Why was "Hey Jude" chosen as the song McCartney sang?

[XemaSab]

[charlyvi]

1. I think it's because of the chorus.

It's a good group song.

[karynnj]

7. I go with the same thing - and "take a sad song and make it better" is not bad advice

He also sang The END, though that is hardly a song and that fits very well.

[Blue_In_AK]

2. Because everyone can sing

"Na, na, na, na, na, na, na."

[Gman]

3. It's a good sing along?

[NashvilleLefty]

4. Because it's the "ultimate closer"

It was a Paul song, even though it was written for John's son.

And even though some of Paul's other songs may have more popular and/or better selling (Yesterday, or Let It Be for instance), the singalong aspects of the "Na-na-na nanana" ending chorus along with the open-ended opportunities lend it to being the most interactive Live Performance song, ever.

So, despite Paul's huge portfolio of really incredible songs, Hey Jude is the perfect choice for a live audience song.

[lastlib]

10. "Hey, Jude" is STILL the third biggest-selling recording in music history.

Behing Elton John's "Goodbye English Rose" (tribute to Princess Diana 1997) and Bing Crosby's "White Christmas"

[NashvilleLefty]

16. That's good to know!

Especially since it lost the Grammy to Simon and Garfunkel's "Mrs. Robinson".

I also wonder how many people remember that Elton John's "Candle in the Wind" was originally about Marilyn Monroe, but he changed it for Di's funeral.

[dsc]

20. actually toupin likely did the changing

John writes the music and Toupin the lyrics.

[unblock]

101. "taupin", actually; but you're right, bernie did the re-write. elton "just" does the music.

[Nostradammit]

35. For which I'll never forgive him.

Cheesiest move ever, in my estimation.

Write a new song for Diana, for Chrissakes, if she really was a good friend of yours. Bernie will be glad to help.

To his credit, though, he did donate all the proceeds.

All right, I forgive him. But, man, he used to be such a brilliant songwriter.

[Nostradammit]

54. Thank you!

I'll take all the corroboration I can get.

[Nostradammit]

61. I nearly wrote off Limp Bizkit 5 seconds after hearing their name -

I completely wrote them off 5 seconds after hearing their music.

Glad I was never subjected to the "Wish You Were Here" nonsense. I'd have had an aneurysm on the spot.

If you're going to cover Pink Floyd you'd better do it better than Pink Floyd.

And guess what? You're not going to do it better than Pink Floyd!


Now why is a name like "Pink Floyd" cool and a name like "Limp Bizkit" just, well, lame?

[Warren DeMontague]

76. The genesis of the name Pink Floyd had to do with blues musicians Pink Anderson & Floyd Council

I don't know where the fuck limp bizkit got their name.

[Tom Ripley]

62. I deliberately avoided that whole 9-11 wallow, but I can only imagine how horrible that was

Thanks alot

[JI7]

69. i never heard LB do "wish you were here" but i did hear them do "behind blue eyes"

which was horrible. limp bizkit or whatever sucks in itself .

[dionysus]

102. they ruined Behind Blue Eyes too..

durst is a mega-douche...

[Tom Ripley]

58. You can add my corroboration to that . It was just tacky...

and that's coming from someone who found the whole "Our Diana" rending of the garments thing to be rather overdone.

[Nostradammit]

59. We need to start our own sub-forum.

[JI7]

67. from what i remember, Diana loved that Song which is why he sang it with her name

rather than writing a new song.

[Nostradammit]

68. She would have hated the new version.

The woman had taste.

[JI7]

70. yeah, i'm thinking now it might have been better if he just sang the original

rather than try to make it about her, just sing the song she loved.

[Kahuna]

78. I love Hey Jude, It's my second favorite Beatle tune...

behind, The Long and Winding Road.

[al_liberal]

5. Why Paul?

Sir Mick Jagger and his mates would have been a better choice. And, with the exception of Brian, they are all still alive. WTF? Paul? C'mon, that was really lame.

[XemaSab]

11. I agree with you about the Stones

Since they were trying to go for edginess, Mick would have been a better choice.

