The Beatles vs. Wilson Pickett | Head 2 Head 🗣️

In the 49^th edition of Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ (2022), The Beatles and Wilson Pickett  contend for the best rendition of “Hey Jude.”

Welcome to Head 2 Head! On Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, we pit at least two musicians singing the same song together, comparing their performances.  Then, after much deliberation, we deliver a verdict of which performance was the best, or at least, subjectively, which performance moved us more.  In the 49^th edition of head 🗣️2 head 🗣️ (2022), 🎙 The Beatles and 🎙 Wilson Pickett  contend for the best rendition of 🎵 “Hey Jude”. So, without further ado, let the Head 2 Head commence!

1. The Beatles, “Hey Jude”

💿 1 • 🏷 Apple Corps Ltd. • 🗓 2000

“Hey Jude, don’t make it bad / Take a sad song and make it better / Remember to let her into your heart / Then you can start to make it better.” 🎙 The Beatles have hits upon hits upon hits, with 20 no. 1 hits. One of the very best songs in the stacked catalog from 🎙 George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr is 🎵 “Hey Jude”.  “Hey Jude” was written by Lennon and McCartney and spent nine weeks at no. 1 on the pop charts.  A dominant and timeless record, numerous musicians have covered it, including 🎙 Elvis Presley, 🎙 Maynard Ferguson, and, his their competition on this Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️, 🎙 Wilson Pickett.

Paul McCartney sounds absolutely terrific handling the lead on “Hey Jude.” For much of the song, he compels with an easy going sound that suits the message and theme of the song.  The background behind the song is captivating. McCartney had Lennon’s son, Jules (Julian) in mind when penning it. Julian’s parents were in the midst of divorce, so, Paul intended to comfort him. On this epic, seven-minute-plus masterpiece,  Jules becomes Jude:

“And anytime you feel the pain, hey, Jude refrain

Don’t carry the world upon your shoulders

For well you know that it’s a fool who plays it cool

By making his world a little colder

Na-na-na-na-na, na-na-na-na.”

Indeed! The outro of the song is epic to the n^th degree. The supporting instrumental is ear-catching, while  McCartney is more assertive and truly lets loose. 🎵 “Hey Jude” has a strong case as The Beatles’ very best no. 1 hit.

Appears in 🔻:

• The Beatles, “Hey Jude”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 126 (2022)

2. Wilson Pickett, “Hey Jude”

💿 Hey Jude • 🏷 Atlantic • 🗓 1969

Many musicians have covered 🎙 The Beatles. The band has no shortage of classics and surefire hits. 🎵 “Hey Jude” is one of the band’s best – epic to the n^th degree (“Hey, Jude, don’t make it bad / Take a sad song and make it better”).  Had no one else recorded it ever again, the original version would be sufficient.  Of course, then came soul icon 🎙 Wilson Pickett with his gritty, powerful pipes, delivering 🎵 “Hey Jude” like we’ve NEVER heard before. Pickett’s cover, which appeared on his 1969 album, 💿 Hey Jude, impacted the pop charts, peaking at no. 23.

Pickett puts every ounce of himself in his soulful rendition of “Hey Jude.” From the onset, Pickett breathes new life into a song that kicked some serious butt already.  The backdrop embraces soul, his wheelhouse, with its use of organ, ripe guitar, a robust bass line, and punchy horns.  All of this provides the inspiration for the once-and-a-lifetime singer to serve up an authentic, ultra-inspired take of this 🎼 ✍ John Lennon and Paul McCartney gem.  Pickett is most true to self during the breakdown section, which, was one of the best moments of the original too.  Wilson goes wild, flaunting that signature wail that made so many of his own songs great, not to mention showcased a bigger-than-life personality. The Beatles are untouchable – we know this.  That said, Wilson Pickett showed the world how you absolutely slay when covering a big hit – specifically one of the band’s most dominant number one hits.

Appears in 🔻:

• Wilson Pickett, “Hey Jude”: Throwback Vibez 🕶️🎶 124 (2022)

The Verdict 👨🏿‍⚖️

🎙 The Beatles or 🎙 Wilson Pickett?  For as awesome as The Beatles are, this is a truly competitive, Head 🗣️ 2 Head 🗣️ matchup.  Yes, two of The Beatles wrote this surefire classic while the band took it to no. 1 on the pop charts BUT c’mon, they (McCartney) did NOT sing it quite the same way Pickett did.  At the same time, had Lennon/McCartney not written the song, Pickett would not have achieved the success he did on his remake – no. 23 on the pop charts for a soul artist was not too shabby.  The right thing to do is to award The Beatles outright BUT given Wilson’s distinguished, truly electrifying performance, I am going to call this one a tie.

The Beatles vs. Wilson Pickett: Head 2 Head 🗣️ No. 49 (2022) [📷: Apple Corps Ltd., Atlantic, Brent Faulkner, Kool Shooters, Layers, Mario Aranda, The Musical Hype, Pexels, Pixabay, RODNAE Productions, Valentin Tikhonov]