The Story Behind “Hey Bulldog” by The Beatles and How It Was Their Last Group Effort

Apple Corps Limited released Yellow Submarine in the UK on July 17, 1968. The Beatles had enjoyed the success of their first two cinematic releases, A Hard Day’s Night and Help! but Magical Mystery Tour had been the band’s first misstep. Broadcast on BBC1 on December 26, 1967, it was filmed in color but shown in black and white. Although the band was quick to use that as an excuse, the film had other failings, and it was the first Beatles project to be considered a critical failure.

The early press release for Yellow Submarine announced an animated feature with The Beatles providing their own character’s voices. Ultimately, other actors supplied the voices for the Fab Four’s speaking parts, except for a cameo appearance by the band at the end of the movie. The Beatles supplied four new songs for the soundtrack, and the film also used older existing songs. Let’s take a look at the story behind “Hey Bulldog” by The Beatles.

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

One of Their Final Group Efforts

The Beatles were about to go to India and planned to release a promotional film for “Lady Madonna” during their absence. A film crew captured footage of the band in the studio while they were writing and recording “Hey Bulldog.” Engineer Geoff Emerick said it was one of their final group efforts. When the band returned from India, they tended to work more individually as their relationship became increasingly strained. In 1997, McCartney told author Barry Miles, “I remember ‘Hey Bulldog’ as being one of John’s songs, and I helped him finish it off in the studio, but it’s mainly his vibe. There’s a little rap at the end between John and I; we went into a crazy little thing at the end.”

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

“Hey Bullfrog”

Paul McCartney asked John Lennon to create a song while they were in the studio. He sketched out a few ideas on a song called “Hey Bullfrog.” McCartney claimed to have misread Lennon’s handwriting, changing Some kind of solitude is measured out in news to measured out in you. The band changed the title to “Hey Bulldog” after McCartney began barking during the session, as they were ad-libbing during the outro. The band decided to leave in the barking and adjusted the title to fit.

The spoken parts by Lennon are a forerunner to rap. In 1980, Lennon told author David Sheff, “That’s me, ’cause of the Yellow Submarine people, who were gross animals apart from the guy who drew the paintings for the movie. They lifted all the ideas for the movie out of our heads and didn’t give us any credit. We had nothing to do with that movie, and we sort of resented them. It was the third movie that we owed United Artists. Brian [Epstein, the band’s manager] had set it up, and we had nothing to do with it. But I liked the movie, the artwork. They wanted another song, so I knocked off ‘Hey Bulldog.’ It’s a good-sounding record that means nothing.”

You can talk to me
You can talk to me
You can talk to me
If you’re lonely, you can talk to me

A New Promo Film

Originally, Lennon played a sitar on the track, but he abandoned it before the arrangement was locked in. The piano riff is reminiscent of “Money (That’s What I Want)” and “Lady Madonna.” The R&B feel of Little Richard and Fats Domino shines through the song. The animated sequence that used “Hey Bulldog” was originally only included in the European prints of the film. It was restored and included in the worldwide rerelease of the movie in 1999. At that time, Apple pulled the original footage shot for the “Lady Madonna” clip and resynched it with “Hey Bulldog” to create a new promotional clip.

When Yellow Submarine returned to the theaters, George Harrison told Billboard magazine, “When we were in the studio recording ‘Bulldog,’ apparently it was at a time when they needed some footage for something else, some other record and a film crew came along and filmed us. Then, they cut up the footage and used some of the shots for something else. But it was [Apple Corps head] Neil Aspinall who found out that when you watched and listened to what the original thing was, we were recording ‘Bulldog’. This was apparently the only time we were actually filmed recording something, so what Neil did was, he put it all back together again and put the ‘Bulldog’ soundtrack onto it, and there it was.”

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

The Recording

The Beatles recorded “Hey Bulldog” on February 11, 1968. It was a 10-hour session with basic rhythm tracks consisting of piano, drums, tambourine, lead guitar, and bass. The 10th take was agreed on to be the master, and they overdubbed more drums, bass, a guitar solo, double-tracked lead vocals, and backing vocals. It was the first recording session where John Lennon brought Yoko Ono.

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 Hey, bulldog (hey bulldog)
Hey, bulldog. Hey, bulldog
Hey, bulldog. Hey man
What’s up, brother? 
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 
Look at me, man. I only had ten children
Quiet, quiet (ok)
Quiet
Hey, bulldog, hey, bulldog

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