Backmasking: Secret Messages in Music

As a teenager, every Halloween night I would look forward to a local radio station doing a one hour special on backmasking in Classic Rock music. With creepy background music, the Disc Jockey would play excerpts from song played backwards on their turntables. Bands that were sampled were familiar music icons such as Led Zeppelin, Styx, Pink Floyd and Black Oak Arkansas. As I listened, I would get slightly creeped out as messages glorifying Satanism and death would be played over my clock radio. Although many times, the so called messages would be almost inaudible, some came through very clear and precise.

Backmasking is defined as a message concealed in an audio recording that is apparent when played backwards. The first well known example of this was established by the Beatles on their song "Rain." The Beatles soon followed with other recordings including the scary message found at the end of "I'm So Tired" which chillingly proclaims "Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him." This message as well as other clues on Beatle Albums and songs helped fuel a conspiracy in the sixties that Paul McCartney had died in a car accident and was replaced by a lookalike named "Billy Shears" to prevent the band from breaking up. Perhaps the most famous of all the backmasking songs is the Beatles bizarre song "Revolution Number 9". When the song is played backwards it replays the words, "Turn me on Dead man." There are also clips of an eerie woman's (thought to be Yoko Ono) voice repeatedly praising Satan.

It is no secret that some of Rock Music's most well known songs have hidden messages. Led Zeppelin's classic rock staple, "Stairway to Heaven" contains several references to Satanism. The 1980 smash hit, "Another One Bites the Dust" by the band Queen, when listened to backwards chimes in that, "It's fun to smoke Marijuana." Even the dark natured "Hotel California" by the Eagles is alleged to say," Satan he hears this, he had me believe."

During the eighties, many religious Christian organizations took aim at these artists claiming the hidden messages were corrupting youths and promoting dangerous lifestyles. Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice President Al Gore, founded the Parents Music Resource Center after she heard her daughter listening to a song by Prince called, "Darling Nikki." The song mentioned the words "masturbation" and "grind" and upset the religious Ms. Gore. While the song became famous for it's graphic sexual content, it also gained notoriety when the end of the song was played in reverse. Prince was heard greeting the listeners and saying how the Lord was coming soon. It seemed his song had two distinct messages that had nothing to do with each other. In 1990, the practice of backmasking made national news when the families of two teenagers sued the band, Judas Priest. The families contended that their sons attempted suicide after listening to the song, "Better By You, Better Than Me" backwards. One man died instantly, the other died years later attributed partly to complications from his suicide attempt. Apparently the words, "Do it" were heard and that encouraged the two men to try and kill themselves. In the end the suit was dismissed and Rob Halford, the lead singer of the band was quoted as saying that if his band wanted to put subliminal messages in their music, it would be to buy more of the band's records.

Judas Priest, Styx (for their song, Snowblind) and other bands have denied the existence of these hidden messages. In many cases, they are hard to understand and listeners have to enhance their imagination to hear these messages.

But musical acts such as ELO ("Fire on High") and Pink Floyd have deliberately placed hidden messages on their records. The Pink Floyd song, "Empty Spaces" even congratulates the curious listeners for finding this message. Not to be outdone 80's comedic icon "Weird" Al Yankovic even gets into the mix with his song "Nature Trail to Hell" where he states that "Satan eats cheese whiz." "Weird" Al Yankovic a Satanist? What next? Barney the Purple Dinosaur?

With the near extinction of vinyl, one would figure that backmasking has also met the same fate. However, even present day pop icons such as Britney Spears and Eminem have hidden messages in their songs. For as long as there are songs to sell, Backmasking will still be around to try to get the public's interest and dollars.