Just what did John Lennon really say about Jesus?
Paul McCartney has announced there will be one last Beatle record released later this year. It will be made using a song John wrote just before his death.
As the Beatles will be part of history one day, I would like to look back on John Lennon’s controversial remarks about Jesus.
What he said was, I believe, misreported by some people at the time.
It was claimed he said The Beatles were bigger than Jesus, which he did not. He did say they were more popular than Jesus. But this was, as I remember, taken out of context.
The source of this controversy was an article that appeared in the London Evening Standard newspaper in March 1966, and I remember reading it.
It was written by Maureen Cleave, a journalist who knew Lennon. The article was one of four, each one chronicling the lives of each Beatle.
I have tried to find a copy of the article but without any success. What has been written only quotes the more popular than the Jesus’ lines.
So, I am going to write down what I remember reading in March 1966.
This is what I remember John saying to the Journalist. They are unlikely to be the exact words, so bear with me, I will be paraphrasing.
“In this country, at this time, among young people, the Beatles are probably more popular than Jesus.”
Note. He did not say bigger or better.
He was speaking in 1966, when the Beatles were at the peak of their fame. And about young people in the UK, not America or the rest of the world.
I believe he was right. But it could have been said about Elvis Presley in the late 1950s and of Taylor Swift today.
The article went virtually unnoticed in the UK but was picked up some time later by the American media.
Now, I believe there was a small number of Americans who could not forgive the Beatles for not being American.
I also believe it was this small minority who helped stage the burnings of Beatles records and material.
We were led to believe that all Americans were religious book burning fanatics and bigots, which they are not. They are one of the most open minded people in the world.
This was demonstrated by the outpouring of grief from American fans when John was murdered in 1980.
So, John Lennon did say in 1966 among the young people in the United Kingdom, the Beatles were probably more popular than Jesus.
But popularity does not mean better, as we are all learning today.
Thank you for reading.
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