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Classic rock stars seemed to inspire outrage more than the musicians of today. For example, John Lennon infamously proclaimed that The Beatles were “more popular than Jesus” and Elton John upset fans when he revealed something about his personal life. Someone close to the latter said the controversy was only a “temporary hiccup” in his career.

Bernie Taupin compared Elton John’s coming out to the ‘more popular than Jesus’ fiasco

Most of John’s big songs, such as “Daniel,” “Tiny Dancer,” and “I Guess That’s Why They Call It the Blues,” were co-written by Taupin. During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Taupin was asked about the time John came out as bisexual, rather than as gay, in 1976. “He was a little half-hearted on that,” Taupin opined.

Taupin conceded John’s coming out had its drawbacks. “It definitely hurt him but only temporarily because we had massive sales after that,” he said. “It was a little bit like our version of John Lennon saying The Beatles were bigger than Jesus Christ. It was a temporary hiccup.”

John went on to come out as gay in the 1990s. “I’m sure that when he came out 100%, it was easier,” Taupin said. “You don’t want to be hiding from anything.”

Bernie Taupin never realized Elton John was as big as The Beatles

Taupin was asked when it dawned on him that he and John were as big as The Beatles. “I’m not sure I ever did!” Taupin replied, laughing. “The thing about Elton is his ability to track everything. You’re talking about a guy who knows every place he’s ever played and when he played it. He followed all the charts. He still does! 

“I never did that,” Taupin added. “I never knew where our records were on the charts. I mean, somebody would tell me, ‘We came in at No. 1.’ I’d say, ‘Great, cool. Now let’s go get a drink.'”

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John’s “more popular than Jesus” comment inspired wildly different reactions. According to the book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations with John Lennon, the “Imagine” singer made that statement during a 1966 interview with journalist Maureen Cleaver. He was saying that it wasn’t clear to him whether rock ‘n’ roll would outlast Christianity, as The Beatles appeared to be more popular than Jesus. In John’s opinion, Jesus was fine but his disciples twisted his message.

When the interview was published in the United Kingdom, it didn’t spark much of a reaction. When it was published in the United States, it triggered outrage in the South.

John explained he wasn’t trying to say he or the Fab Four were superior to Jesus. He said he could just as easily said “motorcars are bigger than Jesus” and no one would have cared, but he used the word “Beatles” because it came to him easily. John admitted he wasn’t using his words carefully or thinking about public relations when he made his infamous comment. 

Both the “Tiny Dancer” singer and The Beatles sparked controversy during their peaks, but that didn’t stop them from becoming superstars.

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