[Monk06]

12. Because Keith Richards threatened to prosecute the Queen for dealing drugs.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/debate/article-2064559/EPHRAIM-HARDCASTLE-How-angry-Keith-Richards-wanted-prosecute-Queen.html

[Tom Ripley]

27. Wormwood Scrubs! I remember being impressed when Stacy Keach was sentenced to that place.

"Man, that's where Keith got locked up!"

[NashvilleLefty]

18. You know that the Beatles gave the Stones their start,

right?

[former9thward]

105. Why do you suggest that?

The Stones got their start in England as the anti-Beatles. Their songs were hitting the charts in England before the groups ever met each other.

[muriel_volestrangler]

110. Lennon and McCartney wrote the Stones' second single

The first was Chuck Berry's Come On (May 1963, #21); the second was I Wanna Be Your Man (Nov 63, #12). They didn't have a big success with a Jagger/Richards-written song until 1965.

[Tom Ripley]

25. I really like to believe that Jagger only accepted that knighthood because his dad Joe was still...

alive at the time.
That's what I keep telling myself.

[JI7]

32. i bet Keith Richards would take it if he was offered it

[Tom Ripley]

47. Only if Chuck Berry already had one

Ray Davies has always been the most "English" of that generation of rock stars, but fat chance of him getting it.
I think Ray is used to life to not being fair, though.

[winstars]

71. Keith said what Mick got was a "paltry honor" and said he was holding out for a Lordship!!!

[JI7]

33. Paul is the obvious and best choice for this event

[Nostradammit]

36. Oh please -

Mick is not fit to polish Paul's piano.

SIR Paul's piano.

[joeybee12]

83. Paul was far better...the Stones are cariactures of themselves...nt

[fishwax]

6. probably for the recognizability and the sing-along, although I've been thinking Carry That Weight

would have also been a good sing-along, and would have fit thematically with the evening in some way. Then he could have moved into The End so that the night ended with "In the end the love you take is equal to the love you make" (rather than going from that into Hey Jude).

[coalition_unwilling]

22. I would have preferred "A Day in the Life" (where the night ended with

"I'd love to turn you on" (with "Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall" a not-so-subliminal shot at Mitt

[Frank Cannon]

8. Because it's too early in the year for...

"Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time".

Although that would have been my first choice.

[coalition_unwilling]

23. How about "Give Ireland Back to the Irish"? Tee-hee-hee - n/t

[Tom Ripley]

24. Damn! Ya beat me!

[smirkymonkey]

9. I love that song. i don't care why it was sung.

Works for me.

[Phentex]

91. same here

I can't hear it too many times.

[grasswire]

13. why not "Let It Be"?

Or "Yellow Submarine"? Now THAT would have been quirky!

[NashvilleLefty]

17. Yellow Submarine was John's, and sung by Ringo. nt

[garthranzz]

74. Yellow submarine was mainly Paul

Though others contributed a lot - including Donovan ("sky of blue, sea of green&quot .

This is all over-googled.

[H2O Man]

88. Actually, the idea

began with John's late-night phone call to Paul, asking, "Suppose Ringo was followed down the street by a yellow submarine?"

[garthranzz]

113. Source?

Never heard that. But John and Paul worked closely in those days. Even at the end, except when John was doing drugs, they still were editing and working together.

[H2O Man]

114. One of several sources:

See Nicholas Schaffner's "The Beatles Forever" (McGraw-Hill; 1977).

They were working closely at the time the song was created, but the natural progression each would take resulted in growing tensions. They couldn't have remained those four loveable Mop-Tops. After Sgt. Pepper, Brian exited their world, and Yoko was entering John's.

At the time The Beatles (aka the White Album) was being made, they were four individual musicians, who used the other three (or less, or Eric C) in the studio. Their attempts to film a semi-live album called "Get Back" document the decline; it would be the red-apple release "Let It Be."

But their final effort, released second-to-last, was a masterpiece of Lennon-McCartney .... with some great songs by George, as well. And Ringo's re-write of Yellow Submarine.

