“I would always turn the radio off and try and make up songs, just in case… I started singing: ‘Hey Jules–don’t make it bad–take a sad song, and make it better.” —Paul McCartney1
In June of 1968, Paul McCartney went to visit John Lennon, his wife Cynthia, and their five year old son Julian. While hanging out and visiting, John and Cynthia announced to Paul that they were getting a divorce. Paul, who Julian considered more his father than John due to their closer connection, thought about how it would affect Julian. It was rumored that the reason why John and Cynthia were getting a divorce was because of John’s infidelity with an artist named Yoko Ono. In a letter written by John to Cynthia, he addressed the fact that John knew that their marriage was long over before the events that happened with Yoko Ono.2
Paul McCartney said, “I thought, as a friend of the family, I would motor out to Weybridge and tell them that everything was all right: to try and cheer them up, basically, and see how they were. I had about an hour’s drive. I would always turn the radio off and try and make up songs, just in case… I started singing: ‘Hey Jules – don’t make it bad, take a sad song, and make it better…’ It was optimistic, a hopeful message for Julian: ‘Come on, man, your parents got divorced. I know you’re not happy, but you’ll be OK.”3
“Hey Jude” was recorded at Abbey Road on July 29-30, in 1968. John and Paul finished the final touches for the song in Paul’s house. They recorded it with Ringo and George that following Monday at Abbey Road. While they were figuring out how to play the song, they brought out an orchestra, and one of the other orchestra men, didn’t thinking that the song would be a huge hit at the time, walked out saying that he wasn’t “going to clap [his] hands and sing Paul McCartney’s bloody song.”4
The Beatles only took one take to record their hit song. While recording the song, Ringo Starr had to go to the bathroom, got up and left, and didn’t let anyone know. He came back, and nobody realized what had happened, for the first couple of seconds in the song. Paul liked how there was no drums and ended up sticking with it.
The final song is 7 minutes and 11 seconds long, and nobody intended on it being that long. “Hey Jude” was released as a single, that later was put into a collection of singles release by The Beatles. The song was released in the Unites States on August 26, 1968 and in the UK on August 30, 1968. “Hey Jude” had a permanent residence at #1 on the Billboards Top 30 for 8 weeks. All in all, it spent 18 weeks in the Top 30. Within the initial release of the song, there were five million sales in the first six months, and 7.5 million in 4 years. 5
When John first heard the song, he though it was about him and Yoko, and telling him “to go out and get her.” “Well, when Paul first sang ‘Hey Jude’ to me… or played me the little tape he’d made of it… I took it very personally. ‘Ah, it’s me,’ I said, ‘It’s me.’ He says, ‘No, it’s me.’ I said, ‘Check. We’re going through the same bit.’ So we all are. Whoever is going through a bit with us is going through it, that’s the groove.”6
In 1987, after the song was released, Paul reached out to Julian and said that the song was about him, and that Julian always felt a better connection to Paul, than his dad, John. The recording notes were auctioned off by Julian in 1996, and then Cynthia Lennon tried to auction off the original handwritten lyrics, but Paul took it to court preventing it from even happening.7
People and critics believe that throughout all the rough, creative, and changing time in America, “Hey Jude” gave people a sense of “letting go of your childhood innocence,” by giving them a message of reassurance, and trying to help them make the step to move forward with their lives. “The process of singing the song testifies that uplifted spirits are earned, not just willed; no peace is possible without struggle.”8
To this day, the Beatles are one of the most well-known bands in the world. They were part of “The British Invasion” and created an international legacy that will never die. The band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1988, and John Lennon and Paul McCartney were also inducted as solo artist.
