Beatles singer Paul McCartney was nicknamed “The Cute Beatle.” However, this living legend was more than just “cute.” He was also a super talented and also a caring person. In 1968, he wrote “Hey Jude,” which went on to become a hit single in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia in the same year. Also, “Hey Jude” ran at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for a whopping nine weeks, and even tied for the longest run ever for a son at the top of chars in the U.S. “Hey Jude” has sold more than eight million copies worldwide and most music critics call it one of the greatest songs ever recorded or written.
Despite its success, “Hey Jude” actually has a heartbreaking backstory. See, when John Lennon was young, he married a woman named Cynthia Lennon, and they had a son together, who they named Julian. “Hey Jude” actually was originally titled “Hey Jules,” and Paul McCartney wrote it to honor the story of Julian Lennon’s heartbreak when his father divorced his mother to marry Yoko Ono. McCartney and Julian were very close, and he wrote this masterpiece to comfort Julian. The song’s premise was to encourage a positive attitude and support Julian’s search for other ways to find love since his father was mostly absent.
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“Hey Jude” went on to become one of Paul McCartney’s signature songs, and in 1997 he performed it with a very special group of guests. On stage at the Royal Albert Hall in September of that year. The friends he invited were Mark Knopfler, Jimmy Buffett, Carl Perkins, Phil Collins, Sting, Elton John, Eric Clapton, Midge Ure, and many more artists. Even more important was the special cause that the performance benefitted.
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The proceeds from ticket sales went to the Caribbean Island nation of Montserrat, which had suffered a devastating volcanic eruption. All proceeds from the CD and DVD sales also benefitted the island and helped to build a new cultural center on the island. The center was completed in 2006. Watch the star-studded performance below.
