Renowned British music journalist and author Steve Turner surveys the religious and spiritual influence of the Beatles, the band that changed the history of music forever. With new interviews, never-before-published material, and fresh insights, Turner helps the reader understand the religious and spiritual ideas and ideals that influenced the music and lives of the Beatles and helps us see how the Fab Four influenced our own lives and culture.
Chapters include the religious upbringing of John, Paul, George, and Ringo; the backlash in the United States after John Lennon’s “We’re more popular than Jesus” comment; the dabbling in Eastern religion; the use of drugs to attempt to enter a higher level of consciousness; and the overall legacy that the Beatles and their music have left. While there is no religious system that permanently anchored the Beatles or their music, they did leave a gospel, Turner concludes: one of love, peace, personal freedom, and the search for transcendence.
Steve Turner has covered the rock music scene in Great Britain and the United States for more than thirty years, interviewing many of the most famous musicians, including John Lennon, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Mick Jagger, and Bono. His articles have appeared in numerous magazines, including
Rolling Stone and
New Musical Express. Since being invited by Bono to write a book about U2’s Rattle and Hum tour in 1988, he has concentrated on writing books, including
The Man Called Cash, the authorized biography of Johnny Cash;
A Hard Day’s Write: The Stories behind the Songs of the Beatles; and
Hungry for Heaven: Rock ’n’ Roll and the Search for Redemption. Bono called Turner “a tough-minded poet with an ear for the psalms, an eye for the miracles in the mundane, and an understanding of how despair can break the ground for joy to take root.”
