Talk:Hey Jude

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Featured article star Hey Jude is a featured article; it (or a previous version of it) has been identified as one of the best articles produced by the Wikipedia community. Even so, if you can update or improve it, please do.
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Contents

[edit] Best Selling Single?

In short- it wasn't, that honour goes to "I wanna hold your hand", according to every source I have read. It's encouraging to see a song by my favourite band as a featured article, though disappointing to see one with such a glaring error.


I want to properly disambiguate Hey Jude, which is both a compilation album and song, the song being far more widely known than the compilation album, which was United States-only. What would be the "correct" way to fix this? I'm looking into rewriting the article to featured standard, so I'm curious. Thanks in advance for help rendered. Johnleemk | Talk 13:14, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)

I would say keep the song at Hey Jude, and the album goes to Hey Jude (album), with a note at the top of Hey Jude saying This article is about the song; for the album of the same name, see Hey Jude (album).. Just my $.02. [[User:Meelar|Meelar (talk)]] 13:17, 2004 Aug 12 (UTC)


Seconded. Anárion 13:18, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)
Another possibility is to include both in the same article, especially if the album article isn't likely to be more than a paragraph or two. Each could have its own section. The article could start with a sentence that provides internal links to each section — something like "Hey Jude is a [[#The song|classic Beatles song]] and [[#The album|a Beatles compilation album]]". (I'm not suggesting this artlessly brief sentence, just its format.) Just a thought. — Jeff Q 15:21, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)
I had added a note about the album to the bottom a while ago, which was removed by a recent editor. I readded it, but if you wish to expand it to the point that it needs its own page, that would be excellent as well. —siroχo 15:41, Aug 12, 2004 (UTC)
The album is nothing special - stick it all one article with the song taking precedence. Pcb21| Pete 16:52, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)
I agree. The sentence about the album is not worth of a separate article, at least not yet. anthony (see warning) 20:24, 12 Aug 2004 (UTC)

22 seconds into the song you hear a strange rustling sound in the background. Could that be Ringo heading back to the drums? Notice it's just a few seconds before the percussion comes in. 142.161.205.107 21:40, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Hey Jude is a beautiful song. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 207.190.191.12 (talk) 18:41, 29 February 2008 (UTC)

"The song, despite its unusual length (7 minutes, 12 seconds), became the Beatles' best-selling single" appears to be factually incorrect. A quick search of the internet gives sales figures on 10million for Hey Jude and 12 million for I Want to Hold Your Hand. LiamE

Are you sure that those figures are worldwide? I can't find any more credible sources at the moment, but this fanpage (warning: MIDI background music) does believe that "Hey Jude" is their best-selling single. --LostLeviathan 13:12, 24 July 2005 (UTC)
I don't like to put too much weight on fan sites to be honest. Even so [1] and [2] both seem to support "I want to hold your hand" as the bigger seller of the two. Of the sites I looked at [3] appears to be the most impartial and authoritative although as it doesn't give sources I can't be sure. As I understand it anyway worldwide sales figures are not a precise science. --LiamE 10:34, 25 July 2005 (UTC)

Doesn't Julian now own the rights to the song? I seem to remember hearing that he went to court to get them. - Che Nuevara, the Democratic Revolutionary 02:36, 24 July 2005 (UTC)

Absolutely not - Julian Lennon does not own the rights to any Beatles song - especially one that was written by Paul, not his father. The rights to only a few Beatles songs are owned by McCartney / Yoko - you can find these on Paul's MPL licensing site. All the rest are owned by Sony / Michael Jackson.

Is the comment, "In 2005, "Hey Jude" was performed by Paul McCartney as the finale of the main Live 8 event in London.", really relevant. Sure it's true... but he's being playing it at basically every concert he's ever done. --HybridFusion 06:13, 27 July 2005 (UTC)

Also, all that was played was the outro? How is the fact that he played the outro to a song that he plays at almost every concert he performs, count as relevant? Not that I'm saying it wasn't an important concert but is every other track performed by everyone else listed under their own track entries? I doubt it. --Thetriangleguy 14:11, 23 September 2005 (UTC)
Any objections to removal? HybridFusion 09:04, 22 October 2005 (UTC)

[edit] Regarding revert of "Hey, Jew" paragraph.

First off, to the anon contributor, thanks for contributing to Wikipedia. I will explain why I am reverting the changes you've made. Regardless of its truth, no established link of this claim to the song is provided, so at best it is original research. If the paragraph is based in fact, it belongs in a different article from this one, unless it can be verified that it somehow is related to the song. If it is included in a different article, it should be related to the topic, and a source should be provided. —siroχo 04:51, 6 January 2006 (UTC)

[edit] "Fucking 'ell"

At around the 2:50 mark, the rest of the band sings "Let her under your skin". John sings "Let her into your heart....", catches himself, says "Oh!" and then a second and a half later, curses himself for blowing the lyric. I've reverted your edit so it agrees with the article you linked.

