“And God help Bruce Springsteen when they decide he’s no longer God… They’ll turn on him, and I hope he survives it.”
- October 9, 1940 – December 8, 1980
- British
- Musician, Songwriter, Peace Activist, Founding Member of The Beatles
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Quote
“And God help Bruce Springsteen when they decide he’s no longer God… They’ll turn on him, and I hope he survives it.”
Explanation
John Lennon speaks with cynical empathy about the cycle of fame, where public adoration can swiftly turn into backlash. By comparing Bruce Springsteen to “God,” he highlights the way celebrities are often idolized to an unhealthy degree, placed on pedestals that inevitably collapse. Lennon warns that the same public and media that build someone up will eventually seek to tear them down, not out of reason but out of a cultural need to consume, judge, and move on.
This quote also reveals Lennon’s own experience with the brutal tides of fame, having lived through both intense worship and severe criticism. His concern for Springsteen is not sarcastic—it’s a sincere hope for resilience in the face of inevitable disillusionment. He recognizes that surviving fame requires inner strength, especially when public affection turns into rejection.
Today, Lennon’s observation feels prescient in an age of celebrity culture and cancel culture, where figures rise rapidly and fall just as fast. It reminds us of the human cost of treating artists as deities—expecting perfection, only to discard them when they disappoint. His message urges compassion for those in the spotlight and a more balanced, humane relationship between the public and its heroes.
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