This Day in Music
On this day in music, July 29, 1966, the US teen magazine Datebook published an interview with John Lennon, who controversially said of The Beatles, “We’re bigger than Jesus now.” His words caused a media firestorm in the US, where many Christians were outraged. Protestors condemned the Fab Four and publicly burnt Beatles records. The interview, conducted by Maureen Cleave, had first appeared in London’s Evening Standard to little fanfare earlier that year.
In 1974, 32-year-old singer “Mama” Cass Elliot died in London from heart failure. Born Ellen Naomi Cohen in Baltimore, Elliot performed with a group called the Mugwumps before teaming up with John Phillips and his wife, Michelle, in the New Journeymen. The group would evolve into The Mama & The Papas, one of the key purveyors of West Coast sunshine pop in the mid-to-late 60s. When the group split in 1968, Elliot pursued a solo career.
In 2019, rapper Lil Nas X made chart history when his infectious single “Old Town Road” spent 17 weeks at the summit of Billboard’s Hot 100. It surpassed the previously-held record of 16 weeks at No.1, jointly set by Luis Fonsi (“Despacito”) and Mariah Carey (“One Sweet Day”). The rapper, who was born Montero Lamar Hill, pioneered a new laidback hip-hop style dubbed “country trap.” He cut the song in a day, using a backing track he purchased online for $30.
In 1967, The Doors began a three-week run at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with “Light My Fire,” a song taken from their self-titled debut. The single, which crystallized the psychedelic and sexual revolutions that defined the “swinging 60s,” caused controversy for singer Jim Morrison’s use of the word “higher,” which many saw as a reference to drug use.
In 1965, The Beatles’ second feature film, Help! premiered at the London Pavilion. The musical comedy, which followed the success of A Hard Day’s Night, was a much larger production than its predecessor, finding the band and director Richard Lester shooting in a variety of international locations. The film’s soundtrack doubled as The Beatles’ fifth studio album.
In 1966, at the height of his fame, Bob Dylan lost control of his 500cc Triumph Tiger motorcycle in Woodstock, New York, when his rear wheel seized up and sent him flying over the handlebars. The singer-songwriter suffered several broken neck vertebrae and his near-death experience made him more reclusive.
BORN ON JULY 29:
1953: Patti Scialfa (E Street Band)
1953: Geddy Lee (Rush)
1957: Paul Denman (Sade, Sweetback)
1959: John Sykes (Thin Lizzy, Whitesnake)
1962: Martin McCarrick (Therapy?)
1966: Miles Hunt (The Wonder Stuff)
1972: Simon Jones (The Verve)
1973: Wanya Morris (Boyz II Men)
1977: Danger Mouse (Gnarles Barkley)
