News
Turn Me On, Satan!
6:00 AM GMT 10/11/2009
In a second-hand book shop, I recently found an interesting little paperback called Backward Masking Unmasked. Written in 1983 by a youth minister named Jacob Aranza, it's an earnest and unintentionally funny attempt to expose the hidden Satanic messages in rock music.
For example, in the chapter called Which Way Are The Eagles Flying? Aranza condemns the definitive LA band as "occultic" [sic] and as "having had dealings with members of the Satanic church." He claims their song Hotel California, an ode to devil worship, contains this startling backward message: "Yes, Satan organized his own religion."
As Aranza denounces subliminal messages that encourage everything from homosexuality to marijuana use, he cites the usual rock suspects - Zeppelin, Stones, Sabbath - as well as such unlikely ones as Hall & Oates ("They often impersonate women and attempt to come across to their audiences as women") and the Bee Gees ("Robin Gibb confesses to the hobby of pornographic drawing").
The idea of backward sounds began with Edison's invention of the wax cylinder in 1877. Old Tom noticed that music in reverse sounded "novel and sweet but altogether different". In the early 1950s, avant-garde musicians began incorporating that difference into their compositions. They ran reel-to-reel tape recorders backward and presto - the unsettling sound of a hundred little Hoovers sucking up a melody and lyric.
A decade later, the Beatles pushed backward sounds into the mainstream with such songs as Rain and Tomorrow Never Knows. Later, their audio reversals came back to haunt them with the Paul Is Dead rumours. But that's a topic for another blog.
The backmasking-Satanism connection can be traced to a 1913 book by warlock Aleister Crowley, who recommended that those interested in black magic would do well to "learn how to think and speak backwards". Sixty years later, Led Zep's Jimmy Page moved into Crowley's old mansion, Boleskine House. To borrow one of Aranza's pet phrases: Coincidence?
Aranza reckons that Zep classic Stairway To Heaven is full of backward tributes like: "So here's to my sweet Satan". And he argues that such messages corrupt impressionable minds.
Let's pause here to ask two questions. Can any songwriter actually write lyrics that scan forwards and backwards? And does the brain even comprehend backward messages? No to the first. And despite claims by pseudo-scientists like David John Oates that the subconscious mind can decipher phonetic reversals, there is no proof that it can, or that a person's behaviour would be influenced in any way, if it could.
That said, the brain will search for recognizable patterns in noise or gibberish. A song played backwards offers many possibilities, especially when you're told what to listen for. As an experiment, I played Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World backwards. As unlikely a song for evil messages as I could find. I braced myself for Satchmo getting Satanic, but the only line that leapt out from the gibberish was this: "Where's the sandwich, dear Dolly?" A sly reference to an earlier hit? Coincidence?
After a decade of government attempts to legislate against backmasking (remember the PMRC?), the phenomenon peaked in 1990, when a civil action against Judas Priest alleged that they were responsible for the suicide of a teenage fan. Apparently, in the song Better By You, Better Than Me, they'd planted a backwards subliminal message of "Do it." The case was dismissed.
What makes backmasking - especially the Satanic-related stuff - seem quaint today is the plethora of malevolent songs by death metal bands who put their messages front and centre. To see what I mean, click around at random on the death metal archive site darklyrics.com.
In tribute to the golden age of backmasking, here are five of Aranza's top offenders:
Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven
The Eagles - Hotel California
Queen - Another One Bites The Dust
Styx - Snowblind
E.L.O - Fire On High
Feel free to weigh in with your own favourite backmasked songs.
Kcor evil gnol.
By Bill DeMain
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 10/11/2009
Previous Blog
-
Finally, The End Of Autotune?
The end of chipmunk-voiced pop is no longer merely desirable, says Johnny Sharp. It's inevitable.
6:00 AM GMT 09/02/2010
-
The Worst Rock'n'Roll Management Decisions In History
Fancy being a rock manager? You couldn't do much worse than this lot, reckons Steve Jelbert.
9:26 AM GMT 02/02/2010
-
How To Buy... Country Blues!
