Lennon was given his first guitar by his father at age 11 and formed his first band at age 13 with school friend Justin Clayton, who has since played on each of Lennon’s albums. “Justin and I spent all our time learning the classic rock and roll songs, like ‘Roll Over Beethoven,’ Lennon recalls. “As I got older, I began to listen to the Beatles more carefully and became fascinated by the intelligence that went into their songwriting — the arrangements, melodies, and lyrics, which was great as I began to write my own songs. Crafting a great song is always my final goal.”
Though Lennon was also interested in pursuing acting (and was offered an education through the renowned Royal Shakespeare Company), he decided to stick with music. “I'd fallen madly in love with being able to play three or four chords, and everybody standing up and yelling and screaming,” he says. “The simplicity and ease of it drove me toward a career in music more than anything else.”
In 1983 Lennon, then aged 20, was offered his first record deal and released Valotte the following year. Produced by Phil Ramone, the album was certified platinum and earned Lennon a Grammy Award nomination for “Best New Artist.” It also included two major hits, the title track, which was a fixture on the Billboard Top 40 chart for 12 weeks, peaking at No. 9, followed by Too Late For Goodbyes, which spent two weeks at No. 1 on the Adult Contemporary chart. Noted film director Sam Peckinpah (The Wild Bunch, The Getaway) directed the videos for both singles, the success of which made Lennon an international star, necessitating a global tour of Asia, Europe, the U.S., and Australia. “It was bonkers,” Lennon says. “Coming out of hotels, people would literally trying to rip the clothes off you. I had spent my last year of school in the middle of nowhere in North Wales. To go from that to doing a world tour and having screaming girls after you was crazy.”
Because of his popularity, the record company urged Lennon to make a follow-up album immediately, which he did, releasing The Secret Value of Daydreaming in March 1986. Though Lennon felt he did not have enough time to write or record the album, Daydreaming (also produced by Phil Ramone) went on to gold certification and spawned the hit “Stick Around,” which earned him his first No. 1 on the Billboard Rock chart. (Eighties stars Michael J. Fox and Jami Gertz appear in the song’s video.) After taking a much-needed break, Lennon released the vocally experimental Mr. Jordan in 1989, which featured the rock radio hit Now You’re In Heaven, followed by 1991’s Help Yourself, whose highlights include Saltwater, a plea for environmental responsibility, and Other Side of Town, featuring Blue Nile singer Paul Buchanan.
Lennon decided to take a hiatus following the release of Help Yourself to focus on other creative pursuits, including his interest in acting. In 1993, he was featured as the voice of David Copperfield in an animated NBC special of the Dickens classic. In 1995, film director Mike Figgis asked Lennon to make a cameo in his new film Leaving Las Vegas. “I was told to dress like an ’80s English rock and roll bartender,” Lennon says, “So I rode my Harley to the set wearing clothes I would normally wear and Mike said, ‘That’s great!’” (Nicolas Cage, who won an Oscar and a Golden Globe for his role, orders a beer from Lennon’s bartender character before getting head-butted by another patron and thrown out by Lennon.)
In 1996, Lennon contributed the original composition “Cole’s Song” to the soundtrack to the film Mr. Holland’s Opus, which starred Richard Dreyfuss and featured a score by the late renowned composer Michael Kamen. “I’d met Michael a few times and thought he was an incredible writer and orchestrator,” Lennon says. “I got word that he thought of me for writing this song, not only because of the subject matter, but because two of Dad’s songs were also in the film,” Lennon says. “He thought it would be a nice touch for me to come up with something that would work at the end of the film.” Also that year, Lennon made a cameo in the independent comedy film Cannes Man, directed by Richard Martini and starring Seymour Cassel and Francesco Quinn.
Lennon returned to the music business in 1998 with Photograph Smile.
In 2002, he recorded a version of "When I'm Sixty-Four", from the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, for an Allstate Insurance commercial.
In 2009, Lennon released a tribute song and EP, "Lucy", honouring the memory of Lucy Vodden (née O'Donnell), the little girl who inspired the song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds".
Lennon released his sixth solo album, the self-produced Everything Changes, in the UK on September 26th, 2011, through British independent label Conehead Management Ltd.
The seventh studio album by Lennon, Jude, was released on 9 September 2022. The album's title is a reference to the Beatles 1968 song "Hey Jude", written by Paul McCartney (and credited to Lennon–McCartney) for the then five-year-old Julian.
Because
Julian Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
From dave clark's 1986 musical "time"
It's right that I should care about you
And try to make you happy when you're blue
It's right, it's right to feel the way I do
Because, because I love you
Cause when you say these things
You know it makes me blue
Give me one kiss and I'll be happy
Just--just to be with you
Give me, give me a chance to be near you
Because, because I love you
It's wrong to say I don't think of you
Cause when you say these things
You know it only makes me blue
Give me one kiss and I'll be happy
Just--just to be with you
Give me, give me a chance to be near you
Because, because I love you
Because, because I love you
The song "Because" by Julian Lennon was released in 1985 and is a classic love song that speaks to the depth of emotions that one can feel towards another person. The song speaks to the idea that love is not just a feeling, but an action, and that one's love should be shown through actions that help make the other person happy. The lyrics speak to the desire to be close to the person you love, to have a chance to be with them and share a kiss.
The song begins by stating that it is right to care about someone and try to make them happy, particularly when they are feeling blue or sad. The singer acknowledges that his feelings for this person are real and justified, and that he wants to make them happy. The chorus repeats the phrase "because I love you" to emphasize the importance of love as a motive for taking care of someone else.
Throughout the song, the singer expresses his desire to be near the person he loves, to have a chance to be with them and show his affection. He becomes sad when the person suggests that he doesn't think of them, as this could not be further from the truth. The song ends with a plea to be given a chance to be close to the one he loves, with the repeated refrain of "because I love you" driving the point home.
Overall, the song is a sweet love letter that expresses a deep affection for another person and a desire to take care of them. It is a classic love song that has stood the test of time and continues to resonate with listeners today.
Line by Line Meaning
It's right that I should care about you
It's appropriate for me to care about you
And try to make you happy when you're blue
And attempt to bring you joy when you're feeling down
It's right, it's right to feel the way I do
It's justifiable, it's justifiable to feel the way I do
Because, because I love you
Because, because I'm in love with you
It's wrong to say I don't think of you
It's incorrect to say that I don't think of you
Cause when you say these things
Because when you speak this way
You know it makes me blue
You know it makes me sad
Give me one kiss and I'll be happy
If you kiss me once, I'll be content
Just--just to be with you
Simply to be near you
Give me, give me a chance to be near you
Allow me to be close to you
Because, because I love you
Because, because I'm in love with you
Because, because I love you
Because, because I'm in love with you
Contributed by Elena T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Bee Conec Cooper
It's like he's singing to us personally. He's cool
I love Julian Lennon. He deserves more honour and recognition than he has.
eitel manrique
Great singer like his Dad
Lee M
Absolutely GREAT singer. As good as his Dad.
Skygazer
Julian even moves his head around like John. Julian is talented in his own right and deserves the recognition. Lovely song..
Pirjo Ahokas
Of course he does you genius, he is his genetic son 🙄
Skygazer
@Pirjo Ahokas that doesn't mean a thing! Can John's son Sean sing? Hell no, he bloody cant
Lisa Parsons
Julian Lennon awesome singer and a great song, very talented
Scott Branham
Dave Clark 5 song...
Gary Snow
Julian is much more animated than his father was! He can stand in front of an audience with just a microphone and walk around the stage where John was glued to one position.
Lisa Parsons
Julian Lennon is a awesome singer,a great song.And very talented.❣️