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.
Stand By Me
Julian Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And the land is dark
And the moon
Is the only light we'll see
No I won't be afraid
No I won't be afraid
Just as long as you stand
Darling, darling stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall,
Or the mountains should crumble to the sea
I won't cry, I won't cry
No I won't shed a tear
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me
Darling, darling stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble
Won't you stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
Darling, darling, stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
Whenever you're in trouble
Won't you stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
Darling, darling, stand by me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Stand by me, stand by me
The song "Stand by Me" by Julian Lennon is a cover of the 1961 hit by Ben E. King. The lyrics describe a dark and uncertain time, where the only light is from the moon, but the singer is comforted by the presence of someone they care about. The repeated line "No I won't be afraid, no I won't shed a tear" shows the singer's determination to remain strong and not give in to fear, as long as they have the support of the person standing by them. The chorus, "Darling, darling stand by me, oh now, now, stand by me," emphasizes the importance of companionship and loyalty in challenging times.
The lines "If the sky that we look upon, should tumble and fall, or the mountains should crumble to the sea" portrays an apocalyptic scenario, where the world as we know it is destroyed, but even in the face of this chaos the singer remains steadfast, as long as they have the person they depend on. "Whenever you're in trouble, won't you stand by me" shows that the singer is willing to reciprocate the support, and that they have a strong bond that will withstand challenges.
Line by Line Meaning
When the night has come
When darkness falls upon us
And the land is dark
And everything around us is shadowed
And the moon
Is the only light we'll see
And the only light that exists is that of the moon
No I won't be afraid
No I won't be afraid
I will not fear
Just as long as you stand
Stand by me
While you are with me
Darling, darling stand by me
Love, please stay with me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Don't leave me alone now
If the sky that we look upon
Should tumble and fall,
Or the mountains should crumble to the sea
Even if the world as we know it ends
I won't cry, I won't cry
No I won't shed a tear
I won't let myself be consumed by despair
Whenever you're in trouble
Won't you stand by me
Please stay by my side when I'm in trouble
Stand by me, stand by me
Stay with me
Darling, darling, stand by me
Love, please stay with me
Oh, now, now, stand by me
Don't leave me alone now
Stand by me, stand by me
Stay with me
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Ben King, Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Catherine Oliveri
Love Julian ! He deserves a lot more credit than he has received!
Debbi Pond Hamilton
I totally agree! He sounds so much like his dad!!
Janelle Stuckey
The Beatle child with the most talent. I hope others recognize this.
AbbyNormal777
Dhani Harrison is pretty talented himself and looks exactly like his father George Harrison.
Mar Urbina
Danny tambien
Carl Howe
@AbbyNormal777 His voice isn't that good & he really can't write a good song. I'm not being a troll. Julian has ALWAYS been the one with a great singing voice & can write a pretty good decent song. Can't always go by looks/appearance, it all comes down to having natural born talent. A person has it or they don't.
Mohamed El Mansoury
Right
Nancy Samoilo
Dhani has great talent.....how do you sing?
Lisa Cunningham
Oh my God, he still sounds so much like his dad. Excellent job, Julian! Dad is smiling in heaven. ❤
AbbyNormal777
I think John Lennon was an atheist but it's the thought that counts.