Backward messaging in music (commonly known as backmasking) has been a controversy ever since the late 1960s, when messages were found backwards on some Beatles' albums, hinting that Paul McCartney had died. Some of these subliminal messages have been identified as purposeful while some are apparently inadvertent. Some believe that many of these backward messages were in fact examples of "Reverse Speech" in music. Speech reversals occur naturally in all forms of speech, sung or spoken. Explore some of the links and sites regarding this subject and offer your opinion on at least 10 specific examples. Do you buy into the theory of Reverse Speech or is it all a bunch of hogwash?
THE THEORY OF REVERSE SPEECH AND SPEECH COMPLEMENTARITY.
(1) Human speech has two distinctive yet complementary functions and modes. The Overt mode is spoken forwards and is primarily under conscious control. The Covert mode is spoken backward and is not under conscious control. The backward mode of speech occurs simultaneously with the forward mode and is a reversal of the forward speech sounds.
(2) These two modes of speech, forward and backward, are dependent upon each other and form an integral part of human communication. One mode cannot be fully understood without the other mode. In the dynamics of interpersonal communication, both modes of speech combined communicate the total psyche of the person, conscious as well as unconscious.
(3) Covert speech develops before overt speech. Children speak backwards before they do forwards. Then, as forward speech commences, the two modes of speech gradually combine into one, forming an overall bi-level communication process.
List of Backmasked/Reverse Speech Songs
Jeff Milner's Site
Reverse Speech Site
Click here to here a well known sample of backmasking from Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven". This audio file will play both forward (original context) and backward (backmasking revealed).
38 comments:
Reguarding the idea of backmasking i believe that some of the songs that have a message while played backwards, are intentional and sound like they were meant to be. Others are 'hogwash' and do not really say anything people just believe they are hearing something that is not actually there.
One of the songs that i believe was intentional and works is the song "Empty Spaces" by Pink Floyd. The part that is indishinguishable is the part when played backwards says " Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to old Pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont". This example is legit and you can clearly tell what is being said when played back. I think when played forward the words are indishinguishable in order to be played back to find the hidden message.
Another example that i believe to be legit is "fire on High" by ELO. The part that when played forward has a message in it is again indishinguishable, but when played backwards there is clearly a message. The message is "the music is reversible but time is not...turn back...turn back...turn back..turn back. I believe that this is the same as the message by Pink Floyd. The song when played forward is not fully understandable buit when you play the song backwards the message is understandable and is easy to hear what is supposed to be said.
I think that some bands or singers intentionally used back masking while others where unaware their music contained it.
1. The Beatles, “I’m so tired” has reversed has a message ‘Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him.’
2. Yoko Ono in her song, “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” there is a hidden message that says ‘I shot John Lennon’
3. ELO “Fire on High” has reversed has a message ‘The music is reversible but time is not…turn back…turn back…turn back…turn back.’
4. The Beatles, “Revolution 9” has reversed has a message ‘Turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man…’
5. Pink Floyd, “Empty Spaces” has reversed has a message ‘Congratulations, You have discovered the secret message. Please send your answers to old pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont.’
I think that all five of those artists have purposely used back masking. But the next five songs I think accidentally have reversed speech.
1. The Pokémon Rap, has the message ‘I love Satan, I love Satan, I love Satan, I love Satan.’
2. Britney Spears, song “… Baby one more time” when played backwards sounds like ‘sleep with me, I’m not too young”
3. Weird Al, “Nature Trail to Hell” has the message ‘Satan eats Cheez Wiz.’
4. Michael Jackson, “Beat it” when reversed says ‘I believe it was Satan in me’
5. The Doors, “Break on Through” has the backward message ‘I am Satan.’
Stairway to Heaven – Led Zeppelin
I think that this example of ‘backmasking’ is just fans of Led Zeppelin looking too far into the song. I do not hear a message of Satan, just gibberish. The backward words are just exactly that- backward words.
Imagine – John Lennon
“Imagine” is similar to “Stairway to Heaven” because they backwards lyrics do not make any sense unless you try really hard to only associate the ‘words’ with similar syllables.
I’m So Tired – The Beatles
Beatles’ fans think that if you play this song backwards you can hear “Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him.” This resulted in a rumor about Paul McCartney’s death which wasn’t true. I think this is coincidental and not done one purpose by the artists.
Empty Spaces – Pink Floyd
On the other hand, some artists may include backmasking on purpose. In “Empty Spaces” if you play it backwards you clearly hear ‘Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to old pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont.’ This may have been put in here by Pink Floyd to poke fun at the backmasking phenomenon.
Baby One More Time – Britney Spears
In “Baby One More Time”, some listeners claim to hear ‘Sleep with me. I’m not too young’ when the chorus is played backwards. I believe this is just critics making fun of Spears’ for pre-mature sexuality in her songs.
Nature Trail to Hell – Weird Al
This is another song that satirizes the ridiculous claims of backmasking. What is gibberish played forward, seems to be ‘Satan eats Cheez Wiz’ when played backwards. It is the style of Weird Al to make fun of pop culture, so I am sure that this ‘backmasking’ was done purposefully.
Another One Bites the Dust – Queen
Some people claim that when the chorus is played backwards it says ‘it’s fun to smoke marijuana’. I think this is just another ridiculous example of fans having too much time on their hands.
Hotel California – Eagles
This is another claim of ‘satanic messages’ in songs. When played backwards, the words are mostly intelligible, although fans claim to hear ‘Satan he hears this. He had me believe.’
Fire on High – ELO
When played backwards, the lyrics clearly say, ‘the music is reversible but time is not. Turn back…turn back….turn back…’. This shows that since it is gibberish when played forward, that the artists merely only wanted to experiment with backmasking.
Beat It – Michael Jackson
This songs like most of the other is not true backmasking. It was not put in the song on purpose. It is ludicrous to claim that, played backwards, the song says ‘I believe it was Satan in me’ since you can barely make out the words.
I do not believe in the theory of reverse speech. The only backmasking in songs that make any sense at all are the ones where the artist purposefully did it, usually to make fun of backmasking.
-Carolyn H.
Speech and language is an interesting subject to converse about. Human speech has two functions, Overt is speaking forwards and is primary while one is aware. Covert is the backwards function of speech and occurs while the speaker is not aware. These functions of speech depend on one another and one cannot be used without the existence of the other. As children learn language, their brain first comprehends it backwards. As time goes on, and children learn to speak overtly the two functions of speech is combined into one creating a bi-level communication process.
In 1969 when The Beatles were accused of creating a song that had a message that could only be heard while reversed. This created a mass surplus of people trying to find secret messages that were lying secret in all of their favorite bands and songs. As some songs actually had secret messages in them, others were just found by people who wanted to hear something, kind of like people who think they saw aliens because they want to see aliens. As some songs had actual messages and others had fake, music clips were recorded, set backwards, and sent in to various media centers.
One song that has an example of reverse speech is Britney Spear's "Hit me baby one more time." In this song is heard the line "Sleep with me, I'm not too young." This song was one of Britney's earlier songs, while she was young, so i believe this is an actual real example of reverse speech. Another song is "Another One Bites the Dust" in which "It's fun to smoke Marijuana" can be heard. I also believe this example to be real because it sounds pretty clear and intentional.
Some songs have terrible examples of reverse speech like "Pokemon Rap" and "Beat it." These songs don't even sound like what is described in captions. "Break on Through" and "Five on High" are also examples of bad reverse speech considering, both of the lines in the songs are two words and are pronounced quickly.
Songs like "Empty Spaces" and "Nature Trial to Hell" are definitely real because they are attempting, and succeeding, to be funny. "I'm so Tired" and "My name is..." also sound pretty clear so they may be real examples of reverse speech.
