In the emotional aftermath of John Lennon's 1980 assassination, a then-17-year-old Julian Lennon was thrust into a world of grief, confusion, and suspicion.

 Julian, Lennon’s son from his first marriage to Cynthia Lennon, had been living quietly in the U.K. when Yoko Ono summoned him to the Dakota, the Manhattan home she shared with John. The purpose, at first, seemed rooted in grief. But what unfolded was far more complicated.

“She was falling apart,” Julian recalled of Ono. “I had to be strong for myself — and strong for her. She hadn’t even told Sean [John and Yoko’s son] that dad had died yet. She asked me how she should break the news.”

But things soon took a tense turn. According to Julian, Ono grew suspicious when a guitar that had belonged to John was anonymously delivered to him in England. That delivery, she believed, might be linked to the theft of some of Lennon’s missing diaries.

“Shortly after Dad died, Yoko found out about the guitar being given to me and sent someone over from New York so I could sign for it,” Julian said. He continued: “Then I was flown to New York and asked to sign a confession, saying I knew nothing about the missing diaries.”

Julian complied, though he maintains he had no connection to the stolen items. “Apparently, someone told Yoko the diaries were given to me, which they weren’t,” he said. “Some have now been recovered, but not all.”

Julian recounted the episode with an eerie calm manner, but the implications were stark: amid mourning, he was caught in a web of distrust within his father’s inner circle. He had little financial support at the time. John had left a modest trust fund for him years earlier, which had largely dried up.

Source: irishstar.com/Connor McCrory

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The Beatles' rise to global stardom was meteoric, with their fame skyrocketing in under a year and a half following the UK release of 'Love Me Do' in October 1962. By February 1964, an astonishing 73 million viewers in America were glued to their screens watching the Fab Four on the Ed Sullivan Show as 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' swept the nation.

This track not only marked their first chart-topper in the States but also kicked off a period of unrivaled chart success for the Liverpool lads. After a seven-week reign, 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' handed over the number one spot to 'She Loves You', and this was just the beginning—four more hits soared to the top within six months.

Paul McCartney, George Harrison, John Lennon, and Ringo Starr, four young men from Liverpool, had become the most recognizable faces on the planet, and it all happened at breakneck speed. Adjusting to such intense fame wasn't a walk in the park for them.

Lennon, in particular, found the transition challenging, a struggle that influenced his songwriting. Reflecting on those times in a 1980 Playboy interview, he confessed: "The whole Beatles thing was just beyond comprehension. I was subconsciously crying out for help".

His inner turmoil manifested into the classic tune 'Help! which became the lead single for the band's sophomore film and its soundtrack album. The inspiration struck John in the spring of 1965, right after the movie's title was decided, reports the Liverpool Echo.

John's mate Stanley Parkes recalls the moment John had to pivot creatively due to the film's title change: "Came in from the studio one night. 'God,' he said, 'they've changed the title of the film: it's going to be called 'Help!' now. So I've had to write a new song with the title called 'Help!'"

Lennon delved into his own personal battles with fame when writing the hit song. Reflecting in 1980, he revealed: "When 'Help!' came out, I was actually crying out for help. Most people think it's just a fast rock 'n' roll song."

Source: John O'sullivan, Dan Haygarth/irishstar.com

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Despite being the biggest stars in the world, The Beatles made the decision to stop touring in 1966. The band were fatigued after years on the road and playing live shows to huge, expectant crowds and instead wanted to devote time to working on their innovative ideas in the studio.

That decision led to a run of boundary-pushing albums, including 1967's 'Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and 'The White Album' the following year. The Beatles' final organised gig took place on August 29, 1966, at San Francisco's Candlestick Park.

 Other than an unannounced rooftop concert at their Apple Corps headquarters in London on January 30, 1969, the four did not play live as a band again.  The 'Get Back' sessions in 1968 and 1969, which became the album 'Let it Be', were meant to inspire an all-conquering return to being a live band - on Paul McCartney's suggestion - but The Beatles' split in 1970 meant it did not materialise.

As such, when Paul, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison went their separate ways and took their solo projects on the road, they had not played live for some time. Paul had released two solo albums - 'McCartney' and 'Ram' before he formed the band Wings in 1971. Part of Paul's reasoning for establishing Wings was that he wanted to be part of a band to start playing live on stage again.

