Hey Jude - Loved and Hated

The Beatles' Hey Jude seems to enjoy a love/hate relationship with people. It is often ranked as one of the band's greatest records, yet some people can't stand it.

Personally, I think it starts out very strong, but I grow weary of the coda. I also don't like the way the guitars are recorded on it, sounding very metallic, harsh and clangy. After hearing alternative versions on Anthology, I am glad some of McCartney's scatting was buried in the mix of the official version. He did go over the top on occasion (e.g. Back In The USSR ending, Sgt Pepper (Reprise) ending, etc.) and someone had the good sense to rein it in most of the time.

McCartney likes to use it to climax his live performances (e.g. Super Bowl), and that has also helped to wear the song out.

Thoughts?

 

I’m fatigued by it and rarely desire to hear it.

But it’s still perfect the way it is.

 

My favorite song.

 

I voted perfect the way it is, but that doesn't mean I need to listen to it very often after all of these years.

But to be honest, most music that I've listened to for 50 years isn't in heavy current rotation.

But when I'm in the mood, it's good...

 

"It's great, it sold, it's the bloody Beatles Hey Jude. Shut up!"

Someone has to get this in!

 

I'm a Lennon guy, myself. But you can't take "Hey Jude" away from Paul. It's perfect just the way it is.

 

One is not supposed to admit this in mixed company, but I think they could have faded it out a minute earlier without losing the effect of the extended ending (plus it would take up less space in collections)...

 

You gotta be pretty soulless if you “hate” this song.

 

It’s written like a Gospel song, the coda is the essential part of the song!

 

I have to go back to when I first heard it to get a real grasp on it....I loved it so....

 

Perfect as is, but would rather Paul do 3 other songs live in the time he spends singing it and getting all the ladies and all the fellas to join in in.

 

I prefer the original version w/Pete on drums

 

Perfect

 

Absolutely perfect

 

The coda could be 20 minutes and I would still vote perfect.

 

i wouldn't change it ... for me i have never grown tired of it .... the beatles had stopped touring by this stage and i think the extended coda gives it a feeling of jamming out at a concert .... when i first got the mccartney red square dvd, i didn't want it to end. for me seeing so many people who would have had to risk prison and death to buy one of the albums back in the day get rewarded with a show brought tears to my eyes frankly. it reminded me how lucky i am and how much music means to me

 

I really love it -- about once every 5 years or so.

 

It's perfect, even though it's not a particular favorite of mine. It's never the song that I just have to hear, I'd never queue up an album just to hear it specifically. What it does have though, is this strange magic effect whereby even though it has that ridiculously long fade out, I never, ever notice it. If most any other song had that repetitive coda going on for that many minutes, I'd notice and be bored by it, but for some reason "Hey Jude" just works. It even works with my kids - they've heard it dozens of times and it never occurs to them that it's really long and that more than half of it is a repetitive fade. It's quite remarkable.

 

I like it, though I can see why others don't. The coda is a bit long. I've always felt like this song was the official 'beginning of the end'. Maybe as it was about John divorcing Cyn, and it was at that point when John started thinking beyond The Beatles.

 

Probably one of McCartney's best melodies & lyrics in a career overflowing with them.

Yes it's a little long. But by then they had pushed the creative limits of the recorded long-playing album, must have made sense to push the limits of a single-length song as well.

I kind of like that it exists just like it is, unedited.

 

I could listen to the original recording every day and not tire of it. I could happily live my life never having to hear a contemporary live performance by Paul though.

 

Absolutely perfect.

 

I am the one person who voted for liking the ending . The long fade out is the best part of the song imo imo

 

I bought the single when it first came out what 50 years ago. It was great then and now. An artifact of it''s time and era.

Do I play it now. NO. In 50th years, I've burnt so much music down.

But if I should happen to heat it playing somewhere, I have a big smile.