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The cultural impact of the boy band The Beatles is unparalleled. If we have to sum it up in one line, we would say The Beatles walked so NSYNC, One Direction, The Jonas Brothers, and BTS could run. The English rock band, comprising John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, played an integral role in the development of the 1960 pop music setting, gaining the title of Most Influential Band Of All Time. However, did you know the rock ‘n’ roll maestros were no strangers to controversies? In fact, during the height of their fame, the late John Lennon’s infamous ‘more popular than Jesus’ controversy ignited a massive public outrage against the group, which led to quartet’s immediate downfall. Scroll ahead to know the entire scoop!
The Beatles’ global superstardom came with their unprecedented critical and commercial success, with their concert tickets selling like hotcakes during their musical tours. Their evergreen tracks ‘Hey Jude,’ ‘Let Me Be,’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night,’ and ‘Tomorrow’ among others are still remastered and covered by other artists who attempt to pay an ode to the English band’s rich legacy.
On Thursday, The Beatles released their much-anticipated “final song,” titled “Now and Then,” featuring the voice of the late John Lennon. The song, which was in the making for 45-year was originally written and recorded at Lennon’s home in New York City in 1978. His wife, Yoko Ono, shared the demo with the rest of The Beatles members in 1994. The unfinished song’s release marks a full circle moment for the group as it will be the last credit to Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starr.
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Circling back to John Lennon‘s controversial remark, which reportedly influenced the band’s decision to never go on tour again, it caused an uproar against the rock group, inventing a cancel culture way before the times of social media. During his British publication London Evening Standard, Sir Lennon said, “Christianity will go. It will vanish and shrink. I needn’t argue about that; I’m right and I’ll be proved right. We’re more popular than Jesus now; 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.”
Noteworthily, the controversy didn’t erupt until the quote was reprinted in the United States, which came at a time when The Beatles were grabbing tabloid headlines for their psychedelic adventures among Americans. The Christian community in the US went bonkers, and the timing could not have been worse as it was around the same time when The Beatles were scheduled to tour across America. White supremacist organization Ku Klux Klan (KKK) was quick to picket their concert tickets, forcing The Beatles to cancel their all tours henceforth and function as a studio-only band.
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