Julian Lennon

Julian Lennon rose to fame in the mid-1980s through the Billboard Top Ten singles “Valotte” and “Too Late for Goodbyes.” With the recent loss of his father John still vivid in the public mind, the piano-driven balladry echoed such John classics as “Imagine.” Over time the Beatles parallels persisted yet gradually receded while Lennon established himself as a classicist pop-rock artist who could summon the spirit of David Bowie on a track such as “Now You’re in Heaven” or reference “Strawberry Fields Forever” on the stately “Saltwater,” a U.K. Top Ten single from 1991. After Photograph Smile, the album that housed “Saltwater,” his studio output became less frequent as he turned toward photography, children’s literature, and the creation of the pro-environment organization the White Feather. He resurfaced in the studio roughly once a decade, issuing the finely wrought Jude in 2022.

John Charles Julian Lennon entered the world in Liverpool on April 8, 1963, mere weeks after Please Please Me, the Beatles’ debut album, reached stores. As a boy he supplied direct inspiration for two Beatles classics: John composed “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” after examining one of Julian’s paintings, and Paul McCartney wrote “Hey Jude” for him amid his parents’ separation. Following the divorce, Julian resided with his mother Cynthia. He renewed contact with his father only in 1973, during John’s stay in Los Angeles while apart from Yoko Ono. John nurtured Julian’s musical interests by demonstrating basic chords, purchasing instruments for him, and even featuring him on drums for “Ya Ya,” the final track of the 1974 album Walls and Bridges. Shortly after that release, John reunited with Yoko Ono and maintained only occasional contact with his eldest son through his remaining years. Julian was seventeen when his father was killed on December 8, 1980. John’s will omitted Julian, prompting the son to pursue legal action that concluded with a confidential settlement in 1996.

Julian Lennon secured a recording agreement with Atlantic in 1984. Admiring Billy Joel’s Beatlesque The Nylon Curtain, he enlisted Phil Ramone to produce and recorded the debut album Valotte. Powered by the buoyant single “Too Late for Goodbyes,” Valotte first charted in the U.K. in September 1984. The following month the album surfaced in both the U.S. and the U.K., promoted by the American release of its title track. “Valotte” and “Too Late for Goodbyes” both reached the Billboard Top Ten, confirming Lennon’s stature as an independent recording artist. “Say You’re Wrong” performed strongly on the Billboard Rock and Adult Contemporary charts, prolonging Valotte’s chart presence into 1985 and earning Lennon a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist.

Lennon followed quickly with The Secret Value of Daydreaming in 1986. Although its lead single “Stick Around” topped the Billboard Rock Chart and later received Gold certification, the album itself stalled without a second hit. Produced by Patrick Leonard, the tougher-sounding 1989 album Mr. Jordan climbed less impressively on the Billboard charts, yet its single “Now You’re in Heaven” also reached number one on the Billboard Rock Chart before attaining Gold status. Issued in August 1991 under Bob Ezrin’s production, Help Yourself supplied Lennon’s first British hit since 1984 when the stately, psychedelic “Saltwater” climbed to number six.

Following Help Yourself, Lennon entered an extended stretch of relative silence, surfacing occasionally on soundtracks such as 1995’s Mr. Holland’s Opus while concentrating on philanthropic efforts. He reappeared in 1998 with Photograph Smile, initially issued in Europe and granted an American release in 1999. After that project he explored photography, online ventures, and charitable activities. In 2009 he founded the White Feather Foundation, an environmental and humanitarian initiative, and in 2010 mounted a photography exhibition at the Morrison Hotel Gallery. He resumed recording in 2011 with Everything Changes. Another lengthy interval ensued, during which he devoted himself to photography and released a series of young-adult books. Lennon returned to music in 2022 with the reflective Jude, titled after the McCartney composition that first brought him into public view.