The first time you might have heard Hey Jude by the Beatles might have been fans singing at an English football team stadium. Maybe it was at The Brentford Community Stadium or City fans at the Etihad singing away after another win. Most probably it was Liverpool fans at the top of their voices from The Kop. I am even certain you will hear more “Hey Judes” at Anfield if they secure the signing of Jude Bellingham in the summer. But why does the song resonate so much with football? For a layman, the Beatles are great and they are English. But if you dig deeper you realize that despite the complexity, football is just a game of hope, confidence and consolation- and the lyrics of the song are just about that. You cannot understand this until you put yourselves in the shoes of the people Paul targeted the lyrics for.
The hope
Imagine you are a Julian. You are just 5 years old when your parent’s relationship breaks down. You rarely even see your father anymore. The closest man figure in your life is your father’s friend Paul who visits sometimes. Wouldn’t you need some hope from him in life? The kind that comes with being told to “take a sad song and make it better?” The line to Julian is a call for hope. It emphasizes that every bad situation gets better. It is a
reminder that everything that happens needs to be taken into heart and analyzed carefully. Then you can take the challenge and make better circumstances from the bad situations.
The confidence
Suppose you are a John Lennon. Your marriage with Cynthia is crumbling. You have found the love of your life in Yoko Ono. You are unsure whether to push in your marriage or to follow your happiness. The best assurance you can get is hearing your friend Paul sing lyrics that pushyou to pursue your woman. Nothing can give you more confidence than “Don’t be afraid, you were made to go out and get her” or “You have found her, now go and get her” This part pushes us to pursue happiness. It is also about the moves we are afraid to make and the doors we are afraid to open because we fear what might come from the other side. The reality is that we may never know until we try. The song pushes us to pursue happiness. And John did pursue his happiness- He was married to Yoko for 11 years until he was shot in 1980 with Yoko by his side.
The consolation
If you were Paul you would know the importance of the consoling lyrics of the song. Because your lover of five years has just broken up with you. The song can act as a reminder to brace for continuity because you are waiting for “someone to perform with”. Furthermore, the lyrics tend to prevent you from doing something rash. There’s absolutely no point in having to “carry the world on your shoulders” if you feel the pain that comes with a loss. Maybe we overanalyze sometimes. Maybe the song is about the comfort of drugs as many people believe. But as long as the song whispers hope to ears, gives that little push of confidence and wipes tears it shall forever hold the aforementioned meanings.