Whether songs are trying to send satanic messages or just trying to be funny, reverse speech does infant exist. People may just make stuff up or try to discriminate bands they dislike, but reverse speech is real.
Another example of backmasking that i believe to be intentional and real, is Weird Al's. In his song "Nature Trail to Hell" he has a part where the lyrics are indistinguishable when played forward. When the same lyrics are played backwards it reveals the saying, "Satan eats Cheese Wiz". I believe that this was intentional because Weird Al is a funny artist that would put something in his song, such as that to make people laugh.
I believe Britney Spears "Hit Me Baby One More Time" is an example of reverse speach. When the song is played backwards you can clearly hear " sleep with me, I'm not to young". It is ironic that her older song would say this because back then Britney Spears was marketed as this innocent young girl. I think that it was inncidental and when played backwards it happens to reveal this message.
One that i believe to be completely incidental is "Hotel California" by the Eagles. WHen played backwards it is supposed to say " Satan he hears this. He had me believe" but actualy the only word that is able to be made out is believe. If this was supposed to be an actual backmasking i think that the words would be much clearer then they appear to be.
Another song that i believe to be fake is Michael Jackson's "Beat It". When played backwards "I Believe it was Satan in me" is supposed to be heard. When i played it backwards i could not make out any of those words. I dont think that this was intentional in any way.
1. Led Zepplin's Stairway to Heaven: this is one of the most popular examples of backmasking. i think that the references to Satan when played backwards were purposely meant to be heard. It is very clear, too clear to be an accident. the song and lyrics are clear both foward and backward which makes me think that there was supposed to be a message in reverse.
2. Pink Floyd's Empty Spaces: i definitely think that this example of backmasking was recorded so that you could hear a message in reverse. when played foward the lyrics cannot be distinguished but in reverse there is an apparent message. the lyrics in reverse even say "you have just discovered the secret message." this song was meant to be this way.
3. John Lennon's Imagine: this song is supposed to be another example of backmasking. when played in reverse, the lyrics "imagine all the people" is thought to sound like "the people war beside me" but i think that that wasnt really the goal of the song writer. i think that people were just looking for a secret message and just happened to think that that line sounded like that backwards and then called it backmasking.
4. Eagles' Hotel California. in this song when, when the line "in the middle of the night, just to hear them say" is played backwards, you're supposed to hear "Satan he hears this. he had me believe" but i once again dont believe that this one was supposed to be backmasked. i think its straight hogwash. when you listen to it in reverse it doesnt really sound like what people think it does in my opinion. people just tried to hard to find a subliminal message.
5. ELO's Fire on High: this example is kind of like the example of Pink Floyd's Empty Spaces. i think that backmasking was purposely put in this one. it is indistinguishable when played forward but backwards there is a clear message. you will hear "the music is reversable but time is not...." when you listen to it in reverse.
6. Weird Al's Nature Trail to Hell: this song is another indistinguishable song with a clear message when played in reverse. my thought is that it was meant to be that way. when played in reverse you clearly hear "satan eats cheese wiz". if you think about it, its kinda of funny...but when i was younger...and i first heard this backmask...i couldnt sleep for like a week...hehehehehe.
7. Britney Spears' Baby One More Time: this is another well known example of backmasking. i think that the message in the song when played backwards is clear, but i dont think it was purposely written that way. this seems like one of those accidental subliminal message. i think that just because it was britney spears and the message was about sex everyone just assumed that it was written that way.
8. Yoko Ono's Kiss Kiss Kiss: i think this one is complete HOGWASH! in my opinion, when played in reverse it just sounds like indistinguishable noises. people think that it sounds like "i shot john lennon" but they probably just think that because she was the reason the beatles broke up!!!
9. Queen's Another Bites the Dust: i think this song is another example of backmasking that just happened to appear. you can kind of hear the message but it doesnt seem clear enough to be purposely put there. "another bites the dust" played backwards sounds like "it's fun to smoke marijuana"
10. The Beatles' Im So Tired: i think this example is a hogwashhhhhh example. i dont think the indistinguishable noises played foward sounds like "paul is a dead man" when played in reverse. i think once again people just wanted to find something that doesnt exist. and why would they want a message like that when paul is in their band?!
Reverse Speech
Stairway to Heaven
This one is somewhat hard to understand but you can understand the word “Satan” very clearly. Another thing that seems clear is “on a little path,” “tool shed” and “666.” This seem like it was intentional to create a sort of “Stairway to Hell” which would be a contradiction of the song.
Imagine
This one is very hard to understand and seems like a stretch. This could be reverse speech but it seems to be more of a stretch that anything else. The only song that you can kind of make out is “War.”
I’m so Tired
This is an example of back masking, when played forward it is indistinguishable, and when played backwards it has a very clear-cut message saying “Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him.”
Empty Spaces
This is another example of back masking, they purposely put the message in there and it is very clear and obvious. When played forward the lyrics are indistinguishable, but then backwards they are very obvious.
Baby one more time
This could either be a coincidence and an example of reverse speech or back masking. The message is very clear both ways and therefore I think that it could be either. The entire line is very clear and obvious.
Nature Trail to Hell
This is another indistinguishable song forward which means that it is blatant back masking. The line that can be heard is “Satan eats cheese wiz”
Another one Bites the Dust
This one seems that it could be reverse speech, but I think that it is back masking. The message seems like something that Queen would purposely put into the song, not something that coincidentally be the reverse.
Hotel California
This seems like another over exaggeration, I listened to the song in reverse a couple of times and there is nothing that sounded like what is “supposed to be there.” I couldn’t hear any of the words that where claimed to be there.
Revolution 9
This seems like it is an exaggeration, I don’t think that this was put here on purpose, although some of it is distinguishable meaning that It may be an example of reverse speech.
Fire on High
This is another one where it is indistinguishable forward and therefore a blatant example of back masking.
-Mike Costa
Another song that i think is an intentional backmasking is "I'm So tired" by the Beatles. The lyrics are indishtinguishable when played forward but when played backwards it plays, "Paul is a dead man. Miss him miss him miss him". I believe this is true because at the time Paul from the Beatles was already dead. Also, i can clearly hear what is being said when played backwards.
Backmasking:
1) The Led Zeppelin song "Stairway to Heaven" in my opinion is real backmasking, but wasn't done on purpose.
2)The John Lennon song "Imagine" i think is completely bogus.
3) The Beatles song "I'm So Tired" i think is not true at all.
4) The Yoko Ono's song "Kiss Kiss Kiss" is also complete bogus.
5) The Eminem song "My Name Is" in my opinion is true and is done on pupose.
6) The Brittney Spears song "Baby One More Time" sounds completely true, and seems to be on purpose.
7) The Wierd Al song "Natural Trail to Hell" is true, and on purpose because it seems something that he would do.
8) The Queen song "Another One Bites The Dust" sounds true and seems like something that would be on purpose.
9) The Eagles song "Hotel California" sounds as if it is bogus.
10) The Doors song "Break On Through" is a song that does sound bogus.
1."Beat It" by Michael Jackson - Hogwash. I do not believe this was intentional backmasking, nor do I think the wording is clear enough to even be reverse speech.
2.“Break on Through” by The Doors – Reverse Speech. The line does not seem to be added with intent, but it does sound somewhat clear.
3.“Fire on High” by ELO – Backmasking. Obviously done intentionally, especially considering that the line is not distinguishable when played forward.
4.“Revolution Nine” by the Beatles – Reverse Speech. Unintentionally, but not complete hogwash. The words are somewhat believable when played backward.
5.“Hotel California” by The Eagles – Reverse Speech. Not clear enough to be deliberate backmasking, but still somewhat audible. It seems too rushed at the end to be intentional.
