For well you know that it’s a fool/
Who plays it cool/
By making his world a little colder.

The Beatles “Hey Jude” is one of the greatest rock anthems of all-time. Perhaps a couple of Queen songs like We Will Rock You/We Are the Champions are in the same league  (though we are really splitting hairs…they are both great). “Hey Jude” was written by McCartney to Lennon’s son, Julian, as Lennon was going through a divorce.

The lyrics of The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” aren’t deep or complex, but I find them to be wisdom-filled and well-intentioned. The lyric above is great and then there is this gem:

Remember to let her into your heart/
then you can start to make it better.

It might sound quaint, but it lands hard. The song has a classic “Carpe diem” theme.

The most iconic part of “Hey Jude” is the communal outro which makes up about half of the song’s length. It is simply fun to sing and to hear McCartney go kind of crazy improvising during that part. We don’t hear much jamming on the piano in rock, but we get some here.

McCartney uses a relatively simple sounding melody and arraignment along with straightforward lyrics to create a carpe diem anthem. Ringo’s drums are done well. The times when the full band breaks into a harmony sound wonderful.

Hey Jude Lyrics

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
Na-na-na, na, na
Na-na-na, na

Hey Jude, don’t let me down
You have found her, now go and get her (let it out and let it in)
Remember to let her into your heart (hey Jude)
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

Na-na-na, na, na
Na-na-na, na, 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 better, ah!

written by Lennon/Mccartney

I am the egg man/
I am the walrus.

The lyrics of The Beatles’ “I am the Walrus” are great, but not in the traditional sense. Normally we want lyrics (and words in general) to mean something. That is the whole purpose of language and it is one of the big things we get out of music. “I Am the Walrus” doesn’t provide much meaning, but it does evoke many colorful phrases and images that are fun to say. It shrouds The Beatles in mystery–purposely.

Of course, there are images you recognize. Primarily from Alice and Wonderland. But there is a lot of great imagery in the lyrics that helps to create a wonderful song but don’t connect together to tell a story.

The Beatles’ “I am the Walrus” is the height of psychedelic rock. We have experimental lyrics, strange instruments, bridges and choruses that don’t really match but still somehow sound good together and of course references to dreams and drugs. George Martin really does some amazing things to pull this song together.

“I am The Walrus” is packed to the gills with music and effects: there are so many instruments, background nonsense, background choirs and the song is just plain complex in terms of chord structure. It is amazing that the song sounds coherent at all. And it doesn’t just sound coherent, it sounds like it is on a different level than the rock we are used to hearing.

Other great Songs by John Lennon.

I Am the Walrus Lyrics

I am he as you are he as you are me,
And we are all together.
See how they run like pigs from a gun,
See how they fly.
I’m crying.

Sitting on a corn flake,
Waiting for the van to come.
Corporation T-shirt, stupid bloody Tuesday,
Man you’ve been a naughty boy,
You let your face grow long.
I am the egg man,
They are the egg men,
I am the walrus!
Goo goo g’joob.

Mister City policeman sitting,
Pretty little policemen in a row.
See how they fly like Lucy in the sky, see how they run.
I’m crying, I’m crying,
I’m crying, I’m crying.

Yellow matter custard,
Dripping from a dead dog’s eye.
Crabalocker fishwife, pornographic priestess,
Boy, you’ve been a naughty girl, you let your knickers down.

Sitting in an English garden
Waiting for the sun.
If the sun don’t come you get a tan
From standing in the English rain.

I am the egg man (now good sir),
They are the egg men (a poor man, made tame to fortune’s blows),
I am the walrus.
Goo goo g’joob, goo goo goo g’joob (good pity).

Semolina Pilchard,
Climbing up the Eiffel tower.
Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna,
Man, you should have seen them kicking Edgar Allen Poe.

I am the egg man,
They are the egg men,
I am the walrus!
Goo goo g’joob, goo goo goo g’joob,
Coo Coo gacho, ca coo coo gacho, cha cha cha.
Joob, joob, jooba.
Jooba, jooba, jooba.
Joob, jooba.
Joob, jooba.

With the lights out, it’s less dangerous/
Here we are now, entertain us.

Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” was extremely revolutionary at the time of release-both the song and video. It came to be an anthem for Gen X angst, 90s fashion, the Seattle music scene, alt-rock and it was the breakout song that launched the careers of perhaps the two most iconic figures of rock in the 90s: Kurt Cobain and Dave Grohl. The lyrics are obscure, and to be honest, in the Nirvana version, you could only tell what half of them were at the time. Teenage angst, ambivalence and anarchy are key themes.

One of my favorite parts about “Smells like Teen Spirit” is the way the song weaves between hard and softer sounds. In the intro we have stripped down guitar sound, to the full band coming in then back to the stripped-down guitar sound as we enter the first verse. That is roller-coaster of emotion before any words are sung. The softer verses contrast great with the hardcore chorus. The production is amazing: there are a lot of guitar effects that could distract but they enhance the song. Of course, the vocal stylings of Cobain are iconic.

I also want to point out the Tori Amos cover of “Smells Like Teen Spirit”. This is the most radically different cover version of any song that I think I have heard. It is amazing. One thing that is great is that it focuses on the exact opposite aspects of the song that the Nirvana song does, and still captures the essence of the song.

Amos focuses on enunciating the lyrics, and it is exciting to understand them. Her delicate piano playing allows us to focus on how the song is structured well and see it is actually well-written. And her voice enhances the melody. Had the Nirvana version never been released, Amos’ version would be on this list by itself.

Smells Like Teen Spirit Lyrics

Load up on guns, bring your friends,
It’s fun to lose and to pretend.
She’s over-bored and self-assured,
Oh no, I know a dirty word.

Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello.

With the lights out, it’s less dangerous.
Here we are now, entertain us.
I feel stupid and contagious,
Here we are now, entertain us.
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido.
Yeah, hey.

I’m worse at what I do best,
And for this gift I feel blessed.
Our little group has always been
And always will until the end.

Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello.

With the lights out, it’s less dangerous.
Here we are now, entertain us.
I feel stupid and contagious,
Here we are now, entertain us.
A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido.
Yeah, hey.

And I forget just why I taste.
Oh yeah, I guess it makes me smile.
I found it hard, it’s hard to find,
Oh well, whatever, never mind.

Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello, how low?
Hello, hello, hello.

With the lights out, it’s less dangerous,
Here we are now, entertain us.
I feel stupid and contagious,
Here we are now, entertain us.

A mulatto, an albino, a mosquito, my libido.
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial, a denial,
A denial, a denial, a denial, a denial.