Take a Walk on the Dark Side

by R. Gary Patterson

  —Shakespeare, Macbeth, 2.2 ’Tis the eye of childhood that fears a painted devil.

  Are there really hidden messages in rock songs? The answer is a resounding yes! In order to gain full appreciation of the topic, it is important to realize that the phenomenon of hidden messages is in no way limited to rock music. Long before the advent of rock and roll, human beings were perplexed by a deep and burning question: What lies beneath the surface? Hidden messages pique a morbid curiosity in mankind, filled with whys and what ifs. Images of conspiracy, cryptic allusions, sinister purposes, and things that aren’t always what they seem on the surface flood our minds. What does lie beneath the surface? It is a fascinating question, full of intrigue, mystery, and enigma. No form of media—books, movies, advertising, and especially music—has been exempt from the question. Were we as a culture not so perplexed by our own mortality, these theories would never have received such intense scrutiny. The search remains a part of our never-ending quest for truth. Rock music has indeed had its fair share of allegations and speculation from its beginnings. However, even seemingly innocent works, such as the Bible, have fallen prey to the search for human meaning.

  It is obvious that one of the most cryptic works is the Holy Bible. The early influences of the Chaldeans and Persians upon the Hebrew prophets created and maintained a keen interest in astronomy. Seers would then interpret the movement of the heavenly spheres as predictions of man’s fate. Comets referred to the future death of kings and the fall of empires while a blazing star signaled the birth of the Messiah. The New Testament, appropriately, ends with the Book of Revelation, which undoubtedly is the most curious and interpreted book of the Bible.

  Since the Book of Revelation is open to so many fascinating interpretations, it will always serve as the ultimate biblical mystery. There may be another hidden message in the Bible of which you may not be aware. We know through English history that King James I commissioned the English translation of the Bible. A committee of fifty-four scholars was put together to translate the scriptures from the surviving ancient Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic manuscripts. This followed the well-worn path of the Reformation, and the biblical scholars were selected from Oxford, Cambridge, and Westminister Abbey. The beautiful Book of Psalms required the touch of a poet. Was it possible that King James had appointed Shakespeare as one of the chosen translators? The biblical translation began in earnest in 1610 and William Shakespeare had just celebrated his forty-sixth birthday. This brings us to an incredible coincidence. To solve this hidden mystery we must first examine the evidence. In this case, let’s take a look at Psalm 46:

  God is our refuge and strength, a very present

  help in trouble.

  Therefore will not we fear, though the earth

  be removed, and though the mountains be carried

  into the midst of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,

  though the mountains shake with the swelling

  thereof. Selah.

  There is a river, the streams whereof shall

  make glad the city of God, the holy place of the

  tabernacles of the most High.

  God is in the midst of her; she shall not be

  moved: God shall help her, and that right early.

  The heathen raged, the kingdoms were moved:

  he uttered his voice, the earth melted.

  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of

  Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

  Come, behold the works of the Lord, what

  desolations he hath made in the earth.

  He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear

  in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

  Be still, and know that I am God: I will be

  exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted

  in the earth.

  The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of

  Jacob is our refuge. Selah.

  Many Shakespearean scholars claim that Shakespeare’s name is placed critically in the Psalm 46. If you count forty-six words from the beginning you find the word “shake.” Count forty-six words from the end of the Psalm (do not count the word “Selah” since it is not an English translation), and you will find the word “spear.” It is also curious that Shakespeare’s plays were written in a circle pattern. They end very much as they begin. For instance, at the beginning of Shakespeare’s Macbeth Scotland is torn by a civil war resulting in a treasonous act by the Thane of Cawdor. The play concludes with Scotland being involved in yet another civil war brought about by the treason by Macbeth, ironically named the Thane of Cawdor by his cousin and later victim, King Duncan.