- Andrew Leonard, “Hey Jude,” The Beatles Bible. 7 June 2018. Accessed September 09, 2018. www.beatlesbible.com/songs/hey-jude/ . ↵
- John Lennon to Cynthia Twist, November 15, 1976, in Steve Marinucci, “John Lennon Disputes Yoko Ono Ending His marriage In Unearthed Letter to First Wife,” Billboard, August 8, 2017. https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7896840/john-lennon-yoko-ono-cynthia-lennon-divorce-letter. ↵
- Andrew Leonard, “Hey Jude,” The Beatles Bible, 7 June 2018. Accessed September 09, 2018. www.beatlesbible.com/songs/hey-jude/. ↵
- Guesdon, Jean-Michel. All The Songs, The Story Behind All The Beatles Release. New York: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers, 2013. ↵
- Dmitry Murashev, “Beatles History,” DM’S Beatles Site, 2012. Accessed 13 November 2018. ↵
- John Lennon, interview by Jonathan Colt, in Rolling Stone Magazine, November 23, 1968, reproduced in Dmitry Murashev, Beatles History – 1968 Year. Accessed November 10, 2018. http://www.dmbeatles.com/interviews.php?interview=67. ↵
- Andrew Leonard, “Hey Jude,” The Beatles Bible, 7 June 2018. Accessed September 09, 2018. www.beatlesbible.com/songs/hey-jude/. ↵
- Encyclopedia Of Great Popular Song Recordings, 2013, s.v. “Hey Jude (1968)—The Beatles.” ↵
92 comments
Zachary Fisher
The Beatles are probably my favorite band of all time, and Hey Jude was one of the first songs that got me into the Beatles. Although I knew it was written by Paul McCartney for John Lennon’s son Julian, I did not know all of the details behind that. For instance, I didn’t know that Julian felt closer to Paul then he did his won father. Overall, this is a very comforting song when life isn’t always going so well.
Amanda Quiroz
I remember this as one of my family’s favorite songs. I always loved the tune and lyrics. I knew it had a meaning but was never too sure of what the story behind it was. Paul’s connection with Jules is very special. It’s amazing how one person can impact someone’s life in a positive manner just through a song. God bless Paul’s heart.
Analisa Cervantes
Growing up I heard of the Beatles but I never really knew their songs. It was only in the past two years that I began listening to their songs. Hey Jude is one of my favorite songs from the Beatles. I actually never knew who the song was about until now. When I reheard the lyrics it all makes sense now.
Rahni Hingoranee
Personally, I am a huge fan of the Beatles and specifically, Hey Jude is my favorite song by them. Naturally, this article caught my attention. I had no idea the relationship Paul had with John Lennon’s son. I knew that Paul had written the story about a friend’s son, but I assumed their name was Jude, and I did not know the son was Paul’s. It was interesting to learn about Lennon’s failed marriage and how public some of it was. Even more odd to me is how Julian had no interest in the song and wanted to auction it off. I think this is very disrespectful. When listening to the song, I now have a better understanding of the meaning behind it. The article did a great job of explaining that.
Courtney Pena
I always listen to the Beatles and I would always play the song, “Hey Jude” on my playlist. I never researched what the song was about but it is good to know now that Paul McCartney wrote it about Julian and that things in his life will get better since his parents were getting a divorce. I wonder why Julian would auction off the recording notes to a song Paul created for him even though they have a good personal connection.
Vanessa Quetzeri
This story is so sweet; “Hey Jude” is one of my favorite Beatles’s songs. I think it is quite sad that Julian Lennon didn’t have a close relationship with his father, but I’m glad he did have someone to look up to. We all need a Paul McCartney in our life, someone that writes a song about us when we are going through a rough time.
John Estrada
The Beatles are truly a wonderful group of musicians. Growing up, who doesn’t love The Beatles!? “Hey Jude” is one of the many songs that I’d be singing because the tune is catchy, yet never gave thought to the message and feelings behind the lyrics. This article brought to my attention after years, that this song has a meaning. That though things may get bad, you can make them better: I believe that’s a very important message I’m glad I discovered here.
Olivia Santiago
As a musician, the Beatles have always held a very special place in my heart, and it was awesome to read such a well-crafted article about one of their greatest hits. It showcases the musical talent, and compassion Paul McCartney has for others, which is part of why he wrote such beautiful music. “Hey Jude” became an anthem for Americans in an era of war, violence, and lots of prejudice. This song united many, despite being written for one little boy.
Sierra Salas
Reading about the birth of “Hey Jude” gave me an understanding that many people are like Julian Lennon in one way or another. What I mean by this is, as humans we go through trials and tribulations and we need our own “Paul McCarthy” to tell us that we will be alright. We need to hear the voice of someone telling us that although you encountered a sticky situation, you can survive it. I adore that Paul McCarthy wrote this song for Julian Lennon, especially since Julian considered Paul as a father figure. Sometimes our friends help us continue walking through life with our head up.
Briana Montes
I loved how this was written, growing up I would listen to the Beatles and till this day I did not know what It was about. I enjoyed hearing that life isn’t easy and people go through things because its true. Parents get divorced and it is hard for kids. I feel like the fans (including me) could relate to this and find comfort in it. One part I really enjoyed was “Whoever is going through a bit with us is going through it, that’s the groove.” because yes, it was about Julian but they still wanted to include their fans and make it a piece of them. This article was well written and helped me better understand the song.