[alphafemale]

14. Every one there could sing the chourus?

How more universal can you get?

Every language and tongue could do it.

Na Na Na NANANANA! NaNAnaNA! Hey Jude!!!

I think it was perfect.

[The Midway Rebel]

15. "You Know My Name, Look Up the Number" is tough to pull off live...

?

[mythology]

19. Given Paul McCartney's sad descent into child-like behavior

He probably refused to play any song that wasn't written entirely by him, plus it has the advantage of most likely being about John Lennon divorcing.

This is a guy who is one of the most famous and wealthiest people in the world and he was so insecure he had to reverse the order of song writing credits and his push to get the London Eye renamed after him to celebrate a greatest hits album.

[karynnj]

21. Paul has denied it was about Lennon divocing

His own life was changing then too - as Jane Asher left him and he found Linda Eastman. However, it was his thoughts about John's son that led to the beginning of the song - which then morphed into speaking of a generalized version of what both he and John were going through - and it is POSITIVE, not negative. (If it were of John, the message would be be with Yoko - not the problem you seem to imagine.)

It is also a song that in ALL his concerts ends up as a cool group sing along.

As to switching the order, the song he wanted that for was Yesterday, which was unquestionably his. The reason was that many computerized listings took only the first name - and he wanted his name on that song. I never heard anything about the London Eye.

[H2O Man]

89. Paul has frequently

said the song was to Julian.

[Booster]

26. I think "Come Together" would have been a better choice.

[NashvilleLefty]

34. That was John's song, not Paul's. nt

[Tom Ripley]

50. Mobster Morris Levy says you're both wrong

[WorseBeforeBetter]

98. The Arctic Monkeys sang it earlier...

to the dove bikes.



Beautiful.

[jberryhill]

28. Crowd chant-ability

Always a fun crowd chant.

[boxman15]

29. Two reasons:

1. The message of the song ("Take a sad song and make it better&quot is uplifting and really something the whole world could listen to.

2. The second-half of the song is the greatest sing-along ever. Everyone knows how to sing "Na-na-na-na-na-na-na Na-na-na-na Hey Jude"

[Aviation Pro]

30. So we could watch confused young people have a look on their face....

....that says, who the eff is that old guy and what the fuck is he trying to make us sing?

Baby boomers will never let go of the fact that they are no longer 22 so the committees that run the big sporting events will continue to invite old rockers like Paul, Bruce, Billy Joel, The Who and David Bowie to their shindings to try and prove that they are still relevant.

I can't wait until the Stones roll out their Steel Wheelchairs tour next year.

[JI7]

37. who do you think they should get ? most recent Popular Music sucks

there are many great musicians but they odn't get much attention and play on radio and most people don't know who they are.

you would be left with things like Bieber, nickleback etc.

i guess they could have gotten Adele who is young and popular and can sing and British.

[mzteris]

44. As I tell mY kids

The music of MY generation was far superior to yours! (to which they - albeit reluctantly - agree).

And NO ONE will be listening to the current crop in 40-50 years. No one will even know who the current pop stars ARE.

[Kahuna]

82. My son (40 yo urban blk man) loves the Beatles. And Frank Sinatra sends him into another zone...

He was diggin on some old Bob Dylan stuff too in my car. I caught him. I taught him to appreciate good music no matter how old it is. OTOH, my grandson makes fun of Michael Jackson and the Beatles. Probably in ten years he will give them a listen after he matures.

[mzteris]

85. When my daughter was little

I remember her tearfully and angrily saying, "The New Kids On the Block are BETTER than the Beatles!" after I made some remark about how crappy their music was. She said something similar - but not so emotionally - years later about Tori Amos.

She has since come to feel very very embarrassed about those remarks. Not that I ever bring it up, of course.

My son, who came along years later - at about the same age as she was had similar sentiments about "The Backstreet Boys". . .

Not too long ago, these two groups toured or had a concert or something together. I took great delight in teasing the both of them. WOW! You guys could go see them TOGETHER! lol You can imagine the eyerolling and "MOM" response I got.

