Happy Birthday, Julian Lennon: Beautiful Boy #1

Happy Birthday, Julian Lennon: Beautiful Boy #1

The first baby born to a Beatle inspired two of the band's most famous songs before he turned five years old. As the legend goes, his drawing of classmate Lucy (in the sky, with diamonds) Vodden spurred John to write THE defining psychedelic song of the 1960s. He was also the inspiration behind the Beatles' biggest hit of all time, "Hey Jude." Paul McCartney has long maintained that he began writing the song as "Hey Jules," in an effort to comfort young Julian during the divorce of his father and Cynthia Powell in 1968. It's tough being the son of a rock legend, but Julian - with a voice hauntingly like John's - has proven that he has talent and character in his own right.

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Two Tales of a City

Two Tales of a City

Anthony Dominick Benedetto - better known as Tony Bennett -- may have been born and raised in Astoria, Queens, but his timeless love song to San Francisco would convince you he'd lived there all his life. Seriously, how could he NOT have left his heart in a place as beautiful as San Francisco? Well, the working-class seaport city of Liverpool, England, may be on the opposite end of the scale when it comes to romantic settings, but four famous rockers left their hearts there, nonetheless. And, like Mr. Bennett, they drew their inspiration from the city they loved. Forty-seven years ago this month, the Beatles released their 24th U.S. single, a double A-side record featuring two songs inspired John Lennon and Paul McCartney's childhood memories of Liverpool: "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane."

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How Come Together Came Together

How Come Together Came Together

John Lennon was one spinal cracker, alright. Who else would LSD guru Timothy Leary ask to write a campaign song for his ill-fated gubernatorial run against Ronald Reagan in 1969? Lennon set out to write a song based on Leary's campaign slogan, Come Together, Join the Party. His original lyric began, "Come together right now, don't come tomorrow, don't come alone." Leary felt the words were awkward and the song unusable. Little matter; the aspirations of the PhD psychologist-turned drug advocate would soon come to an end when he was imprisoned for marijuana possession. But by now John had a good title. And he ended up writing one of his edgiest, self-described gobbledygook songs, ever.

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John’s Karma: Let Time Wound All Heels

John’s Karma: Let Time Wound All Heels

The government of Richard Nixon spent thousands of taxpayer dollars, installed loads of surveillance equipment, and employed countless FBI agents in its four-year effort to deport America-loving peacenik John Lennon, whom they considered a major threat due to his left-wing political activism and relationships with anti-war "subversives." But Instant Karma got 'em all in the end.

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John’s Number Nine Fixation

John’s Number Nine Fixation

On this date in 1975, one of John Lennon's most beautiful songs, "No. 9 Dream," peaked at number 9 on the U.S. charts. It was a cut from his 1974 album, "Walls And Bridges," his ninth non-Beatles album, which just happened to be released in the ninth month of 1975. Maybe there's something to this numerology stuff after all, especially considering the role that number 9 played in John's life. Here are some interesting facts...

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