Quote:
Originally posted by eyeronic
Are there any intentional backwards lyrics on any of the Beatles albums? i.e. Audible when the record is played backwards.
Which album(if any)?
What are the lyrics(if any)?
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There are two categories to this answer; regular recording gimmicks and Paul Is Dead stuff.
In the "regular recording gimmick" area, there is the single "Rain" by John. The last line of the song during the fadeout is a backwards recording of the songs's opening line "When the rain comes they run and hide their heads." Although many serious 20th Century composers had been experimenting with backwards recording for quite awhile, The Beatles were certainly the first pop act to try it. The most frequent backwards recording by The Beatles was used on drum parts and guitar solos. "Rain" was only released as a single by The Beatles, but I think it is on the "Past Masters" compilation album.
The other category involves the controversial technique of back-masking, where normal words or gibberish are sung or spoken forwards, and they reveal hidden messages when played backwards. The two most frequently cited examples of back-masking in Beatles songs are the opening chant of "Revolution 9" and the closing gibberish in "I'm So Tired." In "Revolution 9," the piece begins with a repeated chant of "Number 9. Number 9. Number 9....." and if this is played backwards, it sounds like "Turn me on, dead man. Turn me on , dead man. Turn me on, dead man." In the closing gibberish in "I'm So Tired," the backwards version sounds like "Paul is dead man. I miss him, I miss him, I miss him." Both of these songs are on "The White Album."