# Playing records backwards for satanic messages **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 30, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112 "2003-11-30T21:10:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/1 "2003-11-30T21:10:45Z")
I remember years ago on the show Geraldo, Geraldo said that our country was full of santanic cults generally made up of diabolical suburbanites who received their instructions from satan by playing Black Sabbath records in reverse. He mentioned some other albums that were satanic but I can’t remember them. I never tried this…playing records backwards, so I was wondering if there is any truth to it? Why would bands allow messages to be recorded on their albums that were satanic? I don’t know, it sounds like a load of malarky to me. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/2 "2003-11-30T21:21:07Z")
Well, if you saw it on Geraldo, it must be true. 😃 All BS. The only thing satanic about the whole thing is that Geraldo is still employed. ---
**Author:** ![Superdude](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/superdude/32/13450_2.png) [@Superdude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superdude)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/3 "2003-11-30T21:29:28Z")
I can honestly say, from personal experience, that I have heard backmasking on at least one song. Several years ago, when I was but a wee lad, I was at my grandmother’s house. Bored stiff, too, as she lived out in the country. With nothing to do, I started looking through a stack of newspapers like _Weekly World News_. You know, those bastions of journalistic integrity. In one particular article, they’re talking about this very subject, and they mention that the song _Darling Nikki_ by Prince has backwards messages. I’m intrigued by this, and I just so happen to own this on vinyl. When I go home, I crank up the record player. The record player that I had actually HAD a neutral gear between 33 and 45. I place the _Purple Rain_ soundtrack on the record player, and flip the gear into neutral. I put the needle at the end of the record, and started rotating the record backwards. After a few seconds, I _DID_ hear something that sounded very much like: “Hello, how are you? I’m fine. Bye, bye…the Lord is coming” Not exactly a Satanic message, that. ---
**Author:** ![Isabelle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/b5a626/32.png) [@Isabelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Isabelle)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/4 "2003-11-30T21:37:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Superdude \* > \*\*I can honestly say, from personal experience, that I have heard backmasking on at least one song. > > Several years ago, when I was but a wee lad, I was at my grandmother’s house. Bored stiff, too, as she lived out in the country. With nothing to do, I started looking through a stack of newspapers like _Weekly World News_. You know, those bastions of journalistic integrity. > > In one particular article, they’re talking about this very subject, and they mention that the song _Darling Nikki_ by Prince has backwards messages. > > I’m intrigued by this, and I just so happen to own this on vinyl. > > When I go home, I crank up the record player. The record player that I had actually HAD a neutral gear between 33 and 45. I place the _Purple Rain_ soundtrack on the record player, and flip the gear into neutral. I put the needle at the end of the record, and started rotating the record backwards. > > After a few seconds, I _DID_ hear something that sounded very much like: “Hello, how are you? I’m fine. Bye, bye…the Lord is coming” > > Not exactly a Satanic message, that. \*\* Come on you are pulling my leg!!! Why would Prince allow that to happen? And that song about Nicki WOW that is certainly not a song I want to hear messages from God in! that is a dirty song.😃 Do you still have the record? Can you do another experiement and report back to us? ---
**Author:** ![Squink](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5e925/32.png) [@Squink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Squink)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/5 "2003-11-30T21:40:26Z")
siht no tnelis si retsam ehT :ton era snoillim gnimeet ehT [Records played backwards… satanic messages?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=99571&highlight=record+AND+backwards) ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/6 "2003-11-30T21:49:47Z")
Hey, the new Joe Cartoon clip has a definitive satanic message. [Click the hamster.](http://www.joecartoon.com) Tripler And I’m a Devil Worshipper. I oughta know. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/7 "2003-11-30T21:52:53Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Isabelle \* > \*\*Come on you are pulling my leg!!! Why would Prince allow that to happen? \*\* Because it’s Prince saying it. Just about all backwards masking, as it’s called, is bands mucking about in the recording studio. Naughty rock bands put naughty ‘satanic’ messages in because it fitted with the whole evil, rebelious rock thing that upset your parents. Prince, on the other hand, is just sticking to his usual themes of God & nookie. Whether backwards messages register at all with the listener, either consciously or unconsciously, is unproven. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/8 "2003-11-30T21:56:06Z")
The Electric Light Orchestra was accused of this crap. In retaliation, Jeff Lynne wrote the ELO album, _Secret Mssages_. One of the backward lines: “You’re playing me backwards” ---
**Author:** ![Jonathan\_Chance](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jonathan_chance/32/701_2.png) [@Jonathan\_Chance](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jonathan_Chance)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/9 "2003-11-30T21:57:36Z")
Some famous ones: Weird Al: Eat Your Broccoli Bob & Doug MacKenzie: Hi, so welcome to the backwards part of our album, eh? Find something real to worry about is the best advice I can give. ---
**Author:** ![Indefatigable](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9d8465/32.png) [@Indefatigable](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indefatigable)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/10 "2003-11-30T22:09:24Z")
I’ve lost the file because of a hard drive crash, but we had a sound bite of Darth Vader from one of the Star Wars movies. I can’t remember what the line was, but if you played it in reverse it sounded like he was saying ‘Ewwww, you’re sitting in mush’. ---
