So, about a week ago Barb and I were on our way home from closing the coffee shop and the song Hey Jude came on the radio.
Now in case you didn’t already know, I’m a pretty big Beatles fan. The story behind Hey Jude is that Paul wrote it for then 5-year-old Julian Lennon when John was getting a divorce from Cynthia. He was having a hard time with the split of his parents. Having Yoko as a stepmom may have been a part of it, but anyway.
I still to this day remember exactly where I was when I first heard it. I am 11 years old, with my parents at my dad’s cousin’s house, in their basement watching the Smothers Brother comedy hour. At the end of the show, they announced that the Beatles contacted them with a film of Hey Jude and the following week will be Revolution. During Hey Jude the audience joins them on stage. Oh! So cool!
I was listening to an interview with Paul a few years ago about when he wrote it. He played a rough draft for John and when he got to the phrase “The Movement you Need is on Your Shoulder,” he says to John, “I’m going to back and fix the line. John says, no, you’re not, I know exactly what you mean. You leave that line alone.” That story always stuck with me.
Remember, this was at the end of the musical magic that Beatles once shared. Hey Jude was released in August of 1968. By September of 1969 John had left the band and the official break up was April 10, 1970. But even in those last years, they must of still had mutual respect for each other.
Now I have listened to this song for 58 years. 58 years! Oh my god, I’m getting old! Anyway, the point is I never really knew what he meant until the other night. For some reason it just came to me (I probably had some minor issues on my mind from the day’s events).
The movement you need is on your shoulder… I think means – You already have the answers to your problems or solutions to whatever you’re going through. Look into yourself for the answers. Now I must admit that it helps when Paul McCartney writes a song about your issues.
At any given time, we are all going through something. As humans we seek help and advice from people around us. I know I tend to do this from anybody that will stand still long enough to listen to me. But at the end of the day, I know what I need to do. It may take me a while to get there, but the answer is already inside me.
I think this is true for just about everyone. You may think you don’t know what to do, but you do if you take the time to look into yourself. Slow down and give yourself the chance to solve it.
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