Hey Jude

August 26, 1968

Hey Jew is a song by The Beatles, released on 26 August 1968 as a single. The song was, as usual, to Beatles - times, the Komponistenduo Lennon / McCartney attributed, although he was almost exclusively composed by Paul McCartney. Hey Jew applies with about 7.5 million copies sold as the most successful single of the band.

Text

McCartney wrote the song originally for John Lennon's then five- year-old son Julian, who suffered greatly from the separation of his parents. John Lennon had himself recently divorced his first wife Cynthia and Julian saw his father only rarely. Accordingly, the title line was initially Julian's nickname accordingly, "Hey Jules, do not make it bad. Take a sad song and make it better. " Only later changed McCartney to bypass this obviousness, the text "Hey Jew ... "

The text line "The movement you need is on your shoulder" was originally intended only as a preliminary text of McCartney filling. Only on John Lennon's encouragement towards the line was maintained even in the published version.

Harmonics

The song used in the verse chords of the major cadence in the key of F. In the bridge the Subdominantparallele is added. In addition, the often not located on the root of each triad tone of the bass instrument a feature of the piece.

In the roughly four-minute coda at the end of the song including the non- diatonic diminished seventh stage is used in the major.

Recording

The song was recorded in the Trident studios in London on 31 July 1968. For the usual line-up ( McCartney at the piano and bass ) joined a 36 - piece orchestra. The same musicians were also the choir, the line " Na na na na -na -na -na, na -na -na -na Hey Jew " repeatedly for several minutes of the final part of the song.

On 4 September 1968 the Beatles made ​​in the London Twickenham Studios, a TV recording for promotion of the piece. The first picture shows Paul McCartney at the piano and the other Beatles, who accompany him on their instruments. In the known circuit chorus they are accompanied by a group of several hundred randomly compiled fans.

Others

• Hey Jew was at the time of its release, with over seven minutes as the longest single.
• Although John Lennon kept the piece for one of the best songs from McCartney's spring, he insisted instead on the publication of his own composition revolution as a pre-release single for appearing at the end of the year album The Beatles. Ultimately, however, sat down Hey Jew because of its higher by commerciality, and revolution was on the B-side of the single.
• Hey Jew, with 13 weeks at No. 1 of the Australian charts one of the most successful singles there, only in 1976 with 14 weeks surpassed by the Swedish pop group ABBA Fernando.
• The magazine Rolling Stone chose the song in 2004 to number 8 in the top 500 songs of all time.
• The song was the July 28, 2012 presented by Paul McCartney conclusion of the opening ceremony for the Olympic Summer Games in London.
• The song found its way into the new music. In his 1969 resulting Requiem for a Young Poet Bernd Alois Zimmermann used in collage technique excerpts from Hey Jew, which are recorded on tape.

Cover versions

Elvis Presley took on 21 January 1969, a cover version in the American Studios in Memphis. However, this was not published until 1972 on the album Elvis Now. Other cover versions there are, among others, the soul singer Wilson Pickett in 1968 and by Ella Fitzgerald on the album Ella Fitzgerald 's Sunshine of Your Love from 1969.