Hello Goodbye

The idea for Hello, Goodbye came from a demonstration that Paul McCartney gave to Alistair Taylor, who worked for The Beatles' manager. McCartney asked Taylor to shout the opposite of what he was singing while playing his harmonica, such as black and white, yes and no, or hello and goodbye. This dynamic of contrasts became the basis of the song, although Taylor wondered if McCartney had already thought of it or was creating it at the moment. Originally, the piece was titled Hello Hello.

The recording of Hello, Goodbye began on October 2, 1967, with the background music. The vocals and a guitar solo were added on the 19th. Later, more layers were added, including the bass and viola, completing the recording on November 2. The final mix was done on November 6, with Ken Scott as recording engineer and George Martin as producer. The song's ending, with the band singing "Hela, hey-ba hello-a," emerged spontaneously in the studio. McCartney recalled asking Geoff Emerick to increase the echo on the tom-toms to bring that section to life.

Released as a single on November 24, 1967, Hello, Goodbye reached the top of the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom. In the United States, it was also part of the album Magical Mystery Tour, released three days later. In the United Kingdom, the song did not appear on an album until 1973, with the release of the compilation album The Beatles/1967-1970. McCartney described the song as a reflection on the duality of life, where the existence of something implies that of its opposite. To promote the single, three short films directed by McCartney himself were shot.