Words & Music:
John Lennon
Paul McCartney
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
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
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
To taking the world upon your shoulder
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
Na na na na na.....
Recordingdate: 1969/01/21, first released on: Elvis Now (album)
Musicians
Musicians who contributed to the first recording of Hey Jude:
(guitar)
(guitar)
(sitar)
(bass)
(bass)
(drums)
(piano)
(organ)
Others*
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(vocals)
(french horn)
(french horn)
(sax)
(trombone)
(trombone)
(trumpet)
(trumpet)
(cello)
(cello)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(viola)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
(violin)
*Orchestra, overdubs
Availability
Find available albums with Hey Jude.
A toe curling embarrassment, an awful Beatle's song made worse by the guy who set trends not followed them.
sounds really so much better as sung by Elvis, when i hear the beatles Singin it... it turns my stomach. when Elvis Sings it.. AWESOME!!!
Elvis Presley Did Such A Great Job On This Song Blew The Beatles Version Away .
This song is a nice example of what Elvis could do with a song. This very personal song for John Lennon's son sounds more emotional when sung by our man than sung by Paul McCartney and friends.
Hmmm...I think Elvis' version of Hey Jude is bloody awful. The band is a mess and our man isn’t even singing the lyrics correctly. He’s actually giggling his way through the song and is off key on several occasions. It should NEVER have been released. I’m not much of a Beatles fan, but they blow The King out of the water with their rendition.
One of The Beatles great songs, a song that is considered a classic recording. Elvis totally was messing with it, probabaly not intending it to be released.
This version is nearly a blasfemy. Not as bad as today's remixes, but it is a bloody shame it was ever released, but only after RCA really ran out of material. Surely one in Elvis' catalogue I can easily live without!
Usually, Elvis's version of "any"song he chose to sing surpassed the original simply because he had the priceless ability to do so. But, on "Hey Jude" I must admit he messed it up. He sounds more like he's jamming. Had he taken the time and will to put his mind to, the result would have been better. I prefer by far listening to Paul McCartney's !
I love the song. Not being a Beatles fan, I always enjoyed E's interpritation of their songs. I wish the studio version had more ..Na, Na, Na's in itl ike he did on stage. Far from awfull. a decent cover!
elvis did no justice to this song...one of his few songs i never listen to...
Those who don't like the studio version are getting upset over nothing. It was recorded during the Memphis sessions when the tapes were left on and as Elvis and Co were messing around. A real Jam Jam. Have not heard the live versions so cannot comment on those.
Hey Jude by the Beatles is a really great song. However, for me, this is probably the worst recording at the Memphis sessions. Elvis doesn't hit the notes and sings the same lyrics all the way through. I cannot agree that this was done as a jam when the tapes were rolling as there were 7 attempts to get it done. This is a real shame as he could have taken the opportunity to make a great recording of a great song. Apart from Yesterday, his other versions of Beatles songs are pretty lacklustre, even Something, which once again, he doesn't sing all the lyrics.
To me it seems like Elvis did not really made an effort to record this. Maybe it was a result of an (unrecorded) jam session where they were just fooling around with it. I don't mind as I don't like the song anyway. One of those rare songs that always seems to urge me to hit the skip button.
One of the truly great classic songs in the world, and Elvis does nothing at all with it. Elvis sang a fraction of the correct lyrics in a very odd register. I tend to agree with the idea that this was not meant to be a real release, like his version of "Lady Madonna" or Dylan's "Don't Think Twice".
It is a shame--Elvis probably could have really blown this away if they'd done a focused job on it--if he had learned the lyrics, etc.
well, instead of Hey Jude I would have liked a full verion of Dylan's "I shall be released". That's a good jam session, nothing else.
The lowest point in Elvis mythical recording session at the America Sound Studio. Chips Moman even left the studio...
Elvis, does a good job on "Hey Jude". But, it could have been a masterpiece, if he had worked on it, properly. And, I too, believe that Elvis didn't plan on releasing the song commercially. However, RCA, needing product.. released it, 2 years later, to fill out, the album, "Elvis Now". And. of course, the critics, attacked Elvis' for his version of "Hey Jude". But then again, the critics should check out "The Beatles" doing Elvis songs, They ruined a few, too !! And I Love the Beatles !
It's too bad that Elvis didn't revisit this song at a later date and do a proper version. It would have been dynamite. As for the version that "escaped" I'll listen to it within the context of the "Elvis: Now" album. Which I play once in a while. The Beatles version: I can stand it until they start yelling over the orchestra the last half of the song.
