I meant to publish this earlier in recent days, but kept forgetting to do so. Better late than never, right?
Just a couple of days ago was the anniversary of the first major controversy that the Beatles would find themselves embroiled in, which came in the aftermath of when John Lennon made the comment that the Beatles were "bigger than Jesus."
This was meant as a criticism of the band's popularity, but it was not taken as such. Indeed, many devout Christians - particularly in the American South, or the so-called "Bible Belt," felt that this was actually boasting, or that he was trying to imply that the band was greater than Jesus. There was a serious backlash, as an anti-Beatles campaign began, and some people took to publicly burning and/or smashing Beatles records.
To their credit, the Beatles themselves handled the situation quite well, remaining calm and trying to explain the context, while also simultaneously kind of shrugging and accepting that the band was bound to lose fans who were adamant on misunderstanding Lennon's words.
It also seemed to mark the first real departure from the more safe and seemingly innocent image that the early Beatles had stuck to during the mop top days. Indeed, the band would grow more experimental not just musically, but also in terms of their public image.
In any case, as a Beatles fan, it seemed like an anniversary worth remembering, as this wound up being a rather major story that, for some, seriously altered their perceptions of the Beatles. And it happened on this day (well, three days ago as I finally publish this) over half a century ago.
NEWS PLUS: ON THIS DAY March 4, 1966: John Lennon: ‘Beatles Bigger Than Jesus’ Remark by Best Classic Bands Staff
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