Hey Jude: A new appreciation; did we underestimate it?

OMG! I hadn't kept following it. pmp, did you BUY this software, for ONE song??? Was it expensive? I mean . . . can you imagine Elvis, had he lived, seeing this? A vocal he probably totally forget that he did almost 44 years ago. And it was a just a kick-around throw-away thing. I don't care if they did other takes, he was just having fun. It was a big record at the time, and people were speculating as to what it meant and all that. And Elvis just sang whatever words flew into his head.

You know, I don't mean this in a disrespectful way, understand. But if you paid MONEY for that, just to make this point about this song, well, Elvis sang "Dontcha know that it's a fool who plays it cool, in taking the world upon his shoulders." Gosh, it's not even "the world."

You folks don't have Thanksgiving over there, so holiday jitters doesn't explain it. I mean, if the Americans on the board are touchy right now, it might be because of the whole intense "family" week, which is difficult for some families . . . you know the drill. (I love it, personally, because we don't get many chances to be together. But it's very tense for some folks.)

I say this with great respect. But it's really funny! I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, but using that program is funny! I'm sorry.

rjm
UPDATE. Hope you were able to do this with the "free trial." Because that software is $500!!!!! It's funny, but it's . . . oh, dear!

Well, look, since you have it, do "Paradise, Hawaiian Style." You do take requests, right? (That is TOO mean! But I can't believe . . .)

Noooo. I have a recording setup in the spare room - I'm not mad enough to buy something just to prove a point.

Anyone who doesn't hear Elvis miss some notes needs to clean their ears out. While it is an exaggeration to say that Elvis sings "painfully flat throughout," he does mess up some notes and it is placed a little high for him to be comfortable.

Besides the song/tune itself, this is what ruins it for me.

It certainly cannot compare to some of the great singles Elvis released in 1971, like "Life."

Noooo. I have a recording setup in the spare room - I'm not mad enough to buy something just to prove a point.

Or, sometimes, even to argue a point.

He doesn't sing Hey Jude out of tune. Somebody check out the November 1969 TV studio version of Frank Sinatra's My Way and compare it to the 1970 version from Royal Festival Hall. It's called a variant, and Elvis used a variant on a song he never planned to really do.

There are a couple of questionable notes but overall Elvis' pitch is fine. But then it was never finished in the studio. Had they carried on they may have lowered the key slightly to better fit Elvis' voice. I consider Hey Jude no more than an outtake that RCA in all their wisdom decided to sweeten up with overdubs and release anyway.

To me Elvis' version of "Hey Jude" is nothing but a piece of crap.

There are a couple of questionable notes but overall Elvis' pitch is fine. But then it was never finished in the studio. Had they carried on they may have lowered the key slightly to better fit Elvis' voice. I consider Hey Jude no more than an outtake that RCA in all their wisdom decided to sweeten up with overdubs and release anyway.

Another voice of reason. Thank you.

To me Elvis' version of "Hey Jude" is nothing but a piece of crap.

Are you old and round

There are a couple of questionable notes but overall Elvis' pitch is fine. But then it was never finished in the studio.
Had they carried on they may have lowered the key slightly to better fit Elvis' voice.
I consider Hey Jude no more than an outtake that RCA in all their wisdom decided to sweeten up with overdubs and release anyway.

Yes.

For me, the version to listen to is the shortened one with the new backing that Felton Jarvis made at the 1980 Guitar Man sessions.

Strange enough Colin, that's the version I play if I need to hear Elvis' version of Hey Jude. I take the song for the jam it is and I never really thought it was that bad at all. Maybe it should not have been released on an album, but as a rarity I find it just fine. Among others like Lady Madonna, I Shall Be Released, Don't Think Twice..., Tiger Man ('75)....

Elvis doesn't sing flat on this recording, he just misses notes. This truly is a session leftover.