View source for Backmasking

{{Short description|Backward recording technique}}
{{Hatnote group|
{{distinguish|text=[[backward masking]]}}
{{About||the film|Backmask (film)}}
{{Broader|Reverse tape effects}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2012}}
'''Backmasking''' is a [[sound recording and reproduction|recording]] technique in which a message is recorded backward onto a track that is meant to be played forward.<ref>{{citation |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/backmasking |title=backmasking |publisher=Merriam-Webster |access-date=2022-02-03}}</ref> It is a deliberate process, whereas a message found through [[phonetic reversal]] may be unintentional.

Artists have used backmasking for artistic, comedic and satiric effect, on both analogue and digital recordings. It has also been used to censor words or phrases for "clean" releases of [[Profanity|explicit]] songs.

In 1969, rumors of a backmasked message in the Beatles song "[[Revolution 9]]" fueled the [[Paul is dead]] urban legend.<ref name="salon">{{Cite book |url=https://www.salon.com/2017/06/24/what-exactly-lurks-within-the-backward-grooves-of-stairway-to-heaven/ |title=[Led Zeppelin IV] |last=Erik |first=Davis |date=2005|publisher=Continuum |isbn=0-8264-1658-6 |location=New York, NY |language=en-US |oclc=57452450 |access-date=2018-08-14}}</ref> Since at least the early 1980s, Christian groups in the United States alleged that backmasking was being used by prominent [[rock music]]ians for [[satanism|Satanic]] purposes,<ref>{{cite news |last=Billiter |first=Bill |title=Satanic Messages Played Back for Assembly Panel |date=April 28, 1982 |work=The Los Angeles Times |page=B3}}</ref>{{quote needed|date=December 2021}} leading to record-burning protests and proposed anti-backmasking legislation by state and federal governments during the 1980s, as part of the [[Satanic panic]] movement of the time.

Many popular musicians were accused of including backmasked messages in their music. However, apparent backmasked messages may in fact be examples of [[pareidolia]] (the brain's tendency to recognize patterns in meaningless data), coincidental [[phonetic reversal]],<ref name=salon/> or as deliberate responses to the allegations themselves.<ref>{{cite news |last=Macdonald |first=Fiona |date=21 October 2014 |title=The hidden messages in songs |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20141003-the-hidden-messages-in-songs |quote=After Christian fundamentalists claimed that a line in the title track of their 1974 album Eldorado sounded like 'He is the nasty one – Christ you're infernal' when reversed, the Electric Light Orchestra inserted a deliberately backmasked segment into their next album.}}</ref>

==History==

===Development===
The backwards playing of records was advised as training for magicians by occultist [[Aleister Crowley]], who suggested in his 1913 book ''[[Magick (Book 4)]]'' that an [[adept]] "train himself to think backwards by external means", one of which was to "listen to phonograph records, reversed".<ref>{{cite book |last=Crowley |first=Aleister |author-link=Aleister Crowley |title=[[Magick (Book 4)]] |orig-date=1913 |publisher=Weiser |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-87728-919-7 |page=648}}</ref><ref name="salon" /> In the movie ''[[Gold Diggers of 1935]]'', the end of the dancing-pianos musical number, "The Words Are in My Heart," is filmed in [[reverse motion]], with the accompanying instrumental score incidentally being reversed.

[[File:Reel-to-reel recorder tc-630.jpg|thumb|[[Tape recorder]]s allow backward recording in [[recording studio]]s.]]

In 1959, a vocal group called The Eligibles released a record called "Car Trouble", which contains two nonsense passages. When reversed, they reveal the phrases "And you can get my daughter back by 10:30, you bum!" and (perhaps inevitably) "Now, lookit here, cats, stop running these records backwards!". Peaking at #107 on the [[Billboard magazine]] charts that summer, "Car Trouble" is believed to be the first hit record to contain backmasking.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1oTsFlwwzQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/I1oTsFlwwzQ |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|title=The Eligibles – Car Trouble|via=www.youtube.com}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

[[The Beatles]], who began incorporating ''[[musique concrète]]''-inspired tape manipulation techniques into their recordings in the mid-1960s, were responsible for popularizing the concept of backmasking.<ref name="sullivan">{{cite journal |last=Sullivan |first=Mark |title='More Popular Than Jesus': The Beatles and the Religious Far Right |journal=Popular Music |date=October 1987 |volume=6 |issue=3 |pages=313–326 |doi=10.1017/S0261143000002348|s2cid=190680105 }}</ref> Singer [[John Lennon]] and producer [[George Martin]] both claimed that they had discovered the backwards recording technique during the recording of 1966's ''[[Revolver (Beatles album)|Revolver]]'' (specifically the album tracks "[[Tomorrow Never Knows]]" and "[[I'm Only Sleeping]]") and the single "[[Rain (Beatles song)|Rain]]".<ref>{{cite news |last=Mugan |first=Chris |title=Subliminal advertising: The voice within |newspaper=The Independent | location = London |date=October 13, 2006 |url=http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article1847509.ece |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930155232/http://arts.independent.co.uk/music/features/article1847509.ece |archive-date=September 30, 2007 |access-date=2007-03-10}}</ref> Lennon stated that, while under the influence of [[Cannabis (drug)|marijuana]], he accidentally played "Rain" in reverse and enjoyed the sound. After sharing the results with the other Beatles, the effect was used on [[tape loop]]s and the guitar solo on "Tomorrow Never Knows" and later on Lennon's vocals in the [[Coda (music)|coda]] of "Rain".<ref name="stevens">{{cite book |last=Stevens |first=John |title=The Songs of John Lennon: The Beatles Years |year=2002 |publisher=Berklee Press |isbn=978-0-634-01795-7 |pages=149, 155–156}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Aldridge |first=Alan |title=The Beatles Illustrated Lyrics |year=1991 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-59426-1 |page=135 |quote=On the end of 'Rain' you hear me singing it backwards. We'd done the main thing at EMI and the habit was then to take the song home and see what you thought a little extra gimmick or what the guitar piece would be. So I got home about five in the morning, stoned out of my head, I staggered up to my tape recorder and I put it on, but it came out backwards, and I was in a trance in the earphones, what is it, what is it. It's too much, you know, and I really wanted the whole song backwards almost, and that was it. So we tagged it on the end.<!-- This quote needs to attributed to the speaker, I assume it was Lennon but have not verified from source -->}}</ref> According to Martin, the band had been [[Recording studio as an instrument|experimenting with changing the speeds of and reversing]] the "Tomorrow Never Knows" tapes, and Martin got the idea of reversing Lennon's vocals and guitar, which he did with a clip from "Rain". Lennon then liked the effect and kept it.<ref name="ev">{{cite web |last=Olcott |first=Evan |title=Audio Reversal In Popular Culture |url=http://www.triplo.com/ev/reversal/ |publisher = Triplo Press | access-date=2006-08-26|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060821143244/http://www.triplo.com/ev/reversal/ |archive-date = August 21, 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Giuliano |first1=Geoffrey |first2=Vrnda |last2= Devi |title=Glass Onion: The Beatles in their own words |year=1999 |publisher=Da Capo Press |isbn=978-0-306-80895-1 |page=265 |quote=I'd introduced John to backwards music on 'Rain' when I took his voice and turned it 'round when he was out on a coffee break. When I played it for him, he flipped.<!-- this quote needs to attributed to the person who said it. Was it the author of the book, his co author or are they quoting someone? -->}}</ref> "Rain" was the first Beatles song to feature a backmasked message: "Sunshine... Rain... When the rain comes, they run and hide their heads" ({{Audio-nohelp|Rain backwards.ogg|listen}}; the last line is the first line of the song in reverse).<ref>{{cite book |last=Cross |first=Craig |title=The Beatles: Day-by-Day, Song-by-Song, Record-by-Record | publisher = iUniverse |year=2005 | location = New York |isbn=978-0-595-34663-9 |page=425}}</ref>

