Speaking Words of Wisdom : The Beatles and Religion / ed. by Michael McGowan.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

Bedford, David, Contributor.

Campbell, Kenneth, Contributor.

Covach, John, Contributor.

Davis, Melissa, Contributor.

DeCurtis, Anthony, Contributor.

Duffett, Mark, Contributor.

Freer, Scott, Contributor.

Leeder, Murray, Contributor.

Macleod, Sean, Contributor.

Maxwell, Grant, Contributor.

McGowan, Michael, Editor.

McGowan, Michael, Contributor.

Meiser, Christiane, Contributor.

Regev, Eyal, Contributor.

Series:

American Music History

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource (260 p.)

Place of Publication:

University Park, PA : Penn State University Press, [2024]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

“More popular than Jesus.”Despite the uproar it caused in America in 1966, John Lennon’s famous assessment of the Beatles vis-à-vis religion was not far off. The Beatles did mean more to kids than the religions in which they were raised, not only in America but everywhere in the world.By all accounts, the Beatles were the most significant musical group of the twentieth century. Their albums sold in the hundreds of millions, and the press was always eager to document their activities and perspectives. And when fan appreciation morphed into worship, Beatlemania took on religious significance. Many young people around the world began to look to the Beatles—their music, their commentary, their art—for meaning in a turbulent decade. Speaking Words of Wisdom is a deep dive into the Beatles’ relationship to religion through the lenses of philosophy, cultural studies, music history, and religious studies. Chapters explore topics such as religious life in Liverpool, faith among individual band members, why and how India entered the Beatles’ story, fan worship/deification, and the Beatles’ long-lasting legacy. In the 1960s, the Beatles facilitated a reevaluation of our deepest values. The story of how the Beatles became modern-day sages is an important case study for the ways in which consumers make culturally and religiously significant meaning from music, people, and events.In addition to the editor, the contributors to this book include David Bedford, Kenneth Campbell, John Covach, Melissa Davis, Anthony DeCurtis, Mark Duffett, Scott Freer, Murray Leeder, Sean MacLeod, Grant Maxwell, Christiane Meiser, and Eyal Regev.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Foreword

Acknowledgments

That Magic Feeling: An Introduction to the Beatles and Religion

Part 1: Liverpool, Protestants, and Catholics

1 Religion in the Liverpool of the Beatles’ Childhoods

2 Born Taking Sides: Religion in the Beatles’ Liverpool

Part 2: The Beatles as Individuals

3 The Religious Sensibility of Paul McCartney

4 John Lennon, Jesus as a Moral Model, and Imagine No Religion

5 George Harrison’s Road to India

6 Don’t Pass Me By: To Hell and Back with Ringo Starr

Part 3: The Beatles and Religious Experience

7 Songs of Self-Emptying in the Beatles

8 Yeah, Yeah, Yeah: Beatlemania and the Cult of Dionysus—The Resurrection of a New Consciousness

9 A Religion in Fact: The Beatles as Religious Phenomenon Hidden in Plain Sight

Part 4: Reception of the Beatles

10 Helter Skelter: Charles Manson’s (Supposed) Apocalyptic Reading of the White Album

11 Sanctum or Artifact? The Beatles’ Music in Yesterday

12 Necrolennonolatry: The Postmortem Adventures of John Lennon

Conclusion: “Now and Then”—Seeking and Finding Meaning in Community

List of Contributors

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 26. Aug 2024)

ISBN:

9780271098647

0271098643

OCLC:

1437484967