John Lennon’s Son Julian Shares The ‘Dark Reminder’ Of His Father’s Absence

The song ‘Hey Jude‘ is widely considered one of the Beatles‘ iconic tracks. Although the audience often enjoys the catchy melody, the story that inspired this song is quite heartbreaking. During a recent chat with the Raised On Radio podcast, Julian Lennon discussed his father, John Lennon‘s absence and revealed why the track ‘Hey Jude’ reflected painful memories.

John Lennon’s complicated relationship with his son Julian is quite well-known. The Beatles icon had left his wife, Cynthia Lennon, and his young son while he was climbing the ladder of fame. Julian Lennon has been vocal about his rocky relationship with his late father, and as one might guess, the only way to heal from the hurtful memories was to embrace them.

The musician had recently changed the order of his name to establish his own identity. While Lennon was discussing this topic, he mentioned the variety of nicknames he had, including Jude. It was then that he started discussing the hurtful memories hidden within the hit track.

Julian explained that ‘Hey Jude’ was a complicated reminder of the past for reasons most people didn’t understand. Most of the listeners thought that the song was composed in support of the musician’s mother, Cynthia, and him when John Lennon abandoned his family. Julian confirmed that it was a track of support, but it also brought back painful memories.

Lennon revealed his thoughts regarding ‘Hey Jude’:

“It has fond and not so fond memories for a number of reasons which a lot of people don’t understand. They think it’s a song in support of me and mum when dad walked out the door when I was about five. It’s as well as a song of support, it’s also slightly a dark reminder of what actually happened.”

The host then mentioned how painful memories aren’t easy to dismiss. Julian bitterly laughed as he replied, stating that he would eventually heal to a degree. The singer then continued by adding that his mother was the most important woman in his life, and even though he lost her in 2015, he just wants to make her proud.

The musician on healing from the painful memories and his relationship with his mother:

“They do [heal], to a degree. But it’s more about looking after mom than anything else for me because she’s been the number one woman in my life and the real focus of why I do anything. I just want to make her proud. Even up there where she is now.”

You can watch the entire interview below.