Amidst the significant social upheaval of the 1960s, the era was also marked by madcap and outlandish antics among its most prominent musicians. The Beatles, in particular, stood out as the act that took things to extremes. Beyond their musical achievements, the Fab Four became famous for copious amounts of drug use and romantic escapades. It’s evident that the four impudent lads who burst onto the scene in 1962 had undergone substantial changes by the time the clock struck 12 on January 1st, 1970. They had transformed into world-weary individuals greatly impacted by the events of the decade.
One area that produced copious amounts of bizarro moments in the 1960s was the group’s spirituality. From inspiring some of their most out-there compositions to providing many surreal anecdotes – including meeting eccentric wealthy Americans – at home and abroad, their dedication to transcendental meditation and the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought them into contact with a world far removed from that of their native Liverpool.
Of course, thanks to the countercultural zeitgeist, which had Eastern underpinnings, and the philosophical lubricant of heavy LSD tripping, transcendental mediation became the done thing for those ascribing to the hippie way of life. While it would be something of a fad and attract the most ephemeral of the affluent and careless before they turned their attention to other things, many creatives found themselves in this school of thought, with them still practising it today.
The Beatles fell into this category, as did actor Mia Farrow’s younger sister, Prudence, who is now a meditation teacher. Her intense dedication to the teachings of the Yogi in Rishikesh, India, in 1968, alongside The Beatles, would inspire a classic song by John Lennon. It also confirmed to the frontman something he always knew deep down, even if he wasn’t entirely sure of it before this moment.
One day, Farrow refused to leave her chalet and had to be coaxed out by Lennon and bandmate George Harrison. When in this condition, Farrow would fall into deep states, against the advice of the yogi. She would also later confirm that her dedication to enlightenment had become more fanatical than anyone in her company at this point.
In David Sheff’s All We Are Saying, Lennon recalled: “‘Dear Prudence’ is me. Written in India. A song about Mia Farrow’s sister, who seemed to go slightly barmy, meditating too long, and couldn’t come out of the little hut that we were livin’ in. They selected me and George to try and bring her out because she would trust us. If she’d been in the West, they would have put her away.”
,
Lennon continued his story and comically revealed what this episode confirmed to him: that he was “already cosmic”.
He said: “We got her out of the house. She’d been locked in for three weeks and wouldn’t come out, trying to reach God quicker than anybody else. That was the competition in Maharishi’s camp: who was going to get cosmic first. What I didn’t know was I was already cosmic. [Laughs.]”
,
Listen to ‘Dear Prudence’ below.
