My grandma destroyed all of my grandpas beatles records because of this whole hubbub. This still bothers him to this day as he took extremely good care of all of his belongings and knows that they would be worth alot today. Its a really touchy subject between them, still to this day.
It must have been soul-crushing to be a southern kid in the 60’s who loved the Beatles that was either brainwashed into thinking they were a bunch of satanists or not allowed by their parents to ever listen to them again, especially since they were about to release some of the greatest and most innovative music ever recorded.
@@trevorganoe748 , not all southern parents felt that way about the Beatles, though. My mom didn't like that we listened to the Beatles, but we were allowed to listen anyway, because we were taught to think for ourselves so we would be capable of making our own decisions when we grew up.
@@C.O.G. I’m sure there were lots of folks who shared that open-mindedness; I was only referring to those who took things too far. I’m glad to hear that about your family, though.
This controversy actually made the Beatles even more popular in the long run. To many young people of the 1960s, the Beatles stood up to intolerant and hypocritical factions of western society. The ones who burnt their Beatles records would repurchase them a little while later.
And were subjected to another form of mind bending , by having to pay exorbitant prices, on account of their records now being in short supply. Serve the idiots right. What I'd like to know is, how far from the Bible belt did this idiosy spread ?
John Lennon criticizes the fans for treating the Beatles like they're bigger than Jesus, implying that that is a bad thing, only for the fans to misunderstand and get mad at the Beatles for thinking they're bigger than Jesus. Ah, humans.
He wasn’t criticising the fans. He was making a joke about the declining church attendance amount young people in England at the time and how they’re more interested in the band than being religious
@@thomsboys77 Let me clarify. You're just putting it a different way than I did. A way that sounds better to you, that doesn't make you feel uncomfortable.
Super well-done video! Even though I knew the story well (70-year-old Beatlemaniac), there were some bits and quotes I had not heard before! Super well presented, both your script and your images! You really do have a talent!
That video clip of the Klansman dressed in his outfit expressing his displeasure with the Beatles to that reporter in Memphis is a reminder of the influence they had in the south. Sadly, there are still people who think those were the good old days and long for them to return.
its super crazy for me to think that the beatles had threats from the kkk. like thats just super crazy nothing today happens like that - they must’ve been scared.
Joe Biden is bringing them back as we speak with his oil wars against nations to which POCs are indigenous. So much for “give peace a chance.” Trump did so they overthrew him with a fake disease for an oil war!
Even back then I was a little boy and I knew exactly what he meant. He was saying that all of this attention and crazed and hysterical fans, worshipping them more than Jesus. I was 6 years old at the time and could figure that out...,,!!
Most people just read the headlines or hear other people read the headlines for them. Actually reading the article is too much work for a lot of people.
The writing was already on the wall with regards to ending touring. They had become bored with playing live and not being able to hear themselves. They were also writing and recording music that they couldn’t translate to the stage (at least at that time). Plus, the mania was wearing thin on them and the disastrous visit to the Philippines ended any joy they found in touring. The controversy before the last US tour was just icing on the cake. Ultimately, I think the Beatles lasted longer as a band because they stopped touring. Had they continued touring another year or two, I think it would have worn them out completely.
It’s weird because I distinctly remember a negative image of the Beatles being portrayed all over the media in the late 60’s. I remember on Gillian’s Island, for example, the referred to it as “bug music” and all the guys wore mop top hair and round glasses. I think it was the episode where the girls dress up as bees and sing a song. So growing up, I had a bad image of British music even though I never heard it until probably the late 70’s lol.
Its important for us to remember that he was 25 when he said that. He was a young guy who, as all young people who haven't been around long enough to fully mature and see world do, thought he was completely right about a nuanced subject. It's possible that he would've thought a similar way in 1980 but perhaps would've said it differently or with more finesse
Although I agree with you that he may have phrased it differently had he been older, I think his point made perfect sense. It's even proved to be prophetic; just look at church attendance among young people today. The fact is, organized religion is slowly losing its grip on the younger generations. Just like John, I'm not saying it's a good or a bad thing. It's not a value judgment-rather, it's a statement of fact.
Great video as always. There was an occasion in 1964 when they actually were cancelled. They had planned a concert in Israel, but the government refused to allow them into the country. The concern was that the Beatles would have a corrupting influence on young people.
Honestly I only heard about this controversy through an episode of The Angry Beavers cartoon when Daggett said that his band was bigger than sliced bread. I looked into this a few years later and it made me laugh.
Being a 70yo life-long Beatles fan, I certainly remember this controversy. As a Cali boy, I thought the people in the "Bible Belt" were acting like lying, hypocritical imbeciles - because they were, and still are now. It's hard to imagine a part of the world that's prouder of being ignorant and cruel than the American South.
Look at a congressional map of all the southern states back in 1966 when the Beatles bigger than Jesus controversy took place. Pure sea of Democratic blue dominating most of the south. So it's a good chance that most of those people burning Beatles records were Democrats also known as Dixiecrats, and that includes the klansmen who threatened them with violence. Research your history before you rush to judgement....
Johns statements were completely blown out of proportion. Those statements were made three months prior to all of this happening. And those disc jockeys and those people in the news just wanted to stir things up all the more. After Revolver came out and Pepper the whole story was pretty much squasht.
What is not generally remembered is that the "we're more popular than Jesus now" comment LITERALLY got John Lennon killed in 1980. Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, wasn't a "disgruntled fan" or a lunatic who believed he was Lennon and the real Lennon was an imposter. He was a Fundamentalist Christian who had never forgiven Lennon for the "more popular than Jesus" comment or for writing the song "Imagine," which among other things imagined no religion, no heaven and no hell. Chapman was even a member of a prayer group that led prayers with the words, "Imagine, imagine John Lennon dead." All this was reported in Newsweek magazine a month or so after Lennon's murder, but it's been flushed down the memory hole.