This is one of my favorite tracks Presley did during the 69 sessions. At the end, when Elvis does the "Jude Jude, Jude Jude, Jude a Jude", I can't get enough of that. I hear Elvis' 50s gritty voice coming back out one more time at the conclusion of "Hey Jude". One of my favorite tracks from "Elvis Now".
I like the remixed and overdubbed version of "Hey Jude" on the "Too much Monkey Business-CD".
It is a wonderful song, but Elvis' studioversion is not so good. he sings out of tune and doesnt know all the lyrics. I like the live version(combined with Yesterday) better, although its just the ending of the song; but I like the energy of it. The studiversion is, in my opinion, one of the weakest of the 69sessions.
Nowere near to the Beatles version but if you look at the Elvis covers that the beatles had done they are miles away from Elvis presley's original!
Sorry, but I don't know how anyone could anything with this "song?". Half of the lyrics(?) are la, la, la,la. It always sounds to me like they ran out of words or the energy to keep singing.
In other words... one of Elvis' best jam recordings. I've always liked it, no matter what they say.
I Love The Way Elvis Sings This Song I PLay It Quite Offen I Love His Version Of Something As Well Just Awsome T.C.B Elvis Forever Im Sorry But The Beatles Make Me Sick However Elvis Made There Songs Barable to me
Dont care for the song,Elvis version didnt help the song any thats for sure!
This is totally brutal if it was done as a serious recording. Elvis did not respect anything about this song singing it like he did, high voice, out of tune and forgetting lyrics. This may be the worst rendition of this song ever, certainly Bing Crosby did better with it. In my opinion Elvis never bettered any Beatles song he covered. Just like you cant better an Elvis original, you cant better a Beatles classic either. They are stamped by their originality.
It´s a great song, one of my favorite songs by the beatles. Elvis´ version is, well it´s terrible. Sorry to say that, but it´s one of those songs I never listen to. It´s embarassing really, I think I´ve listen to it once. Once I heard it, it was enough
Has to be said: Terrible version that was never meant for release. Such a shame that all these failed recordings were made public because of lack of material. And they should be judged as such. Elvis could have made a great recording of the song had he had the music and the lyrics.
A poor performance. Leads me to believe this was just an informal recording that RCA just released.
I heard Elvis' version before The Beatles' version... I and I have t say I like it. It sounds like a rough take, but I like Elvis' voice in this one. Ebven my brother, who doesn't like Elvis at all, because of me hearing him all the time, likes this version very much. Not long ago I heard he Beatles' version and I found that, even if it has all the words on it that makes sense, it sounds pretty weak. Say whatever you want, but I like it :)
This was just an informal recording, elvis just jamming with it, and in my oppinion surpasses the beatles version. elvis shows an unique vocal performance and the ending with his "jude jude jude jude" is just amazing sang with pur passion. Elvis 69 back with a vegenace. Elvis is and always will be king!
Poor version as were all his Beatles' covers.
Bad - bad - Baaaaad! A truely awfull version. I can only presume the fans praising this piss poor effort are the same ones that think Elvis just could'nt record a bad song. This belongs with the majority of those 60's soundtracks... A real stinker!
I don't know why all the commotion over this song, i like it. Undubbed.
Elvis seems to be mocking the Beatles with his rendition of their classic hit. If this was a serious recording (which I doubt) , it is the only time that Elvis was given a good song and he did not make it better with his vocals. One thing that puzzles me is it's inclusion on the 1972 LP Elvis Now??? It was recorded in 1969 and RCA still had plenty of newer recordings that would have worked much better for the LP. "I'm Leavin" and "It's Only Love"/"Sound Of Your Cry" had been his most recent singles and they were not on a LP. "For Lovin' Me", "I'll Take You Home, Kathleen", "I Will Be True", "It's Still Here", "Padre", "Love Me, Love the Life I Lead" and "Don't Think Twice" were all recorded in 1971 and still unreleased. Surely any of these (maybe even 3 of these to make the LP have 12 tracks) would have been better choices than "Hey Jude".
Maybe Elvis didn't do this or other Beatle songs justice, but then again did the Beatles do justice to Elvis recordings. ???
It just did not work. I wonder why Elvis never attempted "Let It Be" instead--everything about that track is better suited to him.
