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Unlike most of their contemporaries, The Beatles filmed several music videos. For example, The Beatles made a video for “Hey Jude” wherein they perform in front of an audience. Briefly, the band sings an Elvis Presley song in the clip. Interestingly, the Elvis song in question was based on another tune.

The Beatles' Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison standing in a row
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison | John Pratt/Keystone/Getty Images

The Beatles made music videos for ‘Hey Jude’ and some of their other songs

The Fab Four were the first major band to create numerous music videos. Long before MTV, the Fab Four shot videos for songs such as “Paperback Writer,” “A Day in the Life,” “Penny Lane,” and “Strawberry Fields Forever.” They also created a music video for “Hey Jude.”

The “Hey Jude” video features The Beatles performing the song in front of an audience. Before they sing, an announcer introduces them. Then, they briefly sing part of Elvis’ song “It’s Now or Never” before playing “Hey Jude.”

Elvis Presley’s ‘It’s Now or Never’ was based on an earlier song

“It’s Now or Never” is a song with an interesting history. According to the BBC, the song was based on the melody of an Italian tune called “O Sole Mio.” Elvis heard the song while he was in the army and wanted to do his own version of it. 

Elvis’ publisher, Freddy Bienstock, recruited songwriters Aaron Schroeder and Wally Gold to write new lyrics for the song. Both songwriters were responsible for multiple hits. Schroeder co-wrote a number of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll’s hits, including “I Got Stung,” “A Big Hunk o’ Love,” and “Stuck on You.” In addition, Schroeder and Gold co-wrote Lesley Gore’s classic “It’s My Party.”

According to the 1986 book Behind the Hits, Gold discussed writing “It’s Now or Never. “Aaron wrote other hits, I wrote other hits, but a song we finished in 20 minutes to a half-hour was the biggest song of our career,” he recalled.

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How Elvis Presley’s ‘It’s Now or Never’ and The Beatles’ ‘Hey Jude’ performed on the chart

“It’s Now or Never” became a huge hit. For five weeks, it topped the Billboard Hot 100. The track remained on the chart for 20 weeks in total. “It’s Now or Never” appeared on the compilation album ELV1S: 30 No. 1 Hits. The album topped the Billboard 200 for three of its 119 weeks on the chart.

“Hey Jude” was a huge hit as well. The song was No. 1 for nine of its 19 weeks on the Billboard Hot 100. “Hey Jude” appeared on the compilation album 1. The album topped the Billboard 200 for eight weeks. It lasted 516 weeks on the chart.

“It’s Now or Never” became a massive hit for Elvis and it has an interesting connection to “Hey Jude.”

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