Hey Jules
May 15, 2009
That was the original title for ‘Hey Jude’, a song Paul McCartney apparently wrote for Lennon’s young son in the midst of his parents’ divorce.
My top 5 song list of all time has morphed many times since the age of 10 (If Facebook has an app for it, I can’t be the only one with this little obsession) as my exposure to popular music spread outward from my best friends’ parents’ Beatles albums (and my older sisters’ 70s Osmond Family records truthfully) , but Hey Jude has always remained rooted at the top.
This recent, 13,500 person-strong viral event in London’s Trafalgar Square (video below) emphasizes why: Hey Jude begins as an intimate piano piece with soothing words for a scared little kid, and rises to a symphonic celebration of human courage. The rest of its ilk are just feel good songs in comparison.
Ok, that may sway slightly in the direction of the melodramatic. But that’s the point of the song – don’t be afraid to run with it. And don’t tell me you don’t feel the same way after watching this (even if it’s all for a cell phone company).