===Controversies===
The Beatles were involved in the spread of backmasking both as a recording technique and as the center of a [[controversy]]. The latter has its roots in an event in 1969, when [[WNIC|WKNR-FM]] DJ [[Russ Gibb]] received a phone call from a student at [[Eastern Michigan University]] who identified himself as "Tom". The caller asked Gibb about a rumor that Beatle [[Paul McCartney]] had died, and claimed that the Beatles song "[[Revolution 9]]" contained a backward message confirming the rumor. Gibb played the song backwards on his turntable, and heard the phrase "turn me on, dead man".<ref name="reeve">{{cite book |last=Reeve |first=Andru J |title=Turn Me On, Dead Man: The Beatles And The "Paul-Is-Dead" Hoax |publisher=AuthorHouse |pages=11–13}}</ref> Gibb began telling his listeners about what he called "The Great Cover-up",<ref>{{cite journal |last=Yoakum |first=Jim |title=The Man Who Killed Paul McCartney |journal=[[Gadfly Online|The Gadfly]] |date=May–June 2000 |url=http://www.gadflyonline.com/archive/MayJune00/archive-mccartney.html |access-date=2007-10-12| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071011195426/http://gadflyonline.com/archive/MayJune00/archive-mccartney.html| archive-date= October 11, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> and listeners cited other alleged backmasked phrases, including "Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him, miss him", on "[[I'm So Tired]]".<ref name="reeve" />

The "[[Paul is dead]]" rumor popularized the idea of backmasking in [[popular music]].<ref name="sullivan" /> After Gibb's show, many more songs were found to contain phrases that sounded like known spoken languages when reversed. Initially, the search was done mostly by fans of [[rock music]]. In the late 1970s,{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=49}} during the rise of the [[Christian right]] in the United States,<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |last=Holden |first=Stephen |date=1983-03-27 |title=Serious Issues Underlie a New Album from Styx |work=New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/03/27/arts/serious-issues-underlie-a-new-album-from-styx.html |access-date=2007-03-13}}</ref> [[fundamentalist Christian]] groups began to claim that backmasked messages could bypass the [[Consciousness|conscious mind]] and reach the [[unconscious mind]], where they would be [[Subliminal stimuli|accepted subliminally]] by the listener.{{sfn|Poundstone|1986|pp=227–232}} In 1981, Christian DJ Michael Mills began stating on Christian radio programs that [[Led Zeppelin]]'s "[[Stairway to Heaven]]" contained hidden [[Satanic panic|Satanic messages]] that were heard by the unconscious.<ref name="davis">{{cite book |editor-first=David |editor-last= Barker |title=33 1/3 Greatest Hits |volume=1 |publisher=Continuum |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-8264-1903-3 |chapter=Led Zeppelin IV |last=Davis |first=Erik |pages=212–214}}</ref>

In 1982, the [[Trinity Broadcasting Network]]'s [[Paul Crouch]] hosted a show with self-described neuroscientist William Yarroll, who argued that rock stars were cooperating with the [[Church of Satan]] to place backmasked messages on records,{{sfn|Denisoff|1988|p=289}} and fundamentalist Christian pastor Gary Greenwald held public lectures on dangers of backmasking and at least one mass record-smashing event.<ref name="devil">{{cite journal |last1=Vokey |first1=John R. |first2=J. Don |last2= Read |title=Subliminal messages: Between the devil and the media |journal=[[American Psychologist]] |date=November 1985 |pages=1231–1239 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.40.11.1231 |volume=40 |pmid=4083611 |issue=11}}</ref> During the same year, thirty North Carolina teenagers, led by their pastor, claimed that singers had been possessed by Satan, who used their voices to create backward messages, and held a record-burning at their church.<ref name="robinson">{{cite web |title=Backmasking on records: Real, or hoax? |last=Robinson |first=B. A |publisher=[[Ontario Consultants on Religious Tolerance]] |url=http://www.religioustolerance.org/chr_cul5.htm |access-date=2006-07-04}}</ref>