  William Shakespeare and King James I were involved in a rather close relationship. James was a patron of Shakespeare’s acting company, the King’s Men, and Shakespeare wrote Macbeth in honor of James’s rise to the throne. Actually, Shakespeare distorted Scottish history by conveniently forgetting that James’s ancestor, Banquo (upon whom the very Stuart monarchy was based) helped murder King Duncan. It would be terrible to mention that King James’s forefather had helped in usurping the Scottish throne. When the Great Chain of Being was shattered, terrible calamities would strike the people. Some scholars claim that if William Shakespeare was not a translator then he was bestowed this great honor by King James on Shakespeare’s forty-sixth birthday at Westminister Abbey. Since one of Shakespeare’s sonnet themes was immortality through verse, this gift would allow King James’s favorite playwright the honor of having his name cryptically placed in one of the greatest works of mankind. Though I’m sure that some would question why a man of Shakespeare’s questionable reputation would be given this high honor, I feel that the answer may lay in the character of King James.

  In our time, during the investigation into the death of pageant queen JonBenet Ramsey, the Ramseys’ attorneys mentioned that there may be a link in the ransom note that demanded a $118,000 payment to Psalm 118 from the King James Bible. The attorneys noted that there was a strange parallel to the twenty-seventh verse, as follows: “God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.” Since JonBenet’s body was found bound in cords, did this become some bizarre stretch to serve as a connection to the actual killer? Or, is it just another case of trying to make things fit into yet another dark conspiracy theory?

  In the 1950s another unseen terror silently made its way into American consciousness. This predator was invisible and was found in movie theaters. Its name was subliminal advertising. It was suggested that some movie houses spliced several frames showing popcorn, soft drinks, and other food items into a feature reel. The splices were said to be placed at certain intervals; as each frame rhythmically made its presence known through the unconscious mind, the pattern supposedly created hunger pangs within each viewer. Like mindless zombies the theater’s patrons would purchase more and more popcorn and soft drinks. Some theaters reported that their sales of food items skyrocketed. Some movies warned that they contained subliminal pictures of skulls and other horrible objects that would transfix the viewers with fear. Promoters would place doctors and nurses in the movie houses to help care for patrons who would be literally “scared to death.” As far as I know, not one person died of a heart attack during one of these films. Another favorite example of a hidden subliminal in a popular movie is found in the 1960 thriller Psycho. Alfred Hitchcock placed a hidden subliminal at the end of the film and this occurs when Norman Bates says that he “wouldn’t raise his hand to hurt a fly.” If a video of the film is viewed in the slow mode, one frame at a time, right before the car is pulled from the swamp, the mummified face of the mother appears over Norman’s smiling face. This is a fantastic effect, but the matricide rate did not soar, nor was there any increase in the sale of taxidermy kits. Today, however, there are some individuals who claim that hidden messages are found in—of all places—Walt Disney animated films! Does The Little Mermaid con
tain phallic drawings of towers? No. It is just a coincidence and a vivid imagination. Is there a minister in the wedding scene from The Little Mermaid who becomes “sexually aroused”? No. Look closely and you will see his knee. In Aladdin, doesn’t the title character say “Good teenagers, take off your clothes”? Actually he says “Good Kitty, get up and go.” In The Lion King, does the word “SEX” form in a cloud of dust? If you look long enough at an angle, with a little guidance, you could see anything. Does Jessica Rabbit have a nude scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? See the answer to the cloud of dust.

  Other popular films were said to contain strange supernatural images. Three Men and a Baby was said to contain the ghostly apparition of a young boy who supposedly committed suicide with a pump shotgun in the house leased by the film company to complete the film. When Ted Danson moves in front of one window it is said that an inverted shotgun can be seen in the window. When he passes by the window a second time the shadowy shotgun disappears and is replaced by the ghost of a small boy who watches emotionlessly from the same window. According to the cast, the scene was shot on a movie set, not in a house. The figure of the small boy is actually a cardboard cutout of Ted Danson that was placed in the window by one of the crew. Again, the ghostly apparition is certainly open to speculation.

