Single release
How many weeks was "Hey Jude" on the US charts?
Hey Jude
Hey Jude Hey Jude Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart How Bizarre (song) Ken Mansfield
Hey_Jude-Single_release Hey_Jude-Abstract Auf_Wiederseh'n_Sweetheart-Charts How_Bizarre_(song)-Chart_performance Ken_Mansfield-Apple_Records
"Hey Jude" was released on 26 August 1968 in the United States and 30 August in the United Kingdom, backed with "Revolution" on the B-side of a 7" single. The single was the debut release of the Beatles' record label Apple Records; in the US, it was also the first Beatles' single to be issued in a company sleeve rather than a picture sleeve. Even though "Hey Jude" was recorded during the sessions for the album "The Beatles", also known as the White Album, it was always intended as a single and not an album track, although it would eventually make its LP debut two years later as the title cut on the compilation album originally titled "The Beatles Again". Lennon wanted "Revolution" to be the A-side of the single, but the other Beatles did not agree. In his 1970 interview with "Rolling Stone", he said "Hey Jude" was worthy of an A-side, "but we could have had both." Ten years later in 1980, he told "Playboy" he still disagreed with the decision. "Hey Jude" began its sixteen-week run on the British charts on 7 September 1968, claiming the top spot a week later. It only lasted two weeks on top before being knocked off by another single from Apple, Mary Hopkin's "Those Were the Days" (a song which, incidentally, if not penned was actually produced by McCartney). The single was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America on 13 September; that same week "NME" reported that two million copies of the single had been sold. The song entered the US charts on 14 September 1968, where it stayed for nineteen weeks. Two weeks later, "Hey Jude" was number one in the charts and held that position for nine weeks, the longest time spent by a Beatles' single at number one, as well as being the longest-playing single to reach number one. The song was the 16th number one hit for the band in the US, tying Elvis Presley's record at the time for most number one songs there. "Hey Jude" clocked in at 7:11. The only other chart-topping song worldwide in the 1960s that ran over seven minutes was Richard Harris' "MacArthur Park". In the UK, where "MacArthur Park" did not top the chart, "Hey Jude" remained the longest number-one hit for nearly a quarter of a century, until it was surpassed in 1993 by Meat Loaf's "I'd Do Anything for Love (But I Won't Do That)", which ran 7:58 as a single. On 30 November 1968, "NME" reported that sales had reached nearly six million copies worldwide. "Hey Jude" became the biggest-selling debut release for a record label ever, selling an estimated eight million copies worldwide and topping the charts in eleven countries. "Hey Jude" was the top Billboard Hot 100 single for 1968, according to year-end charts. Less than three weeks after its release, the record was certified gold for sales of one million copies. In 1999, it was certified 4x platinum, representing four million units shipped.
"Hey Jude" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon–McCartney. The ballad evolved from "Hey Jules", a song McCartney wrote to comfort John Lennon's son, Julian, during his parents' divorce. "Hey Jude" begins with a verse-bridge structure based around McCartney's vocal performance and piano accompaniment; further instrumentation is added as the song progresses. After the fourth verse, the song shifts to a fade-out coda that lasts for more than four minutes. "Hey Jude" was released in August 1968 as the first single from the Beatles' record label Apple Records. More than seven minutes in length, it was at the time the longest single ever to top the British charts. It also spent nine weeks at number one in the United States—the longest run at the top of the American charts for a Beatles single—and tied the record for longest stay at number one until the record was broken by Debby Boone's "You Light Up My Life". The single has sold approximately eight million copies and is frequently included on professional critics' lists of the greatest songs of all time. 
The recording of the song by Vera Lynn, which featured accompaniment by Soldiers and Airmen of HM Forces and the Johnny Johnston Singers, was the first song recorded by a foreign artist to make number one on the U.S. "Billboard" charts, in 1952. Reaching the summit on the "Billboard" "Best Sellers in Stores" chart on July 12, the song spent nine weeks at No. 1 (as well as six weeks on the "Most Played by Jockeys" chart and four weeks on the "Most Played in Jukeboxes"). In reaching number, it would be almost six years before another British artist would top the U.S. pop chart; that song was Laurie London's "He's Got the Whole World in His Hands," in April 1958. Additionally, the song's nine-week run at number one on the U.S. pop charts by a British act was a record that stood for 16 years, until The Beatles matched the longevity record (of nine weeks) in 1968 with "Hey Jude." Currently, "Auf Wiederseh'n Sweetheart" is tied with "Hey Jude" for third amongst longest-running number-one songs by British artists on the "Billboard" pop charts, behind "Candle in the Wind 1997"/"Something About the Way You Look Tonight" by Elton John (14 weeks, 1997-1998) and "We Found Love" by Rihanna with Calvin Harris (10 weeks, 2011). In addition, for more than 12 years Lynn was the only female solo artist from the UK to have a number-one hit, a feat finally matched by "Downtown" by Petula Clark in January 1965. 
"How Bizarre" topped the South African and US airplay charts and was No. 2 on the Billboard Top 100. The single was a chart hit in many countries and spent several weeks at number one in several countries, reaching the top for two weeks in Austria, three weeks in Ireland, three weeks in New Zealand and five weeks in Australia. On 9 February 2010, the song re-entered the New Zealand charts at number 40 after Fuemana's death. 
In 1967 when the Beatles decided to form their own corporation, they turned to Mansfield to run their record division and named him the U.S. Manager of Apple Records beginning in 1968. Mansfield joined his four new bosses setting up the worldwide launch of Apple Records and the U.S. management of subsequent projects such as "The Beatles" (aka "The White Album"), "Yellow Submarine", "Abbey Road", "Let It Be" and "Hey Jude". In addition to the Beatles, Mansfield looked after the careers of Apple artists such as James Taylor, Mary Hopkin, Badfinger and Jackie Lomax. At the time of the Apple debut, everyone agreed that the Beatles first single on the new label had to be a smash. The group was stymied on whether to release “Hey Jude” or “Revolution” as Apple's first single. “Hey Jude,” which clocked in at an unprecedented 7:11, was the obvious choice. However, it was still the era of the less than three-minute record and Top 40 stations gained listeners by playing the most hits in an hour. Mansfield came up with the solution by bringing an advance copy of the two songs from the UK to America and playing them to a few trusted radio station managers, who were unanimous in their decision that “Hey Jude” was the hit. They were right. When the song was released in September 1968, it topped the "Billboard" charts for nine weeks and became the Beatles' best selling single of all time. In his position as an Apple executive and personal liaison for the Beatles between the UK and US, Mansfield was among a handful of eyewitnesses to join The Beatles as they performed their legendary last-ever gig on the rooftop of their London headquarters on January 30, 1969, which was captured in the Academy Award-winning documentary, "Let It Be". Mansfield is easy to recognize as he was the only one on the roof that day wearing a white coat. When the Apple empire began to crumble Mansfield turned down an offer by businessman Allen Klein to stay despite the promise of his salary being tripled. Mansfield saw the writing on the wall and moved over to MGM Records as its vice president in charge of marketing and artist relations. Two years later he was hired by Andy Williams to be the president of his CBS record company, Barnaby Records in 1971 - an artist roster that over the years boasted Ray Stevens, Jimmy Buffett, the Everly Brothers, Paul Anka, Lenny Welch and Claudine Longet. Mansfield's tenure with Barnaby lasted two years (1971-'73) chiefly because he wanted to take the label heavy into the emerging contemporary country market, which evolved into the exciting “Outlaw” movement. Williams saw things differently and Mansfield resigned over the dispute. 