Julian Lennon was the inspiration for one of The Beatles’ most famous songs, “Hey Jude,” but John Lennon’s oldest child says that he has mixed feelings about the tune. As he shared in a newly published interview with Esquire, “Hey Jude” always will remind him of a dark time in his life.
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Paul McCartney famously wrote “Hey Jude” as a way to cheer up a then-five-year-old Julian after his dad had left his mother, Cynthia, to begin a relationship with Yoko Ono.
[RELATED: Julian Lennon Talks His “Love-Hate” Experience with “Hey Jude”]
The Story Behind “Hey Jude”
“It was ‘Hey Jules’ at first, but that didn’t quite sit well rhythmically. ‘Hey Jude’ was a better interpretation,” Julian noted about the tune. “Paul wrote it to console Mum, and also to console me. It’s a beautiful sentiment, no question about that, and I’m very thankful—but I’ve also been driven up the wall by it.”
Julian further explained, “I love the fact that he wrote a song about me and for Mum, but depending on what side of the bed one woke up on, and where you’re hearing it, it can be a good or a slightly frustrating thing.”
He added, however, “in my heart of hearts, there’s not a bad word I could say about it.”
Why “Hey Jude” Causes Him Pain
That being said, the now-60-year-old singer/songwriter said he can’t help but be reminded of the hurt caused by his father’s absence when he hears “Hey Jude.”
“The weird thing with the audience is they think it’s cute sometimes, quoting ‘Hey Jude’ to me, but I don’t think they realize there’s a lot of pain behind what happened,” he explained. “Every time you quote that, it reminds me of my mother being separated from my father, the love that was lost, the fact that I rarely saw my father again ever.”
Julian then revealed that after John Lennon left his mother, he only saw him “maybe a couple of times before he died.”
He added, “There’s deep emotional pain [associated with the song]. I can celebrate it—but also it’s something that’ll always be dark to me.”
Meanwhile, Julian told Esquire that the lyrics of “Hey Jude” still resonate with him.
“They’re about making life better and taking the weight off my shoulders, especially on the path I followed as a musician—following Dad,” he noted. “It’s like, what are you, crazy? Why would you do that? I’ve chosen the hardest road known to mankind to follow.”
Julian’s Latest Album
Julian has had some success as a singer/songwriter, particularly in the beginning of his career in the 1980s, but he eventually began focusing on other artistic endeavors, such as photography.
However, last year saw Julian releasing his first new solo album in 11 years. It’s title? Jude. Lennon explained to Esquire that choosing that title reflected the theme of the songs, which he said were “about coming to terms with yourself and life emotionally, and musically.”
Julian’s Relationship with Sean Lennon
Also in the interview, Julian addressed the misconception that he and his half-brother Sean Lennon don’t get along.
“[T]here’s always been, especially in the UK press, ‘Lennon Sons Feuding,’ this, that,” Julian pointed out. “We’ve never had a fight in our life. It’s such bull.”
In late 2021, the siblings attended a premiere for The Beatles: Get Back docuseries together in Los Angeles, and Julian explained to Esquire that the reason he went was out of his affection for Sean.
“Sean didn’t really want to go to the Get Back premiere. He felt overwhelming pressure. And I didn’t particularly want to go,” Julian said. “But he said he felt obligated to go, so because I love him so much I said, Listen, I’m coming with you. We’ll face the demons together.”