Allegations of demonic backmasking were also made by [[social psychology|social psychologists]], parents, and critics of rock music,<ref name="wsj">{{cite news |last=Searcey |first=Dionne |title=Behind the Music: Sleuths Seek Messages In Lyrical Backspin |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |date=2006-01-09 |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113677367081541303 |access-date=2007-02-28}}</ref> as well as the [[Parents Music Resource Center]],<ref name="ev2">{{cite journal |last=Olcott |first=Evan |title=Backwards Messages|journal=Music and Technology |publisher=Triplo Press |url=http://www.triplo.com/ev/column/04.html | access-date=2007-03-13 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20061122142845/http://www.triplo.com/ev/column/04.html |archive-date = 2006-11-22}}</ref> which accused Led Zeppelin of using backmasking to promote [[Satanism]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Cox |first=Edward |title=Popular music restrictions in America in the late 1980s/early 90s |publisher=edcox.net |url=http://www.edcox.net/research/pre/rockmusic.asp |access-date=2007-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927033409/http://www.edcox.net/research/pre/rockmusic.asp |archive-date=September 27, 2007}}</ref>

===Legislation===
One result of the furor was the firing of five radio DJs who had encouraged listeners to search for backward messages in their record collections.{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=49}} A more serious consequence was legislation by the state governments of [[Arkansas]] and [[California]]. The 1983 California bill was introduced to prevent backmasking that "can manipulate our behavior without our knowledge or consent and turn us into disciples of the [[Antichrist]]".{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=51}} Involved in the discussion on the bill was a [[California State Assembly]] Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee hearing, during which "Stairway to Heaven" was played backwards, and William Yaroll testified.{{sfn|Denisoff|1988|p=290}} The successful bill made the distribution of records with undeclared backmasking an invasion of privacy for which the distributor could be sued.<ref name="devil" /> The Arkansas law, which referenced albums by [[the Beatles]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[Electric Light Orchestra]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]] and [[Styx (band)|Styx]],<ref name="nyt" /> and mandated that records with backmasking include a warning sticker, passed unanimously in 1983, but was vetoed by [[Bill Clinton]] and failed a second vote to override his veto.<ref name="devil" /> United States House Resolution 6363, introduced in 1982 by Representative [[Bob Dornan]], proposed mandating a similar label federally;{{sfn|Poundstone|1983|pp=200–214}} the bill was referred to the Subcommittee on Commerce, Transportation and Tourism and never passed.<ref>{{USBill|97|HR|6363}} from [[THOMAS]]</ref> Government action was also called for in the legislatures of Texas and Canada.<ref name="devil" />

[[File:Compact Disc.jpg|thumb|right|The [[compact disc]] made finding backward messages difficult, causing interest in backmasking to decline.]]

With the advent of [[compact disc]]s in the 1980s, but prior to the advent of sound editing technology for [[personal computer]]s in the 1990s, it became more difficult to listen to recordings backwards, and the controversy died down.<ref name="wsj" />

===Resurgence===
Although the backmasking controversy peaked in the 1980s, the general belief in subliminal manipulation became more widespread in the United States during the following decade,<ref name="brannon" /> with belief in Satanic backmasking on records persisting into the 1990s.<ref>{{cite book |editor-first= Kenneth J. |editor-last= Bindas |title=America's Musical Pulse: Popular Music in Twentieth-Century Society|publisher=Praeger |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-275-94306-6 |last=Racocy |first=Rudolf E. |chapter=Introduction: The Importance of Music to People |pages=xvi–xvii}}</ref> At the same time, the development of [[digital audio editor|sound editing software]] with audio reversal features simplified the process of reversing audio,<ref name="wsj" /> which previously could only be done with full fidelity using a professional tape recorder.{{sfn|Poundstone|1986|pp=227–232}} The [[Sound Recorder (Windows)|Sound Recorder]] utility, included with [[Microsoft Windows]] from [[Windows 95]] to [[Windows XP]], allows one-click audio reversal,<ref>{{cite web|title=Help with Windows Sound Recorder |publisher=Capital Community College |url=http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/dl/dl-help/help-SoundRecorder.htm |access-date=May 9, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070429121019/http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/DL/dl-help/help-SoundRecorder.htm| archive-date= April 29, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> as does popular [[Open-source software|open source]] sound editing software [[Audacity (audio editor)|Audacity]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Audacity: Features |url=http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features|publisher = SourceForge.net | access-date=May 9, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070504192124/http://audacity.sourceforge.net/about/features| archive-date= May 4, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Following the growth of the [[Internet]], backmasked message searchers used such software to create websites featuring backward music samples, which became a widely used method of exploring backmasking in popular music.<ref name="wsj" />

In January 2014, the first backmasked video was released as part of a Grammy Awards promotional campaign. A customized video player allowed the user to watch a piece of film accompanied by a music soundtrack both forwards and backwards. The backwards content contained a hidden visual story and the words 'music unleashes you' embedded into the reversed audio track.

==Use==
{{see also|List of backmasked messages}}
Backmasking has been used as a [[sound recording and reproduction|recording]] technique since the 1960s. In the era of [[magnetic tape sound recording]], backmasking required that the source [[reel-to-reel audio tape recording|reel-to-reel]] tape actually be played backwards, which was achieved by first being wound onto the original takeup reel, then reversing the reels so as to use that reel as the source (this would reverse the stereo channels as well).<ref name="radar" />

Backmasked words are unintelligible when played forward, but when played backwards are clear speech.<ref name="robinson" /> Listening to backmasked audio with most [[phonograph|turntables]] requires disengaging the drive and rotating the album by hand in reverse<ref name="seattle" /> (though some can play records backwards).{{sfn|Poundstone|1986|pp=227–232}} With [[magnetic tape]], the tape must be reversed and spliced back into the cassette.<ref name="seattle" /> [[Compact disc]]s were difficult to reverse when first introduced, but [[digital audio editor]]s, which were first introduced in the late 1980s and became popular during the next decade,<ref>{{cite journal |title=Portable Digital Audio Workstations (Buyer's Guide) |journal=Theatre Crafts International |date=February 1, 1997 |url=http://www.accessmylibrary.com/premium/0286/0286-9303362.html |access-date=June 5, 2007}}</ref> allow easy reversal of audio from digital sources.<ref name="wsj" />

=== Film and television ===
In the ''[[I Love Lucy]]'' episode "Home Movies", Lucy makes an audition film that features clips that are played backwards.

