# Did the Beatles ever confess? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 27, 2000, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021 "2000-07-27T06:14:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 6:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/1 "2000-07-27T06:14:46Z")
You all remember the “Paul is dead” rumors. It seemed to me the Beatles milked that for everything it was worth. Have any of them ever confessed to concocting that scheme, or do they still insist that all the “clues” were just coincidences? ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 6:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/2 "2000-07-27T06:17:59Z")
And was there ever any explination for the backward message on Yokos “Kiss Kiss Kiss” song that said “I shot John Lennon”. That was real creepy, it being Lennons last album and all. ---
**Author:** ![tcburnett](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c5a1d2/32.png) [@tcburnett](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tcburnett)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/3 "2000-07-27T06:31:05Z")
Since ‘Sir’ Paul McCartney was knighted, he doesn’t discuss rumors with the lower classes anymore. ---
**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 10:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/4 "2000-07-27T10:23:06Z")
> [@](#): > > Since ‘Sir’ Paul McCartney was knighted, he doesn’t discuss rumors with the lower classes anymore. On the contrary, he’s forever banging on about how he’s just an ordinary, working class Scouser. ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Propski](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/5e9695/32.png) [@Guy\_Propski](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Propski)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 1:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/5 "2000-07-27T13:45:58Z")
They have nothing to confess, since the controversy was the brainchild of some radio DJ, who started the story without consulting them. They were as surprised as everyone else to hear that Paul was dead (especially Paul). ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Zero](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c4cdca/32.png) [@Saint\_Zero](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Zero)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/6 "2000-07-27T13:54:58Z")
Actually, I think Paul has talked about those rumors. I can’t find the cite right now tho. I think they did dream it up. ---
**Author:** ![retsin2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@retsin2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/retsin2000)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/7 "2000-07-27T14:02:11Z")
Viva la Snopes! [http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/hidden.htm#beatles](http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/hidden.htm#beatles) Click on the “Paul is Dead” link. ---
**Author:** ![C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b2d939/32.png) [@C\_K\_Dexter\_Haven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/C_K_Dexter_Haven)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/8 "2000-07-27T16:10:55Z")
Confess? The Beatles? Naw, they’re Church of England, they aint Roman Catholic. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/9 "2000-07-27T16:31:57Z")
See also here, after you’re finished with Snopes: [About® (The Human Internet): “Paul Is Dead” Pages](http://beatles.about.com/musicperform/beatles/msub12.htm?iam=mt&terms=%2Bpaul+%2Bis+%2Bdead) (link fixed by Arnold Winkelried - the word is Preview, people!) [Edited by Arnold Winkelried on 07-27-2000 at 12:23 PM] ---
**Author:** ![sqweels](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f19dbf/32.png) [@sqweels](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sqweels)\ **Post date:** [July 27, 2000, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/10 "2000-07-27T16:43:02Z")
It’s interesting that many of the scandals and rumors surrounding the Beatles involved accusations that the group’s activities were highly conspiratorial. There was “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” and the belief that the Beatles were conspiring to get an entire generation of young people into drugs. When Paul was dead the supposedly replaced him with a double. And when John rearked that the Beatles were “more popular than Jesus”, people believed they were conspiring to supplant Christianity! ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/11 "2000-07-28T00:27:39Z")
This might be a good time to point out a thing or two about “backwards masking”. Sitting around the living room one night with three pals, a cooler full of beer, and a formerly big bag of Blacksburg Portobellos, I rashly threw out the statement that backwards masking was bullshit, that the human brain will take vocals played backwards and automatically try to convert it into something intelligent, especially if it is in your native language. So out came an LP of _Zeppelin IV_. We did Stairway to Heaven about twenty times: “Saaaaaynooommmmasswwweeeessaaaaayyynnn,” over, and over, and over. Finally, I say, f\*\*k it, you think that was put there on purpose? All right, let’s just see what the Four Freshmen have to say. So I whip out _The Four Freshmen and Five Guitars_, ca. 1956?, (pilfered from Dad’s collection) and drop it on. At the refrain of the first song, Rain (“It’s _ten_ to one you’ll kiss her in the rain…”), I bust my cheap Randix stereo into neutral, and play it backwards: **"YOU GUESS WHO… WE’RE SATAN! YOU GUESS WHO… WE’RE SATAN!"** I swear to God you could have lit a flash grenade in the room and nobody would have blinked. Okay, we’re four guys on psychedelic drugs. Nobody’s going to believe this. So I do the one sensible thing of the night: I record it. And spend the next five months entertaining everyone who would listen. Nobody disagreed that the message was there. Not a few people failed to believe my original explanation. All I have to say is this: if The Four Freshmen are the minions of Satan, this world is a lot more f\*\*cked up than any of us likely thought it was. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/12 "2000-07-28T01:01:59Z")