I read a book about Chapman over thirty years ago which pretty much confirmed some of what you're saying. All of the people who knew him claimed that it was those comments that incensed Chapman. He became fixated on Lennon after the Jesus quote.
Imagine something like this happening today with an artist, there would be a big gathering of people to just to get out there phones and delete an MP3.
I am from Southeast, Alabama, and there are still people now, who bring up that comment as a reason to dislike the Beatles! John was factually, correct when he made that comment, at the time, the Beatles were, in fact, more popular than Christianity, and part of the United States, and definitely in England. He did not mean it as an insult and people really need to let it go.
I'm from Alabama as well, I had the Beatles cranking on the radio when I was 16, some Karen in the parking lot of her grocery store went on a rant about that comment that John Lennon made, I told her I see less people going to church these days, More people are discovering the Beatles he was kind of right.
Lennon's comments werent a reflection of some kind of messiah complex. He wasn't elevating himself or his band. He was remarking how ridiculous fanatical fans acted toward them. The hysterical reactions, screaming, chasing them in hotels, airports, in the street, fainting, etc seemed like a extreme reaction to just a couple of guys from Liverpool who were in a rock n roll band. To Lennon, it seemed ludicrous that these fans almost "worshiped" The Beatles like some people worship Jesus, and it showed the sad state of world affairs. He could have made an example of any pop culture phenomenon to illustrate the decline of traditonal religious worship.
Its funny how someones opinion on religion can cause such a uproar as is the case of John's comments, but Paul's comments about racism in America falls to deaf ears to these Southern Christians -How hypocritical.
It doesn't seem that the ban lasted long. 1966 was a tough year for them. It's amazing that they seemed to be the sane one throughout all that madness. I wonder how those protesters thought about the song "The Ballad Of John and Yoko"?
This whole thing just goes to show how so-called religious people and Bible thumpers get their panties in a bunch when someone like John Lennon calls them out on their bullshit. He goes on to say that Jesus was alright, but his disciples were “thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins for me.” Isn’t that how it has always been…. even now?
I think if John was to say it today it would still have some backlash, but not to the extent that it was. Cause, at least it seems to me, religion is on the decline now a days.
Yeah. There's definitely people today who would misunderstand the statement just like people did back then, but today there would be more support for the comment. Depends a bit on what group gets mad at the bigger than Jesus comment, though, the MAGA crowd can make the backlash seem bigger than it is. Also, it's hard for me to tell how big or small Christianity is these days because of the false Christians problem, and how most real Christians aren't nearly as loud about it as the false ones.
I think if someone said the same thing today, it'd either be ignored as someone trying to be "edgy" or it would have a similar initial outcome but would end up dividing people with half being offended and the other half being offended at the other lot for being offended. People like to talk about cancel culture like it's a real thing, but it really isn't, not in this modern world. Someone might get kicked off a certain platform online, but they'll just move to another one and bring their followers with them. Anyone who has supposedly been cancelled still has a platform and more often than not is in no way apologetic for the thing that got them in hot water in the first place. In some cases, it's won them new fans that may have had no interest in their work before but they want to support that person because they agree with their views. It may lose them a few fans but the ones they gain will pretty much make up the difference, and they'll always find a platform for their views, be they right or wrong or in between. In 1966 though, if every radio station, TV station and record store refused to have anything to do with The Beatles, then they'd have been in real trouble. If that happened now, they'd just sell their albums through Bandcamp or something like that, they'd still be heard on internet radio as that's mostly independent, they'd probably still be on RUclips and social media. The biggest difference though is what caused the controversy. People believed (wrongly as it turned out) that John Lennon was attacking Jesus, the figurehead of one of the largest religions on Earth. These days, it's usually against a minority group that's trying to access equal rights. In that situation, I think that The Beatles would be on the side of the minority, as seen by their refusal to play to segregated audiences.
And this whole situation is just one of the many reasons as to why I HATE religion it makes people hateful and brainwashed sheep, it was these very comments along with the lyrics of Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ that caused Mark Chapman to assassinate him in 1980
The irony is in the same article Paul used the N word, which of course the Bible Belt had no problem with.John once said his comments were based on the book he read The Passover Plot. I heard apologists say of course John didn't mean it, or he meant that it's a BAD thing that the Beatles are bigger than Christ. But that ignores that he said Christianity will go before rock. So bottom line it was a thoughtless thing to say; it's too bad he didn't promote Eastern Philosophy instead...which they all were about to do when they went to India. But we now know that John's assassin did take it seriously.But John later said he read the Bible and went through a Christian phase.
I don't think it would gain as much controversy today as it did then but, then again you never know. The whole was just blown way out of proportion. I honestly wanted to start crying when I heard what they went through but, they were strong boys and were totally expectant of the fact they could have been hurt. That just makes me love them even more. The church was going down then I hate to say John was completely within his rights of free speech. People just don't understand other opinions exist. I just feel so bad that they had to go through that because I really care for them. Love you John and George and Paul and Ringo.🥰💖💚💙🧡🎸🎶
If this happened today there would be a bunch of weird dudes making ridiculous "lennon goes woke" videos to enrage their gullible audience, quite similar as what happenned back then
Would be interesting to find out how the people who called for the ban (particularly the Birmingham Alabama disc jockey's thoughts about this event maybe two or ten years after, (you know hindsight and all that). Also the young girl ripping the Lennon book while looking at the camera.