In the 1973 film ''[[The Exorcist (film)|The Exorcist]]'', a tape of noises from the possessed victim was discovered to contain a message when the tape was played backwards. This scene might have inspired subsequent copycat musical effects. [[Stanley Kubrick]] used "Masked Ball", an adaptation by [[Jocelyn Pook]] of her earlier work "Backwards Priests" (from the album Flood) featuring reversed [[Romanian language|Romanian]] chanting, as the background music for the [[masquerade ball]] scene in ''[[Eyes Wide Shut]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Mike |last=Zwerin |title=Kubrick's approval sets seal on classical crossover success: Pook's unique musical mix |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1999/10/27/style/27iht-pook.t.html |work=[[International Herald Tribune]] | location = Paris |date=October 27, 1999 |access-date=2012-01-25}}</ref>

Backmasking was also parodied in a 2001 episode of the television series ''[[The Simpsons]]'' titled "[[New Kids on the Blecch]]". [[Bart Simpson]] joins a [[boy band]] called the Party Posse, whose song "Drop da Bomb" includes the repeated lyric "Yvan eht nioj". [[Lisa Simpson]] becomes suspicious and plays the song backward, revealing the backmasked message "Join the Navy", which leads her to realize that the boy band was created as a subliminal recruiting tool for the United States Navy. In the episode titled "[[Lisa the Vegetarian]]" Lisa Simpson is told by [[Paul McCartney]] that playing his 1970 song "[[Maybe I'm Amazed]]" backwards will reveal "a recipe for a really rippin' lentil soup".<ref name="BBC">{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page5.shtml |title=Lisa the Vegetarian |access-date=November 30, 2008 |author1=Martyn, Warren |author2=Wood, Adrian |year=2000 |publisher=[[BBC|British Broadcasting Corporation]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050309230714/https://www.bbc.co.uk/cult/simpsons/episodeguide/season7/page5.shtml|archive-date=March 9, 2005}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kzok.cbslocal.com/2013/10/15/holly-gets-discovered-hendrix-gets-signed-richards-gets-booted-from-france-this-day-in-classic-rock-video/|date=October 15, 2013|title=Holly Gets Discovered, Hendrix Gets Signed, Richards Gets Booted From France: This Day In Classic Rock|first=Scott|last=Vanderpool|publisher=[[KZOK]]|access-date=June 16, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160306000027/http://kzok.cbslocal.com/2013/10/15/holly-gets-discovered-hendrix-gets-signed-richards-gets-booted-from-france-this-day-in-classic-rock-video/|archive-date=March 6, 2016}}</ref> A modified version of the song plays in the final scene, then over the closing credits of the episode;<ref>Groening, Matt (2005). Commentary for "Lisa the Vegetarian", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> when played backwards, McCartney can be heard reciting the recipe in the song. One of the backwards snippets says, "Oh, and by the way, I'm alive",<ref name="Mirkin">Mirkin, David (2005). Commentary for "Lisa the Vegetarian", in ''The Simpsons: The Complete Seventh Season'' [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.</ref> a reference to the "[[Paul is dead]]" urban legend.<ref name="BBC"/><ref name="Mirkin"/> 

The ''[[Futurama]]'' episode "[[Calculon 2.0]]" also has a scene where an installation disc is played backward on what looks like an old fashioned gramophone player, with the words "rise from the dead in the name of Satan" coming from it.

Disney's ''[[Gravity Falls]]'' features an instance of backmasking, as the episode "Boyz Crazy" contains a plot device about a [[love song]] vinyl which contains [[Brainwashing|mind controlling]] elements when played in reverse.

=== Music ===
On 19 April 1981, English extreme metal band [[Venom (band)|Venom]] released the song "[[In League with Satan]]" (recorded January 1981) which included a backmasked message "Satan, raised in hell, raised in hell, I'm gonna burn your soul, crush your bones, I'm gonna make you bleed, you gonna bleed for me." This is perhaps the earliest instance of a true backtracked message referencing Satan.

During the [[Judas Priest]] subliminal message trial, lead singer [[Rob Halford]] admitted to recording the words "In the dead of the night, love bites" backwards into the track "Love Bites", from the 1984 album ''[[Defenders of the Faith]]''. Asked why he recorded the message, Halford stated that "When you're composing songs, you're always looking for new ideas, new sounds."<ref>{{cite news |title=Judas Priest's lead singer testifies |newspaper=New York Times |date=August 1, 1990 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/01/arts/judas-priest-s-lead-singer-testifies.html |access-date=2007-04-20 |agency= Associated Press}}</ref>

Backmasking has been used by [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] bands to deliberately insert messages in their lyrics or imagery. Bands have utilized Satanic imagery for commercial reasons.{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=52}} For example, [[thrash metal]] band [[Slayer]] included at the start of the band's 1985 album ''[[Hell Awaits]]'' a deep backmasked voice repeatedly chanting "join us".<ref>{{cite web|last=Jenson |first=K. Thor |date=September 17, 2008 |work=Backmasked Tracks |title=#5: Slayer – Hell Awaits |publisher=[[UGO Networks]] |url=http://www.ugo.com/music/backmasked-tracks/?cur=hell-awaits |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130209001252/http://www.ugo.com/music/backmasked-tracks/?cur=hell-awaits |archive-date=February 9, 2013 |access-date=June 13, 2009}}</ref> [[Cradle of Filth]], another band that has employed Satanic imagery, released a song entitled "Dinner at Deviant's Palace", consisting almost entirely of unusual sounds and a reversed reading of the [[Lord's Prayer]].<ref name="hardrock">{{cite web |last=Corbin |first=Dean |title=Hard Rock/Metal/Punk |publisher=Backmask Online |url=http://www.backmaskonline.com/hardrock.html |access-date=2006-08-06|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060819193952/http://www.backmaskonline.com/hardrock.html |archive-date = August 19, 2006}}</ref> [[Oingo Boingo]] has a Christian message promoting salvation through [[Christ]] backmasked into one of their songs, "Cry of the Vatos", a satire on claims of Satanism in their music.{{citation needed|date=May 2021}}

