John Lennon – The Misunderstood Beatle

While watching Monday night football, on an uneventful night on December 8, 1980, I was suffering from a hangover, when I heard Howard Cosell interrupt the game with a news flash. Was John Lennon shot in New York City? Could that be true? That was true. Later, he was pronounced dead. I was in shock. Then my brother, Mark, phoned me with the news. We were both John Lennon fans.

The Beatles, the fabulous four of the 60s, received character descriptions or nicknames adopted by their fans. John was smart, Paul was cute, George was mysterious, and Ringo was funny.

I always felt that John Lennon’s character description or nickname should have been dubbed the “Misunderstood Beatle” because he always seemed to stir up controversy about his beliefs. He was unable to make his comments clear, and the media was unhelpful.

Take, for example, the comment he made on March 4, 1966, when he said, “The Beatles are more popular than Jesus.” What he meant was that more people would go to see the Beatles than to church on Sundays. Which could have been true. He generalized a little bit by blaming the United States, when referring to England.

Lennon was interviewed for the London Evening Standard by Maureen Cleave, who was a friend, and made an impromptu comment on religion. Lennon said: “Christianity will go away. It will fade and shrink. We are more popular than Jesus now; I don’t know which will go first: rock and roll or Christianity. Jesus was fine, but his disciples were dumb.” and ordinary. It is they who twist it that ruins me. “

On August 11, 1966, The Beatles held a press conference in Chicago to address the growing furor.

Lennon: I suppose if I had said that television was more popular than Jesus, I would have gotten away with it, but I was talking to a journalist friend (Maureen Cleave) and I used the word “Beatles” as something remote. Not like I think – like the Beatles, like those other Beatles, like other people see us. I just said that they have more influence on children and other things than anything else, including Jesus. But I said it that way, which is the wrong way. “

Report: Some teenagers have repeated your statements: “I like the Beatles more than Jesus Christ.” What do you think about that?

Lennon: Well, I originally pointed out that fact in reference to England. that we mean more to children than Jesus or religion at the time. He wasn’t hitting or letting go. I was just saying it as a fact, and it is more true for England than here. I’m not saying we are better or bigger, or comparing ourselves to Jesus Christ as a person or God as a thing, or whatever. I just said what I said and it was wrong. Or he was wrong. And now it’s all of this.

Report: But are you willing to apologize?

Lennon: He wasn’t saying what they were saying he was saying. I’m sorry I really said it. I never wanted it to be a lousy anti-religious thing. I apologize if that will make you happy. I still don’t really know what I’ve done. I tried to tell you what I did, but if you want me to apologize, if that makes you happy, then that’s okay, I’m sorry.

John Lennon returned to the topic later that year, when he told Look magazine that “I believe Jesus was right, Buddha was right and all those people like that are right. They all say the same thing, and I think I believe what Jesus really said. – the basic things he established about love and kindness – and not what people say he said. If Jesus is more popular it means more control, I don’t want that. I would rather that they ‘All would follow us even if it was just to dance and sing for the rest of their lives, there with them.

Although there was little reaction to his statement in England, Christians elsewhere embarked on a massive campaign to destroy Beatles albums and other paraphernalia. The Archbishop of Boston admitted that he was probably right, but many still refused to forgive him.

I can relate to your controversial statement, because I made similar statements, like when I drive through a gambling casino on a Sunday, I say, “Look at all those cars, try to pack them in a church parking lot.” Of course, what I meant was that gambling is more popular than Jesus. I hope that’s not the truth here in America. Am I in trouble for saying that?

All this did not bother Lennon, he continued to use religious comments in his songs, one was God, released in 1971. The lyrics are as follows:

God (lyrics and music by John Lennon)

God is a concept

By which we measure

Our bread

I will say it again

God is a concept

By which we measure

Our pain

I don’t believe in magic

I don’t believe in the I-ching

I don’t believe in the bible

I don’t believe in tarot

I don’t believe in hitler

I don’t believe in jesus

I don’t believe in kennedy

I don’t believe in buddha

I don’t believe in the mantra

I don’t believe in gita

I don’t believe in yoga

I don’t believe in kings

I don’t believe in elvis

I don’t believe in zimmerman

I don’t believe in the beatles

I only belive in me

Yoko and me

And that is the reality

The dream is over

What can I say?

