Hey Jude
The Beatles
1968
Annual listening list: initial release cycle, with recent carryovers; not an original-release-date field. Release chronology remains partly unverified.
Release: 1968
Release: 1968Source checked
Release year checked against the official Beatles song catalog. Exact regional dates and mix variants are not inferred from the annual listening-list year.
The large badge identifies this listening list, not a newly issued recording. Later reissues and renewed chart popularity do not replace an original release date. How years are assigned.
The Beatles official song catalog
Artist catalog row for Hey Jude gives 1968. Only year precision is used; some displayed dates refer to single or market-specific issues.
Inspiration and background
Documented songwriting inspiration
Paul McCartney developed the song from an idea called "Hey Jules," intended to comfort Julian Lennon during his parents' separation. The piano-led ballad gradually expands into a long communal-sounding ending. The official Beatles catalog connects the personal starting point with the final recording.
Evidence scope: Reviewed official catalog account; scope is limited to this paragraph
Sources for this information
The Beatles official song catalog: Hey Jude
Background/composition section; paraphrased, not a quotation | Retrieved 2026-10-11
Other appearances and versions
catalog version unspecified
Original release date and exact pressing/version are not independently established.
An annual chart year and an original release date are different. Similar titles may be covers or different masters; no audio fingerprint has been performed.
Sources and scope
Source-backed annual association (secondary source; not a complete discographic review)
Song-specific genre labels located in the cited catalog or secondary source; genre is not a universally fixed classification.
Billboard year-end 1968 table (Wikipedia transcription)
Secondary transcription reviewed 2026-10-11: title, artist and annual chart association; not original release date or complete recording metadata.
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