1968 Hit Ranked Among 'Greatest Rock Songs of All Time' Tells A Heartbreaking True Story

Choosing a favorite Beatles song may be an impossible task. Whether it's the soft, melodic storytelling of tracks like "Yesterday" and "In My Life", the experimental, rock-driven verses of "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Helter Skelter", or the simple romance of "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand", there truly is something for everybody in their catalog.

Perhaps their most recognizable, well-known track was "Hey Jude", a heavy rock anthem that climbed to No. 1 in the U.S. and U.K. and remains one of the most-played songs of all time today.

Though credited to the joint songwriting partnership of 'Lennon-McCartney', the song was written almost exclusively by Paul McCartney during a period of extreme tension between the four members of the band.

In May 1968, John Lennon left his wife Cynthia Lennon for Yoko Ono, a Japanese artist he'd met several years prior. This domestic strife caused some trouble for the Beatles, who were already beginning to drift apart following creative disputes and personal arguments during their recording sessions.

Seeing the impact that John and Cynthia's divorce was having on their son Julian Lennon, McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" to comfort his best friend's son and assure him that everything would work out in the end. It was originally going to be called "Hey Jules", though McCartney changed the name to fit better with the ryhthm.

About the song, Cynthia Lennon recalled: "I was touched by his obvious concern for our welfare [...] On the journey down he composed 'Hey Jude' in the car. I will never forget Paul's gesture of care and concern in coming to see us."

The song was written and recorded during sessions for the band's self-titled double album (known among fans as 'The White Album') but did not appear on the record. Instead, "Hey Jude" was released as a single and immediately topped charts around the world. For over 9 years, it held the record for the song that remained at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for the most consecutive days.

The song has become a staple of McCartney's live concerts, with the singer encouraging his audience to sing the closing "na-na-na na" refrain backed by a huge orchestra. It was ranked No. 11 on DigitalDreamDoor's popular ranking of the 600 Greatest Rock Songs of All Time, and appears on countless other lists of the same nature.