On This Day in 1966, All Beatles Records Received a Broadcasting Ban Due To Controversial Comments Made by John Lennon

On this day (August 8) in 1966, the South African Broadcasting Corporation banned all Beatles records. The ban came after John Lennon made his infamous claim that the Fab Four were “bigger than Jesus.” While the comment was ignored in their home country, the band faced backlash in more conservative places like the United States and apartheid South Africa.

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Unsurprisingly, the Beatles were nearly as popular in South Africa as they were in other parts of the world. According to South African History Online, the band had five top 20 hits in the country in the years leading up to the ban. Then, months after Lennon’s comments became international news, the SABC banned the playing of all records from the group. The ban remained in effect until the band broke up about five years later.

[RELATED: On This Day in 1965, The Beatles Were at No. 1 With What John Lennon Called One of the Few “True” Songs He Ever Wrote]

The ban didn’t stop with Beatles records, though. According to The Beatles Bible, Lennon’s subsequent solo records were also banned in the country. However, solo albums from Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr were not banned in South Africa.

How John Lennon Got The Beatles Banned in South Africa

The controversy that led to The Beatles being banned in South Africa began in March 1966. John Lennon spoke to Maureen Cleave for the London Evening Standard. At the time, he had been reading about Christianity, and it was seemingly on his mind during the interview. While most know that he famously claimed the Fab Four were “more popular than Jesus,” some may not realize that there was more to his statement than that.

“Christianity will go,” Lennon said. “It will vanish and shrink, I needn’t argue with that. I’m right and I will be proved right,” he added. “We’re more popular than Jesus right now. I don’t know which will go first–rock and roll or Christianity.”

Lennon had no problem with Jesus Christ. Instead, he took issue with his followers. “Jesus was all right, but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me,” he explained.

The British public largely ignored the statement. However, the American teen magazine Datebook printed part of the statement on its cover in August. This led to widespread backlash in the United States. People gathered to burn Beatles records and other memorabilia in the South and Midwest. Additionally, venues canceled their concerts, and radio stations refused to play their songs.

Featured Image by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Redferns