What is Backmasking?

Backmasking, or Speech Reversals occur when you reverse a particular piece of music or speech and can hear a coherent message as the piece is playing backwards. It was discovered by a man called David John Oates (who has a dedicated website at Reversespeech.com) and is meant to be a window to the inner consciousness. Apparently when you speak forwards, your true self gives out another message simutaneously backwards, which can only be picked up if the phrase said is reversed. Perhaps this could be as to why people can tell if someone is lying simply due to what they are saying?

But backwards masking does not only apply to speech. The same phenomena occurs in songs as well. There have been some very well documented occurances (like the Satanic worship in Stairway to Heaven for example) but none have been more promiment than in Beatles music - all of which seemingly give out the message that something has happened to Paul, or at the very least a member of the band.

This section is dedicated to the Reversals found in Beatles music. Each example contains a sound file in mp3 format which plays the section both forwards then backwards.

Album: Help! Song: Help! Forwards: I never needed... Backwards: We need a member. Could this be telling us that there's a new opening in the groups line-up?

Album: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Song: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Forwards: Billy Shears! Backwards: Fish is dead. Another play-on-words? I'm probably missing something obvious here, but currently the only link I can think of is that you can get a bass fish, and Paul was the bass player.

Album: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Song: Getting Better Forwards: I have to admit it's getting better, a little better all the time. Backwards: After all Paul is dead. He lost his hairs, head. This does take a couple of listens but when you catch it it's quite clear. This is quite an eerie reversal and matches up with what happened at the crash. Coincidence?

Album: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Song: Sgt. Peppers Reprise Forwards: Sgt. Peppers lonely... Backwards: It was a fake moustache. This, to me, is one of the more clearer backwards messages found. If the line 'Sgt. Peppers lonely...' is reversed then it quite clearly says "It was a fake moustache." Who's wearing the fake moustache? Is that why a fake moustache is given away on the cutout insert? Is it Paul wearing the fake moustache to cover up the alleged surgery scars?

Album: Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band Song: The Inner Groove Forwards: Never could be any other way. Backwards: We'll f**k you like we're supermen. This little segment was only ever included on the original 1967 mono 1st pressings of the UK release and showed just how far the group would go to hide little messages in their work. Firstly it starts with a high pitched whistle that apparently only dogs can hear before a multitude of gibberish starts repeating itself over and over. Listen closely and you can hear the line "Never could be any other way". what couldn't be? The situation? The cover-up? Reverse it however and you get an obscene message. During a mid 70's interview Paul claimed to have no idea how it got on the record.

Album: Magical Mystery Tour Song: Blue Jay Way Forwards: Please don't be long, please don't you be very long. Please don't be long for I may be asleep. Backwards: He said 'get me out'. Paul is what is. Paul is Hare Krishna it seems. Paulie is naughty. This whole song is very dark and full of mystery. However, the big clue in this song can be found when the chorus line is reversed. Played backwards we get the message "He said 'get me out!'. Paul is what is. Paul is Hare Krishna it seems. Paulie is naughty". 'Get me out' is what Paul was screaming as he was trapped in the burning car, and could the Hare Krishna reference be telling us that Paul is now with the Gods? What a naughty boy! To make the vocals clearer the stereo channel has been split so that the only thing audible is George.

Album: Magical Mystery Tour Song: I Am The Walrus Forwards: Oom pah, oom pah, stick it oop ya joompah! Backwards: Ha, ha, Paul is dead! Ha, ha, Paul is dead! This phrase is chanted several times during the long ending of the song. If you play this chanting backwards it sounds a lot like the following phrase is being repeated over and over - "Ha, ha, Paul is dead. Ha, ha, Paul is dead...". The stereo track has been split here to make the chanting more audible, hence why it sounds a little bassey. It can be a little hard to hear behind the other noise but once you catch it it's very clear.

Album: The White Album Song: Glass Onion Forwards: The walrus was Paul. Backwards: Paul was the walrus. Even though both John and Paul both like playing their "I'm the walrus" game, here's John finally admitting that the walrus was indeed Paul. The strange thing however is that if you play the line "The walrus was Paul" backwards it gives the message "Paul was the walrus". This direct-reversal is said to ultimately confirm what is being said.

Album: The White Album Song: I'm So Tired Forwards: Unrecognisable mumbling. Backwards: Paul is dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him! At the very end of the song, just before Blackbird starts we can hear John quietly mumbling something into the mic. Played forwards this mumbling is incoherent and makes no sense. However, if it's played backwards we can clearly hear John saying "Paul is dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him!". After the reversal there's the same reversed speech again played louder because it is a bit quiet on its own.

Album: The White Album Song: Don't Pass Me By Forwards: Don't pass me by, don't make me cry, don't make me blue. Backwards: Who'd we pay for now? We paid for now? It's that one. This strange message is given to us if the opening to the chorus is played backwards. Perhaps William wasn't the first guy they paid to replace McCartney?

