Of the four Beatles, John Lennon was always somewhat the antagonist, the one not worried to ruffle some feathers, and ultimately, the one who would always speak his piece, even if it wasn’t deemed appropriate or polite. This was one of the many factors that added to Lennon’s charisma and mystique, and one incredibly notable time he did just this was in front of the British royal family in 1963.
In 1963, The Beatles were the band in the United Kingdom. They were on the brink of infiltrating the United States market and, consequently, on their way to becoming the biggest band in the world. That being said, they had a platform, a platform John Lennon comically but also intellectually utilized when they performed in front of members of the British royal family at the Prince of Wales Theatre in London.
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Typically called the Royal Command Performance, The Beatles took to the Prince of Wales Theatre to entertain both members of the royal family and other aristocrats in the audience. While it is unclear if there were any members of the working class in attendance, Lennon still made a clear, comical remark about class divide that would forever stick with his legacy.
The Royal Members That Heard John Lennon’s Joke
That evening, the royal family members in attendance included Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Princess Margaret, and several others. Per those high-dollar individuals as well as others, Lennon stated before their final number, “For our last number, I’d like to ask your help, the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands, and the rest of you, if you’d just rattle your jewelry. We’d like to sing a song called ‘Twist and Shout’,” via The Beatles Anthology.
Concerning the joke, George Harrison stated, “John did the line about ‘rattle your jewelry’ because the audience were all supposedly rich.” “I think he’d spent a bit of time thinking of what he could say. I don’t think it was spontaneous. John also overdid the bowing as a joke, because we never used to like the idea of bowing; such a ‘showbiz’ thing.”
Is it all that surprising that Lennon blurted out this line when he had the chance? No, as the man always spoke his truth when the opportunity presented itself. All in all, this is likely the most iconic live Beatles moment of all time, and as a result, one of the most iconic live music moments of all time.
Photo by ITV/Shutterstock
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