I've always wondered if many Americans were embarrassed by this incident, as frankly it made them look like simpletons who could not interpret basic language properly. Several commenters could not tell the simple difference between 'popular' and 'superior'. Crayons are required to explain things to them.
Yup. Saying you're more popular than a religion is worse than killing people because of their skin colour - getcher sheets on and protest. What. utter. bollocks. I. hate. people. This video was excellent.
Record Burning Party’s! My step-aunt from Oklahoma(no less), partook in the group delusional Beatles record burning party’s of the 60’s. Not so long later, at the dawn of the 80’s, I had my own bumping into ‘Jesus’ moment with fundamental Christians(?) gathering convert’s and kindling for another round of record burning party’s. My brother who had a Big Brother of ‘The Big Brothers and Sisters program’ had given him all the classic records of the 70’s in their time. About 6 years later he had his ‘Come to Jesus’ moment too as he had been struggling with his own sexuality. The church took him in (sexuality had not been discussed) bar the virtues of not having one and he was invited to rid his life of el Diablo and the accoutrements…..? He had too much affection for his Big Brother and couldn’t partake in the record fire but as a compromise, he decided to take them all, at least a hundred of the usual suspects; Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, 10CC’s….all the classics of the day, to the garbage bin. I watch closely as he had been chatting about his plan and I followed him that day, retrieving them moments after he left the scene of the actual sin. Later having caught me out cold playing those same records, summoned his own hellfire and damnation preacher moment filled with anger and warnings of eternal damnation, then quickly boxed them up and disappeared like the devil himself. I had to watch him closely from this moment on as it was still the plan, but this time I would take my bike and ferry back the piles of records incognito. This time there were casualties; leaking diapers, last weeks leftovers, mountain jetsam and flotsam oozing amongst a 2023 goldmine. Like a private eye, I followed him every time I suspected a repeat of the record garbage dump. Patience paid off and I still play all those great albums over 40 years later. What a bunch of nuts. He finally reconciled that life is hard, and accepted his sexuality; you are who you and no faith or fear is ever really gonna change who you fundamentally are. I had already started locking myself in my room on Sunday mornings as I just didn’t get it? Religion came out of the blue when I was six by fiat of my step father and I could never reconcile the loving Jesus and lambs of Sunday school with the fear and threats of the devil at main worship service. I Still can’t, as I have that hot stamper pressing of Zep II pulsing through my soul. Take that, you devils!
It was printed in the London Evening Standard in 1966, and this was not a National Newspaper in the UK, so the comments would have been barely noticed outside of London in the UK at the time, and it would have been only noticed once the fuss took place in the USA. With Paul’s comments, then they would have ignored that, because it would have made the issue of race relations a far bigger story than it already was. If it was known then, both George and Ringo would have been hated. In Ringo’s case he came up with the lyric in Eleanor Rigby of Father MacKenzie writing a sermon that no one would hear. Then George well much later putting up his own money so that Monty Python’s Life Of Brian could be made. Also why so many tickets unsold in the US, there was not the amplification there at that time and people must have decided not to go to a show where you cannot hear the music. Only a year later the revolution began in amplification and eventually another audience who were there to listen and not scream. The Rolling Stones quit touring a year later in 1967 for a few years and then only toured again in 1969 with better amplification and people there to listen to them perform.
It's like the Bud Light fiasco...you're not sticking it to The Beatles if you've already bought the albums. 😂 Yes, buy the records to burn them. Lol. Good on John!!
A teacher who taught about the Beatles tried to tie this controversial subject to johns being Assassinated in December 1980. I didn’t believe that logic and still don’t .
Over thirty years ago - so it is not the most clear memory - I read a biography of Mark Chapman. The book interviewed numerous people who knew him throughout his life. It was stated, from what I remember, consistently, that Mark Chapman was incensed by Lennon's comments about Jesus and that his obsession with Lennon stemmed from that moment. I'd say that it was fairly likely that it was these comments that got Lennon killed. Again, from what I remember, Chapman wasn't a massive Beatles fan. He was a deranged man who needed a target. Again, this is very long time ago so I might be remembering this incorrectly.
Really interesting video. I feel the exact same thing would happen today if a "pop star" would say that. It's probably a little worse. But in the end, John was right. The popularity of religion is at its lowest and will continue to decline.
The South Bible belt was only nine percent of the USA record market. According to the media. John's statement was that kids would rather watch Beatles cartoons instead of going to church on Sunday morning. Remember these were reruns as the newer Beatles cartoons came on Saturday morning. The priests gave boring sermons. My Das said why can't they make their talks more interesting. Jesus has kids run toward him as he talked from the heart. Priests would put listeners to sleep.
It’s sad how people misunderstood what John Lennon meant when he said, “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus.” It actually made John Lennon upset that people worship them. He was also upset that people would rather go to a concert than go to church. John Lennon was actually Christian.
The Beatles hated it that people worshipped them, fans would meet them and this lady showed up with her crippled son in a wheelchair asking them if the could heal him! They wanted to get away from crazy stuff like this.
@itapi697, really? That's interesting, because in his portion of the Melbourne Australia interviews, John told the interviewer that The Beatles were all agnostics (people who don't believe in God, but are willing to keep an open mind to the possibility of His existence). That's still a far cry from being a Christian, though.
@@itapi697 , I'm almost 68 years old and I saw tons of interviews with John Lennon, over the years, and he never said that he was a Christian, in any of them, nor did he even hint at such a thing as being true. I remember.
Anyone interested in this as well as events in Japan and the Philippines should read Tony Barrow's book, "John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me". Tony was their press officer through all of this and was an insider who was present throughout these tours. His perspective is accurate and interesting.
