the US, the album's release was a secondary event to the controversy surrounding the recent publication there of Cleave's interview with Lennon, in which he remarked that the Beatles had become "more popular than Jesus". This episode followed the unfavourable reaction to the Yesterday and Today butcher sleeve, from the press, radio stations and retail outlets. As a result, at press conferences during the tour, questions were typically focused on religious matters rather than the band's new music. In addition, the group were vocal in their opposition to the Vietnam War, a stand that further redefined their public image in the US. The Beatles did not attempt to perform any of the songs from Revolver during the tour. Reporting on "Swinging London" for The Village Voice, Richard Goldstein said that, as if in response to the antagonism being shown towards the band in the US, "British youth has flipped completely over the new Beatle album, Revolver." Author Howard Sounes writes that, amid the fine weather of the 1966 summer and England's recent win in the World Cup, Revolver was the nation's "soundtrack album of the season". Commercial performance In the UK, where "Eleanor Rigby" was the favoured side, the single became the best-selling song of 1966, after topping the national chart for four weeks during August and September. On Record Retailers LPs chart (later the UK Albums Chart), Revolver entered at number 1 and stayed there for seven weeks during its 34-week run in the top 40. On the national chart compiled by Melody Maker, the album was number 1 for nine weeks. By October, at least ten of the LP's songs had been covered by other artists and reviewed by Melody Maker. Among these, Cliff Bennett and the Rebel Rousers' version of "Got to Get You into My Life", which McCartney co-produced, was a top ten hit. McCartney's ballads "Here, There and Everywhere" and "For No One" became highly popular among mainstream recording artists. In the UK, Revolver was the second highest-selling album of 1966, behind The Sound of Music. In the NME readers' poll for 1966, Revolver and Pet Sounds were jointly recognised as the magazine's "Album of the Year". In America, Capitol were wary of the religious references in "Eleanor Rigby", given the ongoing controversy, and instead pushed "Yellow Submarine". The latter peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100, making it, in Gould's description, "the