "The Star Spangled Banner" to "When Johnny Comes Marching Home
When Johnny Comes Marching Home
"When Johnny Comes Marching Home" is a popular song of the American Civil War that expressed people's longing for the return of their friends and relatives who were fighting in the war.-Origins:...
" to just a plain saxophone doodle. A live version of the song, recorded in 1979, is included in the Paris
Paris (Supertramp album)
Paris is a live album by progressive rock band Supertramp, released in 1980 . The album was recorded on Supertramp's Breakfast in America tour in November 1979 in Paris, France at the Pavillon de Paris, a venue which was once a slaughterhouse...
live album. The song has less frequently appeared on live setlists following the 1983 tour due to Hodgson's departure.
Use in popular media
For several years from the late 1970s to the early 1990s, a portion of the song was used as the theme music for W5, a Canadian news magazine television series.In the Netherlands, the synthesized instrumental part of the track was used as the background music for the gig
Gig (musical performance)
Gig is slang for a musical engagement in which musicians are hired. Originally coined in the 1920s by jazz musicians, the term, short for the word "engagement", now refers to any aspect of performing such as assisting with performance and attending musical performance...
guide on Radio Veronica
Radio Veronica
Radio Veronica was an offshore radio station that began broadcasting in 1960, and broadcast from offshore for over fourteen years. It was set up by independent radio, TV and household electrical retailers in the Netherlands to stimulate the sales of radio receivers by providing an alternative to...
, during their broadcast of the national Top 40
Dutch Top 40
The Dutch Top 40 is a weekly music chart, which started as the "Veronica Top 40", because the offshore radio station Radio Veronica was the first to introduce it. It remained "The Veronica Top 40" until 1974, when the station was forced to stop broadcasting...
chart throughout the 1980s.
Personnel
- Roger HodgsonRoger HodgsonCharles Roger Pomfret Hodgson is a British musician and songwriter, best known as the former co-frontman, and founding member, of progressive rock band Supertramp....
- pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, Elka Rhapsody synthesizerSynthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument capable of producing sounds by generating electrical signals of different frequencies. These electrical signals are played through a loudspeaker or set of headphones...
, lead and backing vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments... - Dougie ThomsonDougie ThomsonDouglas Campbell "Dougie" Thomson is a Scottish musician, born in Glasgow and raised in the Rutherglen area of the city. He is best known as the former bass guitarist of progressive rock band Supertramp.-Career:...
- bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, backing vocals - Bob SiebenbergBob SiebenbergBob Siebenberg, also known as Bob C. Benberg, is an American musician, best known as a member of British progressive rock band Supertramp, playing drums and percussion...
- drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, backing vocals - Rick DaviesRick DaviesRick Davies is an English musician, best known as the founder and keyboardist of progressive rock band Supertramp...
- synthesizers, pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, backing vocals - John HelliwellJohn HelliwellJohn Helliwell is an English musician and the saxophonist and occasional keyboardist and woodwind player for the rock band Supertramp...
- OberheimOberheimOberheim Electronics is an American company, founded in 1969 by Tom Oberheim , which manufactured audio synthesizers and a variety of other electronic musical instruments.-Oberheim Electronics:...
synthesizer, tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble...
, clarinetClarinetThe clarinet is a musical instrument of woodwind type. The name derives from adding the suffix -et to the Italian word clarino , as the first clarinets had a strident tone similar to that of a trumpet. The instrument has an approximately cylindrical bore, and uses a single reed...
, backing vocals