A slow and somber break from the eccentric and often slightly deranged mix that makes up The Beatles, "Julia" is a beautiful tribute to John Lennon's mother, Julia. The story of Julia and John is a sad one fraught with immaturity, misunderstanding, and pain. But it also remains as a story that sheds light onto the development of John's life in the music world. Though often incapacitated as a mother at times due to intense personal and psychological issues, Julia introduced John to music and what it can mean for a person. While John ditched school at Quarry Bank, he would go to Blackpool to Julia's house. It was there that she taught him the banjo, with a quirky Liverpool ballad, "Maggie Mae." John developed a relationship with Julia when he was sixteen years old. By the time he was seventeen and his life seemed back on track with Julia, her family, and his Aunt Mimi (Julia's older sister), Julia had been struck by a speeding car and killed instantly. The impact that this had on John was enormous, evident in the songs he wrote in his career, with this song and subsequent others like "Mother." Julia lit the match to the fire that music set to his life. Though a woman with many faults, Julia remains an important figure in the life of a troubled man and in the history of the Beatles.
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