The Beatles’ “Hey Jude” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 on 28 September 1968 and stayed there for nine consecutive weeks, their longest run at the top. It also equalled the record for the longest-running No. 1 single, making it one of the band’s biggest chart successes.

Paul McCartney wrote the song to comfort John Lennon’s son Julian during his parents’ divorce, first imagining the line as “Hey Jules” before changing it. Although credited to Lennon-McCartney, Lennon did not write the lyrics; McCartney recalled that Lennon persuaded him to keep the line “The movement you need is on your shoulder”. The Beatles recorded the track over 31 July and 1 August, then released it on 26 August 1968.