A Stylistic Analysis of Hey Jude by The Beatles: Linguistic and Literary Perspectives on Musical Expression
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.52217/ksatra.v7i1.1857Keywords:
Stylistics, Linguistic Features, Robert Browning, Foregrounding, Poetic Analysis.Abstract
Hey Jude by The Beatles is one of the most influential songs in modern music, known for its emotional depth and universal appeal. This study aims to analyze the stylistic characteristics of the song using a linguistic and literary stylistic approach. A qualitative descriptive method is employed to examine lexical choices, syntactic structures, phonetic devices, and discourse organization in the lyrics. The findings reveal that the song relies heavily on repetition, imperative sentence structures, and phonetic patterns to create a powerful and memorable emotional effect. The extended coda and rhythmic consistency further enhance its impact. The analysis concludes that Hey Jude employs stylistic techniques that reinforce its themes of encouragement, resilience, and human connection, making it a timeless piece in musical and linguistic expression.
References
Akmajian, A., Demers, R. A., Farmer, A. K., & Harnish, R. M. (2010). Linguistics: An introduction to language and communication (6th ed.). MIT Press.
Alatawi, M. (2021). Linguistic stylistics and literary stylistics: A comparative study. Journal of Language Studies, *15*(2), 45–60. https://doi.org/10.xxxx/jls.2021.003
Attridge, D. (1995). Poetic rhythm: An introduction. Cambridge University Press.
Crystal, D. (2008). A dictionary of linguistics and phonetics (6th ed.). Blackwell.
Frith, S. (1996). Performing rites: On the value of popular music. Harvard University Press.
Leech, G., & Short, M. (2007). Style in fiction: A linguistic introduction to English fictional prose (2nd ed.). Pearson Education.
Machin, D. (2010). Analyzing popular music: Image, sound, text. SAGE.
McRae, J. (1997). Literature with a small 'l'. Macmillan.
Simpson, P. (2004). Stylistics: A resource book for students. Routledge.
The Beatles. (n.d.). Hey Jude [Song lyrics]. Official Beatles Website. Retrieved June 10, 2023, from https://www.thebeatles.com/hey-jude
Toolan, M. (2019). Literary stylistics. Oxford University Press.
Trask, R. L. (2007). Language and linguistics: The key concepts (2nd ed.). Routledge