Of course George became a faithful hindu. Ringo describes himself as a christian-hindu with buddhist tendencies. Paul says he believes in something good but doesn’t want to put a name on it. As for John, of course he didn’t put up with organized religion but if you read anything about him I don’t think you could label him as an atheist.
yes unfortunately it was blown out proportion and context as it was only meant for the people in the Uk, but Art Unger from Datebook wanted more publicity for himself and his company at Any cost including the safety of the Beatles themselves. as for would this happen without any strife the answer is No, because of social media and all todays political correctness, in fact it would probably be worse.
His comment that Christianity would vanish and shrink and he needn't argue about because he "was right and would be proven right"seems to belie his claim that he was actually expressing regret about the supposed diminishing of Christianity. It actually seemed like he was not unhappy about it, and that was the reason for the reaction.
I think this whole controversy and proving that John Lennon was right in the end if not the Beatles as a whole but definitely John Lennon's himself is bigger and still more popular than Jesus
Today i dont think anything would happen. Its sad to say that people just shrug shoulders today at such stuff. I think its because partially we hear so much negative stuff nowdays no one thinks much. But at the same time its sad then too. John made a comment so what? Yes it was rude yes it was a bit stupid but when did they ever confess to being religious? i could see if they were all church goers and talked about God often then said that. But what do you expect? did anyrone think that the stones or any other band was over there attending church every week or at least even monthly? No today people would sit behind the computer and say i hate the beatles and im doing this and this and everyone would either type back yes or no and nothing in real life would happen it would all be a bunch of keyboard warriors.
if Johnwaould have said "We're popular as white bread" he might have gotton away with it. Today if he wouklld have said it it probably not bad and let go and go back to what they are doing
My grandparents told my mom they were very disappointed with the comment but, they said that probably John Lennon was right. Because you don’t see as many young people in church anymore
My grandma destroyed all of my grandpas beatles records because of this whole hubbub. This still bothers him to this day as he took extremely good care of all of his belongings and knows that they would be worth alot today. Its a really touchy subject between them, still to this day.
Your grandma was a smart woman
@@willnill7946 more conservative cancel culture.
@@williamhenderson1521 as it should be
@@willnill7946 Quite the opposite.
@@willnill7946 shows you have some fascist leanings there. Too bad we didn't destroy all that thinking after WWII.
The fact that the southern radio hosts chose to ignore Paul's quote on racism says a lot lol
It’s America.
Americans like racism.lol
It must have been soul-crushing to be a southern kid in the 60’s who loved the Beatles that was either brainwashed into thinking they were a bunch of satanists or not allowed by their parents to ever listen to them again, especially since they were about to release some of the greatest and most innovative music ever recorded.
They sucked
@@johnnyg1161 Who did?
@@trevorganoe748 , not all southern parents felt that way about the Beatles, though. My mom didn't like that we listened to the Beatles, but we were allowed to listen anyway, because we were taught to think for ourselves so we would be capable of making our own decisions when we grew up.
@@C.O.G. I’m sure there were lots of folks who shared that open-mindedness; I was only referring to those who took things too far. I’m glad to hear that about your family, though.
@@trevorganoe748 , thank you.
This controversy actually made the Beatles even more popular in the long run. To many young people of the 1960s, the Beatles stood up to intolerant and hypocritical factions of western society. The ones who burnt their Beatles records would repurchase them a little while later.
And were subjected to another form of mind bending , by having to pay exorbitant prices, on account of their records now being in short supply. Serve the idiots right. What I'd like to know is, how far from the Bible belt did this idiosy spread ?
And they’ve been repurchasing them ever since on every new format, and now that everybody’s going back to vinyl, what was the point?
John Lennon criticizes the fans for treating the Beatles like they're bigger than Jesus, implying that that is a bad thing, only for the fans to misunderstand and get mad at the Beatles for thinking they're bigger than Jesus. Ah, humans.
He wasn’t criticising the fans. He was making a joke about the declining church attendance amount young people in England at the time and how they’re more interested in the band than being religious
@@thomsboys77 Think about that.
@@thomsboys77 My point is, you aren't actually contradicting what I said.
@@thomsboys77 Let me clarify. You're just putting it a different way than I did. A way that sounds better to you, that doesn't make you feel uncomfortable.
...Ain't That a Shame
Edit - (?)
Super well-done video! Even though I knew the story well (70-year-old Beatlemaniac), there were some bits and quotes I had not heard before! Super well presented, both your script and your images! You really do have a talent!
agreed.
That video clip of the Klansman dressed in his outfit expressing his displeasure with the Beatles to that reporter in Memphis is a reminder of the influence they had in the south. Sadly, there are still people who think those were the good old days and long for them to return.
History has shown that they're all talk and no action though and frankly they can kindly f**k off 😅
its super crazy for me to think that the beatles had threats from the kkk. like thats just super crazy nothing today happens like that - they must’ve been scared.
Joe Biden is bringing them back as we speak with his oil wars against nations to which POCs are indigenous. So much for “give peace a chance.” Trump did so they overthrew him with a fake disease for an oil war!
Even back then I was a little boy and I knew exactly what he meant. He was saying that all of this attention and crazed and hysterical fans, worshipping them more than Jesus.
I was 6 years old at the time and could figure that out...,,!!
1,000 %
Unfortunately most of those peoples thinking weren't even advanced to a 6 year olds mentality.
asking WAY too much from klansmen, I'm afraid...
Most people just read the headlines or hear other people read the headlines for them. Actually reading the article is too much work for a lot of people.