At the end of "[[Before I Forget (song)|Before I Forget]]" by [[Slipknot (band)|Slipknot]], lead singer [[Corey Taylor]]'s voice can be heard saying "You're wasting it" which is in reference to how [[Rick Rubin]], the producer of their album ''[[Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses]]'', wanted Taylor to change the chorus vocal melody because he felt it wasn't catchy; however, Taylor stood his ground and the chorus stayed unchanged.<ref>"Corey Taylor Interview at 98 KUPD". YouTube. March 5, 2009. Retrieved December 19, 2011.</ref>

Artists often use backmasking of sounds or instrumental audio to produce interesting sound effects.<ref name="radar">{{cite web |last=Molitorisz |first=Sacha |title=Out of the box |work=Radar Blog |publisher=Sidney Morning Herald |date=June 23, 2004 |url=http://blogs.smh.com.au/radar/archives/2004/06/out_of_the_box.html |access-date=April 15, 2007| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070509114207/http://blogs.smh.com.au/radar/archives/2004/06/out_of_the_box.html| archive-date= May 9, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Federlein |first=David |title=Reader comments: backwards satanic messages |work=The [[Skeptic's Dictionary]] |date=April 1, 2005 |url=http://skepdic.com/comments/backcom.html |access-date=August 26, 2006}}</ref> One such sound effect is the [[reverse echo]]. When done on tape, such use of backmasking is known as ''[[reverse tape effects]]''. Backmasking has been used for artistic effect by [[Missy Elliott]] ("[[Work It (Missy Elliott song)|Work It]]",<ref name="rap">{{cite web |last=Corbin |first=Dean |title=Rap/Hip Hop |publisher=Backmask Online |url=http://www.backmaskonline.com/rap.html |access-date=2006-08-06| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060311023706/http://www.backmaskonline.com/rap.html| archive-date = March 11, 2006}}</ref>), [[Jay Chou]] ("[[You Can Hear]]"<ref>{{cite web |title=Jay Chou FAQ |publisher=Jay-Chou.net |url=http://www.jay-chou.net/forums/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item2 |access-date=2006-06-21 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060628030930/http://www.jay-chou.net/forums/faq.php?faq=new_faq_item2 |archive-date=June 28, 2006 }}</ref>) [[At the Drive-In]] ("[[300&nbsp;MHz]]"<ref name="modernrock">{{cite web |last=Corbin |first=Dean |title=Modern Rock |publisher=Backmask Online |url=http://www.backmaskonline.com/modernrock.html |access-date=2006-08-06| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060526195316/http://www.backmaskonline.com/modernrock.html| archive-date = May 26, 2006}}</ref>), [[Klaatu (band)|Klaatu]] ("[[Anus of Uranus]]"/"[[Silly Boys]]",<ref>{{cite web |last=Bradley |first=David |title=Klaatu Identities and Beatles Rumors |url=http://www.klaatu.org/klaatu1.html |date=January 24, 2004 |work=The Official Klaatu Homepage |access-date=2009-06-13}}</ref>) and [[Lacuna Coil]] ("[[Self Deception]]"<ref>{{cite web|title=Lacuna Coil – Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Emptyspiral.net – The Lacuna Coil Community |date=October 12, 2006 |url=http://emptyspiral.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=69 |access-date=2006-08-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707120824/http://emptyspiral.net/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=69 |archive-date=July 7, 2007}}</ref>)

A related technique is to reverse an entire instrumental track. [[John Lennon]] originally wanted to do so with "[[Rain (The Beatles song)|Rain]]", but objections by producer [[George Martin]] and bandmate [[Paul McCartney]] cut the backward section to 30 seconds.<ref name="stevens" />  [[Danish people|Danish]] band [[Mew (band)|Mew]]'s 2009 album ''[[No More Stories...]]'' contains a track, "New Terrain", which, when listened to in reverse, reveals a new song, entitled "Nervous".<ref>{{cite web |title=New Terrain / Nervous |publisher=MewX |date=July 28, 2009 |url=http://www.mewx.info/wp/?p=464 |access-date=September 10, 2009}}</ref> Soul duo [[Gnarls Barkley]] released a companion version of their album ''[[The Odd Couple (album)|The Odd Couple]]'', an instrumental album called ''elpuoc ddo eht'', consisting of the original album, fused into a single 38:44-long track, and reversed. This album can be legally obtained{{clarify|date=September 2021}} by owners of the original, as it is meant to complement it, and be a resource to samplers.

The [[B-side]] of the 1966 [[Napoleon XIV]] single "[[They're Coming to Take Me Away, Ha-Haaa!]]" is a reversed version of the entire forwards record, titled "!aaaH-aH ,yawA eM ekaT oT gnimoC er'yehT". The forward version reached #3 in the US charts and #4 in the UK.<ref>{{cite web |title= They're Coming To Take Me Away, Ha-haaa by Napoleon XIV |editor-last= Wiser |editor-first= Carl |work=Songfacts |publisher= songfacts.com |url= http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=675 |access-date= August 13, 2007}}</ref>

Seattle-based grunge band [[Soundgarden]] parodied the phenomenon of Satanic backmasking on their 1989 album ''[[Ultramega OK]]''. When played backwards, the songs "665" and "667" reveal a song about [[Santa Claus]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Blackmasking – Term Paper|url=https://www.termpaperwarehouse.com/essay-on/Blackmasking/309268|access-date=2021-12-23|website=www.termpaperwarehouse.com}}</ref>

[[Matthew Sweet]]'s 1999 album ''[[In Reverse]]'' includes reversed guitar parts which were played directly onto a tape running in reverse.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Simons |first=David |title=Matthew Sweet: Rebuilding the Wall of Sound |journal=[[Guitar Player]] |date=January 2000}}</ref> For live concerts, the guitar parts were played live on stage using a backward emulator.<ref>{{cite news |last=Simons |first=David |title=Back on the bus |magazine=Onstage |date=January 2000}}</ref>

[[The Beatles]] song "[[Free as a Bird]]" was originally composed and recorded in 1977 as a home demo by John Lennon. In 1995 a studio version of the recording, incorporating contributions from Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, was released as a new single from ''The Beatles Anthology 1'' project, 25 years after their break-up and 15 years after Lennon's death. In a humorous self-parody and tribute to Lennon, the surviving Beatles inserted a backmasked clip of Lennon saying "Turned out nice again" at the very end of the song.

