10 Great Rock Music Singles That Never Appeared On An Album

The best thing to come out of a divorce since extra presents at Christmas, Hey Jude was written by Paul McCartney to comfort a young Julian Lennon after his dad ran off with Yoko Ono.

This kind gesture would snowball into one of the biggest band's biggest songs.

Recorded during the blistering creative sessions for The White Album, Hey Jude took on a life of its own that no record could contain. It got its own promotional clip, introduced by David Frost or Cliff Richard depending on the version, and was put out into the world as a standalone single in August 1968.

People have been na-na-na-ing ever since.

Hey Jude topped the UK singles charts, the longest song to have ever done so at the time, and spent nine weeks atop the American rankings. It has been included in countless Beatles compilations and celebrations, and McCartney has been known to spend days playing it live.

Or at least it can feel that way sometimes.

An undeniable classic, what began as a message of hope for a confused young man is now one of modern music's mightiest tracks, album or otherwise.