Song Lyric Sunday — Playing It Cool

Fandango

For this week’s Song Lyric Sunday theme, Jim Adams has given us “Cool,” “Freeze,” “Heat,” and “Melt.” I thought I’d play it cool with the Beatles “Hey Jude,” which contains the classic line, “It’s a fool who plays it cool by making his world a little colder.”

“Hey Jude,” released as a non-album single in August 1968, was written by Paul McCartney and credited to the Lennon–McCartney partnership. It was a number one hit in many countries around the world. Its nine-week run at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 tied the all-time record in 1968 for the longest run at the top of the U.S. charts.

The song evolved from “Hey Jules,” something McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon’s 5-year-old son Julian when his parents were getting a divorce after John left his wife and Julian’s mother, Cynthia, for Yoko Ono. The change to “Jude” was inspired by the character “Jud” in the musical Oklahoma!

The lyrics espouse a positive outlook on a sad situation, while also encouraging “Jude” to pursue his opportunities to find love. McCartney said he wrote the line, “Don’t make it bad, take a sad song and make it better” while thinking about how he could make Jules feel a little better.

Julian said that growing up he’d always felt closer to Paul McCartney than to his own father, but he didn’t realize that the song was written for him until he was a teenager, which was around the time that he reconnected with his father, John, whom he would visit in New York from time to time until his death.

Here are the lyrics to “Hey Jude.”

Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

Hey, Jude, don’t be afraid
You were made to go out and get her
The minute you let her under your skin
Then you begin to make it better

And anytime you feel the pain,
Hey, Jude, refrain
Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders
For well you know that it’s a fool
Who plays it cool
By making his world a little colder

Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah nah

Hey, Jude, don’t let me down
You have found her, now go and get her
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better

So let it out and let it in,
Hey, Jude, begin
You’re waiting for someone to perform with
And don’t you know that it’s just you,
Hey, Jude, you’ll do
The movement you need is on your shoulder

Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah nah yeah

Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her under your skin
Then you’ll begin to make it better, better, better, better, better… oh!

Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (Jude)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (yeah, yeah, yeah)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (don’t make it bad, Jude)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (take a sad song and make it better)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (oh, Jude)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (Jude, hey, Jude, whoa)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude (ooh)
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
Nah, nah nah, nah nah, nah, nah, nah nah,
Hey, Jude
[fade out]

20 thoughts on “Song Lyric Sunday — Playing It Cool”

  1. Christine Bolton June 28, 2020 / 5:53 am

    One of the most beautiful songs ever written 🥰 Poor Julian. He got the short end of the stick. Thanks for the share today.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  2. Maggie June 28, 2020 / 6:20 am

    What an interesting read. I did not know about the song name change. That song was so well played on our local radio stations at the time.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. newepicauthor June 28, 2020 / 8:31 am

    Great video Fandango, I never saw this one before. It is cool how the audience go so close to the Beatles in this song.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  5. J-Dub June 28, 2020 / 9:51 am

    Classic goodness. Loved the video. Oh to be in that crowd. ❤

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  6. J.E.M. Wildfire June 28, 2020 / 9:53 am

    Great song choice! So many “Judy” or “Jude” songs/quotes have been spouted at me over the years that I really got sick of it for a while. This is one song, though, I could never get enough of. Side note: When I first heard that Paul had originally written it as “hey, Jules,” I had a good chuckle. One of my co-workers always called me “Jules,” no matter how many times I told him my name isn’t Julia (or Julian). LOL

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  7. Marleen June 28, 2020 / 10:05 am

    I had a dress very similar to the white one with the purple trim when I was a little girl. More purple embroidery, and some eyelet. I have a couple of blouses, now, very much like George’s (one in a cheerier brown and one light grey).

    I like the variety of people present in the audience.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  11. leigha66 June 29, 2020 / 5:59 pm

    That video is amazing… wonder if they all had to know a friend of a friend to be able to get in that audience?

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

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