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The Beatles

Hey Jude

Hey Jude / Revolution · 1968 · Lennon–McCartney

GLI64

Lennon Leaning

Confidence 82% · evidence quality, not position

The Beatles performing at the Hollywood Bowl, 1965. — Robert W. Young · Public domain

More than half the record is one chant, and the singer makes up what goes over it.

GARCIAPerformance creates the music

DEAD CENTERNeither wins

LENNONComposition creates the music

100

Hey Jude · 64

Hollow marks: the other 49 scored songs · Hatched band: the Crossover Zone

The case

The strongest honest argument for each side, then the ruling.

The Garcia argument

The coda lasts over four minutes of a seven-minute record. It is one phrase repeated while McCartney ad-libs over it until the fade, with a hired orchestra clapping and singing along. The master was the first take at a new studio, begun before the drummer was back at his kit, with an expletive left in. A good deal of the record happened and was allowed to stand.

The Lennon argument

The first three minutes are a carefully written ballad, and the song would be whole if it ended there. The coda's phrase, chords and orchestral build were planned. The length is a fade, which is a mix decision.

The verdict: GLI 64

A written song with an open tail, the shape of Scarlet Begonias in reverse proportions. The repetition is neutral: here it is a designed frame with improvised vocals inside it. Lennon leaning, by less than any Beatles ballad.

What is fixed

The ballad
The coda phrase and chords
The orchestral build

What is open

The ad-libbed vocal
In principle, the length

Evidence dimensions

Each runs from 0, Garcia, to 100, Lennon. Their weighted composite is 64. The published GLI is 64, the same.

Structural FixityHow much of sequence, form and duration is settled beforehand?

Elastic

Fixed

A fixed song followed by a coda whose length was set by the fade.

Performance ConsistencyHow far can two performances differ and still be the same work?

Transformative

Reproducible

Inferred from one master and a television performance sung over it.

PredeterminationHow much of what matters exists before the performance begins?

Emergent

Predetermined

The song is fully written. The four-minute coda is a chant with ad-libs.

Development MethodHow does the music move forward?

Exploratory

Composed

Composed verses, then accumulation over a repeated figure.

Recording SpecificityDoes the recording document an occurrence, or define the object?

Documents event

Defines work

Accidents were kept: a late drummer, a swear word, an orchestra asked to clap.

Transformational tolerance

The song would survive any singer at any piano. The coda depends on who is shouting over it.

Confidence: 82%

Well documented sessions. No concert performance by the Beatles.

Keep arguing

Every placement is relative. These are the songs this one was measured against.

The record

After two nights of rehearsal takes at EMI, four takes were recorded at Trident on 31 July 1968. The first became the master.Source ↗
The coda lasts over four minutes of the 7:12 track, and McCartney ad-libs through it until the fade.Source ↗
A 36-piece orchestra was overdubbed the next day. The players were asked, for a double fee, to clap and sing along.Source ↗
McCartney started the master take without realising Starr was out of the room. Starr got back to the kit in time for his entry.Source ↗
An expletive at about 2:58 was left in the finished mix.Source ↗

Where the sources disagree

Accounts differ on who swore.
Running time is given as 7:12 and 7:11.

Catalog facts

Catalog no.: GLI·TB·016
Artist: The Beatles
Writers: Lennon–McCartney
Release: Hey Jude / Revolution (1968)
Released: 30 August 1968
Duration: 7:12

Sources

Classified 5 October 2026