This Day in History: 4 March 2020
4 March 1966
54 years ago, today, an opinion was voiced by John Lennon in a British newspaper that would create a media frenzy in America. No one took much notice in Britain, but five months after this comment was said in the 'London Evening Standard', the American press blew his comment out of proportion, and therefore the 'Bigger than Jesus' scandal may have ended the Beatlemania phenomenon. Lennon's remarks were originally clearly meant as a cynical comment on the declining religion in society, as he said "Christianity will go, it will vanish and shrink… we're more popular than Jesus now". The interview that featured this comment also dealt with topics such as gorilla suits and car phones, but American magazine 'DATEbook' chose to shorten this to "We're more popular than Jesus".
After this, many declared this remark as blasphemous and expressed their desire for a ban on Beatles music. There was a plan in Birmingham, Alabama, to burn the Beatles' records, which would be provided by angry listeners. It is unclear how many similar events took place, but these stories were still acknowledged by the Beatles, as Lennon said years later how the burnings were a "real shock". He also apologized, but not for the message he was trying to convey, and instead apologized for conveying it with a confused meaning, while at a press conference in Chicago. This apology said: "I'm not anti-God, anti-Christ or anti-religion. I was not saying we are greater or better. I believe in God, but not as one thing, not as an old man in the sky. I'm sorry I said it, really. I never meant it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. From what I've read, or observed, Christianity just seems to be shrinking, to be losing contact."
Want to read more about this controversy of John Lennon's and the Beatles'? Click here for more information.
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