6.“Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen – Baskmasking. Deliberate message of “It’s Fun to Smoke Marijuana” is noticeable and clear.
7.“Nature Trail to Hell” by “Weird Al” Yankovic – Baskmasking. It seems like a fitting thing for “Weird Al” to do, and the lyrics are easily distinguishable.
8.“Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd – Backmasking. Clearly a hidden message, as the band itself even mentions in the lyric itself.
9.“My Name Is…” by Eminem – Backmasking. Not only does the message itself sound clear, but also the lyrics are fitting to the placement in the song.
10.“I’m So Tired” by the Beatles – Reverse Speech. While this is one of the more controversial and well-known lyrics that could be backmasked, I do believe that it is merely coincidence that the words sound like “Paul is a dead man.”
1. “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin- I would say that this song is defiantly backmasking. When the song is played backwards, the message is very clear. Both the forward and backward playing of the song makes sense, therefore it was intentional.
2. “Imagine” by John Lennon- I do not believe this song is a form of backmasking or reverse speech. The words are very hard to understand when the song is played backwards and if there weren’t lyrics to go along with it, I probably wouldn’t have even picked up on the words.
3. “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” by Yoko Ono- I also believe that this song is hogwash! The words in the backwards version are very choppy and unclear. Someone could’ve easily altered the words and made it convey the message that they claim she says. This cannot be real!
4. “My Name Is…” by Eminem- I would defiantly classify this song as backmasking. Eminem is known as a joker and someone who likes to have fin and not take things too seriously. The fact that he used his title and saying “my name is” repeatedly forwards and it really saying his name backwards is brilliant. This form of backmasking is funny and enjoyable opposed to scary and demonic; I like it!
5. “Baby One More Time” by Britney Spears- Like Eminem, Britney uses backmasking as comedic. This album was one of Britney’s first, along with this song, one of her first hits. It’s funny that she is seen as angelic, young, and pure but her hidden message is “sleep with me I’m not too young”. This is completely believable and in the backwards version, the words are very clear.
6. “I’m so Tired” by the Beatles- This song is an example of backmasking. The fact that they use gibberish in the forward version obviously tells us that there is more behind it. Whenever an artist uses gibberish in their songs, they are trying to hide an ulterior message. The Beatles cleverly use gibberish in this song to depict a hidden message.
7. “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen- This is another song that clearly uses backmasking. This song is very uplifting, fun, and upbeat. The fact that the hidden message is “It’s fun to smoke marijuana” is both ironic and predictable. It’s ironic that a famous song would have such a vulgar message, but if you think about it, it seems as if the singers are on drugs while singing the song. The backmasking in this song is very believable.
8. “Nature Trail to Hell” by Weird Al- Just like “Another One Bites the Dust”, the backmasking in this song is very predictable and distinguishable. For starters, hell is in the title, so obviously there is going to be some kind of allusion to the devil in the song. If you know of Weird Al, you know that he is very eccentric and he would put a hidden message like this in his song.
9. “Hotel California” by the Eagles- I do not believe this song is a form of backmasking. I do not hear Satan at all in the backwards version, and if other’s do, I think it was altered to sound that way. On the other hand, I do think this song is an example of reverse speech. I do hear “He had me believe” and I think it was possibly unintentional on the Eagle’s part.
10. “Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd- The reverse lyrics of this song indeed do sound like backmasking. They used gibberish, like the Beatles to convey a subliminal message, when played backwards. I think that this one is probably the best out of them all. The message is very clear, believable, and outstandingly original.
Stairway to Heaven- Led Zepplin
I believe that the backmasking in Stairway To Heaven is real. I'm not sure if it was purposefully put there just because the paragraph makes so much sence. Its not like it's just a bynch of random sentences put together, its a full paragraph.
Kiss Kiss Kiss- Yoko Ono
I think the "i shot John Lennon" is WAY too looked into. They're stretching on that one.
Empty Spaces- Pink Floyd
I think they knew that people would overanalyze songs and were searching for songs with backmasking, so they decided to humor them. It was put there without a doubt.
I'm So Tired- The Beatles
There is theories about The Beatles backmasking on purpose but making it seem like an accident..i'm not too sure. I think it could be a backmasking but wether its on purpose or on accident, i Can't tell.
My Name Is...- Eminem
I think that the song is backmasking by accident, although the fact that it says both Slim and Eminem could be questional, i think i was accidental and coincidental.
Nature Trail To Hell- Wierd Al
Odviously, this was purposeful backmasking. It says they most clear, and random thing that is odviously put there for laughs. Wierd Al has done this before in other songs and odviously he did it again in this song.
Pokemon Rap
YES! I knew this song was SATANIC. No. People are looking too hard. There isn's backmasking. Its a childs cartoon theme song. No. Blasphomy.
Fire On High- ELO
Odviously purposeful. A lot of times when there is "indistiguishable gibberish", it means that might be backmasking. It's very clear.
Baby One More Time- Brittany Spears
One of the most hilarioous backmasking i've heard. I think it's an accident because why would brittany just come out and admit that she's a total slut. I love it. It really makes sence.
Revolution 9- John Lennon
I believe the backmasking in this song was put there to entertain John Lennon because he already is so famous, why not make him more.
The Beatles – “I’m So Tired”
This clip is backmasking because, although it is nonsensical when played normally, it makes perfect sense when played backwards. Not only this, but the message is too relevant and specific to John Lennon’s death and the band itself to be a coincidence.
Pink Floyd – “Empty Spaces”
This example, I feel, is also legitimate backmasking. Saying “congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message,” is too coincidental to be unintentional in my mind. Also, “old pink” seems to be a reference to the band.
Weird Al – “Nature Trail to Hell”
This is too much like something that Weird Al would come up with and is way to clear to be unintentional. It was definitely done on purpose, it even has a beat to it backwards.
ELO – “Fire on High”
You don’t get much straighter forward then “the music is reversible…” The message is too concise and seemingly rehearsed to be coincidental. Also, it is indistinguishable nonsense words when played forwards, adding credibility to the hypothesis that it was indeed intentional.
Eagles – “Hotel California”
This is not backmasking or reverse speech. This is a bunch of “hogwash” conceived by someone with way too much time on their hands. The message is barely coherent and has no relevance to the band or the song. This guy was just so caught up in finding satanic messages in backwards music that he created his own farfetched example.
Yoko Ono – “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss”
This clip is “hogwash.” If she’s really saying “I shot John Lennon” backwards, then she did so with a full grown lobster hanging from her tongue.
Led Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven”
I believe that this is an example of legitimate backmasking. Led Zeppelin is more of a satanic music oriented band and the message is too elaborate to be a coincidence. The backwards message also refers to the “path” mentioned in the forwards playing lyrics.
Pokemon Rap
I feel that this clip is just unintentional reverse speech. The message is clearly there, but I feel that it was not foreseen by the artist and is merely a coincidence.
Eminem – “My Name Is…”
I believe that this clip is backmasking because it is very clear, includes the name of the artist, and makes sense when looking at the song title.
Michael Jackson – “Beat It”
I feel that this is reverse speech and not backmasking. It seems unintentional to me and may be just a coincidence based on the covert language flow.
1.Led Zeppelin's Stairway to Heaven, is an example of backmasking. I think this because you can clearly hear them saying something about Satan. Its not perfectly clear, but you can hear the word Satan.
2.The Beatles's I'm so Tired, is another example of backmasking. The song played forwards does not make anysence, but played backwards it clearly says, "paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him."
3.Yoko Ono's Kiss Kiss, is another example of backmasking. I think this because forwards the line does not make clear words, but reverse, Yoko sounds to clearly say, "I Shot John Lennon."
