Backmasking

1) In Britney Spears's song "Baby One More Time" when the chorus is played backwards it is said you can hear her say "Sleep with me I'm not too young". Though this is humorous when you place it upon the stigma of her personality now, and the backmasking is much more clear than other "reversed" songs, it still seems a little too far stretched to me.



2) In ELO's song "Fire on High" there is a garble on unintelliglible nonsense, but when it is played backwards there is a very evident message within the noise. When played backwards you can hear "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!". This is an obviously intentional (and extremely eerie) backmasking.



3) Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven" is the most known backmasking, and the most notorious "Satan worship" song. When played backwards the song is "supposedly" full of Satan worship propoganda. This is completely inaudible unless you are actually looking at the words you are supposed to be hearing, and even then it's not Satan worship as everyone claims! The backwards nonsense is something that could only be taken as them talking about Satan torturing sinners! Here is the mentioned backmasked message, “Oh here’s to my sweet Satan./The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan./He will give those with him six six six./There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan”. This one is obviously hogwash.



4) Pink Floyd is also known for doing intentional backmasking. In their song "Empty Spaces" they left a message for those people who enjoy turning songs backwards looking for something else within songs. The message left behind is "Hello, hunters. Congratulations. You've just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the funny farm, Chalfont." (voice in background) "Roger! Carolyne is on the phone!". I find this one funny because it also pokes fun at these "hunters", saying that they belong in the "funny farm" a euphenism for an insane asylum.



5) Soundgarden also left behind a message, this one actually making fun of people who are looking specifically for Satanic messages within music. "Santa, I love you baby. My Christmas king. Santa, you’re my king. I love you, Santa baby. Got what I need" is found in the song 665. Santa, the pronounciation being extremely close to Satan, is there to fool people into believing they've found a Satanic message, until they hear it fully.



6) It is said when you play The Beatles's song "Revolution 9" you can hear them saying "Turn me on dead man" over and over again. This is directly connected to the Paul is dead conspiracy theory and, to me, is complete hogwash.



7) Another one I find completely ridiculous is Yoko Ono's song "Kiss Kiss Kiss" played backwards says "I shot John Lennon" and though if it were true I would believe it instantly, the backmasking is obviously hogwash.

8) In Weird Al's song "Nature Trail to Hell" it is intentionally backmasked "Satan loves Chez Whiz" which I find completely hilarious and one hundred percent intential.

9) In the backwards solo in the White Stripes song "Walk With a Ghost" "get out of my mind" can be heard. I find this one to also be completely intentional.

10) Another intentional backmasking is in the Tenacious D song "Karate" where the singer says "eat donkey crap", again I find this completely hilarious.

Song Analysis 2 - The Cranberries "Zombie"

Another head hangs lowly,
Child is slowly taken.
And the violence caused such silence,
Who are we mistaken?

But you see, it's not me, it's not my family.
In your head, in your head they are fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are crying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, dou, dou, dou, dou, dou...

Another mother's breakin',
Heart is taking over.
When the vi'lence causes silence,
We must be mistaken.

It's the same old theme since nineteen-sixteen.
In your head, in your head they're still fighting,
With their tanks and their bombs,
And their bombs and their guns.
In your head, in your head, they are dying...

In your head, in your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie,
Hey, hey, hey. What's in your head,
In your head,
Zombie, zombie, zombie?
Hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, oh, oh,
Oh, oh, oh, oh, hey, oh, ya, ya-a...

Throughout the world there is constantly war ravaging the land. From to this very moment, to hundreds of years in the past, people are constantly disputing over whatever they can. Ireland was once held in a bloody civil war where a terrorist organization named the IRA held power in the country. In The Cranberries song “Zombie” the band employs striking imagery and flowing metaphors to portray these devastating times.

The imagery within the song, combined with the powerful music, is a strong piece within the song. As the song opens “Another head hangs lowly/Child is slowly taken/and the violence caused such silence/who are we mistaken?” is sung out, these lines throw the image of a child being ripped from their mother’s arms. This could also relate to the Warrington, Cheshire bombing (the main event this song is based on) where two young children were killed, two young boys being torn from their families, killed at such young ages. The second half of the quote portrays the catch 22 of staying silent; if the citizens were to tell the government of the threats of the IRA, they will end up in trouble, but if they do not tell they are putting others into danger, leaving the emotional imagery of tension within this country.

