Sir, - Thirty-four years after the remark was made, journalists continue to quote John Lennon's "more popular than Jesus" remark out of the original context. Your TV reviewer Eddie Holt is the latest offender (Weekend, October 7th). Lennon never seriously compared the Beatles to the Son of God. The remark was made to the reporter Maureen Cleave, and printed in Teenbeat magazine in February 1966 (later in the London Evening Standard) in relation to his perception of the demise of Christianity in Britain. The remark in full was:
"Christianity will go, it will vanish and shrink. I needn't argue about that; I'm right and I will be proved right. We're more popular than Jesus now; I don't know which will go first - rock 'n' roll or Christianity." (My italics.) When the remark was printed out of context, yet again, in the United States that same year, it caused a furore, leading to Lennon clarifying as follows: "All I was saying was that we meant more to kids than religion at that time. I wasn't knocking it, or putting it down . . ."
The remark should be read with emphasis as above. I have yet to see it used in its intended sense, - Yours, etc.,
David Power, Moy Glas Grove, Lucan, Co Dublin.