The London Olympics pressed Sir Paul McCartney to lip-sync on “Hey Jude” at the Opening Ceremony. Sir Paul said no way, and an iconic Olympics moment was born! The end result was riotous, grooving, and uplifting, and Paul’s live vocals were so heartfelt and touching. The 70-year-old Macca was in high spirits, as evidenced by his wild scream at 2:55. This was followed by a feel-good singalong from the crowd. Paul initially sang together with the crowd before turning the crowd into the main event at the four-minute mark.

No one knows how to work a crowd like Sir Paul! The Beatles legend was really cooking when he picked “Hey Jude” for the ceremony. The Music Man has to say there’s nothing quite like that “na na na” refrain when it’s sung by a whole stadium full of elated people. Macca has always been one of the greatest voices in rock, and to see him crushing it like this in his 70s is inspiring. Half the fun of watching the clip was seeing how much of a ball Sir Paul was having – he really brought a childlike sense of fun to it.

The Olympic Games uploaded Sir Paul’s Opening Ceremony performance of “Hey Jude” to YouTube, where it hit five million views. Fans loved the unique performance and added comments such as “They wanted him to lip sync. Imagine having the guts to tell Sir Paul McCartney to lip sync” and “I imagine that being able to shout the Na-na-na-nas along with Sir Paul McCartney at a live concert has to be one of the most cathartic experiences a person could have.”

Sir Paul opened the London Olympics, and his late Beatles bandmate’s music closed it. John Lennon appeared in video form at the Closing Ceremony, with the Liverpool Philharmonic Youth Choir and Liverpool Signing Choir providing accompaniment. It really goes to show the enduring power of John’s music that even when he’s not around anymore, his performance can draw 11 million views, becoming one of the most-watched musical performances in the history of the Olympics.

Sir Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude,” and it was credited to Lennon–McCartney. The song was released as a non-album single on August 26, 1968.
The origin of the song is quite poignant. Sir Paul initially titled it “Hey Jules” and wrote it to comfort John’s son Julian Lennon in the wake of John’s choice to leave Julian’s mother Cynthia and pursue a relationship with Yoko Ono. This song eventually evolved into The Beatles song “Hey Jude.”
The Music Man readers might be interested to hear that “Hey Jude” was recorded during a tumultuous time in the history of The Beatles. During the recording sessions at Trident Studios, Sir Paul and George Harrison feuded over the details of the guitar part of the song.
Ringo Starr recorded drums on the song and then left the band briefly, before returning in time to appear in the promotional clip for the single. Ringo later said that he felt “unloved” by the other members and like he was an outsider in the band lineup. He also harbored doubts about his playing ability at the time. Ringo later stated that he returned to the band after the other members sent him a telegram saying “You’re the best rock ‘n’ roll drummer in the world. Come home. We love you.”