Every source I've seen says it's the wrong chord, not the wrong lyric. Provide a source, please. Johnleemk | Talk 03:20, 21 January 2006 (UTC)
Again, I refer you to the footnote you added. "You can also hear John shouting out "Fucking 'ell" at 2:58 after he messes up the backing vocal". Interestingly enough, the "Listen!" portion at the bottom of that article says John is actually shouting "Got the wrong CHORD!". Listening to it again I can't tell for certain which is which, and I won't 3RR you because it really isn't *all* that important. Flakeloaf 19:02, 21 January 2006 (UTC)
The article has John's curse as "Bloody hell!"; listening to it, it's quite definitely... rather stronger than that, so in the interests of accuracy I am being bold. Lost Number 13:44, 11 February 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Piano Used

Does anyone know what type of piano brand that was used for "Hey Jude"? TommyBoy76 15:44, 25 February 2006 (UTC)TommyBoy76

[edit] Unsourced

I rm the claim In Australia, it was number one for an astonishing 14 weeks, still a record (but Fernando by ABBA tied it in 1976.) If you can find a source for this claim you're welcome to reinsert it. John Reid 01:16, 13 March 2006 (UTC)

"Hey Jude" was number one for 15 weeks. Goto "Oz Net Music Chart" which sources "The Book", as used by Australian radio stations for their chart information.

[edit] Based on Jude The Obscure?

There's a novel by the name of Jude the Obscure, and after reading it I noticed that the song has a few lines that may relate to the novel. It was written by Thomas Hardy. I don't know if there is any factual basis to it, but if someone is interested they may want to check it out.

No, Paul said the original lyric was, "Hey Jules", but changed it because, "It was a bit of a mouthful". My awful POV is that maybe he thought it sounded like, "Hey, JEWELS"... :)

He could have used the name Jude, as he was a Catholic, and was in the church choir, though... POV, POV...!! Ouch! andreasegde 15:32, 12 July 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Cultural References

Many pages have "cultural reference" sections, for example National Security Agency has its own subpage. Another editor doesn't agree with me, but I don't want it lost forever in the diff log, so here is what I put, maybe somebody can beef it up or whatever:

-- RevRagnarok Talk Contrib Reverts 03:23, 2 June 2006 (UTC)

Another cultural (?) reference (maybe somebody can integrate these without the article slipping below FA standards) is that supporters of Gillingham F.C. frequently sing a medley consisting of an adapted version of The Last Waltz segued into the chorus of Hey Jude. Kevin McE (talk) 17:42, 27 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Longest Song?

How can this article claim that "Hey Jude" remained the longest number one hit for nearly a quarter of a century, until it was surpassed in 1993 by Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)", which ran seven minutes fifty-eight seconds as a single." ...when "American Pie" clearly outlasts both of them?

  • Maybe because in the UK , American Pie didn't get to number one , only number two.MrGater 12:22, 13 October 2006 (UTC)
  • Also, in the US, "American Pie" was released as "Part 1" and "Part 2" on two sides of a 45, kinda like many of James Brown's hits. Neither side by itself was longer than four and a half minutes. Many radio stations played only Part 1 or a special edited version created for radio. The full version of "American Pie" wasn't issued on one side of a single in the U.S. until 1992. Actually, I'm pretty sure "Hey Jude" is still the longest song (in its single version) to hit #1 in the U.S., as a shorter edit of the Meat Loaf song was issued as a single (45 and cassette) in the States. Cheemo 03:08, 3 November 2006 (UTC)

[edit] Quote about vetoing George

the current quote where it's talking about george wanting to change the song is incorrect, and i can tell because i'm listening to a recording of paul saying what supposedly is being said. I would replace it, but i don't have a source to cite like the incorrect quote does. what i'm listening to is a bootleg of the hey jude sessions and i wonder if anyone has suggestions for how i might cite such things. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 71.106.160.248 (talk) 18:36, 19 December 2006 (UTC).

[edit] Hey Jules or Hey Jools?

Hi, in the German Artikel about Julian Lennon it's said, that the original title was "Hey Jools", as it is written so in the Beatles Anthology, Page 297 (http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Julian_Lennon&diff=26133870&oldid=26122671). Your source, the Website http://www.beatles-discography.com/h.html is no longer available. So maybe this passage should be changed (and also the references)? And the same in Julian Lennon? -- Cornelia -etc. 15:37, 8 January 2007 (UTC)

"Many Years From Now", quoting McCartney, says "Hey Jules". IMO, It's not important which spelling is used except the spelling should match the quote that is cited. If the Anthology quote is in the article and cited, then the quote has to match the source character by character including the spelling. In other areas where we aren't using direct quotes, that's a different matter. Then, I think we should choose one spelling (I prefer "Jules") and add a footnote that says both spelling have appeared in quotes or whatever. John Cardinal 00:45, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Editing Mistakes

I screwed something up while editing today, somehow reverting to an earlier version. I am not sure how I did it, but anyway, I put it back to the way it was when I started. Some of the changes were important, such as the correction of the statement that Hey Jude was intended as an album track; 3 reliable sources say that isn't the case, including McCartney (interview), Lewisohn, and MacDonald. John Cardinal 23:16, 3 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Length

