Mandi Allen
The Beatles
“Hey Jude”
“And anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain, don’t carry the world upon your shoulders”. “Hey Jude” created by Paul McCartney was originally named “Hey Jules” for John Lennon’s son, Julian, during the time of his parents divorce in 1968. After Lennon’s affair with Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney continued to visit Cynthia Lennon and Julian. “We’d been very good friends for millions of years and I thought it was a bit much for them suddenly to be personae non-gratae and out of my life” stated McCartney.
“I started with the idea “Hey Jules”, which was Julian, “don’t make it bad, take a sad song and make it better.” McCartney knew the divorce between Julian’s parents was not going to be easy for him, so he thought this song was going to be a type of support. Although McCartney claimed to have wrote this song for Julian, many people including John Lennon, thought this was song was for them- as in the listener. Writer Mark Hertsgaard stated “many of the song’s lyrics do seem directed more at a grown man on the verge of a powerful new love, especially the lines ‘you have found her now go and get her’”. However, though there was a lot of confusion, Time magazine came to a conclusion and wrote, “Paul McCartney liltingly exhorts a friend to overcome his fears and commit himself in love.”
Most songs recorded at that time were around three to three-and-a-half minutes long. However, “Hey Jude” clocked in at seven minutes and eleven seconds and, at the time, it was the longest single ever to top the British charts. The fade-out coda itself is four minutes long. “This song becomes a tour of my vocal range: from the graceful inviting tones of the opening verse, through the mounting excitement of the song itself, to the surging raves of the coda” McCartney explains.
“Hey Jude” was released in August 1968 as the first single from the Beatles’ record labeled Apple Records, and it hit the charts. “Hey Jude” was number one in the charts and held that position for nine weeks. This single has sold approximately eight million copies and continues to be included in professional lists of the all-time best songs. I think this song was so inspiring for many people because the lyrics can fit for everyone. It reminds everyone that every body goes through hard times and trials, but even though these times are difficult, we forget to take the good out of our experiences and move on instead of holding a grudge. Lean on people you love. In other words, “Don’t make it bad, take a sad song and make it better”
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