After 25 takes over two hot nights in July of 1968 at the Abbey Road Studios, Paul McCartney’s masterpiece (written originally as “Hey Jules” – for John Lennon’s son, Julian) went on to become one of the biggest singles the Beatles ever released.
Trying to compare Stephen Stills’ Love The One You’re With to Hey Jude is not an easy task at all, as a matter of fact, the only thing the two have in common is one Billy Preston, an R&B piano man often referred to as the 5th Beatle. Preston coined the phrase “If you can’t be with the one you love, love the one you’re with” and Stephen Stills actually asked, (and received) Preston’s permission to use the line.
So who wins this battle of classic tunes? There’s no contest, no comparison and no great thought process needed here folks, Hey Jude wins by a landslide. Go ahead, try to hum the melodies – you’ll get Hey Jude first every time!