  Another rumor of hidden messages in a popular film was revealed when two DJs in a Globe magazine article (September 3, 1996) claimed that John Travolta’s hit film Phenomenon contains several subliminal messages dealing with the Scientologist beliefs. Travolta’s character is able to absorb massive amounts of printed information and keeps saying “he sees things much clearer.” This is said to be an ultimate goal of Scientology. The DJs, from Flint, Michigan, also claim that when the theme song, sung by Peter Gabriel, is played backward an eerie voices asks, “Don’t you miss Ron?” To followers of Scientology this supposedly refers to the founder of Scientology, L. Ron Hubbard: “According to Peter Gabriel’s publicist, the rocker is ‘not and never has been a Scientologist.’ Travolta’s spokeswoman Michelle Bega says there is no Scientology message in the movie’s theme song, but DJ Mitch stands by his findings. ‘Play it backward,’ he says, ‘and it’s clear as a bell, “Don’t you miss Ron?” It’s spooky.’”

  As is evidenced in the Globe article, people are still playing their records backward, a trend that began in the 1960s. What started this wave of hysteria? How does one listen to a hidden or backward track? Why are hidden or backward tracks placed on recordings? What records are said to contain hidden messages?

  It is appropriate that we begin with the Beatles. After all, they were the first to introduce the technique known as backward masking. It was during the recording of “Rain” that John Lennon first became inspired to try a backward vocal track. Lennon mentioned to David Sheff in The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon and Yoko Ono, “I got home from the studio and I was stoned out of my mind on marijuana and, as I usually do, I listened to what I recorded that day. Somehow I got it on backward and I sat there transfixed, with the earphones on, with a big hash joint. I ran in the next day and said, ‘I know what to do with it, I know … listen to this!’ So I made them play it backward. The fade is me actually singing backward with the guitars going backward. ‘Sharethsmnowthsmeaness.’”1

  Many individuals may ask why anyone would place a backward track on a record. One answer is that the new sound results in a texture that will embellish the recording. An example of this would be in the recording of cymbals and in their being played backward to help layer a recording. Now that you know one reason for using this technique, it may be important to explain that there are two types of backward recording. The first is a true backward mask where a singer has previously recorded a lyric and at the mixdown that one track is reversed and mixed into the song. An example of this is found in the Beatles’ “Rain.” This track is an actual hidden message whose meaning can hardly be called a coincidence. The second type of backward recording is a phonetic reversal. Each letter creates a basic sound called a phoneme. When a simple letter containing one syllable is reversed sometimes it creates a two-syllable sound. This technique is found in the Beatles “Revolution 9” when the test engineer’s voice stating “number 9” is reversed and the message seems to say “Turn me on dead man.” This is also the recording method used to determine the backward message said to be contained in “Stairway to Heaven.” This is a much more subjective approach. The swirling sounds can be and usually are interpreted to be anything that the listener wants to hear, usually after some guided listening by a friend who hears the “hidden message.” This may well work in a pattern similar to the famous Rorschach test. The subject is shown a series of ten inkblots placed in a particular order by the psychologist and encouraged to explain what he sees in great detail.

  The psychologist sits a little to the side and behind the subject and constantly writes notes detailing each answer. According to the theory behind this test, the basic ego defense mechanisms, including repressed memories, are brought out in patterns and interpreted by the psychologist. Hidden fears and compulsions are then brought to the surface and dealt with in counseling. In many ways, individuals who hear many backward messages in phonetic reversals are actually facing their own hidden demons and repressions.

  I suppose a prudent question at this time would be “How do you play a record backward?” There are many ways. If you own a turntable that has a neutral position you can spin the record backward and by varying the speed the listener can discern the hidden messages. WARNING: This can destroy the turntable’s motor and the needle, and ruin a valuable vinyl recording. Obviously this is not the best answer. A second way to listen to a backward track is by opening a cassette’s plastic case and reversing the tape itself. Then you reassemble the cassette case and play the tape normally. This works, but it takes a great deal of time and in some cases destroys the cassette.

