Photo: Robert Ascroft
Julian Lennon recently released his seventh studio album JUDE, and because it's clearly a tribute to "Hey Jude" — The Beatles song Paul McCartney wrote for him after his parents split up when Julian was five years old — the song has been a topic of discussion while he speaks about the album. During an interview with iHeartRadio's Emily Curl, Lennon revealed that there's a "dark" feeling associated with the song, despite how much he appreciates McCartney's support.
"I think one of the things I tried to offer up is a clearer understanding of my perspective on this," he said about his new album and what McCartney's song means to him. "Obviously as a kid, his lyrics and the song at the age of five didn't really mean too much. Of course it was only later in life that I realized what it was all about. And as much as I'm very thankful because of his support in having written that song a lot of people don't realize it was also a dark reminder of what actually did happen. Of dad walking out the door, leaving mum and I on our own to fend for ourselves. And that really, really, really was the case."
"People think it was a different situation that everything was hunky dory and there was lots of money in the bank," he continued. "That was never ever the case. The thing that was most important to me was there was looking after mum. She was the be all and end all of life for me, and it was about looking after her, still is about making her proud. Everything I do is to make her proud really, at the end of the day. Even though she's not with us anymore. I know she guides me a little bit from time to time."
Elsewhere in the interview, Lennon explained what sparked him to make JUDE after taking such a long break from music, his charitable side, legally changing his name, a possible tour, and more. Watch the full interview below.