4.Within the song Pokemon Rap it is said to say, " I love Satan. I love Satan. I love Satan. I love Satan." I think this is an example of people over looking, or looking too hard for backmasking. Reverse, the line is not clear, at all.
5.Pink Floyd's' Empty Spaces is a clear example of backmasking. This is because forward the line is in distinguishable, but reversed you clearly hear, "Congratulations. You have just discovered the secert message. Please send your answer to old pink, care of funny farm, Chalfont."
6.Britney Spears' Hit me Baby one more time, is an example of again, people looking too into backmasking. Reverse, you are told to hear, "Sleep with me, I'm not too young." This is too unclear to say it is backmasking.
7.Weird Al's Nature Trail to Hell, is an example of backmasking. Weird Al obviously did this because of all the talk about backmasking.
8.Queen's Another One Bits the Dust is an example of backmasking. I think this because forwards they say, "Another One Bits the Dust," and reverse its said to say, "It's fun to smoke marijuana." Reverse this sound very clear, and also the song is suppose to be talking about marijuana.
9.Eagles' Hotel California is an example of people taking backmasking over board. Forwards it says, "In the middle of the night, just to hear them say," and reverse it is suppose to say, "Satan he hears this. He had be believe." When reverse it is very unclear.
10.ELO's Fire on High is an example of backmasking. Like Weird Al, ELO obviously did this to make fun of the obsessed backmasking fans.
Another example of backmasking is "My Name is" by Eminem. When reversed it says "It is Slim. Its Eminem", and it repeats this over and over. I believe that this was intentional because eminem is also referred as Slim. He would not have repeated his names over again and over again if he did not want people to know who is he.
Queen's song "Another one bites the dust" is also a true example of backmasking. When the song is played backwards it plays, "Its fun to smoke marijuana" is repeated 3 times. This was definately intentional and was put there by Queens on purpose.
Yoko Ono's song "Kiss Kiss" is not backmasking or reverse speech. It is supposed to say "I shot John Lennon". It is not clear at all what is being said when played backwards. The syllables may match up but the words are not able to be understood.
I don’t but into the theory of reverse speech. It’s true when toddlers are trying to say something they word it differently to a limit where their speech skills aren’t fully developed but you know what they are saying. But when you do it with music it’s completely different. Also, I don’t agree when it said that gradually back word speech and forward speech is combining into one. It’s just awkward grammer.
Tamika Q.
Chris W
Per. B P.O.S.
10/27/09
Subliminal messages
Subliminal messages have been used in music for years. Whether it’s purposeful like back masking, or it’s just examples of reverse speech which happens naturally. It could just be an example of your ears hearing what they want to hear and creating controversy about songs when the so called “subliminal message” isn’t purposeful, and in fact, is nothing but a load of hogwash. Whether its purposeful or not, these strange anomalies of music deserve to be explored and an answer needs to be found.
In "Imagine" by John Lennon there is a supposed subliminal message in the line "Imagine all the people", it is said that John Lennon is saying "The people war beside me". I believe this is a load of hogwash, there was the Viet Nam war going on at the time that this song was made and people were looking for someone to be the role model of the generation to put a stop to the unjust war. It is more of a case of the ear hearing what it wants to hear then an actual backmasking message. In the song "I'm So tired" there is a subliminal message in a load of gibberish if you listen to it backwards which supposedly says "Paul is dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him". I believe that this is an example of intentional backmasking because after the Beatles stopped touring around 1967, there record sales started to slightly decline, in order to pull the record sales around they put intentional subliminal messages in their songs to get new listeners and new people interested in their music. In the song "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss" there is supposedly a subliminal message when you play the line "Anata, daiteyo" backwards which most subliminal message experts say it says "I shot John Lennon". This is a bunch of hogwash, not only do I not believe this says this, but it sounds like indistinguishable gibberish. After John Lennon's death, the death of a world-wide superstar, people were looking for answers, they started to go back and listen to his old songs, again this seems like another case of ears and mind working together to find and listen to things that aren't actually there.
1. "Stairway to Heaven" I believe that Led Zepplin purposely used backmasking in this song. My reasons for believing this are because the words are very clear to hear and make complete sentences. The backmasking is all about satan, one complete idea.
2. "Imagine" I believe that John Lennon purposely used backmasking in "Imagine" because the song is about peace and love and the backmasking says, " The people war beside me" which is also referencing to the whole war and conflict idea. Also, the words are easy to make out without having the reverse lyrics in front of you.
3. "I'm So Tired" This one I am not too sure about. The Beatles may have used backmasking as a joke by having it say, "Paul is a dead man. Miss him. Miss him. Miss him." But clearly, Paul McCartney is still alive so it is not true. It could be reverse speech, but when I listen to it I can hear it really clearly. It could just be a coincidence though.
4. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" I believe that this song by Yoko Ono is purely reverse speech. Although it does sound like " I shot John Lennon," I don't believe she would purposely put this in the song for two reasons. First, she was John Lennon's partner. Second, she didn't shoot John Lennon, a crazy person did.
5. "My Name is" I believe that Eminem purposely used backmasking in this song. It is definitely clear that the lyrics "My Name is what?" played backwards says, "It's Eminem, It's Slim." Not only it is easily heard, but it also makes sense in context with the lyrics to the song.
6. "Empty Spaces" The band Pink Floyd even said in the backmasking that "You have just discovered the secret message." So this is definitely not reverse speech.
7. "Baby One More Time" This is another one I am not too sure about. This Britney Spears song played backwards sounds like the words, "Sleep with me I'm not too young." Being her first breakout hit and only being at the age of 16 at the time, I don't think she would put this in her song because it would be sending the wrong message to her young fans. On the other hand, played backwards it is so clear that you don't even have to look at the reverse lyrics to make out what she says.
8. "Another One Bites the Dust" I believe that Queen purposely used backmasking in this song because it is the same lines, "It's fun to smoke marijuana" over and over again that is clear to hear and understand. I wouldn't even have to look at the reverse lyrics to figure out what it is saying.
9. "Hotel California" I think this Eagles song is just an example of reverse speech in that it is not as clear to make out, and does not tie in with the rest of the song. I don't know why they would randomly throw in a line about Satan and making him believe in something.
10. "Beat It" I believe this Michael Jackson song is just another example of reverse speech because it so unclear that when I first heard it, I had no idea what I should be looking for. After when I read it, I laughed because I really don't think Michael Jackson would put this in one of his songs, let alone one of his most popular. It just doesn't make sense why he would do so.
Reverse Speech in Song
1. One example of reverse speech in song is "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin. This is a clear example of backmasking because when reversed, a whole paragraph about Satan is revealed, which is relevant to the song because it is an idea opposite of the main idea of the song. The clarity and subject of the reversed speech is too powerful to be accidental or ignored and is a clear example of backmasking.
2. Another example of reverse speech in song is John Lennon’s "Imagine". This is an example of backmasking because when the line "imagine all the people" is reversed, it says "the people war beside me". This song is about peace, and the idea of people warring is the opposite of that. The relevance of this line shows that this is not a coincidence and is clearly backmasking.
3. One confusing example of reverse speech in song is "I’m so tired" by the Beatles. When a line of gibberish is reversed it says "Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him." This is creepy but relevant to the band because of the band member named Paul. The line is very clear and the reversed music also creates a scary atmosphere. However, since Paul is still alive, this line is creepy but does not explain any actual events. While it seems like an intentional example of backmasking, it is unclear because of Paul’s survival.
