On this day in 1968, The Beatles’ Hey Jude hits number one in the US

As the 1960s came to a close, tensions between members of the Beatles were growing, causing difficulties in the bands recording process. During this time, Lennon also left his first wife Cynthia in a highly publicised divorce, marrying Yoko Ono soon after. Despite the friction between bandmates, Paul McCartney thought of Lennon’s son Julian when he heard the news and wrote the song Hey Jude to comfort him while on a road trip to visit Julian and Cynthia. The song was originally titled “Hey Jules” and its lyrics provide a positive outlook on a sad situation and an encouragement to pursue love. There has been some speculation that the song was actually directed at Lennon, as well as some who say McCartney wrote it about himself, but he insists it was written for Julian.

McCartney would later present the song to Lennon when he and Yoko Ono visited his home, assuring him that certain lyrics would be changed, but Lennon told him not to as he liked the song as it was.  Shortly after, the band would set about recording the song during the sessions for The White Album, held in July. This would be the first song the band recorded using an eight-track recording machine, causing numerous disagreements between members of the band, some of which were recorded by a film crew that had been allowed to film some rehearsals for their documentary Music!.  There were also arguments over instrument and  lyric choices. Regardless, work continued on the song through July and August, and it was released on the 26th of August as the first single on Apple Records, the new label set up by the band.

Hey Jude initially received mixed reviews from critics, with its long runtime of 7 minutes being one of the most mentioned features in negative reviews, as well as its use of orchestral accompaniment. Critical opinion changed fairly quickly though, and many soon praised its earnest lyrics and catchy refrain. Commercially, the song was an immediate hit, as fans desperate to hear new Beatles material rushed into stores to buy the single. It shot up the charts, reaching number one in the US on the 28th of September where it would stay for a record-breaking nine weeks, a record which was held for nine years. It was also nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has since been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame and is one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s “500 Songs That Shaped Rock & Roll”. It is also the highest placed Beatles song on Rolling Stone’s “500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list, coming in at number eight.