When I was a little child in the mid-80’s, I chanced upon a Beatles cassette tape owned by my father. I played it on and became an instant fan of their music. I particularly liked “Hey Jude,” “Yesterday” and “In My Life.” I thought the four of them were good-looking, too but I was most attracted to John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s looks. John had this rebel-without-a-cause aura in contrast with Paul’s boy-next-door image. There was one cassette tape with “John Lennon” on the cover and I was confused why the sudden change in music style. It would take me to this day to know that the man on the cassette cover was actually Julian Lennon, John’s firstborn.

My curiosity on Julian Lennon started just days ago when I read an article about his mother’s demise. Cynthia Lennon was John’s first wife; in the mid-80’s the wife that I knew of was Yoko Ono. Of course, information about the Lennons were not so accessible during those times; good thing we have the internet now.

And because “Hey Jude” has always been my most favorite Beatles song, I searched for any videos or pictures related to it. How sweet of Paul to compose a song for little Julian! At that time, John was leaving Cynthia and Julian for Yoko Ono. Looking at those pictures at the embedded file, the Lennons’ domestic life was no different from ordinary people. There were best times and there were worst times but I think that love was always there, albeit concealed in many instances.

Julian’s relationship with John was no different from the relationship of today’s children with parents having more time for work than for the family. Of course, there was Yoko at that time and the animosity between step-son and step-mom was like a time bomb ready to explode anytime. I would like to give Yoko the benefit of the doubt that she truly cared for Julian; after all, she was a mother to Kyoko, too. Definitely, a close relationship with Cynthia was out of the question for emotional and common sense reasons.

Paul was like an uncle to Julian and I hate it that not much was written about their relationship after that “Hey Jude” composition. Maybe the Beatles’ was busy touring the world. The love for his friend’s family was evident on Paul and I guess, Julian remembers it up to this day. He wouldn’t be that hurt when he was not invited to Paul’s wedding four years ago if he didn’t regard Paul as family. It was an honest mistake of Paul’s staff and we know that busy people entrust their personal schedule and other stuffs to their assistants. I guess at some point after the divorce, Paul was very careful about carrying on a platonic relationship with Cynthia and Julian. He was like being sandwiched between Yoko and John on one side versus Cynthia and Julian on the other side.

There were good times, too in their life and I don’t believe that the bickering was non-stop since Yoko entered the picture. Yes, maybe, there was more pain than happiness but there were also good times to remember. John may not be the best father for Julian and Sean but I guess he tried his best to be one. I love the Lennons: John, Cynthia, Julian, Yoko and Sean. I wish that Julian (a spitting image of John), Yoko and Sean collaborate to create an album.