  If you have a generous friend with a multitrack recorder, you can record all four tracks on one side of the cassette and then simply turn the recorded tape over and listen to the entire track backward. This is very easy, but expensive if you have to purchase the tape deck.

  With the development of computers and the sound card it has now become very simple to sample a backward track. For instance with Windows 95, click Start, go to Programs, and find Accessories. Click on Accessories and open Multimedia. Open the Sound Recorder icon and you are just about ready to sample your own backward tracks. Place a CD in your CD-ROM drive and record the questionable section. After the recording, go to Effects and chose the Reverse mode. The recorded section will now be played backward and the “hidden messages” section can be analyzed. Simply save the file as a .wav file and then play it backward. This is the simplest way. Of course each operating system is different, but once the file is saved there should be a way to reverse it. After experimenting with your setup you will now be able to embark on an adventure that just may make you never listen to your favorite song the same way again. Maybe the best time to try this would be late at night in a dimly lit room whose only light is the glow from your computer’s monitor. After all, the proper preparation is everything.

  Though many have questioned the use of subliminal messages, nothing created the hysteria of hidden messages like the CBS Evening News on April 28, 1982. Dan Rather ran a report commenting on the discovery of supposedly hidden Satanic messages in pop songs. He played the infamous Led Zeppelin “Stairway to Heaven” backward track as well as sections of songs by Electric Light Orchestra and Styx. Many viewers were shocked by what they thought they heard. Many fundamentalist groups raised questions as to a hidden plot by the recording companies to create a Satanic conspiracy. This hysteria resulted in House Bill 6363 being introduced by Representative Robert K. Dornan (R-CA) to label records that fell under suspicion: “Warning: This record contains backward masking that makes a verbal statement which is audible when this record is played backward and which may be perceptible at a subliminal level when the record is played f
orward.”

  When we look to discover the true art of the current backward mask we should begin with Electric Light Orchestra. ELO actually have a number of recordings that contain hidden messages. The first example is found on the album Face the Music, at the beginning of the song “Fire on High.” The track begins with an obvious backward track that sounds rather foreboding. When the track is reversed the actual message can be heard complete with a major complement of studio reverb. The track says, “The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!” Since we all agree that we can’t turn back time, what is the meaning of the phrase “Turn back”? It has been suggested that ELO founder Jeff Lynne simply meant that if you don’t turn back, your phono needle will jump off the record. The B-52’s used the same approach at subliminal humor by placing a backward track on “Detour Through Your Mind” from the LP Bouncing Off the Satellites. When the track is reversed, the listener can hear Fred Schneider’s voice saying, “I buried my parakeet in the backyard. No, no, you’re playing the record backward. Watch out, you might ruin your needle.” ELO, however, was one of the first bands accused of having a “hidden Satanic message” placed in one of their early songs. The song entitled “Eldorado” was said to contain a phonetic reversal that states, “He is the nasty one. Christ you’re infernal. It is said we’re dead men. All who have the mark will live.” To find this track, you must listen for the phrase “on a voyage of no return …” and record this passage. If you listen carefully and follow along with a printout of the hidden message you may hear some of the words. Was it intentional? Jeff Lynne in one radio interview claimed, “It is absolutely manufactured by whoever said, ‘That’s what it said.’ It doesn’t say anything of the sort. And, that was totally manufactured by the person who said it said that. Because, anybody who can write a song forward and have it say something else backwards, has got to be some kind of genius and that I ain’t. And I was upset at first by the accusation by that. But now I think it’s kind of funny. I was just going to say again, categorically, that we are totally innocent of all those claims of devil stuff, it’s a load of rubbish, and we’re all God-fearing chaps.”