4 Standout Songs With Closing Sections in the Style of “Hey Jude”

We don’t think about it now because the song became so iconic. But The Beatles were taking a big chance releasing an elongated track like “Hey Jude” as a single in 1968. The greatness of the song ended up outweighing any concerns about its length.

Noting the song’s success, other artists jumped on the trend of creating tracks with extended closing sections. These four come to mind as fine examples.

“Isn’t It A Pity” by George Harrison

George Harrison presented “Isn’t It A Pity” to The Beatles, only to have it wither on the vine and never get recorded. That was par for the course for the treatment of much of Harrison’s material. This had to make the runaway success of All Things Must Pass, which included many of these neglected songs, so vindicating. Harrison included two versions of “Isn’t It A Pity” on the album. The better of the two is the extended, seven-minute-plus version, which riffs endlessly on the same chord sequence in the denseness of Phil Spector’s production. Way down in the mix in the closing moments, you can hear a “na-na-na” chorus using the same melody as “Hey Jude”, a winking callback by the mischievous Harrison.

“Layla” by Derek And The Dominos

Eric Clapton famously wrote “Layla” (the first part anyway) about his feelings for Pattie Boyd, then married to his best friend George Harrison. Jim Gordon, who was Clapton’s chosen drummer with Derek And The Dominos, wrote the piano part that closes out the song. (It should be noted that it’s long been contended that Rita Coolidge wrote the piano part, although she was never able to secure credit.) The combination of the two musical elements makes the song special. Clapton’s opening salvo, which featured him trading pained guitar licks with Duane Allman, expresses the torment. When that piano comes booming into the mix, it feels like resignation to the sorrow about to come.

“The Killing Of Georgie (Part I & II)” by Rod Stewart

Rod Stewart deserves his flowers as one of the finest rock singers of all time. But he doesn’t get nearly enough credit for the excellent songs that he’s written over the years. Perhaps that’s because he’s always been self-deprecating about his skills as a closer. In the case of “The Killing Of Georgie (Part I And Part II)”, he deserves credit for the clever construction of this 1976 hit. It segues from a slinky opening part to a sad singalong coda, one where Stewart calls out to the doomed titular character. Give Stewart props as well for detailing the death of a gay character, a somewhat bold stand for a rock star to take at the time. He based it on an incident that happened to a fan of Faces, Stewart’s 70s band.

“All Around The World” by Oasis

Well, if you believe that Oasis was the 90s answer to The Beatles, then it would make sense that they’d deliver their own version of “Hey Jude”. Noel Gallagher actually wrote “All Around The World” before the band took over the world, back when they were first coming into existence. But he held it back until their third album because he figured that they couldn’t record it in the style that was in his head. By the time they made the Be Here Now LP in 1997, the budget was limitless. Oasis upped the ante considerably by changing keys several times during the elongated chorus, pushing Liam Gallagher’s vocals to the hilt. A little excessive? Perhaps. But still a ton of uplift.

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