More Popular Than Jesus Christ
Born
October 9, 1940
Assassinated
December 8, 1980
Twenty-five years ago today, outside the Dakota Hotel in New York City, a deranged lunatic struck down the most influential man in music history.
John Lennon changed an entire world seeking a new direction. He, along with Paul, George, and Ringo, captivated the hearts and minds of generations of Americans. Their music and influence will live on forever.
I could go on and on about how listening to Beatles songs as a young man affected my outlook on life or how many of their early hits remind me so fondly of my beautiful bride. I'll spare you the boredom of enduring that. It would likely be agonizing and lead you to vow to never return!
On March 4, 1966 John Lennon introduced the world to a fact that people were not ready to accept. It led to widespread protests and the burning of what would be some damn fine collectibles nowadays! Love John. Hate John. Love Yoko. Hate Yoko. Whatever your position, the fact behind his "outlandish" statement was true.
"We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first-rock 'n' roll or Christianity." - John Lennon, 1966
Sorry for the cynicism, but it was true. It was never intended to upset millions and draw the ire of the Pope. It was simply a fact that, at that time, The Beatles were more popular than Jesus. As I recall, it was "Beatlemania", not "Jesusmania" that swept across America.
John Lennon was a man of conviction who spoke his mind about the world as seen through the brilliant round spectacles that helped define his image.
Like I said, you can love him or love Mark David Chapman for assassinating him, but you cannot deny the profound influence he had, and continues to have, on the world.
Rest in Peace, and Thank You John.
Paul is dead...
Paul is dead...
This is an imposter...
Paul is dead.
P.S. I know what day Lennon died. I wrote the draft on the 7th and posted this today, the 8th, so I guess that's why the posted date up top is wrong. Peace.
Presented commercial free by PseudoIntellect @ 3:11 PM
5 people chimed in.
5 Comments:
"And in the end,
The love you take,
Is equal to the love you make."
The last wrods to the last song on the last Beatles album.
pseudo,
actually, you and john are wrong. true, an influential musician to say the least, but that comment was quite wrong. jesusmania is sweeping the country. aren't you living in lower alabama. have they built that mega church down the street yet. you heard about intelligent design, right? a creative way of saying creationism. this is not a passing fad either. evngelicalism is sweeping the nation in a hurry. the leader of a mega church in california is helping to rebuild the nation of rwanda. that sounds like a lot of power to me. i love the beatles but wanted to bring your attention to this matter. check it out.
Religious popularity is at an all time high - for modern times. What you said is a fact today. It wasn't a fact in 1966. At the time of peace, love, drugs and happiness I personally think John was right.
I do live in Abalamabama and, yes, there are mega-churches everywhere. Cults, some might say. Tithing is pretty riduculous in those megachurches too.
In the nearly 40 years since that comment was made, alot has changed. If someone were to try to make that statement today, it would be ludicrous. However, in 1966 it was a different world.
"Living is easy with eyes closed,
Misunderstanding all you see"
i agree that 40 years has changed the social landscape of the country, and rock and roll was the scene, but the evangelical movement was in swing even then. and today it is not only alive and well, it is thriving. unfortunately the same could not be said about the beatles,or john for that matter. and again i want to reiterate that i am a fan of the beatles. i have quite a bit of there music and i recognize there infuence in others work. i mean no disrespect to john. (maybe a little to oh no yoko ono, but none to john) but i am not convinced of the truth of that statement because in a lot of the ways the seeds of the movement we are seeing today were sewn then. also the sixties was a decade of people moving away from mainlinne churches and finding there own path. beatles music in many ways helped that transition and might have been a spiritual place for many, but those people now are turning to this larger evengelical movement, and unfortunately for us, it has serious political consequences. but allow me to clarify. it is quite possible that you and john are right. also i like alabama, so i was not taking a crack at it. but if there were some mega churches being built it would be there. there is a good book called salvation on sand mountain, by Dennis Covington, maybe you've read it, but i think it really illustrates this dynamic.
"everybody has got somethig to hide except for me and my monkey..."
I'm not from Alabama and think it is socially repressed, so no hurt feelings there. Mega churches pop up here like WalMarts....same size, too.
I simply think that in the '60s Lennon was correct. Now, you did bring up an excellent point about the spiritual adventurism and the Beatles' involvement in that.
You can Evangelicize everywhere in America, except the Air Force Academy.
Yoko sucks, but John loved her, so cest la vie.
"And in my hour of darkness,
She is standing right in front of me,
Speaking words of wisdom,
Let it be."
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