One of The Beatles’ greatest hits, Hey Jude, was originally written by Paul McCartney as a comforting message to John Lennon’s young son, Julian, during his parents’ divorce in 1968.
After John left Cynthia Lennon for Yoko Ono, Paul visited Julian and Cynthia in Surrey. Driving home, he composed the song to reassure Julian, initially singing “Hey Jules” before changing it to “Hey Jude” for a stronger sound.
John loved the song, even convincing Paul to keep the line “The movement you need is on your shoulder,” which McCartney had doubted. Released in August 1968, the nearly 7-minute track became one of the longest #1 hits in history.
Today, Hey Jude remains a timeless anthem, still performed by McCartney in concerts worldwide.