[[Pink Floyd]] dropped a backmasked message into "[[Empty Spaces]]":
* ''...&nbsp;Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont&nbsp;...''
* ''Roger! Carolyne's on the phone!''
* ''Okay.''

The first line may refer to former lead singer [[Syd Barrett]], who is thought to have had a [[nervous breakdown]] years earlier.{{sfn|Patterson|2004|p=186}}

In [["Weird Al" Yankovic]]'s "Nature Trail to Hell", from 1984's ''[["Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D]]'', Yankovic's backmasked voice declares that "[[Satan]] eats [[Cheez Whiz]]".<ref name="wsj" /> Another early example can be found on [[the J. Geils Band]] track "No Anchovies, Please", from 1980s album ''[[Love Stinks (album)|Love Stinks]]''. The message, disguised as a foreign-sounding language spoken under the narration, is, "It doesn't take a genius to tell the difference between chicken shit and chicken salad."{{sfn|Poundstone|1986|pp=227–32}} Belgian act [[Poésie Noire]] included a satirical backmasked message on their 1988 album ''Tetra'' saying "You fucking asshole, play the record in the normal way".<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.poesienoire.com/php/matrix.php?action=listall |title= Poésie Noire - The Matrix |work= poesienoire.com}}</ref> [[Tenacious D]] includes the backmasked message "Eat Donkey Crap" at the end of "Karate" from their self-titled first album.<ref>{{cite web |last=Marshall |first=Steve |title=Tenacious D: Tenacious D (Epic) |work= The Night Owl |publisher= thenightowl.com |year=2001 |url=http://www.thenightowl.com/reviews/tenacious.htm |access-date=2009-06-13}}</ref>

[[File:Great Seal of the United States (reverse).svg|thumb|After being accused of Satanic backmasking, [[Styx (band)|Styx]] included an actual backmasked message in ''[[Kilroy Was Here (album)|Kilroy Was Here]]'': "''[[Annuit cœptis]], [[Novus ordo seclorum]]''".]]

[[Electric Light Orchestra]] and [[Styx (band)|Styx]], following their involvement in the 1980s backmasking controversy, released songs that parody the allegations made against them. ELO, after being accused of Satanic backmasking on their 1974 album ''[[Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra album)|Eldorado]]'', included backmasked messages in two songs on their next album, 1975's ''[[Face the Music (Electric Light Orchestra album)|Face the Music]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Michel |first=Rob |title=1974: Electric Light Orchestra: Eldorado |work=Counting Out Time |publisher=Dutch Progressive Rock Page |date=August 2002 |url=http://www.dprp.net/proghistory/index.php?i=1974_03 |access-date=2007-03-17 |archive-date=March 6, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170306135754/http://www.dprp.net/proghistory/index.php?i=1974_03 }}{{ugc|date=January 2022}}</ref> "[[Down Home Town]]" begins with a voice twice repeating (in reverse) "Face the mighty waterfall".<ref name="elo">{{cite web |title=Secret Messages |work=My Electric Light Orchestra Fan Site |publisher=FutureBright |url=http://elo.futurebright.com/Secrets.htm |access-date=2006-07-27| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060828074741/http://elo.futurebright.com/Secrets.htm| archive-date= August 28, 2006 <!--DASHBot-->}}</ref> And the opening instrumental "[[Fire On High]]" contains the backmasked message "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back! Turn back! Turn back! Turn back!" ({{Audio-nohelp|Elofireonhighreverce.ogg|listen}}).{{sfn|Patterson|2004|pp=173–174}} In 1983, ELO released an entire album, ''[[Secret Messages]]'', in response to the controversy.<ref name="ftm" /> Among the many backmasked messages on the album are: "Welcome to the big show" (2x);{{sfn|Poundstone|1986|pp=227–232}} "Thank you for listening"; "Look out there's danger ahead"; "Hup two three four"; "Time After Time"; and "You're playing me backwards".<ref name="elo" /> Styx also released an album in response to allegations of Satanic backmasking:<ref name="kilroy" /> 1983's ''[[Kilroy Was Here (album)|Kilroy Was Here]]'', which deals with an allegorical group called the "Majority for Musical Morality" that outlaws rock music.<ref name="nyt" /> A sticker on the album cover contains the message, "By order of the Majority for Musical Morality, this album contains secret backward messages", and the song "Heavy Metal Poisoning" does in fact contain the backmasked [[Latin]] words "''[[Annuit cœptis]], [[Novus ordo seclorum]]''" ("[God] has favored our undertakings; a new order for the ages")—part of the [[Great Seal of the United States|Great Seal]] which encircles the pyramid on the back of the American [[United States one-dollar bill|dollar bill]].{{sfn|Poundstone|1983|pp=200–214}}

[[Iron Maiden]]'s 1983 album ''[[Piece of Mind]]'' features a short backwards message, included by the band in response to allegations of Satanism that were surrounding them at the time.<ref>{{cite web|last=Narinian|first=Vartan|work=The Iron Maiden FAQ Part 1 |title= 21: Somewhere in Time cover references/neato things |date= August 8, 2012 |url= http://www.faqs.org/faqs/music/iron-maiden-faq/part1/ |publisher=faqs.org}}</ref> Between the songs "[[The Trooper]]" and "Still Life" is inebriated drummer [[Nicko McBrain]] doing an impression of [[Idi Amin|Idi Amin Dada]]: "'What ho', sed de t'ing wid de t'ree bonce [said the thing with the three heads]. Don't meddle wid t'ings you don't understand," followed by a [[belch]].<ref>{{cite web|work=The Iron Maiden Commentary |title=Backward Messages |url=http://www.maidenfans.com/imc/?url=backward&lang=eng&link=features|access-date=2006-08-19|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060823134729/http://www.maidenfans.com/imc/?url=backward&lang=eng&link=features |archive-date = August 23, 2006|publisher=maidenfans.com}}</ref> [[Prince (musician)|Prince]]'s controversial song "[[Darling Nikki]]" includes the backmasked message, "Hello, how are you? I am fine, because I know that the Lord is coming soon."{{sfn|Jenson|2008|loc= [https://archive.today/20130205135629/http://www.ugo.com/music/backmasked-tracks/?cur=darling-nikki #8:Prince – Darling Nikki]}} [[The Waitresses]]' 1982 EP ''I Could Rule the World if I Could Only Get the Parts'' included a backwards masking warning on the cover and a message masked within the song "The Smartest Person I Know": "Anyone who believes in backwards masking is a fool."

