It’s hard to believe it’s nearly 40 years since Dad taught me my first guitar chords and then did me the great honour of including my drum playing on the recording of ‘Ya Ya’ for his Walls and Bridges album. (Even if it was only with one drumstick!)

I have always been a great admirer of my father’s ingenious creativity and his stance for Peace. I loved his attitude, his style and his thinking, which was certainly unique! He was a vast and vital presence; a tremendous talent, a remarkable man with a wonderfully rich imagination, who has inspired many since.

Dad’s work has naturally been a tremendous influence on my musical life and his reputation made me even more keen to follow the same path, to make positive change in a world full of injustice, greed & troubled times, in whatever creative way possible. I love and respect him for this and I am really proud of the musical, artistic & humanitarian legacy he has left behind, for Sean, myself & the rest of world.

Obviously there is a great sadness, that we didn’t get to spend more time together. As a child this was impossible to quantify, but one thing I remember is that it was always great to see Dad again. As Dad himself wrote: ‘I think it’s been a slow process my feeling like a real father’ & that’s also why I believe his song ‘Isolation’ rang so true with me, amongst many others…

I think Dad would be very proud of the fact that Sean and I, through our own creative ventures, continue to live guided by his light and I feel very blessed that Sean is my brother, my blood.

I strongly believe that for us all, healing comes through love, music and creativity.

From his earlier work with The Beatles, to his Solo work…

In My Life, I’ve Loved them All…

Julian Lennon
August 9th, 2010

On Dad I must admit I’ve always been slightly jealous of the world for having had more time with my father than I did. Growing up I can’t remember a day without someone telling me a story about him. There were those who knew him well, but the vast majority had never met him. Everyone spoke as if they knew him, and the fact is, they did. My father had touched the lives of an entire planet, had shaped the world around me, and had entered into the deepest and most private parts of the human psyche. He didn’t belong to me, he never did, he belonged to everyone.

My only chance of having a relationship with my father was in becoming a musician. I remember the first time I picked out a tune on the piano. It was either ‘Imagine’ or ‘Yellow Submarine.’ I was six years old and for the first time since his passing it was as if he were there with me again. From that moment on with each new chord I learned, each new instrument I played, and eventually each new song I wrote, I felt I was coming closer to him somehow. To this day the only reason I play music is to know him. It’s the only means of connection I have.

In my adolescence, as my musical ability improved, I began to grasp the enormity of what my father had achieved as a composer and lyricist, as well as a cultural and political figure. By the time I was fifteen I had learned virtually every Beatles song, note for note, voice by voice, word for word. Studying his compositions intimately was yet another breakthrough towards knowing him, and his repertoire is now an innate part of my musical vocabulary. Learning the Lennon language has allowed me to hold my father close to me at all times, within my ears, within my head, and within my heart.

I realize what I have said is true for the majority of musicians, and non-musicians today. And now that I’m a little older, I find that my experiences in trying to connect to my father have connected me to the entire world. I am part of a global family that reaches far beyond the materials of flesh and blood. The music he created, and the principals he promoted have permeated the fabric of our society. I am very honored to call John Lennon my father, and gladly share him with both past and future generations.

Sean Ono Lennon
August 9th, 2010