About This Track
“Julia” is a song by The Beatles. It is the final song on side two (and disc one, in the CD era) of the band’s 1968 album, The Beatles (The White Album). It was written by John Lennon, and features Lennon on vocals and acoustic guitar. It was written during the Beatles’ 1968 visit to India, where they were studying under the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It was here Lennon learned the song’s finger-picking guitar style (known as ‘Travis-picking’) from the Scottish musician Donovan. No other Beatle sings or plays on the recording.
While Paul McCartney made several “solo” compositions attributed to the group, dating back to his famous song “Yesterday”, this is the only time that Lennon played and sang unaccompanied on a Beatles track.
“Julia” was written for John’s mother Julia Lennon (1914-1958), who was knocked down and killed by a car driven by an off-duty police officer when John was still only 17 years old. It was also written for his future wife Yoko Ono, whose first name, which literally means “child of the sea” in Japanese, is echoed in lyrics such as “Oceanchild, calls me.” An alternative theory suggests that the song was written for Julian Lennon, John’s son.
The first two lines of the song – “Half of what I say is meaningless/ But I say it just to reach you, Julia” – were adapted from the poem “Sand and Foam,” by the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran. The original line is: “Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you.
“Julia” was written for John’s mother Julia Lennon (1914-1958), who was knocked down and killed by a car driven by an off-duty police officer when John was still only 17 years old. It was also written for his future wife Yoko Ono, whose first name, which literally means “child of the sea” in Japanese, is echoed in lyrics such as “Oceanchild, calls me.” An alternative theory suggests that the song was written for Julian Lennon, John’s son.
The first two lines of the song – “Half of what I say is meaningless/ But I say it just to reach you, Julia” – were adapted from the poem “Sand and Foam,” by the Lebanese poet Kahlil Gibran. The original line is: “Half of what I say is meaningless; but I say it so that the other half may reach you.
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Albums featuring this track
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The Beatles (The White Album)
The Beatles
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The White Album
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The Beatles
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Anthology 3 (disc 1)
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Shouts
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patricksean123 wrote:
One of my favorite Beatles songs from John. Absolutely beautiful.
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QuiveringGroove wrote:
This version is from the great Anthology Cd's not the White Album, but it's the Beatles, so it's all good.
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ThalitaCarroll wrote:
This is soooo nostalgic.
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oldiesfanjohn wrote:
Aw.....makes me wish her name was Julia.....
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kemp678 wrote:
Aw.....makes me wish my name was Julia.......
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yurmomeatspants wrote:
my dad sings this to me. <3
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theseasonisours wrote:
:'(
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tihsymtae wrote:
http://8tracks.com/tihsymtae/blue
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innerspeaker wrote:
How did he write these songs that are so full of beauty and meaning yet seem so effortless? Might be the best acoustic ballad I've ever heard.
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uncare wrote:
so sad ;-;
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frontierr wrote:
my name :3
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davidbowiegirl wrote:
Great song
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Admiralbjorn wrote:
calling my child julia if i ever have a girl, beautiful song <3
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limiten wrote:
“her hair of floating sky is shimmering, glimmering in the sun.”
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johnnydepth76 wrote:
Seashell eyes.
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GustavoMasiero wrote:
My girlfriend's name. <3
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agungd88 wrote:
how smart he made this song for his mother. very clever, nah i miss my mom.
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danielfilipe_ wrote:
one of the best songs EVER
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HeeyJules wrote:
My name. <3 This song makes me so proud of it!
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easterntrees wrote:
check out the anthology version, complete with encouragement from paul in the control room.
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