Some messages chastise or poke fun at the listener who is playing the song backwards. One such message was included by "Weird Al" Yankovic in "[[I Remember Larry]]", from the 1996 album ''[[Bad Hair Day]]'', on which Yankovic lightly chastises the listener with the backmasked remark, "Wow, [you] must have an awful lot of free time on your hands".<ref>{{cite web |last=Lick |first=Marty "Gumby" |author2="Happy Steve" Chai| title="Weird Al" Yankovic Frequently Asked Questions |publisher=Al-oholics Anonymous |url=http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/index.html |access-date=2007-03-17| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070210010935/http://www.al-oholicsanonymous.com/faq/index.html| archive-date= February 10, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Similarly, the [[The B-52's|B-52's]] song "Detour Through Your Mind", from the 1986 LP ''[[Bouncing off the Satellites]]'', contains the message, "I buried my parakeet in the backyard. Oh no, you're playing the record backwards. Watch out, you might ruin your needle."{{sfn|Patterson|2004|p=174}} A similar message comes from the Canadian band [[Frozen Ghost]] from their 1987 self-titled debut album: "You are ruining your needle!"

Meanwhile, [[Christian rock]] group [[Petra (band)|Petra]] included in their song "Judas' Kiss", from the 1982 album ''[[More Power to Ya]]'', the message, "What are you looking for the devil for, when you ought to be looking for the Lord?"{{sfn|Poundstone|1986|pp=227–32}} [[Bloodhound Gang]]'s 1996 controversy-begging track "Lift Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out)" mocked the Judas Priest controversy directly, and included the backmasked phrase "Devil child, wake up and eat [[Chef Boyardee]] [[Beefaroni]]".<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.eeggs.com/items/2567.html |title= Lift Your Head Up (Bloodhound Gang) Easter Egg - Judas Priest |author= sevenwives |date= September 24, 1999 |work= The Easter Egg Archive}}</ref> The band [[Mindless Self Indulgence]] released a song titled "Backmaskwarning!", which contains the forward lyrics "Play that record backwards / Here's a message yo for the suckas / Play that record backwards / And go fuck yourself". The backwards messages in the song include, "clean your room", "do your homework", "don't stay out too late", and "eat your vegetables".<ref name="modernrock" />{{sfn|Jenson|2008|loc= [https://web.archive.org/web/20101014180714/http://www.ugo.com:80/music/backmasked-tracks-backmask #9: Mindless Self Indulgence – Backmask]}}

===Other===
[[File:Sox Satanic Subliminals.png|thumb|right|The manual for the popular sound program [[SoX]] advised that the "reverse" option could be used "for finding Satanic subliminals".]]
[[WWE]] wrestler [[Al Snow]] had a theme song that had backmasking in it. The song was mostly instrumental, but at one point a clearly audible voice can be heard saying a line of gibberish. When the song is played backward, the gibberish is actually saying: "I AM THE ONE IN CONTROL." The message played on Al Snow's character as an unstable mad man.

===Censorship===
[[File:Zappa.jpg|thumb|right|[[Frank Zappa]] used backmasking to avoid censorship.]]

Backmasking has been used to avoid censorship. On Frank Zappa's track "[[Hot Poop]]", from ''[[We're Only in It for the Money]]'' (1968), the released version contains at the end of its side "A" the backmasked message "Better look around before you say you don't care. / Shut your fucking mouth 'bout the length of my hair. / How would you survive / If you were alive / shitty little person?" This profanity-laced verse, originally from the song "Mother People", was censored by Verve Records, so Zappa edited the verse out, reversed it, and inserted it elsewhere in the album as "Hot Poop" (though even in the backward message the word "fucking" is censored).<ref>{{cite web |title=We're Only In It for the Money |last=Pacholski |first=Luke |url=http://www.lukpac.org/~handmade/patio/vinylvscds/money.html |publisher=lukpac.org |access-date=2006-07-29| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060718065134/http://www.lukpac.org/~handmade/patio/vinylvscds/money.html| archive-date= July 18, 2006 | url-status= live}}</ref> On the same album, a backwards message can also be heard in "Harry, You're a Beast" with Madge saying, "Don't come in me, in me" repeatedly before she starts crying. In at least one bootleg version of the album, these words are very clear.<ref>{{cite web|title=Frank Zappa – Bootleg (We're only in it for the money 1967) Parte2|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAEyXHOY0qk |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/OAEyXHOY0qk |archive-date=2021-12-21 |url-status=live|website=YouTube|date=October 22, 2009|access-date=August 1, 2016}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

Another example is found in [[Roger Waters]]' 1992 album ''[[Amused to Death]]'', on which Waters recorded a backward message, possibly critical of film director [[Stanley Kubrick]], who had refused to let Waters sample a breathing sound from ''[[2001: A Space Odyssey (film)|2001: A Space Odyssey]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last=Simon |first=Michael |title=Amused To Death Trivia |publisher=Roger Waters International Fan Club |url=http://www.rogerwaters.org/atdtrivia.html |access-date=2007-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070208094658/http://www.rogerwaters.org/atdtrivia.html |archive-date=February 8, 2007 }}</ref> The message appears in the song "[[Perfect Sense Part 1]]", in which Waters' backmasked voice says, "Julia, however, in light and visions of the issues of Stanley, we have changed our minds. We have decided to include a backward message, Stanley, for you and all the other book burners."<ref>{{cite web |title=Roger Waters – Perfect Sense |publisher=[[UGO Networks]] |url=http://www.ugo.com/music/backmasked-tracks/?cur=perfect-sense |access-date=2009-06-13 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120605002334/http://www.ugo.com/music/backmasked-tracks/?cur=perfect-sense |archive-date=June 5, 2012 }}</ref>