“Zombie” is fully based upon the Warrington, Chesire bombing that killed two young boys, Jonathan Ball (3 years old) and Tim Parry (12 years old). The IRA had left an encoded message to a charity called The Samaritans that a bomb would be detonated outside of a shop in Warrington. The bombs were not stopped in time, though forces had been sent with great amount of time. The bombs were placed into cast-iron litter tins, causing large amounts of shrapnel that aided in the murders and injuries. It is said that fifty four other people were injured in these bombings, four of them seriously.

War tears throughout the world, it is inevitable, but terrorist organizations can be stopped, and this is what The Cranberries are saying. This bombing protest song has hit the hearts of many, proving that violence is not the answer. Though terrorist organizations will continue to ravage throughout the world, we can only hope that as time goes on they will dwindle away.

Myths

Throughout music there are many myths about different artists. For instance, it is thought that through a close inspection of the "Abbey Road" album cover by "The Beatles", there is evidence to prove that Paul McCartney had died. On the Album McCartney is the only memeber without shoes and by their feet is a puddle of blood (the puddle is seen on the Australian version of the cover). It is also said that each member has a role to fill: priest, corpse, undertaker and mourner. Also, in the background there is a police car the stop traffic for the funeral procession.



Another myth is "The Dark Side of Oz". It is said that if you play Pink Floyd's "The Dark Side of the Moon" after the MGM Lion roars three times in "The Wizard of Oz" the songs will synch up perfectly with the movie. For instance, as "Money" starts to play the movie becomes colorful and the Munchkins dance in time with the music. Also, when the Scarecrow begins to sing "If I Only had a Brain" "Brain Damage" begins to play. There is also another myth surrouding Pink Floyd's music and that is that their album "The Wall" synchs up with "Alice in Wonderland".



Robert Johnson also is known for the oldest music myth. It is told that he had an intense desire to become the best blue's musician. Johnson was instructed to take his guitar to the crossroads and make a deal with the devil. There he was met by the devil who tuned his guitar, played a few songs, and handed back the instrument, along with a mastery of it. This myth is reflected in his music with songs such as "Hell Hound on my Tail", it is said that the Devil sends Hell Hounds out to retrieve the souls that he had been payed; "Crossroad Blues" is another song that pertains to the myth, the crossroads is where he met the Devil and made the deal.



Ozzy Osborne, the Prince of Darkness, is known for also causing a stir while he is on stage. Ozzy is known for biting the heads off of doves and bats while he is on stage. When this happened he was on stage and a fan had thrown it upon the stage because Ozzy had been throwing pig intestines and livers into the crowd, and when he took a bite of it's head he was surprised at what happened because he had thought that the bat had been made of rubber. After the show Ozzy was rushed to the hospital for a rabis shot. Yet, that was not the only time he bit the head off of something, Ozzy also bit the head off of a dove at a record company meeting. He had wanted to release them as a sign of peace, but he was extremely intoxicated at the time and grabbed on and bit the head off of it.



Bob Dylan walked on stage July 25th, 1965 as an acoustic folk singer. The crowd, fans of his acoustic music, did not take a liking the shift they saw that night. When Dylan began to play "Maggie's Farm" upon an electric guitar, the crowd was not happy, instantly a chorus of boos and jeers were thrown at the musician. He did come back later to sing two songs, but the folk community never fully accepted him again after that day.



I notice Marylin Monroe, a famous movie actress. I also notice Edgar Allen Poe, a notorious poet and horror writer. I also notice Bob Dylan, a well known folk artist. I do not know Sonny Liston (a famous boxer), Max Miller (a famous comic), and Issy Bon (a second famous comic).



Citations



Johnson, Tommy. Did Robert Johnson Sell his Soul? 1997. Web. October 28, 2010.
The Dark Side of Oz. 1995. Web. October 28, 2010.
Spinner Staff. Ozzy Osborne Bites Head off of Bat. January 20, 1982. Web. October 28, 2010.
Wikipedia. Electric Dylan Controversy. September 2, 2010. Web. October 28, 2010.