Imagine missing out on the Beatles' last tour because of this silly controversy 😄
The writing was already on the wall with regards to ending touring. They had become bored with playing live and not being able to hear themselves. They were also writing and recording music that they couldn’t translate to the stage (at least at that time). Plus, the mania was wearing thin on them and the disastrous visit to the Philippines ended any joy they found in touring. The controversy before the last US tour was just icing on the cake.
Ultimately, I think the Beatles lasted longer as a band because they stopped touring. Had they continued touring another year or two, I think it would have worn them out completely.
Best and most true comments I've read so far about this!
As a young Filipino, I extremely apologize for what had happened in 1966. Even Paul and RIngo never returned here :((
It’s weird because I distinctly remember a negative image of the Beatles being portrayed all over the media in the late 60’s. I remember on Gillian’s Island, for example, the referred to it as “bug music” and all the guys wore mop top hair and round glasses. I think it was the episode where the girls dress up as bees and sing a song. So growing up, I had a bad image of British music even though I never heard it until probably the late 70’s lol.
Oh yeah bug music on Gilligan's Island-the Mosquitoes! they sounded really cheesy and they looked more like the Byrds lol
Its important for us to remember that he was 25 when he said that. He was a young guy who, as all young people who haven't been around long enough to fully mature and see world do, thought he was completely right about a nuanced subject. It's possible that he would've thought a similar way in 1980 but perhaps would've said it differently or with more finesse
Although I agree with you that he may have phrased it differently had he been older, I think his point made perfect sense. It's even proved to be prophetic; just look at church attendance among young people today. The fact is, organized religion is slowly losing its grip on the younger generations. Just like John, I'm not saying it's a good or a bad thing. It's not a value judgment-rather, it's a statement of fact.
Great video as always. There was an occasion in 1964 when they actually were cancelled. They had planned a concert in Israel, but the government refused to allow them into the country. The concern was that the Beatles would have a corrupting influence on young people.
Wow!
wait what???
I love when you upload videos like this! More please!
Excellent and well researched video. Big fan of the channel from the UK!
Honestly I only heard about this controversy through an episode of The Angry Beavers cartoon when Daggett said that his band was bigger than sliced bread. I looked into this a few years later and it made me laugh.
This is a classic story. Great video!
Being a 70yo life-long Beatles fan, I certainly remember this controversy. As a Cali boy, I thought the people in the "Bible Belt" were acting like lying, hypocritical imbeciles - because they were, and still are now. It's hard to imagine a part of the world that's prouder of being ignorant and cruel than the American South.
Look at a congressional map of all the southern states back in 1966 when the Beatles bigger than Jesus controversy took place. Pure sea of Democratic blue dominating most of the south. So it's a good chance that most of those people burning Beatles records were Democrats also known as Dixiecrats, and that includes the klansmen who threatened them with violence. Research your history before you rush to judgement....
I never understood buying something than destroying it as a "protest". Lol.
Johns statements were completely blown out of proportion. Those statements were made three months prior to all of this happening. And those disc jockeys and those people in the news just wanted to stir things up all the more. After Revolver came out and Pepper the whole story was pretty much squasht.
great research, and amazing presentation as always. fantastic video!!
What is not generally remembered is that the "we're more popular than Jesus now" comment LITERALLY got John Lennon killed in 1980. Lennon's killer, Mark David Chapman, wasn't a "disgruntled fan" or a lunatic who believed he was Lennon and the real Lennon was an imposter. He was a Fundamentalist Christian who had never forgiven Lennon for the "more popular than Jesus" comment or for writing the song "Imagine," which among other things imagined no religion, no heaven and no hell. Chapman was even a member of a prayer group that led prayers with the words, "Imagine, imagine John Lennon dead." All this was reported in Newsweek magazine a month or so after Lennon's murder, but it's been flushed down the memory hole.
I read a book about Chapman over thirty years ago which pretty much confirmed some of what you're saying. All of the people who knew him claimed that it was those comments that incensed Chapman. He became fixated on Lennon after the Jesus quote.
Damn, thats just so insane. No wonder they said "screw it" and closed the door on touring. Along with other circumstances.
I remember when that happened. I was 8 years old, but my sister was a Beatles fanatic. She had tickets to see them here in Mass, and she tore them up
I bet she regretted it
Great info, I learned a lot of new info on this incident.
its so wild all the backlash was to something he didnt even actually say
Imagine something like this happening today with an artist, there would be a big gathering of people to just to get out there phones and delete an MP3.
I am from Southeast, Alabama, and there are still people now, who bring up that comment as a reason to dislike the Beatles! John was factually, correct when he made that comment, at the time, the Beatles were, in fact, more popular than Christianity, and part of the United States, and definitely in England. He did not mean it as an insult and people really need to let it go.
I'm from Alabama as well, I had the Beatles cranking on the radio when I was 16, some Karen in the parking lot of her grocery store went on a rant about that comment that John Lennon made, I told her I see less people going to church these days, More people are discovering the Beatles he was kind of right.
Lennon's comments werent a reflection of some kind of messiah complex. He wasn't elevating himself
or his band. He was remarking how ridiculous fanatical fans acted toward them.
The hysterical reactions, screaming, chasing them in hotels, airports, in the street, fainting, etc
seemed like a extreme reaction to just a couple of guys from Liverpool who were in a rock n roll band.
To Lennon, it seemed ludicrous that these fans almost "worshiped" The Beatles like some people worship Jesus, and it
showed the sad state of world affairs. He could have made an example of any pop culture phenomenon to illustrate the decline of traditonal religious worship.
Its funny how someones opinion on religion can cause such a uproar as is the case of John's comments, but Paul's comments about racism in America falls to deaf ears to these Southern Christians -How hypocritical.
