The Epic Track: “Hey Jude”

Editor’s Note: There are certain tracks that are, well, “epic” — memorable, larger than life, carved into music history. In this series, we look at one of them.

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There’s a case to be made that the Beatles’ 1968 masterpiece “Hey Jude” is the working definition of an Epic Track. It has a specific historical framework of Beatles lore, while remaining universally relatable with its hopeful message. It’s over 7 minutes of delight – half introspective ballad, half spirited singalong. Not a chorus to be found – just verses and bridge, building up to that climax and coda that has become a key part of our musical universe. 

A non-album single written by Paul, “Hey Jude” is a lyrical mystery filled with overlapping characters and situations. It was composed by Paul during a drive to visit John’s son Julian; John was divorcing his wife Cynthia to throw in his lot with Yoko Ono. Paul (who was close to 5-year-old Julian) composed the piece to comfort him. His nickname was “Jules,” but Paul settled on “Jude” due to its smoother read and, possibly, his love of show tunes; “Jud” was a character in the Broadway hit Oklahoma! at the time.

Paul’s desire to console young Julian was the springboard for “Hey Jude.” His plea for Julian to “take a sad song and make it better” was in context for a kid in crisis. 

But things begin to widen when Paul follows it up with, “Remember to let her into your heart/then you can start to make it better.” We’re now moving away from a child’s plight and into romantic matters. John was certain that Paul’s ruminations on opening one’s heart, laying down burdens, loosening the stranglehold of coolness, and allowing romance to deepen were about him. 

It’s possible that this was Paul’s blessing for Lennon to commit to Yoko and move on with his life. It was a matter of record that John and Yoko were surgically attached at this point, changing the dynamic of the band. But the timeline also tracks perfectly with Paul’s evolving love life. He was ending things with his fiancée Jane Asher after 5 years. In the 1997 McCartney bio, Many Years From Now, he admits that “…[Jane] and I weren’t really going to be the thing we’d always thought we might be.” More to the point, someone else was: his great love and first wife, Linda Eastman. Paul may have been giving himself an internal pep talk on how to make that leap and go the distance with Linda. 

So let it out and let it in/Hey Jude, begin… 

For well you know that it’s just you…

Hey Jude, you’ll do.

The movement you need is on your shoulder.

Thought-provoking lyrics that seem to allude to dropping the barriers and letting the proverbial angel on his shoulder guide him.

All is open to interpretation, but one thing appears clear: Paul is talking to someone (or a few someones) into allowing themselves to make their respective sad songs better. Whether it’s Julian, John, Paul himself…or all of us. At the 3:09 mark, he builds to a crescendo at the end of the ballad portion, swinging from the repetition of the word “better” to the primal scream. Then, there’s the iconic “Na na na na na na na/Hey Jude”…which is repeated 19 times over 4 minutes until the fadeout. 

“Hey Jude” immediately topped the Billboard charts for 9 weeks, the first 7-minute track to own the airwaves at a time when pop/rock songs hit the 3-minute mark. It’s the Beatles at their touching, anthemic best and a stunning piece of Paul’s heart. The coda is not mere repetition; listen to Paul’s verbal gymnastics throughout and the band’s stellar back-up. 

Some more “Hey Jude” intel:

• An “F Bomb” makes a quiet but undeniable appearance at the 2:58 mark, buried under the mix, as Paul hits a wrong note on the keyboard.
• George Harrison suggested using his guitar to echo Paul’s voice; this didn’t jibe with Paul’s vision, and he nixed it, causing more tension between the two.
• When Paul first played “Hey Jude” for John, he offered to remove the lyric “The movement you need is on your shoulder,” since he found it odd and “parrot-like.” John insisted it stay in, deeming it the best line of the song. “Hey Jude” is a beautiful ballad that celebrates the pursuit of true love. Its hypnotic “Na na na….” singalong has enchanted millions for almost 60 years and will likely do so in perpetuity.

“Hey Jude” served its internal characters beautifully: John adored Yoko for the rest of his too-short life. Paul was sublimely happy with Linda until her premature passing. Julian/Jude remains a gifted, well-loved artist. “Hey Jude” represents the very best of the Fab Four, and that is a high bar indeed. 

-Ellen Fagan

Photo: Getty