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Released on this day in 1968, "Hey Jude" was The Beatles single considered so good, it kicked "Revolution" to the B-side. Written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney, "Hey Jude" was the first single from the Beatles' record label Apple Records. Originally starting off as hey "Hey Jules", a song McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce, McCartney later changed it to "Jude" because he thought it sounded better. "Hey Jude" clocks in at seven minutes, at the time the longest single ever to top the British charts. It also spent nine weeks at number one in the United States, the longest for any Beatles single. "Hey Jude" has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on professional critics' lists of the greatest songs of all time. Check out Paul's handwritten lyrics, above.
Check out the promotional video (film) for "Hey Jude" below, complete with an introduction by David Frost, who introduced the Beatles as "the greatest tea-room orchestra in the world", and scroll further down as rehearsals for "Hey Jude" were filmed for a short documentary titled Music! The film shows only three of the Beatles performing "Hey Jude", as George Harrison remained in the studio control room, with producer George Martin. Watch below.