Well Paul should worry about all the Africans killed under British rule before worrying about America
If Paul had made those comments today about racism it would cause an uproar!
Jesus promoted love. And The Beatles promoted love. Maybe it really is all about love.🌎
not quite the same thing 😒
Let's get real people; Turning the kids against and away from Jesus was in the Beatle's job description
@@brendankane3546no. I’m not a huge fan of theirs, but no. They never took anything away from religion, and never intended to
@@Cannon_The_Guy i still love them,and my statement is true.i urge you to think on a higher level
My word, you're ignorant. @@brendankane3546
I was 16 years old. I didn't think a thing m of it. It didn't bother me at all, and I continued to enjoy my Beatles records.
Church attendance is dwindling. Beatles sales and appreciation are still strong! John was a prophet!
John was a fool, and still wrong. No one cares about the beatles anymore.
@@heatblaze123 John was a bit of a fool, but Beatles is still a rather popular band, you dunce.
It doesn't seem that the ban lasted long. 1966 was a tough year for them. It's amazing that they seemed to be the sane one throughout all that madness. I wonder how those protesters thought about the song "The Ballad Of John and Yoko"?
LOL! Absolutely! John was never one to mince words, eh?
There's just an endless amount of crazy stories about The Beatles
This whole thing just goes to show how so-called religious people and Bible thumpers get their panties in a bunch when someone like John Lennon calls them out on their bullshit. He goes on to say that Jesus was alright, but his disciples were “thick and ordinary. It’s them twisting it that ruins for me.”
Isn’t that how it has always been…. even now?
I think if John was to say it today it would still have some backlash, but not to the extent that it was. Cause, at least it seems to me, religion is on the decline now a days.
People would be wearing "Jesus Matters" shirts in protest.
Yeah. There's definitely people today who would misunderstand the statement just like people did back then, but today there would be more support for the comment. Depends a bit on what group gets mad at the bigger than Jesus comment, though, the MAGA crowd can make the backlash seem bigger than it is. Also, it's hard for me to tell how big or small Christianity is these days because of the false Christians problem, and how most real Christians aren't nearly as loud about it as the false ones.
religion is on the decline because its no longer being taught by family and its no longer the thing anymore.
I think if someone said the same thing today, it'd either be ignored as someone trying to be "edgy" or it would have a similar initial outcome but would end up dividing people with half being offended and the other half being offended at the other lot for being offended. People like to talk about cancel culture like it's a real thing, but it really isn't, not in this modern world. Someone might get kicked off a certain platform online, but they'll just move to another one and bring their followers with them. Anyone who has supposedly been cancelled still has a platform and more often than not is in no way apologetic for the thing that got them in hot water in the first place. In some cases, it's won them new fans that may have had no interest in their work before but they want to support that person because they agree with their views. It may lose them a few fans but the ones they gain will pretty much make up the difference, and they'll always find a platform for their views, be they right or wrong or in between. In 1966 though, if every radio station, TV station and record store refused to have anything to do with The Beatles, then they'd have been in real trouble. If that happened now, they'd just sell their albums through Bandcamp or something like that, they'd still be heard on internet radio as that's mostly independent, they'd probably still be on RUclips and social media. The biggest difference though is what caused the controversy. People believed (wrongly as it turned out) that John Lennon was attacking Jesus, the figurehead of one of the largest religions on Earth. These days, it's usually against a minority group that's trying to access equal rights. In that situation, I think that The Beatles would be on the side of the minority, as seen by their refusal to play to segregated audiences.
And this whole situation is just one of the many reasons as to why I HATE religion it makes people hateful and brainwashed sheep, it was these very comments along with the lyrics of Lennon’s song ‘Imagine’ that caused Mark Chapman to assassinate him in 1980
You had better move those beatle albums from under that lamp in the background. The heat will heat them up.
By the way, outstanding video!
The irony is in the same article Paul used the N word, which of course the Bible Belt had no problem with.John once said his comments were based on the book he read The Passover Plot. I heard apologists say of course John didn't mean it, or he meant that it's a BAD thing that the Beatles are bigger than Christ. But that ignores that he said Christianity will go before rock. So bottom line it was a thoughtless thing to say; it's too bad he didn't promote Eastern Philosophy instead...which they all were about to do when they went to India. But we now know that John's assassin did take it seriously.But John later said he read the Bible and went through a Christian phase.
I don't think it would gain as much controversy today as it did then but, then again you never know. The whole was just blown way out of proportion. I honestly wanted to start crying when I heard what they went through but, they were strong boys and were totally expectant of the fact they could have been hurt. That just makes me love them even more. The church was going down then I hate to say John was completely within his rights of free speech. People just don't understand other opinions exist. I just feel so bad that they had to go through that because I really care for them. Love you John and George and Paul and Ringo.🥰💖💚💙🧡🎸🎶
It seems silly now. I think I'll keep my Beatles albums.
If this happened today there would be a bunch of weird dudes making ridiculous "lennon goes woke" videos to enrage their gullible audience, quite similar as what happenned back then
This is a fascinating story. I think this was the actual reason why they stopped touring.
more like one of the reasons
Yeah they didn't want anyone being shot
And maybe why Lennon never toured the US as a solo artist..
4:13 did Paul actually say that??? There’s just no way!
I KNOW LIKE THERES ABSOLUTELY NO WAY SORRY
Different times that’s for sure
Paul was talking about race relations. That's why his comments were ignored by the Southern radio jockies, lol
Que grande vinyl rewind! Buen videoo
Impressive how things haven't changed at all here on America, violence, guns, threats, christian power.
