Hey Jude, the Beatles' best selling single, is released. Paul remembers, "I was driving out to see Cynthia and Julian. Cyn and John had just separated and they were still friends. I was singing 'Hey Jules,' and I got this idea-'don't make it bad'-you know, this situation. Take a sad song, make it better. Eventually, I thought Jules didn't sound quite right, and Jude just sounded better."
John Lennon moves into Tittenhurst and Julian visits regularly.
Julian travels from Southampton to New York aboard the SS France Ocean Liner, with his mother Cynthia and record producer Tony King. Elton John was also on the ship and said, 'Julian was a dream, he waited for us outside our staterooms and escorted us to the dining room and always made sure we had good seats at all the events on board.'
Julian's half brother Sean Taro Ono Lennon is born at New York Hospital on John's 35th birthday.
John Lennon is murdered outside the Dakota building, New York.
A fan of producer Phil Ramone (Billy Joel, Paul Simon, and many others), Julian inquired about the possibility of working with him on his first album. Upon hearing Julian's remarkable work-in-progress, Ramone enthusiastically agrees.
Julian Lennon's debut album is recorded at several studios in America, Muscle Shoals Sound Studios, Muscle Shoals, Alabama; Bear Tracks Recording Studio, Suffern, New York; A & R Recording Studios, New York City; Clinton Recording Studios, New York City; and The Hit Factory, New York City.
Valotte was Julian's debut album produced by Phil Ramone.
The majority of the songs came from demos that were written during a 3 month stay at the remote Manor de Valotte, a French chateau near Nevers during the fall of 1983.
The single Valotte makes it's debut on the Billboard Top 40. It stays in the top 40 for 12 weeks and spends a month in the top ten peaking at #9.
Julian appears on CBS Newswatch.