Failed prophecy and scandal over Jesus: what you didn't know about The Beatles and what rash act cost John Lennon his life

On this day 62 years ago, the world first heard about the legendary groove of The Beatles. At that time, the little-known musicians from Liverpool did not know what kind of fame awaited them. The songs of John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr have raised generations of rock music lovers.

Of course, the path to recognition of the Liverpool four was thorny. OBOZ.UA has found interesting facts about The Beatles that you have probably never heard of. In particular, what was the failed prophecy that the London record company regrets to this day, how the Beatles got into a scandal with Jesus, and why John Lennon paid for his recklessness with his life.

"Guitarists are going out of style"

The Beatles' manager Brian Epstein tried everything to get a record deal. After many rejections, he arranged an audition with Decca. By a lucky coincidence, a representative of the label's repertoire department attended the Beatles' concert and gave them a chance to showcase themselves.

On December 13, 1961, after a long journey to London from Liverpool, which was complicated by snowfall, the musicians arrived at the venue. According to memories, the Beatles' performance that day was not particularly good because of the conditions in the studio. The future stars sang 15 songs live and waited for the result.

At the time, the label was choosing between the Liverpudlians and a local band called Brian Poole and the Tremeoloes. Dick Rowe, head of artist selection and repertoire at Decca, later recalled that he had instructed Smith to make the decision. A colleague said that both bands were good, but that it would be easier to work with London musicians, at least because of their location.

The official reason for the refusal was that "guitarist groups are going out of style," Rowe recalls. These words became infamous, and Dick himself became "famous" as "the man who turned down The Beatles.

"We're more popular than Jesus"

In March 1966, the British journalist Maureen Cleave published an article about Lennon's lifestyle in the Evening Standard. For an interview, she visited the musician's house, which was decorated with a life-size crucifix, a gorilla costume, medieval armor, and a library with works by Swift, Wilde, Orwell, and others. Literature influenced the star's attitude to Christianity, and the information material stated that Lennon read a lot about religion.

"Christianity will go away. It will disappear and dry up. There is no need to argue: I am right, and the future will prove it. Now we are more popular than Jesus; I don't know what will disappear first – rock and roll or Christianity. Jesus himself was nothing, but his followers were stupid and ordinary. And it's their perversions that are destroying Christianity in me," the vocalist said to Cleave.

When the newspaper was published, no one paid much attention to the controversial part of the conversation. However, about six months later, the teenage magazine Datebook quoted Lennon, which led to massive protests in the United States among local Christian communities. Because of John's harsh opinion, some American radio stations refused to play the band's songs on the air, and former Beatles fans publicly burned records and threatened ex-idols.

The band had to partially cancel their US tour. Epstein's attempts to hush up the scandal proved ineffective, as celebrities continued to receive threats. Eventually, the scandal made The Beatles lose interest in touring. The band focused mainly on working in the studio.

He died because of recklessness

As you know, John Lennon died in December 1980 at the hands of Mark Chapman, who waited for the musician outside his house and shot him with a firearm. And perhaps the tragedy could have been avoided if not for the star's indiscretion.

That day, the guitarist finished working late in the studio and was heading home with his wife Yoko Ono. Beatle loved the attention of fans on the streets, who waited for him to sign his autograph or take a photo with him. Two days before his death, he told BBC Radio listeners that he liked New York because the fans here were not annoying but well-mannered.

Probably because of this, instead of getting out of the limousine in the courtyard of the guarded house, the star family left the vehicle down the street. At that moment, the singer's wife was walking in front. He followed behind, carrying cassettes with recordings. Lennon saw an unknown fan and nodded to him. A moment later, the stranger, aka Chapman, pulled a revolver out of his pocket and shot John five times in the back. The musician died on arrival at the hospital due to blood loss.

Only verified information is available on our Telegram channel OBOZ.UA and Viber. Do not fall for fakes!