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.
Take Me Home
Julian Lennon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I won't be alone
Take me home for the ride
You won't be alone
We won't be alone tonight
I am standing in the shadows of the garden
Confessing to the pale moon above
You might harden
I'm scared of being lonely
And of dying without love
Take me home for the ride
I won't cry alone
Take me home for the ride
You won't cry alone
We won't cry alone tonight
I need everything I know you could provide me
But every time I love the flower dies
There's a darkness in the air
That seems to guide me
If you want to see the heartache
You can look into my eyes
Take me home for the ride
I won't die alone
Take me home for the ride
You won't die alone
We won't die alone tonight
Sometimes our emotions make it hard
For us to see that
At the heart of loving is respect and honesty
And sometimes I'm afraid that I give
Less than I should give
But this time I will hold you
For as long as I live
I won't die alone
You won't die alone
We won't die alone tonight
The song "Take Me Home" by Julian Lennon is a passionate plea for companionship and love. The singer is standing in the shadows of the garden confessing to the pale moon above about his fear of dying without love. The lyrics are autobiographical in nature and capture the mood of loneliness and despair. The verses convey a sense of vulnerability, fear, and longing.
The chorus of the song is the plea of the singer for someone to take him home for the ride so that he will not be alone. The singer fears the darkness in the air that seems to guide him and the fact that every time he loves someone the flower dies. The song expresses the deep desire for companionship, love, and meaningful relationships to fill the emptiness and loneliness inside.
The bridge of the song emphasizes the idea that at the heart of loving is respect and honesty. The singer is afraid that he gives less than he should, but this time, he will hold his partner for as long as he lives. The song is a beautiful ode to the simple yet profound human desire for love and companionship, and the fear of being alone or dying without love.
Overall, "Take Me Home" is a poignant and emotional song that captures the essence of the human condition - the need for love and companionship. Julian Lennon's heartfelt and compelling vocals are what make the song so emotive and impactful.
Line by Line Meaning
Take me home for the ride
I'm asking you to take me with you, to not leave me behind in life.
I won't be alone
I will have your company and support throughout our journey together.
You won't be alone
You will also have my company and support throughout our journey together.
We won't be alone tonight
We will be together and by each other's side, facing whatever challenges come our way.
I am standing in the shadows of the garden
I am feeling lost and isolated, unable to find my way out of the darkness.
Confessing to the pale moon above
I am looking for guidance and comfort from a higher power, hoping to find meaning and purpose.
If I tell you how I feel
I am afraid that opening up and being vulnerable with you may cause you to reject or push me away.
You might harden
I fear that sharing my emotions could make you become more closed off and distant from me.
I'm scared of being lonely
I am afraid of being alone and feeling disconnected from those around me.
And of dying without love
I am afraid that if I don't find love and human connection, my life will feel empty and meaningless.
I need everything I know you could provide me
I am seeking your love and support, knowing that you have the ability to fulfill my emotional needs.
But every time I love the flower dies
I am afraid that my love and affection may cause harm or destruction, and that loving someone may ultimately end in suffering.
There's a darkness in the air that seems to guide me
I feel lost and uncertain, as if there is an ominous force driving me towards despair and distress.
If you want to see the heartache, you can look into my eyes
I am trying to be transparent and open about my pain and suffering, hoping that you will be there to support me through it all.
Sometimes our emotions make it hard for us to see that at the heart of loving is respect and honesty
Our emotional baggage and fears can cloud our judgment and make it difficult for us to appreciate the core principles of love, which are honesty and mutual respect.
And sometimes I'm afraid that I give less than I should give
I fear that I may not be loving or supportive enough, or that I may fail to meet your needs or expectations.
But this time I will hold you for as long as I live
Despite my doubts and fears, I am committed to showing you love and support for as long as I am alive.
I won't die alone
I believe that our love and connection will give my life meaning and purpose, even in the face of death.
You won't die alone
I promise to always be there for you, to support you and give you love and companionship throughout your life.
We won't die alone tonight
Together, we will face life's challenges and hardships, knowing that our love and connection will always be there to comfort us.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JUSTIN CLAYTON, JULIAN LENNON, BOB EZRIN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Katti Vale
This is so beautiful !!! Que bella y dulce voz tiene Julian!!
bindisue Prescott
What a gorgeous song! I can't understand why this album didn't do well. His voice is like no other's.
RADIN SYAH
My absolute favorite song in the 90s. Haunting and beautiful at the same time.
SandySqirrel
Still absolutely love this song. A man with the most amazing soul.
Arazi124
Used to listen to this a lot when i was a kid. An excellent song from a great and underrated album.
filmsensei
Can't stop listening to this song! He puts so much emotion and just plain soul into his songs. Nothing I hear on the radio is very heartfelt anymore. I wish people could have gotten over the last name and he would have been a lot bigger over here, I think.
Sandra Hawes
Can't find the word's to express how beautiful Julian is
Kathy Fohr
Julian is an amazing songwriter and I believe his music will get the "blah" out of the "top ten". Check out his new CD..."Everything Changes".
jeff christiansen
This is an excellent album . I only have the casette and have been looking for the CD for years . I can't understand why his work hasn't been more popular . Hopefully , with his new album , there will be a renewed interest in his music . Such a great musician ! You just make us wait so long between LPs Julian !
Grigor Ghazaryan
Soooooooooooothing sounds. I love Julian's style!!!!