Would be interesting to find out how the people who called for the ban (particularly the Birmingham Alabama disc jockey's thoughts about this event maybe two or ten years after, (you know hindsight and all that). Also the young girl ripping the Lennon book while looking at the camera.
The real joke about all of this is that the Beatles actually existed, whereas Jesus is a fairy tale!
I've always wondered if many Americans were embarrassed by this incident, as frankly it made them look like simpletons who could not interpret basic language properly. Several commenters could not tell the simple difference between 'popular' and 'superior'. Crayons are required to explain things to them.
the canceling going on today is in the same nefarious spirit but far harder to recover from.
Nah. People just need to make their own Sgt peppers
@@andyscott6315i'm struggling to understand.
@@ustheserfs yes
@@andyscott6315 shock therapy
Yup. Saying you're more popular than a religion is worse than killing people because of their skin colour - getcher sheets on and protest. What. utter. bollocks. I. hate. people.
This video was excellent.
Record Burning Party’s!
My step-aunt from Oklahoma(no less), partook in the group delusional Beatles record burning party’s of the 60’s. Not so long later, at the dawn of the 80’s, I had my own bumping into ‘Jesus’ moment with fundamental Christians(?) gathering convert’s and kindling for another round of record burning party’s. My brother who had a Big Brother of ‘The Big Brothers and Sisters program’ had given him all the classic records of the 70’s in their time. About 6 years later he had his ‘Come to Jesus’ moment too as he had been struggling with his own sexuality. The church took him in (sexuality had not been discussed) bar the virtues of not having one and he was invited to rid his life of el Diablo and the accoutrements…..?
He had too much affection for his Big Brother and couldn’t partake in the record fire but as a compromise, he decided to take them all, at least a hundred of the usual suspects; Fleetwood Mac, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, 10CC’s….all the classics of the day, to the garbage bin. I watch closely as he had been chatting about his plan and I followed him that day, retrieving them moments after he left the scene of the actual sin. Later having caught me out cold playing those same records, summoned his own hellfire and damnation preacher moment filled with anger and warnings of eternal damnation, then quickly boxed them up and disappeared like the devil himself. I had to watch him closely from this moment on as it was still the plan, but this time I would take my bike and ferry back the piles of records incognito. This time there were casualties; leaking diapers, last weeks leftovers, mountain jetsam and flotsam oozing amongst a 2023 goldmine. Like a private eye, I followed him every time I suspected a repeat of the record garbage dump. Patience paid off and I still play all those great albums over 40 years later. What a bunch of nuts. He finally reconciled that life is hard, and accepted his sexuality; you are who you and no faith or fear is ever really gonna change who you fundamentally are.
I had already started locking myself in my room on Sunday mornings as I just didn’t get it? Religion came out of the blue when I was six by fiat of my step father and I could never reconcile the loving Jesus and lambs of Sunday school with the fear and threats of the devil at main worship service. I Still can’t, as I have that hot stamper pressing of Zep II pulsing through my soul. Take that, you devils!
South be like:
Paul says N-word:😊
John makes a statement about Christianity that’s not that bad: 🤬
Nowadays, Paul would've been canceled for saying the N-word. Just like Paula Dean, Michael Richards and the founder of Papa John's.
theres no way he said that though omg
It was printed in the London Evening Standard in 1966, and this was not a National Newspaper in the UK, so the comments would have been barely noticed outside of London in the UK at the time, and it would have been only noticed once the fuss took place in the USA.
With Paul’s comments, then they would have ignored that, because it would have made the issue of race relations a far bigger story than it already was. If it was known then, both George and Ringo would have been hated. In Ringo’s case he came up with the lyric in Eleanor Rigby of Father MacKenzie writing a sermon that no one would hear. Then George well much later putting up his own money so that Monty Python’s Life Of Brian could be made.
Also why so many tickets unsold in the US, there was not the amplification there at that time and people must have decided not to go to a show where you cannot hear the music. Only a year later the revolution began in amplification and eventually another audience who were there to listen and not scream. The Rolling Stones quit touring a year later in 1967 for a few years and then only toured again in 1969 with better amplification and people there to listen to them perform.
I think the same thing would happen today... just... not vinyl records... people spraying phones playing beatles music with water or something idk.
Damn I did not know this
"protests by the KKK..." that's rich...
Lol the kkk does not approve....wow ya cant make that crap up
Conservatives complaining about pointless things? Nothing has changed. John Lennons song 'God' definitely tells his true feelings a few years later.
Well if I went around insulting Hispanics I’m sure you get all offended and try to silence me
Well, John Lennon and the Beatles are more popular than Jesus in my household.
It's like the Bud Light fiasco...you're not sticking it to The Beatles if you've already bought the albums. 😂 Yes, buy the records to burn them. Lol. Good on John!!
If the Memphis city council voted to cancel the show at a venue controlled by the city, how did it continue?
It was mostly in the US south. Surpise, surprise.
A teacher who taught about the Beatles tried to tie this controversial subject to johns being Assassinated in December 1980. I didn’t believe that logic and still don’t .
Over thirty years ago - so it is not the most clear memory - I read a biography of Mark Chapman. The book interviewed numerous people who knew him throughout his life. It was stated, from what I remember, consistently, that Mark Chapman was incensed by Lennon's comments about Jesus and that his obsession with Lennon stemmed from that moment. I'd say that it was fairly likely that it was these comments that got Lennon killed. Again, from what I remember, Chapman wasn't a massive Beatles fan. He was a deranged man who needed a target. Again, this is very long time ago so I might be remembering this incorrectly.
Will you make a video comparison about 50th anniversary of “Aladdin Sane” ?
