# The Beatles, Manson and "Helter Skelter"

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557>\
**Category:** Cafe Society\
**Created:** [March 23, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557 "2003-03-23T15:52:15Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 6\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557/1 "2003-03-23T15:52:15Z")

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How much do/did the Beatles know about Manson and their music being his alleged motive for the Tate/La Bianca murders? Did any of them ever speak publicly (or privately, later revealed by someone else) about it?

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**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557/2 "2003-03-23T17:28:10Z")

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(Actually, I wrote my senior thesis on this a quarter of a century ago – a Religion seminar on the Apocalyptic. Unfortuantely, I don’t know the answer to either of your questions. Sorry.)

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**Author:** ![Gulo\_gulo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@Gulo\_gulo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gulo_gulo)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557/3 "2003-03-23T18:02:46Z")

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Other then mentioning that the “Helter Skelter” was a name for a playground slide, I think they always just denied to comment on it.

I’m sure it was a bit of an embarrassment.

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**Author:** ![Payton\_s\_Servant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3da27b/32.png) [@Payton\_s\_Servant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Payton_s_Servant)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557/4 "2003-03-23T21:24:38Z")

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Manson has said that there were a number of Beatles songs that "_inspired/were the inspiration_ for the murders, which is a complete and utter copout.

Anyway, besides _Helter Skelter_, _Piggies, Dear Prudence, Revolution, Blackbird, Sexy Sadie, and Happiness Is A Warm Gun_ were all cited by Manson.

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**Author:** ![The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/5f8ce5/32.png) [@The\_Peyote\_Coyote](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Peyote_Coyote)\
**Post date:** [March 23, 2003, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557/5 "2003-03-23T21:25:32Z")

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The only thing I know for sure, Otto, is that Lennon & McCarthy gave Vincent Bugliosi permission to quote their lyrics in “Helter Skelter,” while Harrison did not. (“Helter Skelter” is Bugliosi’s account of how he and others prosecuted the Manson Family murderers.)

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**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\
**Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-beatles-manson-and-helter-skelter/163557/6 "2003-03-24T01:55:07Z")

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Lennon asked Bugliosi to pass along a message to Manson, to the effect of “Paul wrote _Helter Skelter,_ please leave my name out of it!”