Born in Liverpool, Lennon became involved in the skiffle craze as a teenager. In 1956, he formed The Quarrymen, which evolved into the Beatles in 1960. Sometimes called "the smart Beatle", Lennon initially was the group's de facto leader, a role he gradually ceded to McCartney. Through his songwriting in the Beatles, he embraced myriad musical influences, initially writing and co-writing rock and pop-oriented hit songs in the band's early years, then later incorporating experimental elements into his compositions in the latter half of the Beatles' career as his songs became known for their increasing innovation. Lennon soon expanded his work into other media by participating in numerous films, including How I Won the War, and authoring In His Own Write and A Spaniard in the Works, both collections of nonsense writings and line drawings. Starting with "All You Need Is Love", his songs were adopted as anthems by the anti-war movement and the larger counterculture of the 1960s. In 1969, he started the Plastic Ono Band with his second wife, multimedia artist Yoko Ono, held the two-week-long anti-war demonstration Bed-ins for Peace and left the Beatles to embark on a solo career.
Between 1968 and 1972, Lennon and Ono collaborated on many works, including a trilogy of avant-garde albums, several more films, his solo debut John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the international top-10 singles "Give Peace a Chance", "Instant Karma!", "Imagine", and "Happy Xmas (War Is Over)". Moving to New York City in 1971, his criticism of the Vietnam War resulted in a three-year deportation attempt by the Nixon administration. Lennon and Ono separated from 1973 to 1975, during which time he produced Harry Nilsson's album Pussy Cats. He also had chart-topping collaborations with Elton John ("Whatever Gets You thru the Night") and David Bowie ("Fame"). Following a five-year hiatus, Lennon returned to music in 1980 with the Ono collaboration Double Fantasy. He was murdered by a Beatles fan, Mark David Chapman, three weeks after the album's release.
As a performer, writer or co-writer, Lennon had 25 number-one singles in the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Double Fantasy, his best-selling album, won the 1981 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. That year, he won the Brit Award for Outstanding Contribution to Music. In 2002, Lennon was voted eighth in a BBC history poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Rolling Stone ranked him the fifth-greatest singer and 38th greatest artist of all time. He was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (in 1997) and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (twice, as a member of the Beatles in 1988 and as a solo artist in 1994).
Studio albums
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band (1970)
Imagine (1971)
Some Time in New York City (with Yoko Ono, 1972)
Mind Games (1973)
Walls and Bridges (1974)
Rock 'n' Roll (1975)
Double Fantasy (with Yoko Ono, 1980)
Milk and Honey (Posthumous with Yoko Ono, 1984)
Experimental studio albums with Yoko Ono
Unfinished Music No. 1: Two Virgins (1968)
Unfinished Music No. 2: Life with the Lions (1969)
Wedding Album (1969)
Hey Jude
John Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Take a sad song and make it better
Remember to let her into your heart
Then you can start to make it better
When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me
Speaking words of wisdom, let it be
cnd in my hour of darkness she is standing right in front of me
cnd anytime you feel the pain, hey Jude, refrain
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
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
Better, Better, Better, Better, Better
Ohhhhhh
Na-Na-Na Na-Na-Na
Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey Jude
Na-Na-Na Na-Na-Na
Na-Na-Na-Na, Hey Jude
cnd when the broken hearted people living in the world agree
There will be an answer, let it be
For though they may be parted, there is still a chance that they will see
There will be an answer, let it be
Let it be, let it be, let it be, let it be
Whisper words of wisdom, let it be
Hey Jude, there'll be an answer
Let it be
The song Hey Jude by John Lennon and Paul McCartney is a comforting and uplifting message to someone who is struggling emotionally. The first verse encourages the listener to use their pain and sadness as a starting point to make things better. The line "Take a sad song and make it better" is a metaphorical way of saying that it's possible to turn negative experiences around and find a positive outcome. The second verse encourages the listener to be courageous and pursue the person they desire. The line "The minute you let her under your skin, then you begin to make it better" is a reference to falling in love and how it can help heal emotional wounds.
The chorus of the song tells the listener not to carry the weight of the world on their shoulders and not to become emotionally distant as a means to cope with pain. The repeated "na na na na" towards the end of the song serves as a way to lift the listener's spirits and create a sense of community. Overall, Hey Jude is a comforting message of hope and encouragement during difficult times.