**Author:** ![cichlidiot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f9b8f/32.png) [@cichlidiot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cichlidiot)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/11 "2003-11-30T22:09:49Z")
I played the Prince song backwards also. [Here’s](http://www.wootang.net/backmask/mp3.html) a site where you can listen for yourself. Even some of the supposedly intentional ones sound pretty questionable to me. YMMV ---
**Author:** ![cheddarsnax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a587f6/32.png) [@cheddarsnax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cheddarsnax)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/12 "2003-11-30T23:33:43Z")
Mars Volta’s “Eunuch Provocateur” allegedly contains this message at the end of the song: “I’m very fond of this one about an old spider friend of mine his name is _cuts out_. The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout down came the rain and washed the spider out out came the sun and dried up all the rain and the itsy bitsy spider climbed up the spout again. the only thing about that story I always thought _unaudible_ when all of the sudden they left I have never seen him since hmmm. mommy or daddy, have mommy or daddy ever had to spank you?” Whether or not that’s a satanic message is for you to decide. ---
**Author:** ![Tedster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/4491bb/32.png) [@Tedster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tedster)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/13 "2003-12-01T01:38:02Z")
Jimmy Hendryx’s “Third stone from the sun” (I think that’s it, anyway) has some hard panning back and forth at normal speed, just gibberish, but when slowed down is decipherable into something. ---
**Author:** ![gypsymoth3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/85e7bf/32.png) [@gypsymoth3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gypsymoth3)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/14 "2003-12-01T02:25:44Z")
the two bakward maskings i know of are in that song that goes “another one bites the dust.” (backwards, it says something like “start smoking marijuana”.) and “prayer” by madonna. (one of my crazed madonna-worshiping friends says there’s a track on one of her CDs that plays it backwards. it’s something about “i have a reservation.”) ---
**Author:** ![Striss](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@Striss](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Striss)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 2:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/15 "2003-12-01T02:29:17Z")
Ok, true confession time… I’m obviously the oldest contri within this thread (48) as there has been no mention of the Beatles White Album’s “Revolution 9” track which, if played backwards via a cheap turntable and a pencil eraser to spin the records backwards via the inner label (whew) the aforementioned track, John Lennon’s narration " Number 9, Number 9" distinctly becomes “Turn me on, dead man, turn me on, dead man…” during the “Paul is dead, man…” phase of recording backwards messages during that wacky stunt… ;). ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/16 "2003-12-01T03:03:11Z")
I’m still trying how to figure out how to play music backwards today. You obviously can’t do it with a CD, so I tried creating a WAV file and reversing it. Still couldn’t get it to work. ---
**Author:** ![Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f0a364/32.png) [@Fuji\_Kitakyusho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fuji_Kitakyusho)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/17 "2003-12-01T03:11:50Z")
Don’t spin the platter manually. Stand the record off the platter by means of a short tube (like a toilet paper roll). You may have to extend the center post. Then, adjust the counterweight on the tonearm so that the arm wants to rise, and rotate the cartridge 180 degrees to ride on the underside of the elevated record. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 3:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/18 "2003-12-01T03:16:26Z")
E.L.O. did backwards masking years before _Secret Messages_ in the mostly instrumental _Fire on High_ with the message “music is reversable, time is not.” ---
**Author:** ![asterion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/4da419/32.png) [@asterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/asterion)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/19 "2003-12-01T04:08:57Z")
**Fuji** , thanks. I’ll keep that in mind in case I ever buy vinyl. ---
**Author:** ![TJdude825](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@TJdude825](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TJdude825)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2003, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112/20 "2003-12-01T04:38:50Z")
I saw a really good site on this once, but I can’t find it right now. It had a list of all the vowels and consonants and their reversals. For example, the long “i” sound, as in “pie” is actually a diphthong, a combination of “ah” and “ee,” so “pie” backwards would be something like “ee-yahp.” Most consonants, IIRC, don’t change when reversed. The site explained that most of the “satanic messages” were probably just coincidences that arose because of the way certain sounds were the reverse of each other, and were also effective mainly through the power of suggestion. In other words, you’re more likely to think you hear a message if someone tells you it’s there. However, backmasking is occasionally done intentionally. For example, there’s a clip from Pink Floyd that is unintelligible forward, but says, “Congratulations, you’ve found the secret message, please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the funny farm…” backward. There’s also an obviously intentional backmask on my Tears for Fears CD, “The Hurting” but I don’t remember which song it’s in. By the way, to increase the longevity of your record players, you can download .mp3’s (legally, for $1 each, of course ;)) convert them to .wav’s and reverse them with Sound Recorder, a little sound editor that comes free with Windows. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/playing-records-backwards-for-satanic-messages/216112.md?page=2)