4. An example of reverse speech in song that I believe is not intentional is Yoko Ono’s "Kiss, Kiss, Kiss". When two foreign words of this song are reversed, it sounds like they say "I shot John Lennon." This is strange because Yoko Ono was John Lennon’s wife and he was shot dead. However, I do not believe that Yoko Ono would intentionally put that reverse speech in her song especially since the actual shooter of John Lennon was caught and arrested. I do not believe that this is actual backmasking.
5. An example of reverse speech in song is "My name is..." by Eminem. This is a clear example of backmasking because when you reverse this song, it amazingly repeats the names of Eminem and Slim Shady. The line is very clear and repeats the artists’ names, clearly proving to be an example of Backmasking.
6. An example of supposed reverse speech in song that is absolute hogwash is the Pokemon rap. Supposedly, when you reverse the "gotta catch ‘em all, gotta catch ‘em all" it says "I love Satan, I love Satan." However, when you listen to it, it is very unclear and cannot even be heard to say that. The absence of the clear reversed speech proves this is certainly not backmasking.
7. A clear example of intentional backmasking in music is Pink Floyd’s "Empty Spaces". This is clear backmasking because when played forward, there is a section of indistinguishable gibberish. However, when this line is played backwards, it plays a congratulatory message for finding the secret message in the song, proving to be intentional backmasking.
8. Yet another example of reverse speech in song is "...Baby One More Time" by Brittany Spears. When one line of this song is reversed, the line "Sleep with me, I’m not too young" can be heard. While the line is very clear and many people would not be surprised by a person such as her to put this reversed speech in a song, I cannot bring myself to believe that anyone would intentionally put such a disgraceful message in a song intentionally. Therefor, I believe that this song is an example of reverse speech, but not intentional backmasking.
9. In addition, "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen is an example of reverse speech in music. When the chorus, "Another one bites the dust" is reversed, it says "It’s fun to smoke marijuana". The line can be clearly heard multiple times and is relevant to the song because if someone does too much marijuana and other stronger drugs, they end up wasting their life away and could die. The line "Another one bites the dust" implies that another person has gone or died. This is a clear example of backmasking.
10. One of the greatest examples of reverse speech in song is "Fire on High" by the ELO. When you reverse the strange, indistinguishable introduction to this song, you hear a message telling you "the music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back, turn back, turn back." This line is not just clear, but is obviously intentional and as understandable as the person adjacent to you speaking. The clarity of the line and the message of the reversed speech itself prove that this is an obvious example of intentional backmasking.
I believe that intentional backmasking in songs is real. However, I do not believe that all reverse speech in music is intentional, or that all of the songs claimed to have reversed messages in them actually do have reversed messages in them.
Backmasking/Reverse Speech
“My Name is…” Eminem
I believe the reverse speech within this song is real and also was purposefully done. I think Eminem was aware of the fact and maybe even did it on purpose. Although I do not believe the reverse speech is satanic what so ever.
“Baby One More Time” Britney Spears
I think the reverse speech within this song could either be accidental or done on purpose. The fact is very plausible. When listening to the lyrics backwards, it truly does sound like she is saying “Sleep with me, I’m not too young.”
“Stairway to Heaven” Led Zeppelin
I think the supposed reverse speech within this song is assumed and not real nor purposely created. Led Zeppelin did not create a song with a hidden satanic message. When played backwards, the supposed message is very hard to make out.
“Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” Yoko Ono
The idea that Yoko created a song that purposely stated that she shot John Lennon is ridiculous. Yoko loved John and did not shoot him nor did she write a song that would state that lie.
“Empty Spaces” Pink Floyd
This backmasking is clearly purposefully done. Pink Floyd injected these types of reverse speech into their songs as a challenge for their fans. I believe this to be done consciously.
“Nature Trail to Hell” Weird Al
The backmasking within this song is clear and believable. Weird Al is known for his silly lyrics and this type of reverse speech does not seem out of the ordinary. I think this was done intentionally.
“Another One Bites the Dust” Queen
I think the reverse speech within this song was merely coincidental. It is somewhat believable that those are the lyrics when reversed. Dust could be a reference to marijuana.
“Hotel California” The Eagles
The backmasking/reverse speech within this song’s lyrics is not believable. I don’t think there is a satanic message within “Hotel California.”
“Break on Through” The Doors
I do not think the supposed satanic message within this song was done purposefully. The backmasking lyrics are merely assumed.
“Beat It” Michael Jackson
The supposed backmasking within Michael Jackson’s song is not real. It is assumed. I do not think Michael Jackson would consciously inject a satanic message into one of his songs.
-Caroline Alm
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I think backmasking is intentional in several songs that are played today. Although I don’t not believe in reverse speech; I don’t think that in all music it is intentional I think it’s just what the people that are listening to the song think.
Here are a few examples:
Britney Spears
“Baby one more time”
This song could either be a coincidence or an example of reverse speech or backmasking. The message could be used by both. The entire line is obvious to the listener.
Eminem
“My Name Is…”
This song can be seen as blackmasking. Not only does the message itself sound clear, but also the lyrics are clear in itself.
Led Zeppelin
“Stairway to Heaven”
I would put this song in the category of backmasking. When the song is played backwards, the message is very clear to the listener. Play the song forward and backwards makes sense to the listener which means it was intentional unlike several other songs.
John Lennon
“Imagine”
I don’t think that this song is backmasking or reverse speech. The words are very hard to understand when the song is played backwards so it would not be considered backmasking.
Weird Al
“Nature Trail to Hell”
A lot of Weird Al songs are easy to understand so I don’t not think that his song was unintentional I think he was focusing on backmasking in this song.
The Beatles’
“I'm so Tired”
Is a strong example of backmasking. The song played forwards does not make, but when it’s played backwards it clearly says lines that make sense for example when they sing, "paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him," the lines are clear to the listener.
Queen
"Another one bites the dust"
This is also an example of backmasking. When the song is played backwards it plays, "It’s fun to smoke marijuana.” This was intentional of Queen to do; they figured that it would get the point across.
Yoko Ono
“Kiss, Kiss”
This song by Yoko Ono is what I consider reverse speech. Although it does sound like " I shot John Lennon," I don't believe she purposely put this in the song. Because for a fact she was John Lennon's partner and it is also known that she didn’t kill him.
Lady Gaga
“Paparazzi”
Lady Gaga’s song is an example of backmasking and I think this was intentional because it is very clear to the listener; there is no question about what she is saying.
Pink Floyd
"Empty Spaces"
The band even said in the backmasking that "You have just discovered the secret message." So this is definitely not reverse speech and it was intentionally done.
1. In Weird Al’s “Nature Trail To Hell”, back-masking is supposedly contained within the song. When played forward, you are unable to understand what is being said. But, when played backwards, the words; “Satan eats Cheez Whiz” are clearly heard. Obviously, this example of back-masking was purposefully put into the song.
2. In Lady Gaga’s “Paparazzi”, the words “Evil save us, the stars above, above…we model under the arts of Lucifer” are “heard” when part of the song is played backwards. I do believe that Lady Gaga did this on purpose; it just fits in with her personality. She’s a very zany, outrageous person who’s just a tad different.
3. The idea of back-masking in “Pokémon Rap” is complete hogwash. When the songs is played forward it says; “Gotta catch ‘em all, gotta catch ‘em all (yo)/Gotta catch ‘em all, gotta catch ‘em all (yeah).” When it is played backwards, it is impossible to even understand what is being said.
4. Michael Jackson’s “Beat It” definitely does not contain back-masking. When the song is played backwards, it doesn’t even come close to saying; “I believe it was satan in me.” This belief of back-masking is complete hogwash.
5. In Tupac Shakur’s song, “In This Life I Lead,” a back-masked message is definitely heard. Forward, Tupac is swearing and saying a bunch of inappropriate words but, when that section is played backwards, “I’m still alive and missing you” is clearly heard. I believe that Tupac had done this on purpose and the message is definitely there.
