John Lennon’s son reveals pain at Hey Jude

Sir Paul McCartney wrote the song to comfort Julian, then five, and his mum Cynthia over her split from John Lennon in 1968.

The break-up followed John’s affair with Yoko Ono.Julian, 60, said of the Beatles’ song: “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. 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.”

Musician Julian, who lives in Monaco, also told Esquire magazine he saw his dad “maybe a couple of times” before he was shot dead aged 40 in 1980.

He said: “The weird thing with the audience is they think it’s cute, quoting ‘Hey Jude’ to me. I don’t think they realise there’s a lot of pain.

“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. A lot of people don’t get how intense, how emotional, and how personal that is.

“It’s not just a ‘pick yourself up and dust yourself off and be happy’. There’s deep emotional pain. I can celebrate it – but also it’s something that’ll always be dark to me.”

Julian’s career peaked in the UK with Too Late For Goodbyes reaching the top 10 in 1984. He has made a name for himself as a photographer, author of kids’ books and documentary maker. Cynthia married three more times before dying of cancer aged 75 in 2015.

Via

Leave a Comment