No, the music is classless - and hardly music in most cases. These guys will never have the same staying power or effect on society.

[Kahuna]

96. Some people don't get it. The Beatles changed the world. Never in the history of

music have there been artists who so affected generations. They don't get that in the Beatles' time, just about every soul in the civilzed world, whether they liked their music or not, knew who they were.

[Nostradammit]

39. Who would you have selected, out of curiosity?

Which British musician is more deserving of the honor?

[Aviation Pro]

41. If you're going to include Ireland, Wales and Scotland as part of Great Britain....

...I can think of at least one band that spans generations and is still relevant.

U 'effin 2.

Now that's an anthem song.

[Nostradammit]

53. I don't think they are in the same league, frankly.

600 million records according to the lowest estimates, and that doesn't include his post-Beatles catalog.

Don't get me wrong, I love U2.

I also doubt London's gonna let an Irish band do it.

[Surya Gayatri]

57. FYI, the Republic of Ireland, U2's home country,

has not been a part of Great Britain since April 24th, 1916.

Bono and U2 would be offended if you were to qualify them as British...they are proudly Irish.

OTOH, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland (the 6 counties of Ulster) are most certainly part of the United Kingdom.

The Scottish nationalist movement waxes and wanes. But for the moment at least, the Scots are still in, albeit with their own parliament and limited self-rule.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_of_Ireland

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotland

[Aviation Pro]

60. I know that....

...but if we're going to invite them to sing at the Superbowl and honor 9/11 victims (as they did in 2002), I think they would have done just fine in London. (And if my creaky old mind serves me correctly, they brought the house down at Wembley in 1985 during Live Aid).

[JI7]

64. the olympics and superbowl are different events

[Surya Gayatri]

65. You seem not to understand the concept of the "British" Games...

Why would Danny Boyle and Co. put on an Irish act to bring down the curtain on a quintessentially British story?

Not to mention the potential for unfortunate references to the fraught British-Irish history.

[MADem]

75. The only part of Ireland that is part of GB is NORTHERN Ireland.

The rest of Ireland got out from under the British boot nearly a hundred years ago. They are a sovereign nation and not part of Great Britain in the slightest--they use the EURO as their currency and are full members of the EU.

Since U2 are from Dublin, if you're going for "British," that could not be a more inappropriate choice--an absolute lead balloon.

Even down the years, there's still a bit of rancor over the memories of the British occupation of Ireland, the Free, and for many, the matter of the "British occupation" of Ireland, the North is not settled.

[Ron Obvious]

106. GB & the UK

Allow me to be pedantic: Northern Ireland are part of the UK, but not part of GB, which is the big island comprising England, Wales, and Scotland. It's technically the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or UKoGBaNI, which rolls more easily off the tongue than it appears.

[MADem]

111. You're right--pardon me for convoluting! nt

[Manifestor_of_Light]

42. My avatar. God Save the Queen.

[datasuspect]

87. BLACK FUCKING SABBATH

[WorseBeforeBetter]

99. Bagpipes, fiddles, dancing and... men in kilts.

McCartney, Mike Scott of The Waterboys (Scotland), Tom Jones (Wales), and Irish dancers perhaps. A clip from "The Full Monty" was played during the film montage -- Tom Jones singing some of "You Can Leave Your Hat On" would have been hilarious. Or maybe Elton John, performing something from back when his music was, uh, good.

The ceremony opened with childrens' choirs from each of those countries, it could have closed similarly. I'm not a big McCartney fan, but I do appreciate the nostalgia, and The Beatles' influence on music.

[sabrina 1]

40. We should dump Beethoven too, now there's a really old guy!

The Beatles are still popular because of baby boomers?

Do you have a theory about Beethoven too? Or Shakespeare? Or Cole Porter? What an odd comment!

How many 22 year-olds do you know btw? I know quite a few and all of them know exactly who the Beatles are. Maybe you need to broaden your horizons. When good music or literature or art comes along every once in a while in the course of history, it tends to survive for generations, even centuries.