Album: The White Album Song: Why Don't We Do it in the Road? Forwards: Why don't we do it in the road? Backwards: Paul, really dead. I really want it out. Although the other identical lines are incoherent, this one particular line in the song gives this more clearer message. Is this telling us that Paul's replacement is growing tired of the constant deceit and wants to tell the world the truth?

Album: The White Album Song: Birthday Forwards: I would like you to dance. (Birthday) Take a cha-cha-cha-chance. Backwards: He's dead, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. (Dead, dead) He's dead, we sing hallelujah. This particular reversal is found in the song Birthday, which could be a metaphor for a new birthday for the Beatles? Perhaps celebrating the birth of the new line-up? In a way the reversal almost seems to be celebrating the death of McCartney...

Album: The White Album Song: Revolution #9 Forwards: Number nine. Backwards: Turn me on, dead man. This eerie phrase is heard when the line "Number nine" from the beginning of the track is reversed. In 1967 Paul sang "I'd love to turn you on." and now John is seen here to reply "Turn me on, dead man."

Album: The White Album Song: Revolution #9 Backwards: The sound of a car crash and someone trapped inside shouting 'Let me out!'. But the biggest thing you hear when the track is played in reversed is what appears to be an audio representation of a car crash. This starts at approximately 5m 20s in as you play the track backwards and starts with the sound of a speeding car zooming past things with horns ablazing. Then there's the sound of a lorry sounding his horn (remember that, according to the story, Paul collided with a yellow lorry that caused him to smash into the telegraph pole) and then the sound of heavern choir singing. After this we hear the bell chimes of a fire engine and then John saying "Turn me on, dead man. Turn me on.". As he says this the chatter of a gathering crowd can then be heard before Paul starts screaming "Let me out! Let me out!" seemingly in increasing desperation. This scene uncannily matches the story of Paul's crash, and links in with other clues that tell of Paul's demise. It's things such as this that leads many people to believe that the Paul is Dead conspiracy is more than just coincidence and speculation.

Album: The White Album Song: Revolution #9 Forwards: I'm not in the mood for wearing clothing. Backwards: There were two, there is none now.. Near the end of the piece and before the fire really begins to kick in John can be heard saying 'I am not in the mood for wearing clothing." If this line is reversed you can hear the phrase "There were two, there is none now." Paul and Rita? It's very interesting how, when reversed, John is saying that there are now none after the fire.

Album: Yellow Submarine Song: All Together Now Forwards: "All together now. All together now. All together now. All together now." Backwards: "I buried Paul. I buried Paul. I buried Paul. I buried Paul." If the chorus of this happy little ditty is played backwards we're given the message 'I buried Paul'. Obviously, this holds the same meaning as the phrase when it appeared at the end of Strawberry Fields Forever, but after the big public scrutiny of it so blatantly presented in SFF, did they attempt the same message again but in a more subliminal way?

Album: Abbey Road Song: Something Forwards: Somewhere in her smile she knows that I don't need no other lover. Something in her style that shows me. I don't want to leave her now, you know I believe in how. Backwards: I am a Beatle no one. I am a Beatle no one. For shall thou art, something is with us. A bottle? No, a demon idol. So unleash my answer, mirror with us. If the second verse of the song is played backwards we get a very interesting reversal. Something is with the group which the reversal claims to be a "demon idol". He then seemingly asks the 'mirror' of the group to unleash his answer. Who is the only member of the group with a mirror, or a double? A demon idol could be a false idol, and thus again ties in with the false double remark. Is he telling Paul to come clean?

Album: Abbey Road Song: Oh! Darling Forwards: "Oh, darling. Please believe me." Backwards: "In me lives he." If this little snippet of vocal is reversed we're given the interesting line 'In me lives he'. Since this is Paul singing this, could this be Paul's double telling us that the spirit of Paul lives within him, that he is effectively Paul? It's interesting that this is being said when, on the reverse, Paul is telling us to believe him.

Album: Let It Be Song: Let It Be Forwards: Let it be, let it be. Let it be, let it be. Backwards: He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. He's dead. If the chorus of this song is played backwards Paul is quite clearly singing 'He's dead' over and over. It's almost like he's saying "He's dead, let it be!" as if telling us to get over it.

Album: Past Masters II Song: Get Back Forwards: Get back! Get back! Get back to where you once belonged. Backwards: I need some wheels. Help me! Help me! Help me! 'Wheels' is slang in the UK for a car so why is Paul seemingly looking for a new one? Is it possibly because his last one was written off in the smash?

Album: All Things Must Pass Song: It's Johnny's Birthday Forwards: -day. And we would like to wish him all the very best. Backwards: He never wore his shoes. We all know he was dead. This is probably one of the clearest reversals I've never heard. There's no mistaking what's being said here - it's so clear that perhaps there's the possibility that it was added intentionally? Could the first part of the reversal be commenting on Paul's lack of footwear on the Abbey Road cover?

Album: Anthology Song: Real Love Forwards: Yes it's real. Yes it's real love. Backwards: Paul, we used to sing with you. We used to sing. This is from the original demo recording of John singing 'Real Love'. If the chorus is played backwards you get the message 'Paul, we used to sing with you." Why is it being said in a past tense?