The John Lennon quotation that ignited a media storm in America went largely unnoticed in Australia. This could be attributed to a significant difference in religious perspectives between the two countries or a fundamental divergence in their senses of humor.
Nonetheless, it wasn’t until the American press seized upon his words approximately five months later that the comment made by Lennon, which was first published in the London Evening Standard on March 4, 1966, transformed into the “Bigger than Jesus” controversy. This scandal marked a semi-official cessation of the exuberant craze known as Beatlemania.
In their initial context, Lennon’s statements were clearly intended not as a boast but as a wry observation regarding the declining significance of religion. “Christianity will go,” Lennon declared. “It will vanish and shrink…We’re more popular than Jesus now.” Although this was just one comment within an interview that spanned a multitude of topics, including gorilla suits and car phones, it was this specific line that made its way into the pages of the American teen magazine DATEbook months later, condensed into the simple phrase, “We’re more popular than Jesus.”
Following that, several disc jockeys from the Bible Belt took charge, condemning Lennon’s words as blasphemous and pledging to impose an “eternal” ban on all Beatles music, past, present, and future. “Our fantastic Beatle boycott is still in effect,” two DJs from WACI Birmingham proclaimed in August 1966. They urged listeners to bring their Beatles records and memorabilia to any of their 14 collection points in Birmingham, Alabama, for disposal that week.
The strategy in Birmingham, as well as in other Southern cities, involved burning the Beatles records that were gathered from disgruntled fans. While the actual number of these burning events remains uncertain, the narrative certainly reached the Beatles. Years later, John Lennon reflected, “When they started burning our records…that was a real shock. I couldn’t go away knowing I’d created another little piece of hate in the world. So I apologized.”
Lennon’s apology was not for the message he aimed to communicate but rather for the way that message was interpreted. During a press conference in Chicago, he clarified: “I’m not anti-God, anti-Christ, or anti-religion. I wasn’t claiming we are greater or better. I believe in God, but not as just one entity, not as an old man in the sky. I’m truly sorry I said it. I never intended for it to come off as a hostile anti-religious statement. From what I’ve observed, it seems Christianity is shrinking and losing touch.”