Even though i grew up in a religious household and my dad being a pastor, he doesnt mind that i listen to the beatles, however it still bugs him.
It shouldn’t bug him The Beatles aren’t evil
Like that old saying goes Don't let your mouth get you into something your ass can't get you out of.
Really interesting video. I feel the exact same thing would happen today if a "pop star" would say that. It's probably a little worse. But in the end, John was right. The popularity of religion is at its lowest and will continue to decline.
Proof that those who believe in invisible magic beings in the sky are unstable and need help.
John Lennon didn’t intend to Roll any Tides
The South Bible belt was only nine percent of the USA record market. According to the media. John's statement was that kids would rather watch Beatles cartoons instead of going to church on Sunday morning. Remember these were reruns as the newer Beatles cartoons came on Saturday morning. The priests gave boring sermons. My Das said why can't they make their talks more interesting. Jesus has kids run toward him as he talked from the heart. Priests would put listeners to sleep.
It’s sad how people misunderstood what John Lennon meant when he said, “The Beatles are bigger than Jesus.” It actually made John Lennon upset that people worship them. He was also upset that people would rather go to a concert than go to church.
John Lennon was actually Christian.
The Beatles hated it that people worshipped them, fans would meet them and this lady showed up with her crippled son in a wheelchair asking them if the could heal him! They wanted to get away from crazy stuff like this.
@itapi697, really? That's interesting, because in his portion of the Melbourne Australia interviews, John told the interviewer that The Beatles were all agnostics (people who don't believe in God, but are willing to keep an open mind to the possibility of His existence). That's still a far cry from being a Christian, though.
@@C.O.G. John Lennon and the Beatles were raised Christian. John Lennon then became a Christian again in the 70s If I remember correctly
@@itapi697 , I'm almost 68 years old and I saw tons of interviews with John Lennon, over the years, and he never said that he was a Christian, in any of them, nor did he even hint at such a thing as being true. I remember.
Bob Dylan was a reason John Lennon became Christian again iirc
I just loved watching these dummies burn up millions of dollars of collectors items.
Do you know that there are people out there that actually believe that Jesus is bigger than The Beatles???
Imagine being so insecure about your religion that you found a pop band to be a threat.
Anyone interested in this as well as events in Japan and the Philippines should read Tony Barrow's book, "John, Paul, George, Ringo and Me".
Tony was their press officer through all of this and was an insider who was present throughout these tours.
His perspective is accurate and interesting.
offtopic, have you listened to Linda Perhacs?
Of course George became a faithful hindu. Ringo describes himself as a christian-hindu with buddhist tendencies. Paul says he believes in something good but doesn’t want to put a name on it. As for John, of course he didn’t put up with organized religion but if you read anything about him I don’t think you could label him as an atheist.
John was always searching and exploring. He could never definitively say what he believed in because he was often open minded about everything
I believe that John was an agnostic.
There are rumors Maureen Cleave was the girl from Norwegian Wood. 👀
This feels like the same old story when American southerners get upset at something. The Beatles, New Coke, slavery abolition...
Sounds like you feel pretty comfortable hating certain people
I don't hate anyone, just a sad observation on Americans' outrage priorities
yes unfortunately it was blown out proportion and context as it was only meant for the people in the Uk, but Art Unger from Datebook wanted more publicity for himself and his company at Any cost including the safety of the Beatles themselves. as for would this happen without any strife the answer is No, because of social media and all todays political correctness, in fact it would probably be worse.
Nearly 60 years later, has anything changed?
His comment that Christianity would vanish and shrink and he needn't argue about because he "was right and would be proven right"seems to belie his claim that he was actually expressing regret about the supposed diminishing of Christianity. It actually seemed like he was not unhappy about it, and that was the reason for the reaction.
Lesson here. Just need to make Sgt peppers and you can't get cancelled
Jesus never had 27 number 1 singles 🎸
Agreed...He never played the Sitar either but that's just me.
The saddest part is that Rock N Roll went first.
It wasn't the "It's like we're bigger than Jesus" Comment that was the problem, it was "Christianity or RnR first".
Buy, burn and buy again... good Job 😅
Did no one understand that the Beatles made money from each record they bought?
What fools these mortals be.
I think this whole controversy and proving that John Lennon was right in the end if not the Beatles as a whole but definitely John Lennon's himself is bigger and still more popular than Jesus
Can't burn a record if you didn't buy it first.
You don't have to buy it...
I don't really care about music that much, but you make it entertaining.
You can never watch ANY documentary set during the 60s without some good ol' KKK popping out. /s (just in case)
I'd love to see a similar deep-dive into what went on in the Phillipines and the Marcos invitaiton they turned down.
Goddamn, my boy McCartney would’ve been cancelled for that quote today.
did he really say that though..
Today i dont think anything would happen. Its sad to say that people just shrug shoulders today at such stuff. I think its because partially we hear so much negative stuff nowdays no one thinks much. But at the same time its sad then too. John made a comment so what? Yes it was rude yes it was a bit stupid but when did they ever confess to being religious? i could see if they were all church goers and talked about God often then said that. But what do you expect? did anyrone think that the stones or any other band was over there attending church every week or at least even monthly?
No today people would sit behind the computer and say i hate the beatles and im doing this and this and everyone would either type back yes or no and nothing in real life would happen it would all be a bunch of keyboard warriors.
if Johnwaould have said "We're popular as white bread" he might have gotton away with it. Today if he wouklld have said it it probably not bad and let go and go back to what they are doing
My grandparents told my mom they were very disappointed with the comment but, they said that probably John Lennon was right. Because you don’t see as many young people in church anymore