The Beatles song John Lennon wrote as a tribute to his mother was “Julia.”
“Julia” appeared on The Beatles, the band’s 1968 double album commonly called the White Album. Lennon wrote the song about his mother, Julia Lennon, who died in a car accident in 1958 when he was 17. Their relationship had been complicated: Lennon was raised for long periods by his aunt Mimi, but he and his mother became closer during his adolescence.
The song was composed in Rishikesh, India, during the Beatles’ 1968 stay with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Folk musician Donovan helped Lennon learn the Travis-picking guitar style heard throughout the recording. Lennon performed the finished track alone, singing and playing acoustic guitar; it is the only Beatles recording on which he is completely unaccompanied.
“Julia” also contains imagery connected to Yoko Ono, including the phrase “oceanchild,” a translation of Ono’s first name. That dual inspiration can cause confusion, but Julia Lennon remains the song’s central subject. “Mother,” a later solo Lennon song, also addresses his parents, but it is not a Beatles track.