6. “Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd has a back-masked message that was purposefully put in. When part of the song is played forward, it is indistinguishable. But, when that same part is played backwards these words are heard: “Congratulations, you have just discovered the secret message. Please send you message to old pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont.” This message was very clear and was obviously put in the song on purpose.
7. In Yoko Ono’s “Kiss, Kiss, Kiss” the message, “I shot John Lennon” is supposedly heard. I believe that this is complete hogwash because one; you can’t understand it backwards, and two; you can’t understand it forwards either seeing as though it is in a completely different language!
8. Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust” arguably has back-masking contained within the song. However, I do not it was put in there on purpose. When the song is played backwards, the words; “It’s fun to smoke…” can be heard but, I don’t believe it is back-masking because, it just sounds like the words that are being said forwards, just backwards.
9. “Fire On High” by ELO obviously contains back-masking. When part of the song is played forwards, you can’t understand it at all but when it is played backwards it says; “The music is reversible but, time is not…turn back…turn back…turn back!” This was obviously put in the song on purpose.
10. Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time,” in my opinion, does not contain back-masking. In her teens, Britney was portrayed as sweet and innocent, and she upheld was people had portrayed her to be. That is why I believe the “back-masking” within her song is not true. You can’t even understand what she is saying backwards, “I’m not too young, sleep with me” is definitely not back-masked within the song.
Overall, I believe that back-masking is a real thing. But, people sometimes just look too much into some of the songs that are believed to contain back-masking within them.
Backmasking is a very creative way to put a message out to listeners of your music. Some artists have creative things to say through backmasking while others have creepy things to say. I do believe that some of the backmasking is real. For example, the songs where you can clearly tell that the artist wanted to say what it says. I do not believe in the ones that have to do with Satan or evil spirits. I believe that people just make things up for their own entertainment. For example:
1) Eminem’s song called “Stimulate” says "I'm not here to save you / I'm only here for the ride / So let me entertain you / And everything will be fine.” Clearly Eminem wanted to put this in his song. He purposely wrote this and wanted people to hear it. This is an example of a true backmasking message.
2) Eminem’s song “My name is” says “It is Slim, it's Eminem (yo), it's Eminem (yo), it's Eminem." This is another example of true backmasking where he wanted listeners to hear what he had to say through the song.
3) Stairway to Heaven says “Indistinguishable” but the reversed lyrics say “Congratulations. You have discovered the hidden message.” This was also clearly done for the entertainment of people who listen to backmasking.
4)”Baby one more time” by Britney spears. The original message says “with you I lose my mind. Give me a sign” the reversed says “sleep with me. Im not too young”. Some people could argue that britney did put this in herself but I believe that someone else just made it up. The message is not very clear so someone could have made it up themselves.
5)”Another one bites the dust” in this song the lyrics are “another one bites the dust” but the reversed lyrics are “its fun to smoke marijuana” this was clearly purposely written
6)”Hotel California” says “in the middle of the night, just to hear them say” but reversed it says “satan hears this. He had me believe” I don’t believe in the satan ones because many people just try to freak people out with the satan ones.
7)”fire on high” the original lyrics say “indistinguishable” but the reversible lyrics say “the music is reversible but time is not… turn back..turn back” this is clearly done on purpose also.
8) “break on through” says “treasures there” but the reversed says “I am satan” again I do not believe that this one was done on purpose. I believe that someone just made it up.
9) “beat it” says “tell you its fair so beat it” reversed it says “I believe it was satan in me” again this one doesn’t even sound like it says. People are just making it up.
10)”paparazzi” says “theres not other susperstar ill be your papa paparazzi”says evil saves us the stars about from Lucifer” I also believe that this one is made up.
Backmasking is a very creative way to put a message out to listeners of your music. Some artists have creative things to say through backmasking while others have creepy things to say. I do believe that some of the backmasking is real. For example, the songs where you can clearly tell that the artist wanted to say what it says. I do not believe in the ones that have to do with Satan or evil spirits. I believe that people just make things up for their own entertainment. For example:
1) Eminem’s song called “Stimulate” says "I'm not here to save you / I'm only here for the ride / So let me entertain you / And everything will be fine.” Clearly Eminem wanted to put this in his song. He purposely wrote this and wanted people to hear it. This is an example of a true backmasking message.
2) Eminem’s song “My name is” says “It is Slim, it's Eminem (yo), it's Eminem (yo), it's Eminem." This is another example of true backmasking where he wanted listeners to hear what he had to say through the song.
3) Stairway to Heaven says “Indistinguishable” but the reversed lyrics say “Congratulations. You have discovered the hidden message.” This was also clearly done for the entertainment of people who listen to backmasking.
4)”Baby one more time” by Britney spears. The original message says “with you I lose my mind. Give me a sign” the reversed says “sleep with me. Im not too young”. Some people could argue that britney did put this in herself but I believe that someone else just made it up. The message is not very clear so someone could have made it up themselves.
5)”Another one bites the dust” in this song the lyrics are “another one bites the dust” but the reversed lyrics are “its fun to smoke marijuana” this was clearly purposely written
6)”Hotel California” says “in the middle of the night, just to hear them say” but reversed it says “satan hears this. He had me believe” I don’t believe in the satan ones because many people just try to freak people out with the satan ones.
7)”fire on high” the original lyrics say “indistinguishable” but the reversible lyrics say “the music is reversible but time is not… turn back..turn back” this is clearly done on purpose also.
8) “break on through” says “treasures there” but the reversed says “I am satan” again I do not believe that this one was done on purpose. I believe that someone just made it up.
9) “beat it” says “tell you its fair so beat it” reversed it says “I believe it was satan in me” again this one doesn’t even sound like it says. People are just making it up.
10)”paparazzi” says “theres not other susperstar ill be your papa paparazzi”says evil saves us the stars about from Lucifer” I also believe that this one is made up.
1. Led Zeppelin’s Stairway to Heaven. This is one of the most popular examples of backmasking. I think that the references to Satan when played backwards, were on purpose, and meant to be heard. It is very clear, and the song and lyrics are clear both forward and backward, which makes me realize that there was supposed to be a message in reverse, and that we were meant to hear it.
2. Britney Spears' Baby One More Time. This is another well known model of backmasking. I think that the message in the song when played backwards is clear, but I don’t think that it was on purpose. It seems like maybe it was on accident. It supposedly said, “Sleep with me, I’m not too young.”
3. Eagles' Hotel California. In this song, when the line, “in the middle of the night, just to hear them say", is played backwards, you're supposed to hear "Satan he hears this. He had me believe.” When you listen to it in reverse, it doesn’t really sound like what people think it does.
4. The Beatles' I’m So Tired. This is also a good example. It is said that when played backwards, the noises sound like,”Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him.”
5. John Lennon's Imagine. This song is another example of backmasking. When played backwards, the lyrics, "imagine all the people" is thought to sound like "the people war beside me" but I think that that wasn’t really the goal of the song writer. I think that people were just looking for a secret message and just happened to think that that line sounded like that backwards and then called it backmasking.
6. Pink Floyd's Empty Spaces. This song definitely has examples of backmasking. It was recorded so that you could hear a message in reverse. But when played regular, the lyrics are hard to illustrate. In reverse, there is a known message. The lyrics in reverse say, “you have just discovered the secret message." this song was meant to be heard this way to discover the message.
7. Weird Al's Nature Trail to Hell. This song is another hard to understand song with a clear message when played in reverse. I believe that it was meant to be that way. When it is played in reverse, you clearly hear, "Satan eats cheese wiz". This line is actually really funny.