The Beatles music will be around long after the baby boomers are all gone. There have been plenty of other song writers since the Beatles, but who even remembers them?

Face it, they are classic and it had nothing to do with baby boomers. It had to do with that elusive quality that makes some music, some art, some literature, timeless.

[Aviation Pro]

43. Quite a few...

...since I train them to be pilots.

And as far as the Beatles go, they may be known (and my iPhone is stacked with their songs), but most young people don't go out of the way to listen to them.

[sabrina 1]

66. I don't think young people go out of their way to listen to lots of music, or ever did for that

matter. It is the influence that certain music has that spans generations that determines its longevity. I doubt there are many people who have not heard OF the Beatles, even if they do not listen to them. I eg, did not really discover them until a few years ago when someone gave me the Beatles Anthology and I listened to them with some friends over a weekend and was amazed that I had not really 'known' their music before. I knew who they were, I knew some of their songs, who doesn't, but I never really understood their enormous appeal until then.

They are still outselling most other musical groups but it is their influence on other musicians that places them among the great artists of their time. Eg, David Grohl who says that had it not been for the Beatles he would never have been a musician. He won several Grammies last year himself:



Dave Grohl & The Beatles: 'If It Weren't For The Beatles, I Would Not Be A Musician'

The Foo Fighters frontman -- and former Nirvana drummer -- hasn't tried to hide his adoration for the Fab Four. Not only has Grohl publicly shared his appreciation for the iconic band -- and his personal favorite Ringo Starr -- but he also recently opened up about The Beatles' influence on Kurt Cobain. "Kurt loved The Beatles because it was just so simple," he said.Now, the outspoken musician has penned a note for The Beatles' latest compilation, Tomorrow Never Knows, an exclusive release on iTunes. In it, he writes about the impact that the Beatles have had on him throughout his life.

......

Even though John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr split in 1970, the Beatles still managed to have the highest-selling album of the past decade.

Earlier this month, Starr told CNN that he is proud that The Beatles' music is still popular with young people. "The music we made is still important," he said. "The kids are still learning about our music all these years later. We left a great legacy. Every generation listens to The Beatles. We’re still outselling most acts!"

Someone is still listening and buying their music obviously.

I don't know, not many musicians have this kind of influence for over forty years.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

45. I agree. The Beatles will be remembered long after we are all gone.

Like other music that's creative, good (as in interesting) and reflects the human condition. Like "Don Giovanni", the best opera ever written, in my not so humble musical opinion!!!

There was so much great pop music in the 60s and 70s---so many great bands and groups putting out good stuff!!

The only pop musician that impresses me now is Lady Gaga. Some girl into heavy metal LAUGHED AT ME when I said I liked her. This girl was in to "Nightwish"????

Lady Gaga is far more talented than Madonna will ever think about being.

[sabrina 1]

100. I agree with you re Madonna, she was more of an entertainer than a real musician. Too many

props and gimmicks that after a while, get old. I'm not sure that she could hold her own without the props by just singing. I don't think forty years from now people will be buying her music.

[Kahuna]

81. They know the music because it's still being used in movie soundtracks, commercials and on

reality talent shows. The only confusion they might have is that such cool music is coming from Grampa Paul. But after that realization might be inspired to check out the rest of their music, and apparently they do because their music still sells. The Beatles hold the record for selling the most albums ever. Nobody today will ever come close to that..

[BeyondGeography]

31. na na na nananana nananana hey jude

[braddy]

38. It was my least favorite Beatles song, frankly, I did not like it at all.

[backscatter712]

46. McCartney was waaaaaaay off-key when he sang...

It made my ears bleed!

GAAAAAAH! You'd think that Paul fucking McCartney would know enough to do some rehearsals and practice till he could sing on pitch.

[juajen]

48. Blow it outcha ear, would you? He as and is great!

[backscatter712]

51. He's good when he sings on-key, which he didn't do last night.

In the beginning of Hey Jude in particular, his pitch was waaaaaaaay flat. He corrected himself later into the song, but the beginning was awful.

