Julian Lennon admits that he is “driven up the wall” by ‘Hey Jude’
Julian Lennon has addressed his relationship with The Beatles’ classic ‘Hey Jude’ once more. This time, he’s admitted that he’s “driven up the wall” by the song.
Notably, the track was written by Paul McCartney and released in 1968. He composed the ballad to comfort Julian Lennon, the son of frontman John Lennon, who had left his mother and his first wife, Cynthia, for Japanese artist Yoko Ono. A number one hit in many countries and the best-selling single of the year in the UK, North America and Australia, Julian has always had a complicated relationship with the song, given its immense success.
During a new interview with Esquire, Julian has opened up about ‘Hey Jude’ again. “It was ‘Hey Jules’ at first, but that didn’t quite sit well rhythmically,” he said. ‘Hey Jude’ was a better interpretation.”
Continuing, he added: “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. 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. But in my heart of hearts, there’s not a bad word I could say about it.”
Lennon added: “The lyrics are pertinent even now. They’re about making life better and taking the weight off my shoulders, especially on the path I followed as a musician – following Dad. It’s like, what are you, crazy? Why would you do that?”
Later in the discussion, Lennon clarified that the strange thing about listeners quoting the track to him is that they think it’s “cute”. However, he maintained that there’s a “lot of pain” behind the song and what happened in his family during this period. This means that every time he is quoted the lyrics by fans, he is reminded of his father’s messy separation from his mother and the fact that after that point, he “rarely” saw John Lennon.
“I saw him maybe a couple of times before he died. 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,” he concluded. “It’s not a position where forgiveness comes into it. It was just a time and a place in my life where things happened. Who knows if I’ve dealt with it? Maybe I haven’t. Do I need to do therapy? No, I think life is therapy enough. So, it’s a weird one.”
Earlier this year, Julian Lennon discussed his feelings about ‘Hey Jude’ in another interview, claiming he has a “love-hate” relationship with it.
Listen to ‘Hey Jude’ below.
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