The dream is over

Yesterday

I was a dream weaver

But now I am reborn

I was the walrus

But now i’m john

And so dear friends

You just have to move on

The dream is over

THE END

Once again, Lennon was misunderstood. Many Christians discouraged him. I always understood Lennon’s style. I felt like he was reaching out to question things we dared not ask. It was a buffer between reality and fantasy. Some considered it threatening. I considered it harmless. Although he said “I don’t believe in Jesus”. And he said, “I don’t believe in the Bible.” Maybe he should have left them out of the song, at least to avoid controversy and save his career … But, Lennon was Lennon, and he didn’t care. He said that he has the freedom to say what he wants to say or sing what he wants to sing. I’m sure it affected his career. Paul McCartney’s career just flourished. He didn’t mean to leave out George and Ringo. Their careers were stable.

I always thought that a more appropriate song for John Lennon would have been …Don’t let them misunderstand me, written and performed by a fellow musician and friend, Eric Burdon. He is also the author of a book with the same title.

In 1973, Lennon wrote and sang the song, Conceived, a very critical song, but popular. He also questioned the existence of heaven and hell and not religion. This was also angered by the Christians. His message was clear to me. He was simply saying that if there were none of these things that he was imagining, the world would live in peace, as one. Why should I fight? There would be no wars. Many wars have to do with religion. The song has to do with the imagination. He is not a terrorist who wants to blow up the world. The lyrics are as follows:

Conceived

(lyrics and music by John Lennon)

Imagine there is no heaven

It’s easy if you try

No hell under us

Above us only the sky

Imagine all the people

Living for today

Imagine there are no countries

It is not hard to do

Nothing to kill or die for

And without religion too

Imagine all the people

Living life in peace

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope that one day you will join us

And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions

i wonder if you can

No need for greed or hunger

A fraternity of men

Imagine all the people

Sharing everyone

You may say I’m a dreamer

But I’m not the only one

I hope that one day you will join us

And the world will live as one

THE END

Lennon was always the frank. Some say that he was a hypocrite when he preached about love and peace, not about war. In 1969, he proved his beliefs in his written song, Give peace a chance, after his departure from The Beatles, during his solo career.

He defended many rights and causes. He was a pacifist activist. His beliefs were misunderstood and he was often considered a socialist or a communist. President Nixon wanted him deported. Lennon stood up and fought for his right to stay where he loved to be – in New York City, USA Sadly, it was also the place where he was killed by a deranged fan.

During his solo career, Lennon wrote and sang songs of rebellion with his political views. I would socialize with peace leaders, like Jerry Rubin, Abbie Hoffman, and others. Lennon and his friends organized a concert in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in December 1971, dubbed the “Free John Sinclair” concert. Sinclair was a local antiwar activist serving ten years in state prison for selling two marijuana joints to an undercover cop. Lennon appeared on stage alongside Phil Ochs, Stevie Wonder and other musicians, as well as antiwar radical Jerry Rubin and Bobby Seale of the Black Panthers. 20,000 attended; two days after the concert, the state of Michigan released John Sinclair from prison. During this time, a song written and sung by Lennon was released, titled John sinclair.

In 1972, Lennon released a song against sexism, titled, The woman is the black of the world, which implies that just as black people were discriminated against in some countries, so were women throughout the world. The lyrics are as follows:

The woman is the black of the world

(lyrics and music by John Lennon)

The woman is the black of the world

If it is … think about it

The woman is the black of the world

Think about it … do something about it

We make her face paint and dance

If she’s not going to be a slave, we say she doesn’t love us

If she is real, we say that she is trying to be a man.

While we belittle her, we pretend that she is above us

The woman is the black of the world … yes she is

If you don’t believe me, look who you’re with

The woman is a slave to the slaves

Ah yeah … you better shout about it

We make her give birth and raise our children

And then we left her on the floor for being a fat old hen

We tell you that your home is the only place you should be

Then we complain that she’s too unworldly to be our friend.

The woman is the black of the world … yes she is

If you don’t believe me, look who you’re with

The woman is a slave to the slaves

Yeah … okay … hit him!

We insult her every day on TV

And I wonder why he has no guts and no confidence

When she’s young we kill her will to be free

While we tell her not to be so smart, we belittle her for being so dumb

The woman is the black of the world

If it is … if you don’t believe me, look who you’re with

The woman is a slave to the slaves

Yes it is … if you don’t believe me you better shout

We make her face paint and dance

We make her face paint and dance

We make her face paint and dance

We make her face paint and dance

We make her face paint and dance

We make her face paint and dance

THE END

On a happier note, in 1971 Lennon, too, wrote and sang the song, titled, Merry Christmas. This one became a party favorite. It’s questionable why he left Christ In Christmas. But “X” is the Greek symbol for Christ.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of John Lennon’s death. His killer is still incarcerated, as he should. The world of music was stripped of this musical genius. I sure miss his works and his imagination. If it weren’t for your outspoken beliefs, you might still have been with us today. It could have been what killed him. But imagine (I wonder if you can), then there would never have been a John Lennon.

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