The Singers Unlimited was a four part jazz vocal goup formed in 1971 by Gen… Read Full Bio ↴The Singers Unlimited was a four part jazz vocal goup formed in 1971 by Gene Puerling. Members of the group included Len Dresslar (better known as the Jolly Green Giant in General Mills commercials), Bonnie Herman, Don Shelton and Puerling himself.

Gene Puerling and Don Shelton had originally formed part of the successful all-male vocal group, The Hi-Lo's, some years previously. The Singers Unlimited Group were originally formed to record for commercials in the USA, but as time progressed, they were persuaded to enter the recording studio to record a series of albums. On the recommendation of Oscar Peterson (who was also signed to the label at the time), they gained a contract with German label MPS. They recorded two albums in 1971, the first a cappella, the second with Peterson's then current trio.

The group produced 15 albums, of which arguably the most well-known is their Christmas Album (which was actually recorded before the group's association with MPS.) All of the 14 albums they recorded specifically for MPS (between the years 1971-1982) are collected in the 7 CD box set entitled Magic Voices.

Magic VoicesPuerling's Singers Unlimited arrangements earned him the reputation as one of the best vocal writers in the world. The renowned jazz-gospel vocal group Take 6 often gives credit to Puerling and the Singers Unlimted as innovators in the a cappella world, claiming that Take 6 "went to school" on Puerling's arrangements.

Puerling took advantage of cutting-edge multitracking techniques of German studio engineer Hans George Brunner-Schwer to create his advanced harmonic concepts and the group's signature sound. In the overdubbing process, baritone Puerling and tenor Shelton would often add two additional middle parts, after which all parts were "doubled" and "tripled." Creating these extra tracks created the fuller, richer sound of the group's recordings, and is now a common recording practice.

Len Dresslar (born 1924), bass of the Singers Unlimited, arguably best known as the voice of the Jolly Green Giant ("Ho, Ho, Ho!") for well over 40 years, as well as the voice behind countless other jingles from Chicago, passed away in 2005. He had also been the President of the Chicago branch of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) for several years in the mid to late eighties.

Fool On The Hill
Singers Unlimited Lyrics

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Day after day
Alone on a hill
The man with the foolish grin
Is keeping perfectly still
But nobody wants to know him
They can see that he's just a fool
And he never gives an answer

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round

Well on the way
Head in a cloud
The man of a thousand voices
Talking perfectly loud

But nobody ever hears him
Or the sounds he appears to make
And he never seems to notice

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round

And nobody seems to like him
They can tell what he wants to do
And he never shows his feelings

But the fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round

He never listens to them
He knows that they're the fools
They don't like him

The fool on the hill
Sees the sun going down
And the eyes in his head
See the world spinning round

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Singers Unlimited's "Fool On The Hill" speak to the isolation and misinterpretation of a misunderstood individual who is viewed as a fool by others around him. The man is depicted as being alone, with a foolish grin, and doesn't give answers to those who try to understand him. He's seen by others as a fool, and they don't bother to get to know him. However, while the world keeps spinning round, the fool on the hill is seen observing it all with the eyes in his head.

Furthermore, the lyrics suggest that this man of a thousand voices is talking perfectly loud, yet nobody seems to hear him or notice the sounds that he appears to be making. Despite the fact that he knows what he wants to do, nobody seems to like him, and he never shows his feelings to others. The fool sees the sun going down and the world still spinning round, and he knows that they are the fools who don't understand him. The lyrics suggest that this fool on the hill has a unique perspective of the world that is not understood by those around him.

Line by Line Meaning

Day after day
Repetition of mundane routine

Alone on a hill
Isolated and lonely

The man with the foolish grin
Appears foolish and naive

Is keeping perfectly still
Unmoving and unchanging

But nobody wants to know him
Ignored and socially excluded

They can see that he's just a fool
Perceived as inferior and unimportant

And he never gives an answer
Doesn't feel the need to justify himself

But the fool on the hill
Despite appearances, he has a different perspective

Sees the sun going down
In tune with the passing of time

And the eyes in his head
Observant and aware

See the world spinning round
Perceives the world in motion and flux