The article says that in July 1969, hundreds of US radio stations banned or refused to play The Beatles’ single “The Ballad of John and Yoko” because of its use of the words “Christ” and “crucify” in the chorus. It argues that the backlash mattered because the song was deeply personal to John Lennon, reflecting his marriage to Yoko Ono and the intense public criticism they faced, while also showing how strongly religious sensitivities shaped American broadcasting at the time.

The single had been released on 30 May 1969 and became controversial within weeks, with stations dividing into those that would and would not air it. Lennon defended the lyric by saying the song worked both as everyday language and as something like a prayer, even calling it “a gospel song”. The article also places the dispute in the context of Lennon’s earlier “bigger than Jesus” controversy and notes that Paul McCartney, who recorded the track with Lennon without George Harrison and Ringo Starr, recognised the risk of offence but supported making the song because Lennon was under strain.