Yesterday (Sunday, June 22) marked 50 years since the Beatles played their first ever New Zealand concert at the Wellington Town Hall. For the cultural impact of the tour on little conservative old NZ, check out my colleague Andrew Dickens’ piece in the latest Metro magazine.

In the meantime, here’s my all-time favourite Beatles song. Written three years after the Beatles were in New Zealand, Fool On The Hill is Paul McCartney being inspired by people like the Maharishi Yogi – solitary figures derided for being fools when in fact McCartney would argue they had wisdom and were misunderstood.

Released in 1967 from the Magical Mystery Tour album, Fool On The Hill isn’t just my favourite Beatles song, but my most loved-recorder-featuring song in pop history. Granted, it’s hard to think of other recorder-featuring pop songs, but Fool On The Hill has one of those beautiful McCartney melodies that simultaneously seem childlike and sophisticated. Enjoy.