Remember When John Lennon Made One of the Most Controversial Statements of the 1960s?

The Beatles took the world by storm in 1964, following their appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. The group became increasingly popular after being introduced to an American audience and about 73.9 million viewers. Beatlemania spread across multiple continents, especially with the success of early singles like “She Loves You” and “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. In addition, their female fanbase set the standard for what it truly means to be a “fangirl,” redefining what it truly means to be obsessed with an artist as we know it. 

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So, when John Lennon said that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” in 1966, was he really that far off? Lennon explained his case in a London Standard article titled ‘How Does A Beatle Live? John Lennon Lives Like This.’ 

“Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I will be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now,” he explained. “I don’t know which will go first, rock ‘n’ roll or Christianity. Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins it for me.”

Let’s say Lennon’s personal views weren’t exactly aligned with those of the American Bible Belt. 

How America Reacted to John Lennon’s “Jesus” Comment

Disc jockeys in America went on a frenzy, even going so far as to ban Beatles music. As History reports, some DJs even invited people to “turn in” their Beatles records and memorabilia, so that later they could be burned. “Don’t forget to take your Beatle records and your Beatle paraphernalia to any one of our 14 pickup points in Birmingham, Alabama, and turn them in this week,” one jockey bade listeners. For some reason, however, the comments didn’t seem to affect Britain in the same way they did the U.S.

Lennon would later explain what he meant in a separate interview. “I said we were more popular than Jesus, which is a fact. I believe Jesus was right, Buddha was right, and all of those people like that are right. They’re all saying the same thing, and I believe it. I believe what Jesus actually said, the basic things he laid down about love and goodness, and not what people say he said.”

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