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Hey Jude

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(Lennon / McCartney)

Information:
John Lennon’s 1968 divorce from Cynthia Lennon was a rather messy affair, and their son, Julian, was greatly affected by it. While driving to see Julian, Paul McCartney began improvising a song to console him. Originally, the song began, “Hey, Jules, don’t make it bad.” He later changed the name to Jude because he thought it sounded better. In a 1980 Playboy interview, John Lennon revealed that he believed the song was about him. 

Hey Jude (Apple 2276) was the first release on the Beatles’ Apple Records label. It entered Billboard’s Hot 100 chart at #10 in September 1968. Two weeks later was number one, where it stayed for nine weeks – longer than any other Beatle single. Hey Jude, which had worldwide sales of over six million copies, is the largest record, at 7 minutes, 11 seconds, ever to become number one on the Hot 100 chart. In addition to the Beatles, backing instrumentation included 40-piece orchestra conducted by George Martin.

An instrumental track for Elvis’s version was recorded on January 22, 1969, at American Sound Studios in Memphis. Elvis recorded a vocal track at a later date. He would sometimes sing Hey Jude in concert in a medley with Yesterday.

Lyrics:

Hey Jude, don't be a fool
Take a sad song and make it better
The minute you let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

1. Hey Jude, don't let me down
Take a sad song and make it better
The minute you let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Let it out and let in, hey Jude begin
To making the world a little better
Don't you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
In making the world a little better

1. (repeat)

Let it out and let in, hey Jude begin
To making the world a little better
Don't you know that it's a fool who plays it cool
In taking the world upon your shoulder

1. (repeat)

Na na na na na...

Where it was released:

Released for the first time on the album Elvis Now »

LPs/CDs:

- Elvis Now (1972) »

- From Nashville to Memphis – The Essential 60’s Masters (1993)

- Suspicious Minds (1999)

- Too Much Monkey Business (2000) - FTD »

- Best of Elvis Presley II (2001) – Zounds

- Live in Las Vegas (2001)

- Memphis Sessions (2001) - FTD »

- Elvis at the International (2002) - FTD »

- All Shook Up (2005) – FTD »

- Writing for the King (2006) - FTD »

- Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas (2008) - FTD »

- Elvis Now (2010) - FTD »

– Live in Las Vegas (2011) - FTD »

– Hot August Night (2013) - FTD »

– From Elvis at American Sound Studios (2013) - FTD »

- The Return to Vegas (2014) - FTD »

– American Sound 1969 (2019) - FTD »

– That's The Way It Is - 50th Anniversary Collector's Edition (2020) - FTD

Bootleg Releases:

- The Monologue LP (1973) - Bullet Records

- The Legend Lives On (1976) - Presley Collection Series

- Superstar Outtakes (1976) - E. P. Records

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