He had floated the idea in the final days of The Beatles that the band should play unannounced gigs at pubs - something he did at the Philharmonic on Hope Street in 2018 - but his bandmates rejected the idea.

Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth

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Hey Jude was a huge hit for the Beatles, a classic song that has become part of the very fabric of pop culture.

However, for Julian Lennon, this track sometimes brings more annoyance than comfort. Julian, the son of John Lennon and his first wife Cynthia, has confessed that despite the song's heartfelt message, listening to the 1968 chart-topper isn't always a pleasant experience.

Hey Jude was written by Paul McCartney following the collapse of John and Cynthia's marriage. "It was 'Hey Jules' at first, but that didn't quite sit well rhythmically," Julian recounted of the song. "'Hey Jude' was a better interpretation."

In a candid chat with Esquire in 2023, Julian delved into his complex feelings about Hey Jude. He revealed, "Paul wrote it to console Mum, and also to console me."

Paul, who maintained a close bond with Cynthia and Julian during those turbulent times, confirmed that the song was written as a supportive gesture for a young Julien whose domestic life was upended by his father's romance with Yoko Ono.

Despite the fact that countless fans have found solace and inspiration in the uplifting lyrics, Julian concedes that its presence everywhere — on the radio, at weddings, restaurants and on TV — can sometimes be overwhelming.

 "It's a beautiful sentiment, no question about that, and I'm very thankful - but I've also been driven up the wall by it," he remarked. "I love the fact that he wrote a song about me and for Mum, but depending on what side of the bed one woke up on, and where you're hearing it, it can be a good or a slightly frustrating thing."

Source: irishstar.com/Maria Leticia Gomes, Scarlett O'Toole

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Paul McCartney and John Lennon were the driving creative force behind The Beatles. The majority of the band's songs were written by the two and credited to Lennon-McCartney, irrespective of how collaborative the writing process was.

In the early days, John and Paul wrote together. But as the 1960s went on and creative differences between them came to the fore, they often wrote independently before presenting songs to one another for final tweaks. They began writing together after meeting at a Woolton church fete in 1957.  Their first works were composed at Paul's childhood home on Forthlin Road in Allerton and at John's aunt Mimi's house on Menlove Avenue. They wrote hit after hit until The Beatles went their separate ways in 1970.

‌Every song written by John and Paul for The Beatles received that joint credit.

About their partnership, Music and Musicians magazine's Wilfred Mellors wrote in 1972: "Opposite poles generate electricity: between John and Paul the sparks flew. John's fiery iconoclasm was tempered by Paul's lyrical grace, while Paul's wide-eyed charm was toughened by John's resilience."

In a 1980 interview with Playboy, John said about working with Paul: "(He) provided a lightness, an optimism, while I would always go for the sadness, the discords, the bluesy notes. There was a period when I thought I didn't write melodies, that Paul wrote those and I just wrote straight, shouting rock 'n' roll.

"But, of course, when I think of some of my own songs - 'In My Life', or some of the early stuff, 'This Boy' - I was writing melody with the best of them."

Source: liverpoolecho.co.uk/Dan Haygarth

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George Harrison's childhood home has been transformed into an Airbnb rental and a house museum.

The Beatles star's former family home in Liverpool was recently acquired at auction by Ken Lambert and he's now turning the property into a destination for fans of the band.  Lambert, 48 - who is in the business of commercial construction - told the New York Post newspaper: "Once I realised I was the winner, it was pretty shocking.

"I really started to think about what I was going to do with the property. I’m not a wealthy individual. It’s not like I go around buying up properties. I’m a Beatles fan, yes, but I am a big George Harrison fan specifically."

Lambert bought the property for £171 000 (R3.32 million) and is only the third person to have owned the home since the Harrison family.

Here is the property as it was marketed by Omega Auctions:  The property owner ultimately decided to transform the landmark into an Airbnb and a house museum for weekly tours.  Lambert took the decision after observing the success of house museums dedicated to John Lennon and Sir Paul McCartney.

"I think it was a shame that George’s house had no relevance to millions of Beatles fans, but they’re waiting in line to walk into John Lennon’s house. "George is my favourite Beatle. I want to respect his legacy."

Lambert walked through the property after he managed to buy it at auction, and he can still vividly remember the experience.

He shared: "It was pretty insane when I was able to walk through the house. I was there by myself. I kind of walked through it after I owned it. "It was a very surreal experience, it was a remarkable feeling."

 Source; capeargus.co.za/Bang Showbiz

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