Hey Jude, a compilation made up of cuts The Beatles had previously failed to release on an album in the U.S., including “Paperback Writer,” came out on February 26th, 1970. Paul came up with the idea on a drive to the studio and then thought of forming the song as a letter. Its first appearance on an album was on the 1966 British compilation A Collection of Beatles Oldies, but didn’t appear in the U.S. until the 1970 album Hey Jude. It topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two non-consecutive weeks. Paul McCartney explains how he developed the idea for “Paperback Writer” on