Several lengths are quoted in the article. 7:11, 7:05, etc. The Past Masters Vol 2 CD version is 7:06. I assume the vinyl single was 7;11, as that's the time I've heard the most, but I don't have a source for it. Does anyone have access to the original Apple single or a reliable source? John Cardinal 08:44, 4 March 2007 (UTC)

Joel Whitburn points out in one of his books that several singles have incorrect timings and may be off a few seconds. I would say that's the case with "Hey Jude"; my CD version clocks in at 7:06. Whitburn was checking on some of these for one of his books (though I can't remember which one), but wasn't changing them in his book unless they were off by more time than that. The time he points out in his Top Pop Hits is 7:11. Squad51 23:58, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
The single, which is in mono, has a slightly longer fade-out than the album cut, which is in stereo, thus the variations in time from mono version to stereo version (as found on the Past Masters Vol. 2 CD). Cheemo 06:39, 8 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Lennon's exclamation

It doesn't matter what you think you hear him say. It matters what the evidence says. If your ears are good, then you should be able to find a reliable source who agrees, and can be cited. No WP:OR. Meanwhile, the citation for that information has been undermined by the edits, and so we have a partly-bogus citation. You can't just edit a cited bit of evidence to suit your bias. Ifd you change it, then you have to remove the citation, or add a dissenting view supported by another reliable source, or something. Otherwise, Wikipedia citations will be useless. The Craig Cross book reports that Lennon said effing hell, and it should be restored by one of the people who changed it without realizing what they were doing. I didn't bother to check the whole paragraph but it should be brought in line with what the source supports. — John Cardinal 03:58, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Bass

Lewisohn says McCartney added a bass track on 1 August, but also says it was wiped to free a separate track for strings. There's clearly a bass on the record, and it sounds like Paul, and MacDonald says it is Paul, so I put the credit back in (with a citation) after it was deleted today. If someone can produce evidence that it was Harrison or Lennon, change it, but with a cite, of course. John Cardinal 05:16, 22 March 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Jude Law was named after this song

Jude Law was named after this song

Shouldnt it be mentioned here? under coltrual effects, I suppose?

Yes, that would go under cultural references. It would be better if you have a source, of course. (The River Phoenix comment needs a source, as well.)--Curt Franklin 23:56, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Hey Jude album

The first comments at the top of this page are about the need to mention that Hey Jude was also the name of a compilation album. Those comments were posted in 2004, but there's still no mention of the album on this page. Also, on the Beatles Discography page, it's mentioned under UK albums as the "official UK relase of US album," but it's not mentioned under the US albums. Could someone who knows about this album please post some information on it?

I agree with the comments above that the album doesn't rate its own page, but I do think it should get its own subheading on this page. It would be nice to see the track listing, which is what I actually came here looking for. Thanks. Curt Franklin 23:49, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

[edit] Automated Review

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You may wish to browse through User:AndyZ/Suggestions for further ideas. Thanks, Davnel03 21:24, 29 July 2007 (UTC)

[edit] The beginnings of progressive rock here?

I know I'll probably get flamed for saying this, but could "Hey Jude" perhaps be the first prog rock song? Listen to Yes's "Starship Trooper" or "I've Seen All Good People" (both from The Yes Album) and try telling me they don't owe anything to this song... --The guy with the axe - aaaaaaargh!!! (talk) 22:01, 3 January 2008 (UTC)

Uh, no. I'm pretty sure Soft Machine was putting stuff out at this point. WesleyDodds (talk) 23:33, 3 January 2008 (UTC)
I hadn't heard of Soft Machine before - thanks for letting me know! For that matter, few of my friends have ever heard of Yes (given that I'm 16, that's hardly surprising). --The guy with the axe - aaaaaaargh!!! (talk) 00:54, 9 January 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Discussion of text addition under "Inspiration" section

I reverted the following addition today, an action which seems to have spurred a bit of an edit war:

The lyrics, written when Lennon was beginning his relationship with Yoko Ono, are a direct encouragement to a person to pursue a relationship. After the break up of the Beatles, McCartney maintained that the song referred to Lennon's son Julian. However, If "Hey Jude" is replaced by "Hey John", as was Lennon's understanding of the song, it was a direct endorsement of his new relationship with Yoko Ono. Videos of the song's performance, in which McCartney looks directly at Lennon as he sings the words add weight to this argument [1]

The bit about YouTube actually isn't the main objection I have to this addition: rather, it's speculative and original research. Wikipedia norms preclude writing one's own interpretation of the song lyrics, as well as citing as evidence one's inferences from a video. If we can cite a published source for that interpretation, that's a different matter. -- CasperGoodwood (talk) 01:19, 16 February 2008 (UTC)

[edit] Personnel section

Why did someone remove that? It is important enough to mention. Helpsloose 18:05, 13 June 2008 (UTC)