Not sure why so many class this as an informal jam as the release version is Take 7. It could have been a masterpiece but the result was truly awful. I always bypass it on ipod
Without a doubt, next to "Do The Clam", this song "Hey Jude" is the absolute worst song Elvis Presley ever recorded. I can't believe RCA in it's infinite wisdom dragged this thing from the vaults and put it on his album "Elvis Now" where it really stood out as a sore thumb. Horrible vocal. Absolutely Attrocious.
I liked Elvis' version of "Hey Jude" but I believe Elvis could've done a much better version of this song. But for one reason or another it was rush released on "Elvis Now" the way it was. Elvis sings it in a higher voice than McCartney's original which is the reason I like it. The reason I believe he could've done better is the arrangement is not the way it should've been done by him. I've heard Elvis do little screams in some of his songs and he was more than capable of doing the part near the end just before the na, na, nas. Instead, "The King" let a soprano do it.
I never heard an Elvis song that the Beatles McCartney lennon Harrison or Ringo did that was better than Elvis to and for the hey Jude that Elvis did Elvis did not do that song seriously he din't put his heart in it. Yesterday was awsome by Presley because Elvis really love this song and it shows!
I've never liked Elvis' rendition of this song and I highly doubt that I'll ever listen to it again. Elvis did this song absolutely no justice.
I am far from a yes man to everything Elvis recorded but having read the comments, just listened to the song on my iPod. To say this is the worst song recorded besides Do The Clam is way over the top. I enjoyed it as a matter of fact much more than my previous review of I Was Born Ten Thousand Years Ago. Listened to the Beatles version and was far from overwhelmed, and I like the Beatles being a Brit who was there at the beginning with them.
According to me, The Beatles voices were recorded higher then those guys sang. On Hey Jude, Elvis sings in a key too high for him at the time, 'cause he was suffering from a bad cold, hence the different sound of his voice on those recordings. He didn't remember all the lyrics to When my blue moon turns to gold again and just repeated them. Did that make his version bad? Don't think so. So that doesn't lower my opinion of Hey Jude also. It's a good song but Elvis doesn't make it great. Too bad, but on this jam, he just didn't give it his all.
Complaining about the lyrics of other Elvis songs? Well this is really horrible. Indeed, they ran out of words, out of music as well for me. One of the worst songs I ever heard. Skip it (all versions) so you will not be disappointed!
More like Elvis ran out of voice. This song as sung by Mr. Presley to put it bluntly, sucks! No ifs, ands or butts! Horrible, absolutely horrible rendition. Never should have been attempted, period. "Yesterday" and "Something" as recorded by Elvis, much, much better effort and results.
Elvis's voice seems strained here, I have heard better version on live bootlegs. Not one of my favorites anyway by Elvis or the Beatles.
Its far from awful. I have enjoyed more so as the years have gone by.
I gave a review in 2012 and basically have not changed my opinion. Whether he had a cold or not does not make the singing inferior, and I enjoy the song for what it is, which IMHO is by far one of the lesser Beatles compositions.
By the time I first heard the song on the Now album, I thought it was a jam. It wasn't until a few years ago I realized it was more than that. It was rejected for the two Memphis albums and ended up on Now. Could easily have been included on a Camden release. Hey Jude is to me my least Beatles fav. I never play it. Elvis' version sounds more like a try out than a serious attempt. Still, if I bother so sit through, I go for the 1980 rerecording.
This song was a major breakthrough in 1968, their first Apple release , all over the radio, and their biggest seller ever. its no surprise Elvis was aware of its classic standing in the music world, and gave it a try with Chips. Unfort it didnt work out, and was not even attempted seriously. I agree it should ave been kept in the vaults and maybe first released on one of those CD box sets of the 90's as an extra. By the way, The Beatles never released an Elvis cover officially, so not sure what that comment means.
Yesterday, Something even the snip of Lady Madonna were good interpretations of Beatles songs. I wanted to like this one in 1971. Elvis was in great voice in ‘69 when recorded, but this one ends up being a disappointment. That said I applaud Elvis for being willing to experiment and give it a good try.
I was excited to hear this version of the song, but I have to admit I was a bit let down. Seems like the time was not taken to nail down the arrangement. Elvis sings in an odd register, and the "na-na-na" section is missing the explosiveness of the original. It isn't a terrible listen, but certainly not up to Elvis' usual standards, which is too bad because it is such a fab song!