When the kids and I are getting ready for bed, the first song we listen to is “Hey Jude” by The Beatles. My son or I ask Alexa to play the song every night. If we forget, my daughter, from her crib, will point to Alexa and try to pronounce it. I have to thank the show Ted Lasso for this. One of my favorite scenes from any show is in Ted Lasso Season 3, Episode 8, “We’ll Never Have Paris.” It is brilliant, and I have watched the scene dozens of times.
During the scene, musician Alex Vargas sings “Hey Jude” in the background while Ted Lasso steps away from his son, Henry, and assistant coach Beard – Vargas’ version is unreal. Knowing that Henry is struggling with his parents’ divorce, Beard explains that ‘Hey Jude’ was written by Paul McCartney for John Lennon’s son Julian. Paul McCartney wrote the song to comfort Julian while his parents were going through a divorce. Beard lets Henry know that while things may be tough, both his parents love him, and everything will work out. The scene is moving. After watching it, I remember thinking to myself, “[i]f the story behind the song is true, this is epic.” I looked it up.
Released in 1968, the song is often interpreted as a message of comfort and encouragement. McCartney wrote it for John Lennon’s son, Julian, during the difficult times surrounding John’s divorce from Julian’s mother, Cynthia. Originally titled ‘Hey Jules,’ McCartney wanted to console Julian and offer him support during the family turmoil. A month after Cynthia and John Lennon separated, Paul made a visit to Julian. Cynthia recalls that Paul McCartney wrote the song ‘Hey Jude’ in the car while on the trip to visit Cynthia and Julian at their home.
The first chance I had, I played “Hey Jude” for my son. I played it while we were alone driving. He loved the song. I told him that in life, things will be hard and things will make him sad. But, he has the ability to make things better. Anytime he gets sad, he can listen to this song and know he can make things better.
When I am feeling stressed or not feeling that great, I find myself opening iTunes and playing “Hey Jude.”
I can’t wait for my son and daughter to get older, so we can watch Ted Lasso together. Until then, we will continue listen to Hey Jude. Thank you Ted Lasso and Paul McCartney.