The " Hey Jude " / " Revolution " single was issued on 26 August 1968 in the US , with the UK release taking place on 30 August . Two days after the record 's US release , violent scenes occurred at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago , as police and National Guardsmen were filmed clubbing Vietnam War protestors . This event came two months after the assassination of Bobby Kennedy , the Democratic presidential nominee who had pledged to end America 's involvement in Vietnam , and coincided with further militant action in Europe . According to author Jonathan Gould , this combination ensured that , contrary to Lennon 's doubts about the song 's relevance , " ' Revolution ' had been rendered all '' too '' relevant by the onrushing tide of events . " The single was the band 's first release on Apple Records , their EMI-distributed record label . As part of their Apple Corps business enterprise , the label was run on counterculture principles and intended to be a form of what McCartney termed " Western communism " . The single was one of the four records that were sent in gift-wrapped boxes , marked " Our First Four " , to Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the royal family , and to Harold Wilson , the British prime minister . According to music journalist Jim Irvin , the heavily distorted sound of " Revolution " led some record buyers to return their copies , in the belief that " there was bad surface noise " on the disc . Irvin recalled of his own experience : " The exasperated shop assistant explained , for the umpteenth time that Saturday , ' It 's '' supposed '' to sound like that . We 've checked with EMI ... ' " " Hey Jude " topped sales charts around the world , while " Revolution " was a highly popular B-side . In the US , where each side of a single continued to be listed individually , it peaked at number 12 on the '' Billboard '' Hot 100 , number 11 on the '' Cash Box '' Top 100 , and number 2 on '' Record World '' s chart . The latter peak was achieved while " Hey Jude " was at number 1 . The single was listed as a double-sided number 1 in Australia , while " Revolution " topped New Zealand 's singles chart for one week , following " Hey Jude " 's five-week run at number 1 there
1968 Democratic National Convention
1968 Democratic National Convention
Revolution (Beatles song)