Oh, that was “intelligible”, something I strive to be one day. And this, I think, conclusively fails to prove my point: [http://www.jetlabs.com/airport/airport.html](http://www.jetlabs.com/airport/airport.html) ---
**Author:** ![poohpah\_chalupa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/91b2a8/32.png) [@poohpah\_chalupa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/poohpah_chalupa)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 2:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/13 "2000-07-28T02:48:23Z")
In a related issue, has anyone come up with an explanation for Yoko Ono? ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 6:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/14 "2000-07-28T06:10:43Z")
Paul McCartney confessed that “paul is dead” was a stunt to get publicity while he was with “The Wings.” You can hear it by playing “Live and Let Die” backwards, but only on the original album. I tried getting it from my cd of Bond themes and instead of his confession I got an ad for “The World Is Not Enough.” Similarly, a rereleased version of “The Four Freshman’s Greatest Hits” I picked up last week has the ‘Whazzup’ ad backward masked in place of the usual Satanic message in _Rain_. This is a sad effect of commercialism on the music industry. BTW, The Four Freshmen were indeed allied with Satan. Before they were Satanist, however, they were communists. They first called upon Satan to save them from Joe McCarthy. The explanation for Yoko Ono is that she is a robot from the future sent to destroy the Beatles. Why this is a good idea is hard to understand, but it has to do with jihads and an unfortunate comment by Lennon. (HINT: it’s quoted in this thread.) She was successful and is currently slowly experiencing program failure in New York. –John Every word of this is true. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/15 "2000-07-28T06:25:54Z")
> [@](#): > > Paul McCartney confessed that “paul is dead” was a stunt to get publicity while he was with “The > Wings.” You can hear it by playing “Live and Let Die” backwards, but only on the original album. I > tried getting it from my cd of Bond themes and instead of his confession I got an ad for “The > World Is Not Enough.” I sincerely hope you are being tounge in cheek here. ---
**Author:** ![Yue\_Han](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/eada6e/32.png) [@Yue\_Han](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yue_Han)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/16 "2000-07-28T06:42:17Z")
You obviously missed my proof of complete sincerity: > [@](#): > > Every word of this is true. On a related topic: WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH!!! –John No offense, and yes, I am sad to be up this late waiting for people to bite. ---
**Author:** ![pepperlandgirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f17d59/32.png) [@pepperlandgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pepperlandgirl)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 6:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/17 "2000-07-28T06:57:18Z")
Yue Han, you shouldn’t be too excited about “getting me”. Right now I’d be hard pressed to remember my own name…I’m so tired. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/18 "2000-07-28T07:17:13Z")
I’m pretty sure all Beatles have uniformily denied leaving any clues to anything. The only “clue” that I’ve seen to hold up to any srutiny at all is the backwards mumblings on the White Album, between “Blackbird” and “I’m So Tired.” It’s quite clearly backwards speech, intentionally recorded. I’ve downloaded it from the CD, played it backwards, and damned if it doesn’t sound a hell of a lot like John saying, “Paul is dead now, miss him, miss him, miss him,” with the volume rising with each “miss him” due to the fade-out of Blackbird. Most people say the “now” is a “mon”, like “man” with a Jamaican accent, but I think it’s “now.” Anyone else ever try playing it backwards? ---
**Author:** ![TomH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/90db22/32.png) [@TomH](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TomH)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/19 "2000-07-28T12:13:35Z")
> [@](#): > > Confess? The Beatles? Naw, they’re Church of England, they aint Roman Catholic. I for one would bet money that a couple of scallies called Lennon and McCartney _were_ RC. I guess Harrison and Ringo Starr might be C of E, though. ---
**Author:** ![mothra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ecccb3/32.png) [@mothra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mothra)\ **Post date:** [July 28, 2000, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021/20 "2000-07-28T12:43:01Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by VarlosZ \* > \*\* Anyone else ever try playing it backwards? \*\* Does anyone actually believe that backwards speech can be decoded by the brain on a subliminal level? Actually, this should be a separate thread… TBC. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/did-the-beatles-ever-confess/27021.md?page=2)