The son of Beatles guitarist John Lennon, Julian reveals the ‘frustrating’ Beatles song that drives him ‘up the wall’
Hey Julian.
Julian Lennon, the son of Beatles guitarist John Lennon, revealed Tuesday that he hates the song “Hey Jude” because it reminds him of his parents’ bitter divorce in 1968, when John left her for Yoko Ono.
Julian, 60, remarked that Sir Paul McCartney penned the song to comfort both Cynthia Lennon and himself following the split.
“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,” the Beatles scion told Esquire. “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.”
Julian revealed Tuesday that he hates the song “Hey Jude” because it reminds him of his parents’ bitter divorce in 1968. VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
Despite the slew of bad memories it conjures, Julian did explain that “there’s not a bad word I could say” about the song itself.
According to the musician, people have often quoted the song to him, not realizing all the pain behind the lyrics.
“Every time you quote that,” Julian said, “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.”
“It’s a beautiful sentiment, no question about that, and I’m very thankful,” Julian told Esquire of Paul McCartney writing the hit for him. “But I’ve also been driven up the wall by it.” Getty Images
“I saw him maybe a couple of times before he died,” Julian added of his father. “A lot of people don’t quite 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.”
Before his murder in 1980, John was reportedly aware that his former bandmate McCartney, 81, had written the classic tune for his son, but said in an interview that he always thought the song was also for him.
“He said it was written about Julian, my child,” John told David Sheff per Far Out Magazine months before his death. “He knew I was splitting with Cyn and leaving Julian. He was driving over to say hi to Julian. He’d been like an uncle to him. You know, Paul was always good with kids. And so he came up with ‘Hey Jude.’”
According to the musician, people have often quoted the song to him, not realizing all the pain behind the lyrics. Hulton Archive/Getty Images
McCartney, who was not a fan of Yoko Ono, confirmed the story in the multimedia Beatles “Anthology” project. Michael Ochs Archives
“But I always heard it as a song to me. If you think about it … Yoko’s just come into the picture. He’s saying, ‘Hey, Jude – hey, John,’” the rock star stated. “I know I’m sounding like one of those fans who reads things into it, but you can hear it as a song to me. The words ‘Go out and get her’ — subconsciously he was saying, ‘Go ahead, leave me.’”
McCartney, who was not a fan of Ono, confirmed the story in the multimedia Beatles “Anthology” project.
Speaking with The Post in September of last year, Julian revealed that the iconic song was originally named “Hey Jules” as an ode to his nickname, and that it took him a while to understand the song’s true meaning.
Despite the slew of bad memories the song conjures, Julian said “there’s not a bad word I could say about it.” Miller/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images
“Back then I was too young to understand what it represented,” Julian told The Post. “Obviously, it’s lovely to have a song written about you, and especially out of concern.” Dave Benett/Getty Images for MPL Communications
“Back then I was too young to understand what it represented,” Julian told The Post. “Obviously, it’s lovely to have a song written about you, and especially out of concern.”
“But I think a lot of the public never realized … that it reminds me of a very dark time in many respects, because, you know, that’s when Dad walked out the door,” he continued. “That’s when he left Mum and I, and my concern was for my mom’s welfare and well-being more than my own.”
Julian, who lives in Monaco, used the name “Jude” as the title of his most recent album, released in October of last year.