As ever, the best comments and recommendations will appear in the magazine!
6:03 PM GMT 26/01/2010
-
Why Rock And Morals Don't Mix
Kick Pete Townshend off the Super Bowl? Better to keep your ideas of decency out of rock'n'roll.
5:00 PM GMT 26/01/2010
-
Hasta La Vista, Glastonbury...
After 20 years of solid festival attendance, MOJO's Andy Fyfe bids farewell...
3:19 PM GMT 07/01/2010
-
end of body content back to top
Footer
Join us on:
© Copyright Bauer - all
rights reserved.
Reproduction of this
website, in whole or in
part, in any form or
medium without express
written permission from
Bauer is prohibited. All
use is subject to our
Terms of Use
|
|
Comments
Comment on this post
I love this article! I love the cynicism and sense of humor put into (in my opinion) such a ridiculous matter. I was also glad to find someone who thinks in the same way I do, especially about this whole "Satanic references in songs when played backwards" thing. I find it impossible for a person to willingly write anything that makes sense AND is exactly what they wanted to say when played both backwards and forward. I am definitely going to get that book, though, because it sounds very interesting and I'm in need of a good laugh. And if Led Zeppelin and The Eagles do worship the devil, who cares? The more mystic and uncanny, the better (especially since a lot of Led Zep's songs are about The Lord of the Rings, so you can sort of imagine them being into something like black magic).
Posted by SiouxsieSiouxFan at 2:02 AM GMT 11/11/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
I love this article! I love the cynicism and sense of humor put into (in my opinion) such a ridiculous matter. I was also glad to find someone who thinks in the same way I do, especially about this whole "Satanic references in songs when played backwards" thing. I find it impossible for a person to willingly write anything that makes sense AND is exactly what they wanted to say when played both backwards and forward. I am definitely going to get that book, though, because it sounds very interesting and I'm in need of a good laugh. And if Led Zeppelin and The Eagles do worship the devil, who cares? The more mystic and uncanny, the better (especially since a lot of Led Zep's songs are about The Lord of the Rings, so you can sort of imagine them being into something like black magic).
Posted by SiouxsieSiouxFan at 2:04 AM GMT 11/11/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
I love this article! I love the cynicism and sense of humor put into (in my opinion) such a ridiculous matter. I was also glad to find someone who thinks in the same way I do, especially about this whole "Satanic references in songs when played backwards" thing. I find it impossible for a person to willingly write anything that makes sense AND is exactly what they wanted to say when played both backwards and forward. Also, I totally agree with the fact that if you are looking for hidden messages in songs, you will find them, and I have been trying to tell people this but they refuse to believe it. I am definitely going to get that book, though, because it sounds very interesting and I'm in need of a good laugh. And if Led Zeppelin and The Eagles do worship the devil, who cares? The more mystic and uncanny, the better (especially since a lot of Led Zep's songs are about The Lord of the Rings, so you can sort of imagine them being into something like black magic).
Posted by SiouxsieSiouxFan at 2:07 AM GMT 11/11/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
RE: SiouxsieSiouxFan
If you really need a good laugh stop listening to Siouxsie Fucking Sioux. Irrelevant washed up old fucking goths.
Posted by Victor Kiam at 8:54 PM GMT 13/11/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
RE: Victor Kiam
That was uncalled for.
Posted by Anonymous at 11:35 PM GMT 16/11/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
As Bill Hicks once said "Anyone who plays their albums backyards is the devil"
Posted by Philip Logan at 1:28 PM GMT 21/11/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
What's up all, I'm new to the forum and fair-minded wanted to say hey. hi leaning manoeuvre to comprehend unusual pepole and allowance tackle with them
contain a jubilant year
Posted by Tarlyappase at 2:15 AM GMT 07/12/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
What's up all, I'm new to the forum and honourable wanted to say hey. hi love manipulate to know fresh pepole and share stuff with them
contain a glad year
Posted by hersPreerce at 2:58 PM GMT 11/12/2009 Report Abuse
Reply to this post
Comment on this post