A Painful Divorce Inspired Paul McCartney To Pen This Massive Beatles Hit

In 1968, The Beatles had a big hit with “Hey Jude”. Not initially included on an album, “Hey Jude” was written, like many of the songs by The Beatles, by Paul McCartney and John Lennon.

But it’s McCartney who had the idea for the song, which began as “Hey Jules”, regarding Lennon’s son, Julian Lennon. When McCartney had the idea, John Lennon had left his wife, Cynthia Lennon, to be with Yoko Ono, whom John Lennon remained with until he was killed in 1980.

“John and his wife Cynthia had divorced,” McCartney later tells GQ. “And I felt a bit sorry for their son, who was now a child of a divorce. I was driving out to see the son and Cynthia one day, and I was thinking about the boy whose name was Julian—Julian Lennon. And I started this idea, ‘Hey Jules, don’t make it bad, it’s gonna be OK.’ It was like a reassurance song.”

“So that was the idea that I got driving out to see them,” he adds. “I saw them, and then I came back and worked on the song some more. But I like that name, Jude.”

The Success of “Hey Jude” by The Beatles

The Beatles had plenty of hits throughout their career, but few had the impact of “Hey Jude”. The success of the song is interesting, since “Hey Jude” is more than seven minutes long. Still, “Hey Jude” remains among their most successful songs. The Beatles also made history with “Hey Jude”. It became the first single ever in music history to reach the Top 10 the first week it was released.

A nine-week No. 1 single for The Beatles, “Hey Jude” has also been covered by numerous other artists, including Wilson Pickett and Elvis Presley.

Surprisingly, Julian Lennon was unaware that “Hey Jude” was written about him, at least at first.

“Paul told me he’d been thinking about my circumstances, about what I was going through and what I’d have to go through,” Julian Lennon reveals. “Paul and I used to hang out quite a bit – more than Dad and I did. … There seem to be far more pictures of me and Paul playing at that age than me and Dad. I’ve never really wanted to know the truth of how Dad was and how he was with me.”

Julian Lennon admits things were not always easy with his famous father. It’s at least partly why “Hey Jude” means so much to him.

“It surprises me whenever I hear the song,” he admits. “It’s strange to think someone has written a song about you. It still touches me.”

Photo by Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images

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