Today’s song is ‘Beautiful Boy’. This song was written and performed by John Lennon. It was released on the 1980 album ‘Double Fantasy’, the last album by Lennon and Ono released before his death.
The song was written for Lennon's son, Sean, his only child with Yoko Ono. It begins with John comforting his son from what is presumably a nightmare and develops into John passionately describing the love he has for his son and the joy Sean gave him. At the end of the song, John Lennon whispers, "Goodnight, Sean. See you in the morning. Bright and early."
Celine Dion also covered this song for her album, ‘Miracle’ in 2004. The song reached number two on the ‘Quebec Airplay Chart’.
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This song is more meaningful to me than I could ever describe as it reminds me of painful years of constant sorrow and heartbreak when every day ended in me shedding nightly tears during the most difficult time of my life. At the time I was a married man who was separated from his wife. I was also the father of two children called James and Adam, aged 5 and 3 years respectively. My then-wife no longer wished to remain married, and because of her illness, (post-natal depression), I had been obliged to act as both father and mother to my children since the day after each was born, in every functioning and caring aspect of their lives. My wife and I agreed that I could exercise custody of them when we separated, and I provisional set in motion plans for me to give up my Probation Officer job so that I could stay at home full time until the youngest, Adam was old enough to go to school like his brother.
In exchange, my wife wanted one thing; the sole ownership of our virtually mortgage-free, three-bedroomed modern-detached property in a leafy part of Mirfield that individual compensation monies had enabled us to purchase outright at our marriage. I had £2000 remaining from compensation I had from a childhood accident, and in addition, my wife inherited £2000 from the asbestosis industrial death of her father when she was in her teens. Our combined compensation enabled us to purchase our £4400 matrimonial house outright.
Two weeks after signing over sole ownership of the matrimonial property (present-day value of £200,000 +) my wife reneged on our agreement and refused to allow me custody of our two children. Then, out of the blue, she then prevented me access to them or communication with them in any shape or form for two full years, despite Court Orders to the contrary granting me access. These court orders were resisted /ignored by her and subsequently had default prison sentences attached to them if not carried out by her. My wife knew that the only way that she would be committed to prison in default of not allowing me to see my children would be if I initiated the process with the court and invoked the attaching prison sentence. But she knew me well enough as being a man, husband and father who never would or never could initiated the incarceration of his wife (thereby leading to her loss of job, livelihood or contact with her children).
For two years, I cried into my pillow every night, and anytime during the day, I heard John Lennon’s song ‘Beautiful Boy’ it would also set me off crying. There were naturally other times when some association would remind me of my sons. Birthday cards, Christmas cards and letters I sent to the children were returned unopened or any presents I left outside their door was put in the waste bin. This was most certainly the hardest time in my life to cope with feelings of loss and deal with barbed wire emotions that cut into my very being.
This song reminds me of a particular irony. I recalled upon seeing my firstborn James within a short time of his birth, I was to describe him as “my beautiful boy”. It is most fitting that I dedicate today’s song to my firstborn, my son James who lives in France with his wife, Elisa and their two children Sam and Jessica. May their family life together continue to be harmonious and satisfying in their love and respect for each other. The most pertinent line in the song for me is ‘Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.’ I love you, James, ‘my beautiful boy’. Dad x
Love and peace Bill xxx
The song was written for Lennon's son, Sean, his only child with Yoko Ono. It begins with John comforting his son from what is presumably a nightmare and develops into John passionately describing the love he has for his son and the joy Sean gave him. At the end of the song, John Lennon whispers, "Goodnight, Sean. See you in the morning. Bright and early."
Celine Dion also covered this song for her album, ‘Miracle’ in 2004. The song reached number two on the ‘Quebec Airplay Chart’.
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
This song is more meaningful to me than I could ever describe as it reminds me of painful years of constant sorrow and heartbreak when every day ended in me shedding nightly tears during the most difficult time of my life. At the time I was a married man who was separated from his wife. I was also the father of two children called James and Adam, aged 5 and 3 years respectively. My then-wife no longer wished to remain married, and because of her illness, (post-natal depression), I had been obliged to act as both father and mother to my children since the day after each was born, in every functioning and caring aspect of their lives. My wife and I agreed that I could exercise custody of them when we separated, and I provisional set in motion plans for me to give up my Probation Officer job so that I could stay at home full time until the youngest, Adam was old enough to go to school like his brother.
In exchange, my wife wanted one thing; the sole ownership of our virtually mortgage-free, three-bedroomed modern-detached property in a leafy part of Mirfield that individual compensation monies had enabled us to purchase outright at our marriage. I had £2000 remaining from compensation I had from a childhood accident, and in addition, my wife inherited £2000 from the asbestosis industrial death of her father when she was in her teens. Our combined compensation enabled us to purchase our £4400 matrimonial house outright.
Two weeks after signing over sole ownership of the matrimonial property (present-day value of £200,000 +) my wife reneged on our agreement and refused to allow me custody of our two children. Then, out of the blue, she then prevented me access to them or communication with them in any shape or form for two full years, despite Court Orders to the contrary granting me access. These court orders were resisted /ignored by her and subsequently had default prison sentences attached to them if not carried out by her. My wife knew that the only way that she would be committed to prison in default of not allowing me to see my children would be if I initiated the process with the court and invoked the attaching prison sentence. But she knew me well enough as being a man, husband and father who never would or never could initiated the incarceration of his wife (thereby leading to her loss of job, livelihood or contact with her children).
For two years, I cried into my pillow every night, and anytime during the day, I heard John Lennon’s song ‘Beautiful Boy’ it would also set me off crying. There were naturally other times when some association would remind me of my sons. Birthday cards, Christmas cards and letters I sent to the children were returned unopened or any presents I left outside their door was put in the waste bin. This was most certainly the hardest time in my life to cope with feelings of loss and deal with barbed wire emotions that cut into my very being.
This song reminds me of a particular irony. I recalled upon seeing my firstborn James within a short time of his birth, I was to describe him as “my beautiful boy”. It is most fitting that I dedicate today’s song to my firstborn, my son James who lives in France with his wife, Elisa and their two children Sam and Jessica. May their family life together continue to be harmonious and satisfying in their love and respect for each other. The most pertinent line in the song for me is ‘Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.’ I love you, James, ‘my beautiful boy’. Dad x
Love and peace Bill xxx