8. ELO's Fire on High. This song is an example like the example of Pink Floyd's Empty Spaces. I think that backmasking was purposely put in this song. It is impossible to differentiate when played forward, but backwards there is a clear message. You hear, "the music is reversible but time is not...." when you listen to it in reverse, which I though, was pretty cool.
9. Yoko Ono's Kiss Kiss Kiss. When played in reverse it just sounds like weird noises. People believe it sounds like "I shot john Lennon".
10. Queen's Another Bites the Dust. I think this song is a good example of backmasking. You can hear the message but it doesn’t seem to be purposely put there. When the part “Another bites the dust,” is played backwards, it sounds like, “It’s fun to smoke marijuana.”
Chelsie Corbeil Period B
5. Britney Spears' "Baby One More Time" is not an example of back masking. One is not able to hear the backward lyrics distinctly, and they can vary depending on the listener. These backwards song lyrics may have been "discovered" solely based on her Spears' reputation.
6. Another excellent example of back masking is Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust". In the song, "Another one bites the dust" is repeated four times. When listening to these lyrics backwards, one can hear "It's fun to smoke marijuana". These lyrics are clear and, because of the time that the song came out and the time that the band was popular, the topic of smoking was ever present. The popular saying of the time, "sex, drugs, and rock and roll" also portrays that this example is intentional back masking.
7. The apparent back masking in the "Pokemon Rap" is hogwash. One can not hear what is supposed to say "I love Satan". Also, because Pokemon is geared toward the younger generation, I do not believe that these backward lyrics were on purpose. In my opinion, this supposed example of back masking has been read too much into.
8. In Weird Al's "Nature Trail to Hell", there is a true example of back masking. Weird Al's songs are usually strange and abnormal. Therefore, when the backwards lyrics read "Satan eats Cheese Whiz", I believe this is intentional. Also, the forward lyrics are gibberish which makes it more obvious that the back masking was done on purpose.
9. "Kiss Kiss Kiss" by Yoko Ono is supposedly an example of back masking. However, the lyrics, when played forward, are in a different language. Due to this fact, I believe that the lyrics were not intentionally sung to say "I shot John Lennon" backwards. Also, Ono was Lennon's partner, and therefore this "back masking" does not make sense.
10. In my opinion, the best example of back masking in song appears when the song "Fire on High" by ELO is played backwards. This is the best example in my opinion because the original lyrics are indistinguishable, but when listened to backwards, the lyrics are very clear. Also, the backwards read that "the music is reversible". In ELO's song, one can be quite certain that the back masking in the song was intentional.
All in all, I believe that back masking is used in some songs to get a message across. However, people have listened to songs backwards and supposedly heard messages which were not intended by the song writers. I believe that back masking has to be done on purpose in songs and cannot be unintentional.
Often in songs there is a message that can be found when listening to the song backwards. However, these messages are often sought after with such intensity that they can be created solely based on what the listener believe he or she hears. While sometimes the messages are intentional, they can be looked into too much and thought to exist even when that was not the intention of the song writer. In my opinion, back masking does exist in some songs based on the artists intentions. Also, I believe that reverse speech is based on what the audience chooses to hear while listening to the song, and it may be different from what another person hears.
1. Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is a prime example of back masking. This song has a distinct message when played both forward and backward, and the backward lyrics are clear unlike several other examples. The references to Satan when the song is listened to in reverse is common in back masking in many songs, making it more clear that the back masking was intentional.
2. Another example of intentional back masking in song is in "I'm So Tired" by the Beatles. When played forward, a certain part of the song is only gibberish with no actual lyrics. Then, when the song is played backwards, the lyrics are "Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him". Because the song is merely gibberish forward and has a message backwards, the back masking was intentional. Also, often in the Beatles music, there are hints that Paul McCartney was dead.
3. Eminem's "My name is" is another example of back masking in song that was done on purpose in my opinion. When listened to backwards, the listener can hear "It is Slim. It's Eminem, it's Eminem...". In my opinion, this is on purpose because one is able to clearly hear the name of the singer when the song is listened to backwards. Therefore, this example of back masking is not hogwash, but intentional.
4. Because the song is indistinguishable when played forward, Pink Floyd's "Empty Spaces" is a prime example of back masking. The message backwards is "Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your message to old pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont". The secret message, or back masking, is done on purpose in this case as is stated when the song is listened to backwards.
1The Beatles
“Free Bird”
This song is an example of backmasking, it is obvious they did it on purpose because Paul McCartney stated “we even put one of those spoof backwards recordings on the end of the single.”
2Led Zeppelin
“Stairway to heaven”
People say that if you play Stairway to Heaven backwards you could make out satanic messages. I believe that his is very true and it was done on purpose. When it is played backwards, the message that is said to be heard is easily heard.
3The Beatles
“Im So Tired”
This song is an example of backmasking because the message “Paul is a dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him” is said to be heard. This song seems like It was intentional.
4Lady Gaga
“Paparazzi”
This song is an example of backmasking and I think Lady Gaga intentionally did this because when you play it backwards it sounds pretty clear. The reverse lyrics are “Evil save us, the stars above, above…we model it on the arts of Lucifer.
5Weird Al
“Nature Trail to Hell”
This song is said to have backmasking. The reverse lyrics are “Satan eats cheez whiz.” I think this was intentional because when you listen to the lyrics backwards, it sounds pretty clear.
6Yoko Ono
“Kiss, Kiss, Kiss”
This song is an axample of backmasking because there is a message in the song when it is played backwards. I think this is not true and people were just wasting there time with the song. I don’t think there really is backmasking in this song because it does not sound at all like what the message is supposed to say: “I shot John Lennon.”
7Britney Spears
“Baby One More Time”
This example of backmasking is said to say “sleep with me, I’m not too young.” I think this is real because when played backwards, it actually sounds like Britney Spears is singing that.
8Eminem
“My Name is”
this song is definitely an example of backmasking. The song is about his name and when played backwards, it says “it is slim. Its eminem, its eminem..” I think this example is true because when the song is played backwards, it is still singing about his name.
9Eagles
“Hotel California”
I think this for this song, people made up what they think the backmasking lyrics were. I Don’t think that this was intentional by the singers and I think it was just people making it up.
10John Lennon
“Imagine”
This song is an example of backmasking because the lyrics backwards are “The people war beside me.” I think this is true because the message is clear when played backwards. I think John Lennon could have intentionally done this, or maybe it really was unintentional.
tori bravetti b period
With this topic i have two opinions; one being that i believe that some messages are intentional, other being that some people have way too much time on their hands and they hear only what they want to hear. Backmasking i believe was mostly intentional like in the song "Empty Spaces" by Pink Floyd. Clearly the message was intentional and meant to be heard. But with the idea of playing the music backwords i believe some are all insanity.
Some messages are clearly believeable and some are not. Some just sound like a bunch of rambling and if you just kept on listening i am sure you could make it sound like exactly what you wanted it to sound like. Many people i am sure want to hear a really popular song that has something to do with the devil then that is what they will hear. And once someone hears that others will hear that and it will just cause a chain reaction. That is why i believe that not all are telling the truth and that some or just exaggerated.
Some examples of Back masking:
Beatles “Revolution 9” the message reversed is “Turn me on dead man, turn me on man, turn me on dead man.” I think this is hard to hear but since they tell you what your suppose to hear you try and make yourself hear it. This makes me angry because if someone did not say “Turn me on dead man…” then I think people would hear many different things.
Beatles “ I’m so tired” the message reversed “Paul is dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him.” I think that this was done on purpose so it could cause a controversy with people.
Britney Spears, “ Baby one more time” played backwards you hear “sleep with me, I’m not too young.” This is funny to me because she tried to act as she was innocent when she first started her career.