Line by Line Meaning
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad,
Hey, Jude, don't let your current situation get you down.
Take a sad song and make it better.
Use your emotions to create something positive.
Remember to let her into your heart,
Open yourself up to love and vulnerability.
Then you can start to make it better.
Once you have love in your heart, you can begin to heal and move forward.
Hey, Jude, don't be afraid,
Don't let fear hold you back from pursuing what you want.
You were made to go out and get her.
You have the ability and strength to pursue what you desire.
The minute you let her under your skin,
Allow yourself to truly feel and connect with your emotions and love.
Then you begin to make it better.
Once you allow yourself to feel and connect, you can start to heal and make things better.
And anytime you feel the pain,
Acknowledge your pain and don't repress it.
Hey, Jude, refrain,
Hey, Jude, avoid letting your pain consume you.
Don't carry the world upon your shoulders.
Don't let your problems weigh you down too heavily.
For well you know that it's a fool
It would be unwise and detrimental to your well-being
Who plays it cool
To pretend that everything is okay and not confront their pain.
By making his world a little colder.
Pushing away emotions, love, and vulnerability can make life feel more isolating and cold.
Hey, Jude, don't let me down,
Don't disappoint yourself or others by giving up on your goals.
You have found her, now go and get her.
You have found what you desire, now put in the effort to make it a reality.
So let it out and let it in, hey Jude, begin,
Allow yourself to express your emotions and let love into your life.
You're waiting for someone to perform with.
You're waiting for a partner or collaborator to share your life with.
And don't you know that it's just you, hey Jude you'll do,
Remember that you have the power and capability to pursue your goals without needing anyone else.
The movement you need is on your shoulder.
You have the power and control to make the changes you need for your life.
Better, better, better, better wowwww
Things will continue to improve and get better with time and effort.
Hey Jude
A term of endearment for the person this song is addressed to.
Na na na na na na
Nonsensical sounds to signify joy and happiness.
Na na Hey Jude...
Continuation of nonsensical sounds to signify joy and happiness.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@88feji
The story about Hey Jude is probably more complicated ... I think.
When John left his wife and child for Yoko Ono, Paul McCartney visited John's ex-wife and son Julian Lennon to check on how they were coping ... Thats when he came up with idea to write a song to comfort Julian.
Here's where things get a bit blurry ...
Paul said in interview that he later changed the lyrics to make it not specifically about Julian but braoden it to be about the everyman ..... (he changed the name Jules to Jude, and added in a part about encouraging Jude to pursue a girl ) .... Paul said he wanted to broaden the song's appeal. Well, the real reason is probably something else....
I think Paul must have changed the lyrics to avoid giving the impression to John that he's meddling with John's family affairs by trying to comfort Julian about John's divorce .... who knows, John may react angrily seeing it as a criticism about his own infidelity ..... but of course Paul would not say that openly, its quite easy to see the real reason why he had to change the lyrics to be openly comforting Julian ...
I'm not sure at which point John would know that the song was originally meant for, his son Julian Lennon, but he eventually knew.
I hope this helps to clarify some listeners's confusiion with the lyrics, on one hand people know its written to comfort Julian, but finds it weird that the lyrics talks about chasing a girl instead when Julian was only 3-5 yo at that point ...
@renatacaldeira3593
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.
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.
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 better, oh.
Na na na nananana, nannana, hey Jude...
(repeat X number of times, fade)
@thomasomalley6320
That lil "hey juuuudee" before he started to properly sing will never stop making me smile
@vigneshnaruto9777
Its great to see soooo many people listenin to this after soo many years
@maimunab7287
I thought my speaker wasnt working
@martinkostov8983
Cringe
@thomasomalley6320
Fmm_General thanks 😒
@martinkostov8983
The comment is cringe not the vid
@tomatopuree2193
It makes me really happy when the comment section is full of comments posted maybe a week ago AND they have hundreds of likes. :) The beatles will be heard forever, thats a fact
@josephcolatruglio4354
I totally agree
@kristismith3662
Keeping real music alive is all that matters
@terryperring104
@Elias Håkansson
But there will always be movies that come out with Beatles connections.