After befriending the band, Cleave influenced their lyrics and prompted John Lennon’s infamous comment that they were ‘more popular than Jesus’
Maureen Cleave, the
British journalist best known for her profiles of the Beatles, has died aged 87 after a short illness.
As one of the few young journalists given scope to write about the pop
explosion of the 1960s – and with her inquiring, non-deferential tone – Cleave helped to kickstart the British
music journalism that flourished in her wake.