[Kahuna]

79. Um You do realize that vocal chords change and atrophy just like all body parts..

as we age, don't you?

[Nostradammit]

56. Paul has a good story about the writing of that song:

Paul McCartney on his songwriting partnership with John Lennon in Observer Music Monthly October 2007: "I have fond flashbacks of John writing - he'd scribble it down real quick, desperate to get back to the guitar. But I knew at that moment that this was going to be a good collaboration. Like when I did 'Hey Jude.' I was going through it for him and Yoko when I was living in London. I had a music room at the top of the house and I was playing 'Hey Jude' when I got to the line 'The movement you need is on your shoulder' and I turned round to John and said: 'I'll fix that if you want.' And he said: 'You won't, you know, that's a great line, that's the best line in it.' Now that's the other side of a great collaborator - don't touch it, man, that's OK."

[Rex]

63. Algorithms.

It was a decision left to the WOPR. All the generals agreed.

[kurtzapril4]

72. It has a nice sing a long....

hopefully, he'll retire. He has more money than god. It wasn't that good, and he needs to retire.

[JI7]

73. i don't think he does it for the money

at the olympics his voice was off because he was holding back tears .

[itsrobert]

77. Yellow submarine

Everybody can sing the chorus.

[B Calm]

80. Out of all the wonderful songs

he could have sang, I wondered why he chose Hey Jude myself. . .

[Laura PourMeADrink]

84. Nothing wrong with Paul performing...BUT, he needs to start lip synching

because he's lost his voice, sadly.

[unblock]

104. i've got recordings at home.

i've never understood why people tolerate lip-synching.
to me there's no point in going to a concert to hear the exact, and i mean EXACT same thing i can hear at home.

ok, yeah, it's louder. yip-dee-doo.

i enjoy few concerts as much as the elvis costello concerts. he always puts a different twist on his songs.
when i saw him in austin he made many of the rhythms more southern, which was really cool.

[MADem]

112. Ya gotta sing EVERY day to keep it good, and I don't think he does.

Tom Jones does. I saw him two years ago and he was astounding.

Tony Bennett did--he hung on to his voice for a long time; it's going now, though.

[datasuspect]

86. because it's about shooting up dope?

[Quantess]

92. It was a wink & nod at performance enhancing drugs.

[H2O Man]

93. not

[datasuspect]

94. it's about mainlining the Horse

[Quantess]

95. So in this context, it refers to Rafalca getting doped up for the show.

Just kidding, I donät really think that.

[H2O Man]

107. Nope.

You have the wrong song.

[Quantess]

108. I have heard the allegation.

"let her under your your skin then you'll begin to make it better"

But the same was also alleged of Simon & Garfunkel's "Bridge Over Troubled Water". Something about "shine on siver girl" means a shiny silver needle. And lyrics about leaving the pain behind, etc.

I have no opinion on this, but I have read that some people think these songs are about heroin.

[Bluerthanblue]

90. it's pretty long-

Hearing it being sung took me back to the very first time I ever heard it- in a little pizza place with great friends one of whom is dead now. We kept playing it on the juke box driving everyone else a little crazy, and getting more song for our money than we'd ever gotten.

I love the song,only wish that - the love you get really is equal to the love you give.

[datasuspect]

97. when paul meets up again with john in hell

john will smack the ever-loving shit out of paul.

[sabrina 1]

103. There is no hell, so that isn't likely to happen, but if they do meet up again somewhere

'out there', I think they will do what they do best, make some great music, together again ...

[barbtries]

109. my guess

is that it's the beatles most popular and well known song. it's actually on my list of the 3 songs i don't care if i never hear again, because i heard them so much on the radio. the other two are light my fire by the doors and stairway to heaven by led zeppelin. it's not that i didn't like the songs i just heard them until i was sick.

[Tommy_Carcetti]

115. It's a great sing along song. Especially the "Na-Na-Na" chorus at the end.

I remember when McCartney did the Super Bowl in Jacksonville back in 2005, and they ended it with "Hey Jude", and the entire stadium was signing the chorus with flashlights glowing. It was all a very cool effect.