Many of our favorite songs today contain backwards messages that a lot of people find interesting to study. Backmasking technology, mainly found in recording studios, deciphers the backwards messages within some songs. This has been a topic of controversy since the late 1960’s when the famous band, The Beatles, released songs that when played backwards, suggested that Paul McCartney had died. The problem with some examples of backmasking relies heavily on the fact that society today hears what people tell them to hear, thus some people may only hear the backwards message once other people point it out to them. So can we truly say that a song has an underlying message when we can only hear it if someone tells us it’s there? It could also be possible that the artist who recorded the song had no idea what it sounded like when played backwards. Which leads us to another question: are some backmasking meanings coincidental, rubbish, or legitimate?
While listening to some songs backwards, satanic or drug related messages are found rather frequently. For example, in the popular Queen song, “Another Bites The Dust” the catchy line “another bites the dust” sounds like “it’s fun to smoke marijuana” when played in reverse. Personally when I listened to this I thought it sounded a bit “choppy” for the lack of a better term. I could hear the backwards message, but to me it sounded like a coincidence rather than something that Queen did purposely. Another example could be found in the song “Beat It” by Michael Jackson. When he sings “tell you it’s fair, so beat it” many argue that it sounds like he is singing “it must have been the Satan in me”. Again, when I listened to it I could hear this, but I do not believe it was intentional due the fact that it was rather hard to distinguish, and I wouldn’t have picked up on it had it not been pointed out, thus I don’t think it was Michael Jackson’s intention to say that. Moreover, in Brittany Spear’s old song “…Baby One More Time” a backwards message can be heard. When Brittany sings the line, “with you I lose my mind, give me a sign” one can hear “sleep with me I’m not too young” with backmasking technology. I personally feel as if this were an example of an intentional backmasking message. It was very easy to hear, and it does seem like a typical Brittany Spear’s thing to say also. Yet another song with a believed to be backwards message is the song “Fire on High” by the band ELO. A certain part of the song is a bunch of gibberish that is indistinguishable. However using backmasking a very creepy message can be discovered, it sounds like “the music is reversible, but time is not…turn back…turn back…turn back…turn back.” This sounds like another example of an intentional backmasking message since the singer is admitting that the music can be reversed in the actual song. In the song “Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd the singer also admits to a backwards message in the song because when you play the song forwards you hear gibberish yet again, but backwards you hear “Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to old pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont.” For this song I felt as though this was intentional because again, the singer is admitting to a secret message. However in “Stairway To Heaven” by Led Zeppelin what sounds like “If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow, don’t be alarmed now, it’s just a spring clean for the May queen. Yes there are two paths you can by, but in the long run there’s still time to change the road you’re on” sounds like “Oh here’s to my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan. He’ll give those with him 666, there was a little toolshed where he made us suffer, sad Satan” when played backwards. While listening to this backwards I could hear parts of what people claim to hear, but for the most part it was hard to hear, and most of it sounded like rubbish to me. Another example includes Yoko Ono’s song “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss”. In this song she sings “anata, daiteyo” (which means darling, hug me.) However, some people say that they can hear her saying “I shot John Lennon” when they use backmasking technology. Listening to it backwards, I couldn’t even remotely hear this, so I think that the people who are claiming to hear this are just making things up for reasons unknown. Also, after Paul McCartney got into a car accident some people believed that he had died, and that the Beatles had hired a replacement. Further evidence for their theory was found in the song “I’m So Tired” by the Beatles. This song has a part where gibberish is all you can hear, but in reverse you can actually hear “Paul is dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him.” I don’t believe Paul is truthfully dead, however, I do believe that this backmasking was indeed on purpose (maybe they were trying to joke around or to tease the people who believed Paul was really dead?) Even the Disney band The Jonas Brothers has songs with satanic messages in them when played backwards. An example would be in their song “Kids Of the Future” when they sing “we’re the kids, we’re the kids, we’re the kids of the future” which sounds like “I speak for Satan, Satan, Satan”. I could hear this while listening to it, but I think that this was just a coincidence and wasn’t intended by the JoBros. A final song with a good example of backmasking was “It’s My Life” by No Doubt. When they sing “it’s my life” it appears to sound as though they are singing “I love Satan.” One would be able to clearly hear this while listening to it in reverse, but for this one, I couldn’t decide on whether or not it was intentional. With a message so clear in reverse it would make sense that it was intentional, but part of me feels like it was just a coincidence. Backmasking is a unique way for an artist to include secret messages in songs.
Some people would argue that the above songs may be examples of “reverse speech”. The Reverse Speech Theory has to do with the overt and covert modes of speech. The overt mode is the forward, conscious way of speaking. The covert way is the unconscious mode that is backwards and is a reversal of the overt mode. Both of these modes are active at the same time. The Reverse Speech Theory states that both of these modes rely on each other, and are vital for human communication. Without one of the two modes you wouldn’t be able to fully express yourself. This theory goes on to state that the covert mode developed before the overt mode (you can speak backwards first), then the overt mode progresses and the two combine into one. To me personally, this seems crazy. I feel as though speech goes one way in our mind and not backwards. I believe that some words sound similar to other words when pronounced backwards, but I don’t believe that the human mind can unconsciously do this whenever we or someone else talks. I am aware that we are part of a very unique species, with a very complex mind, but I think that not even we are capable of this. However, it would be cool if the Reverse Speech Theory was in fact true.
Overall I think that most songs that people accuse of having backwards messages in it are either coincidental or just plain wrong. Few songs actually have intentional meanings backwards, and if they do, chances are that the backwards parts will be clear so that people can’t put words in the singers mouth. Backmasking is a great way of showing how society today will believe whatever you tell them (for the most part.) When someone says that Madonna sounds like she is praising Satan in her songs (this is just an example) if you listen to it after being told this chances are that you will find something in the song that could sounds like Satan because someone told you so now you are expecting something that sounds like Satan. Some people listen to backmasked songs and think that they hear something weird, when in reality they don’t hear that at all. They may do this for any number of reasons. Or maybe they are just crazy. Backmasking is cool when used properly, but some people take it too far and hear things that aren’t actually there.
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