Michael Jackson, “Beat it” when you hear it backwards you hear “ I believe it was Satan in me.” This one is hard to hear but because It tells you what your suppose to hear you try and make yourself hear “I believe it was Satan in me.
This year in psychology we had a lesson on back masking and I found it very interesting. I think that because they tell you what you are suppose to hear, you automatically are thinking about it so when you hear it, it sounds like what they said it was suppose too. I believe that back masking is fake and people do it on purpose. In psychology we listened too all songs that are famous for its back masking without knowing what we were suppose to hear, and not one person heard what they said we were suppose to hear until after Mr. Paulus told us. Although I think it is fake and done on purpose, I think it is very interesting how people came up with the idea of having a hidden message in songs if it is played backwards. The whole back masking idea makes me frustrated because of people saying they hear something which makes everyone think they hear the same thing.
1. Stair Way to Heaven by Led Zeppelin is back masking because they are saying things about Satan when it is said backwards. When the song is played forward they talk about heaven but when it is played back it talks about hell.
2. The Beatles, I’m So Tired, is another example because it states backwards that “Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him.
3. Pink Floyd's', Empty Spaces is another example. Played forward it is not to clear but being played backwards it says, "Congratulations. You have just discovered the secert message. Please send your answer to old pink, care of funny farm, Chalfont."
4. Eagles’ Hotel California says backwards "Satan he hears this. He had be believe." Which is an example of backmasking.
5. Kiss Kiss Kiss by Yoko it appears that backwards it is saying " I shot John Lennon.” But everyone knows that not true so people are looking to into it.
6. “My Name is" by Eminem. Forwards it says "My Name is what?" and backwards it says "It's Eminem, It's Slim." A clear example of backmasking.
7. “Baby One More time” by Britney Spears, part of her song backwards says “sleep with me, I’m not to young” I think this was meant to happen.
8. “Nature Trail to Hell” Weird Al, he is known for his funny songs and lyrics so maybe he meant to do it.
9. “Break on Through” The Doors, I don’t think there is supposed to backmasking in this, people maybe looking into it to much.
10. “Beat It” Michael Jackson, I don’t think there is supposed to be backmacking in this song, MJ is weird in the first place so people may just be looking into this one to much too.
-The Led Zeppelin song is definitely backmasking but i don't think that it was done purposely.
-I think that Imagine by John Lennon is hard to understand but I don't think it was done on purpose.
-The Beatles, I'm So Tired is definitey backmasking on purpose and is extremely creepy in my opinion.
-Kiss,Kiss, Kiss by Yoko One, I don't think is backmasking and it might even be a stretch but it definitely wasn't done on purpose.
-My Name Is.. By Eminem is backmasking on purpose to show that his name is eminem and slim.
-The Pokemon Rap, I don't hear the supposed backmasking message in it at all.
-The Pink Floyd song Empty Spaces is backmasking and a purpose message because it is a hidden message.
I believe that backmasking is real to an extent but some of the "hidden messages" are not done on purpose.
I think that blackmasking is fake and i dont believe that those are the original records played backwards. I think that the records were tempered with to make it sound like blackmasking. The only one that makes sense is Pink Floyd- Emprty Spaces. I believe that Pink Floyd did that on purpose as a mochery to the theory of blackmasking.
Melissa Cash
Ever since the late 1960s, backwards messaging in music,known as backmasking, has been a controversy. I believe that many songs were intentionaly created to portray a sublimitive message within. But also, because of this intentional backmasking, i think that a lot of other songs accused of backmasking are just "hogwash". One example that is clear to have backmasking purposely is Pink Floyd's "Empty Spaces". the message "Congratulations, you have just discovered the secret message" is what is said when played backwards and it is very distinguishable. Another example of an intentional backmask is "Fire On High" by Elo. When played forward, the words are indistinguishable so that when it is played backwards, it is actually playing forwards and says, "The music is reversible but time is not...turn back...turn back...turn back." Also, the song "Im So Tired" by The Beatles is another example. When played backwards, the words "Paul is a dead man. miss him, miss him, miss him," is clearly heard. While many people found out about these backmaskings, i believe that they looked into other songs and tried too hard to find something. An example of this is the song "Break On Through" by The Doors. i believe that it was not intentional to try and make a sublimative message here. Another is "Kiss Kiss Kiss" by Yoko Ono. I think that because Yoko was dating Lennon, and the beatles did the 'Paul is a dead man' backmask, they thought too deeply into trying to hear the words "I...shot...Lennon," after he was killed.
In my opinion, backmasking is simply people with too much time on their hands. While some songs can be reversed to reveal a hidden message, that message is intentionally put there by the artist. An example of this would be Weird Al reversing a song to say "satan eats cheese whiz" or Pink Floyd reversing a song to congratulate you for finding the message. In other cases the so called statement, discovered by playing the song backwards, is completely distorted and doesnt actually say what it is supposed to. For instance in John Lennon's "Imagine all the People" Someone clearly was just looking for something that resembled a statement. Unless the artist purposely puts a message in their song, backmasking is nothing more than boredom and paranoia. Satan is not communicating through our music or in any other source of entertainment.
Some songs, I believe, have hidden and intentional backmasking. On the other hand, many songs are thought to be backmasking when it is only people looking too into songs and hearing only what they want to hear. There is a theory that there are two kinds of speech and that our brains register one consciously, which is what we know and recognize as our normal conversations and our intentional words and meanings, and there is a second type we register subconsciously. This second type is Reverse Speech and the theory goes that whatever we say can also have a meaning when heard backwards and it is part of our psyches. I do not believe this, but I do believe that artists sometimes use backmasking, but people will look into every song and find messages that are not really there.
1. I believe “Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin is an example of intentional backmasking. I can clearly hear most of the words. Also, the clip is so long that it leads me to believe that it is more likely to be intentional.
2. The song “Beat It” by Michael Jackson is not a good example backmasking. The supposed words, “I believe it was Satan in me,” are just gibberish.
3. You can understand the backmasking in the song “Another One Bites the Dust” by Queen. When played backwards, the words in the chorus are clear and easy to understand. I was able to understand it without being told what the hidden lyrics were and I think it was intentional.
4. I believe the best example is “Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd. Backmasking is considered a secret or hidden message and the reverse lyrics start by saying, “Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message…” The reverse lyrics are even clearer then the original song, which is just gibberish.
5. I think that the supposed backmasking in the song “Paparazzi” by Lady Gaga is not real. To begin with, Lady Gage’s music is not deep or has much meaning. I think that it is just an example of looking to closely into a song and hearing what you think might be there. It is too much of a stretch to say that she was referring to Lucifer (the devil) in a song which was made only to dance to.
6. AC/DC’s song “Night Prowler” also is not a real example. There are two different parts of the song that are you are supposed to be able to hear them about hell and the devil. They are as indistinguishable as the gibberish that is between them. I could not identify either of the reverse lyrics in the song.
7. I believe another good example is “My Name Is…” by Eminem. The chorus when he repeats “My name is…” would seem to be finished when played backwards because it says clearly “It is Slim. It’s Eminem, it’s Eminem, it’s Eminem.”
8. The “reverse lyrics” of John Lennon’s song “Imagine”, are a stretch. I do not think it was intentional and a listener can only understand it if they were told what to listen for.
9. Another song that I do not think is actual backmasking is “Break on Through” by The Doors. Not only is it very short, but I could not understand it. It sounded like gibberish rather than the clear words, “I am Satan” which are the reverse lyrics that are suppose to be heard.
10. I think there is backmasking in the song “I’m So Tired” by The Beatles. When played forward in the actual song, it is only gibberish. When played backwards, however, you can clearly hear the words, “Paul is dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him.”
-Erica Callahan
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