Hey Jude Quotes

Context

This line is from the song "Hey Jude" by The Beatles (1968).

"Hey Jude" was the first single from Apple Records, and it sat at number one on the American charts for a solid 9 weeks.

So yeah, it was definitely a major hit.

There are a few different possibilities for what this song means, and how this quote fits in. Paul McCartney claims it was intended for John Lennon's son, Julian (or, Jude). See, Lennon pretty much left Julian and his mother once Yoko Ono showed up and Lennon's affair with her became pretty public. So McCartney was just being a good guy by writing a song for Julian and his mom, who were understandably down in the dumps.

But the lyrics don't exactly match a song for a 5-year-old (which is how old Julian was at the time), and there are other theories. For example, Lennon thought it was meant for him. McCartney would later say it was about his own life, and of course, we can't go wrong with speculating that it could've been about drugs and stuff.

"For well you know that it's a fool who plays it cool" could have a few different meanings. Maybe it's talking about how "fools" play it "cool" by smoking marijuana. Or maybe he's saying that Lennon should stop being a fool, break up with Yoko, and save his family (and The Beatles).

And still, maybe McCartney was being honest that he wrote the song for young Julian. In this line, he's telling little Julian that he shouldn't be a fool by moping around and making things seem worse than they are.

Sometimes you just can't tell with those pesky Beatles.

Where you've heard it

So many people nowadays are obsessed with The Beatles—and for good reason. They were, after all, one of the most successful and popular bands ever. So if you hear someone singing this, they probably just have "Hey Jude" stuck in their head. Unless they have a friend Jude, of course. Then they might be trying to knock some sense into him.

Additional Notable References:

• Of course, The Beatles have a website named after them called "Beatlesbible."
• Here's the parody version "Swine Flu." It's worth catching.
• For the gamers out there, here's the League of Legends parody.

Pretentious Factor

If you were to drop this quote at a dinner party, would you get an in-unison "awww" or would everyone roll their eyes and never invite you back? Here it is, on a scale of 1-10.

Out of all of the lines in "Hey Jude," this probably isn't the one you'd hear people singing. So if someone randomly pulls this one out of the air, it might sound a teensy bit pretentious.

At least, it's better than singing, "Nah nah nah nah nah nah, nah nah nah, hey Jude," to infinity and beyond.