Hey Bulldog

"Hey Bulldog" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles released on their 1969 soundtrack album Yellow Submarine. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, but written primarily by John Lennon, it was finished in the recording studio by both Lennon and Paul McCartney. The song was recorded during the filming of the "Lady Madonna" promotional film, and, with "Lady Madonna", is one of the few Beatles songs based on a piano riff. [Wikipedia]

Hey Bulldog is a song by The Beatles, written by Lennon–McCartney and led on vocal by John Lennon. Cut while filming 'Lady Madonna' promo; piano riff, dog-bark coda. Recorded while cameras filmed the Beatles at work on 'Lady Madonna' promotional footage, 'Hey Bulldog' was an improvisational creation that emerged unexpectedly during a session nominally dedicated to filming. John Lennon's composition specifically for Yellow Submarine was started, completed, and mixed to mono in approximately ten hours without reduction mixes, capturing the raw energy of the performance intact (Lewisohn 1988, p.134). Destined for Yellow Submarine and initially described as an "essentially a riff-based throw-away," the song emerged during 1968 sessions more memorable for other projects, yet its melodic strength proved otherwise (Kozinn 1995, p.171, 174).

The session work falls within the band's Yellow Submarine (1969) period, recorded 11 Feb 1968 at EMI Studios. George Martin produced; Geoff Emerick (1967 sessions); George Martin orchestral score side B engineered. For session-by-session detail, see Mark Lewisohn's account on p.134 of The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions (excerpt below). The ten takes of the song were recorded on straight four-track tape without any prior tape reduction, an unusual approach indicating the Beatles' confidence in capturing the arrangement live. The piano-riff foundation and Lennon's energetic vocal delivery, combined with a dog-bark coda, created a finished track that required no post-production restructuring. George Martin's straightforward production strategy complemented the song's spontaneous studio origin (Lewisohn 1988, p.134). Cut while filming the "Lady Madonna" promo, the session captured exceptional morale: all four Beatles were energetic and comfortable, even uninhibited in their "howling and general clowning around," with Lennon advocating for it as a single A-side over "Lady Madonna" itself (Emerick 2006, p.576, 577). The piano riff-driven track represents Lennon's signal that he was emerging from his acid-influenced introspective phase, opening a final compositional phase where vigor and collaboration would dominate (MacDonald 1994, p.119).

In the canonical discography it appears on the LP Yellow Submarine. Documented alternate versions include Anthology 2 (1996), 2009 Stereo Remasters. Mono and stereo histories vary by era — see the dedicated section below. John Lennon lead vocals appear in 73 canon songs (1 in Yellow Submarine era), making this his sole lead vocal in that era. The B major key is shared with only 8 canon songs total (1 in era), marking unusual tonality. Though composed specifically for Yellow Submarine, some film prints omitted the 'Hey Bulldog' sequence entirely, limiting its visual cultural footprint despite its eventual soundtrack prominence (Lewisohn 1988, p.134).

Other recordings sharing era, vocalist, writer, key, studio, or producer with this one. Higher scores indicate stronger overlap on documented attributes.

• The Ballad of John and Yoko (score 10)
• Dig It (score 9)
• One After 909 (score 9)
• All Together Now (score 8)
• All I've Got to Do (score 7)
• Any Time at All (score 7)
• Ask Me Why (score 7)
• Baby, You're a Rich Man (score 7)