“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
Victoria Salazar
I really love how this article focused on a specific Beatles song. I think every lyric in every song has some sort of history whether the artist and audience realize it or not. Although I do not personally listen to The Beatles frequently, or even occasionally, I do enjoy the history of legends. Reading this article will forever alter my mindset, for the better, when I listen to “Hey Jude.”
Alicia Guzman
I think this song has a beautiful meaning behind it. It is wonderful to see an article tell that story, especially that of the relationship between Paul McCartney and Julian Lennon. It seems to me that Yoko Ono not only wrecked the band but John Lennon’s marriage to Jude’s mother, Cynthia. What I think is incredible is how a member of the orchestra said that this song would basically be trash and not really amount to anything. Well, the joke is on him.
Sarah Uhlig
It’s always a good surprise to hear about the meaning behind a song after listening to the song after all this time with no background of what it truly meant. I find this article interesting in how much your writing can change the perspective of a song, which had an assumed meaning, but now a true story behind a legend of a song.
Nicolas Vicinanza
This song is one of my favorite songs to ever be released by the Beatles. I was fortunate to hear Paul McCartney perform this song in one of his concerts. It was so cool to hear about the history and the origin of one of the Beatles greatest hits. This song shows such incredible passion for John Lennon’s son. It was a well written article about the history of a great song.
Paola Arellano
I love the fact that The Beatles are still incredibly influential today and that “Hey Jude” is still something that I like to listen to. Moreover, I truly have a much greater appreciation for the song and think that the article was finely written to highlight the important points that made it such a hit. Who would’ve known that the beginning of the song did not have drums all because a member could not wait to go to the restroom while they were recording? This was really enjoyable to read and I will pay a lot closer attention to the lyrics next time I listen to it.
Engelbert Madrid
I’m not a huge fan of The Beatles, but I do respect them musically for their success in the field of music and creativity. Their hit song, “Hey Jude,” is a beautiful song that brings comfort to the listener. There is love, harmony, and peace in the vocals along with the notes of the instruments; therefore, The Beatles must receive credit for their talent in music. I never knew the story behind the song, so I must give a huge thanks to the writer of this article for giving me new insight of the song.
Ruben Basaldu
I think when most people think about The Beatles this is one of the songs that comes to mind and it should because its a really good song. This song is also so relatable to some people because of what the meaning of the song is. Life can get hard at times and this song is one that tells the listener that just because you’re having bad times right now that does not mean that they will last forever. The song is truly a thing of beauty and it is inspiring and will continue to inspire for generations to come.
Mia Morales
I remember hearing “Hey Jude” for the first time and I remember how I thought this song was so beautiful in all its simplicity. I think it is very interesting how the root an upcoming of this song is through a divorce. It is interesting to me because it is such a hopeful song and the two subjects are almost mere opposites. When thinking of divorce most don’t think of beauty and hopefulness and to me this is what this song showcases.
Indhira Mata
I remember reading that Hey Jude was written after John had announced his divorce to his wife. I remember alot of the rumors like how Paul was with John’s wife or like John and Yoko. I like how the song is to help ease the divorce on John’s son because it can be tough on a child. The song made it seem that any bad thing can be turned into a good thing. This hit is their best known and to it to have a even more amazing backstory makes it more meaningful.
Gabriel Dossey
Hey Jude is my favorite song by the Beatles. I never knew the story as I am not the biggest fan. I really liked this article and its story of the song and how it happened. I really like that it was formed from the good nature that Paul had in trying to help Julian feel better about his parents divorce. It is all to real the tragedy.