The Beatles recorded this while they were filming the promotional video for “Lady Madonna.” Since they had to be in a studio while filming, Paul McCartney thought they should record a song. This is a nice rocking song written by Lennon. The original name was “Hey Bullfrog” but Paul barked at the end and made John Lennon laugh. They kept in the barking and changed the title, even though there is no mention of a bulldog in the verses or chorus.
John said Hey Bulldog was “a good sounding record that means nothing.” This song would not be out of place today. It is one of the few Beatle songs that gets overlooked and underplayed.
Geoff Emerick, the engineer describes the events of this session. “Even though it was destined to be given to the ‘Yellow Submarine’ film, ‘Hey Bulldog’ was a really strong song. The vibe that day was great… all four Beatles were in an exceptionally good mood because they knew they would be heading to India in a matter of days. Despite the fact that there was a film crew underfoot, it was a Sunday session, so things were quite relaxed – the Abbey Road complex was largely deserted, and The Beatles could wander around the corridors if they wanted to.”
Dave Grohl played the song with Jeff Lynne in 2014 in a tribute to the Beatles after the Grammys.
From Songfacts
This was the first recording session to which John Lennon brought Yoko.
This was the last song The Beatles recorded before leaving for a retreat in India to study meditation with the Maharishi.
John Lennon called this “a good sounding record that means nothing.” Musically, it has some interesting nuances. The middle part contains an interesting example of Lennon’s polyphonic technique: The piano in the background does not follow the singer. Near the end of the song, Lennon talks while accompanied by the music, which could be considered a forerunner to Rap. In the climax, Lennon starts shouting, and the others follow. They scream like mad while the guitar in the background plays the same notes again and again as if nothing has happened.
Hey Bulldog
Sheepdog, standing in the rain
Bullfrog, doing it again
Some kind of happiness is
Measured out in miles
What makes you think you’re
Something special when you smile
Childlike no one understands
Jackknife in your sweaty hands
Some kind of innocence is
Measured out in years
You don’t know what it’s like
To listen to your fears
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
If you’re lonely, you can talk to me
Big man (yeah) walking in the park
Wigwam frightened of the dark
Some kind of solitude is
Measured out in you
You think you know me, but you haven’t got a clue
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
If you’re lonely, you can talk to me
Hey hey
Roar
Hey, bulldog (hey bulldog)
Woof
Hey, bulldog
Hey, bulldog
Hey, bulldog
Hey man
Whats up brother?
Roof
What do ya say
I say, roof
You know any more?
Ah ah (you got it, that’s it, you had it)
That’s it man, wo ho, that’s it, you got it
Woah
Look at me man, I only had ten children
Ah ah ah ah ah ah ha ha ha ha
Quiet, quiet (ok)
Quiet
Hey, bulldog, hey bulldog
It strikes me how much talent is contained in The Beatles. They can sing a song about nothing and make it sound good.
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That is the magic of them… but it sounds like they are meaning something. That is why I never get tired of them.
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I just watched the Dave Grohl Jeff Lynne video a few months back but I did not know the Beatles had a video for this song. It’s looks like they were getting along well in the video even though Yoko was in the house.
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This was one if not the first time Yoko came. This was right before they went off to India….before John left Cynthia.
The video was really for Lady Madonna…they just filmed them working on Hey Bulldog…It was synced up with the song later on.
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Interesting backstory. We’re about at the 50th anniversary of ‘ Yellow Submarine’ lp… actually on tap for tomorrow on my site
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Cool… though the worse Beatle original album…. still it contained some good songs
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Took me a long time to catch up on this one, given it’s tucked away on one of their most obscure albums. Great tune.
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