Hey Bulldog
| "Hey Bulldog" | |
|---|---|
| Song by the Beatles from the album Yellow Submarine | |
| Published | Northern Songs |
| Released | 13 January 1969 (US) 17 January 1969 (UK) |
| Recorded | 11 February 1968 |
| Genre | |
| Length | 3:14 |
| Label | Apple |
| Writer(s) | Lennon–McCartney |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
"Hey Bulldog" is a song by the Beatles which first appeared on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack album in 1969. Credited to Lennon–McCartney but written primarily by John Lennon, it was finished in the studio by Lennon and McCartney. The song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional video, and like "Lady Madonna", is one of the few Beatles' songs based on a piano riff. It had a working title of "You Can Talk to Me". Although the Yellow Submarine album had a mixed reception, "Hey Bulldog" was generally considered its highlight song.
A few days before the recording session, Paul McCartney had played drums on a Paul Jones rocker called "The Dog Presides," which had featured barking sound effects. During the Beatles recording, McCartney started to bark without warning. The next lines, initially written as "Hey bullfrog" by Lennon, were changed mid-song to "Hey bulldog", which would become the song's title.
Geoff Emerick, the Beatles' engineer, would subsequently claim this was the last song the band recorded that featured a team dynamic with enthusiasm from every member. He also praised the performance in his book Here, There, Everywhere, saying "Paul's bass line was probably the most inventive of any he'd done since Pepper, and it was really well played. Harrison's solo was sparkling, too--one of the few times that he nailed it right away. His amp was turned up really loud, and he used one of his new fuzz boxes, which made his guitar absolutely scream." When the group reconvened in the studio in May 1968 for The White Album sessions, their group cohesion had already been undermined by the business, artistic, and personal differences that would culminate in their eventual break-up.
During these sessions, a film crew photographed the Beatles recording the song. It was one of the few times they allowed themselves to be extensively filmed while recording at EMI's Abbey Road studios, for a promotional film to be released during their scheduled four-month retreat to India (which was later edited together as a promotional film for the single "Lady Madonna").
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