Hey Jude is a 1968 single by the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney. It was released on Apple Records on August 26, 1968 as the label’s public launch single and appeared on the US compilation Hey Jude (1970). The song began as “Hey Jules,” written to comfort Julian Lennon during his parents’ divorce, and McCartney changed Jules to Jude for sound; John Lennon later suggested it was also personal to him. It is a rock and pop ballad celebrated for its length of about 7 minutes, making it the longest Beatles single to top the charts at the time, and it was the first Beatles track recorded on eight-track equipment at Trident Studios. The recording features McCartney on piano and lead vocal, with Lennon, Harrison, and Starr, plus a 36‑piece orchestra added for the extended coda of na na na refrains. It topped the US charts for nine weeks and reached number one in the UK and many other countries, selling around eight million copies. A promotional film directed by Michael Lindsay-Hogg helped propel its global success.