On the other hand, backmasking can be used to [[censorship|censor]] words and phrases deemed inappropriate on [[radio edit]]s and "[[Expurgation|clean]]" album releases.<ref name="nelson">{{cite web|last=Nelson |first=Chris |title=Sticker Ban Policy: Family Values Or Consumer Fraud? |publisher=[[VH1]] |date=1998-09-08 |url=http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/501064/19980908/story.jhtml |access-date=February 3, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071001091203/http://www.vh1.com/news/articles/501064/19980908/story.jhtml |archive-date=October 1, 2007}}</ref> For example, [[the Fugees]]' clean version of the album ''[[The Score (Fugees album)|The Score]]'' contains various backmasked [[profanity|profanities]];<ref name="nelson" /> thus, when playing the album backwards, the censored words are clearly audible among the backward gibberish.<ref>{{cite web |author=mcc |publisher=[[Everything2]] |title=Music that sounds better backward than forward |url=http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=677630 |access-date=2006-08-26}}</ref> When used with the word "shit", this type of backmasking results in a sound similar to "ish". As a result, "[[wikt:ish|ish]]" became a [[euphemism]] for "shit".<ref>{{cite web |editor-last=Rader |editor-first= Walter |work=The Online Slang Dictionary |author= Emily M. |orig-date= November 12, 1997 |date= March 5, 2011 |url= http://onlineslangdictionary.com/definition+of/ish |title= Definition of ish: noun |access-date= 2014-01-14}}</ref>

[[Iron Maiden]] used a similar technique on the radio edit of their "[[Holy Smoke (song)|Holy Smoke]]" single, in which there are two rare instances of profanity in their lyrics, which were reversed to give "Flies around tish/Bees around honey" and "I've lived in filth, I've lived in sin/And I still smell cleaner than the tish you're in".

In [[Britney Spears]]' 2011 song "[[Till the World Ends]]", Spears says "if you want this good shit". However, on the official version, "shit" is reversed, creating the "ish" sound; therefore, the official version says "if you want this good ish". Backmasking is also used to censor the word "[[joint (cannabis)|joint]]" in the video for "[[You Don't Know How It Feels]]" by [[Tom Petty]], resulting in the line "Let's roll another tnioj".<ref name="TomPettySun">{{cite web|url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/1995/07/05/some-lyrics-are-revised-when-listeners-read-between-the-lines-changing-their-tunes/ |title=Some lyrics are revised when listeners read between the lines Changing Their Tunes |first=J. D. |last=Considine |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=July 5, 1995 |access-date = September 7, 2010}}</ref>

==Accusations==
<!-- This sentence is not for listing all artists who have been accused. It should only be used for well-known controversies involving notable artists. All additions should include a reliable source. -->Artists who have been accused of backmasking include [[Led Zeppelin]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[the Beatles]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[Pink Floyd]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[Electric Light Orchestra]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Styx (band)|Styx]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[Judas Priest]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[Eagles (band)|the Eagles]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[The Rolling Stones]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[Jefferson Starship]],{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=50}} [[AC/DC]],{{sfn|Poundstone|1983|pp=200–14}} [[Black Oak Arkansas]],{{sfn|Poundstone|1983|pp=200–14}} [[Rush (band)|Rush]],<ref>{{cite news |last=Deusner |first=Stephen M. |title=For Whom Hell's Bells Toll |date=December 12, 2005 |publisher=[[Pitchfork Media]] |url=http://pitchfork.com/features/articles/6216-for-whom-hells-bells-toll/ |access-date=2012-01-25}}</ref> [[Britney Spears]],<ref>{{cite news|last=Tetley |first=Deborah |title=Albertan finds Satan in music downloads |newspaper=Calgary Herald |date=January 10, 2006 |url=http://www.canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=ae8bde82-144e-414f-84b8-4f96fc0dd7da |access-date=2007-04-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011200128/http://canada.com/calgaryherald/news/story.html?id=ae8bde82-144e-414f-84b8-4f96fc0dd7da |archive-date=October 11, 2007}}</ref> and [[Eminem]].<ref name="wsj" />

[[Electric Light Orchestra]] was accused of hiding a backward Satanic message in their 1974 album ''[[Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra album)|Eldorado]]''. The title track, "[[Eldorado (Electric Light Orchestra song)|Eldorado]]", was said to contain the message "He is the nasty one / Christ, you're infernal / It is said we're dead men / Everyone who has the mark will live."{{sfn|Poundstone|1983|pp=200–14}} ELO singer and songwriter [[Jeff Lynne]] responded by calling this accusation (and the related charge of being "devil-worshippers") "[[bollocks|skcollob]]",<ref name="ftm">{{cite web |title=Electric Light Orchestra Biogs |publisher=Face The Music |url=http://www.ftmusic.com/biogs/elo/elo_biog.html |access-date=2007-03-14 |archive-date=May 4, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070504144552/http://www.ftmusic.com/biogs/elo/elo_biog.html }}</ref> and stating that the message "is absolutely manufactured by whoever said, 'That's what it said.' It doesn't say anything of the sort."{{sfn|Patterson|2004|p=174}} The group included several backward messages in later albums in response to the accusations.

In 1981, [[Styx (band)|Styx]] was accused of putting the backward message "Satan move through our voices" on the song "[[Snowblind (Styx song)|Snowblind]]", from ''[[Paradise Theatre (album)|Paradise Theatre]]''.<ref name="nyt" /> Guitarist [[James Young (American musician)|James Young]] called these charges "rubbish,"<ref name="arar">{{cite news |last=Arar |first=Yardena |title=Satanic records or balderdash: Just what the devil's going on? |newspaper=The Daily Herald | location = Arlington Heights, IL |date=May 26, 1982}}</ref> and responded, "If we want to make a statement, we'll do it in a way that people can understand us and not in a way where you have to go out and buy a $400 tape player to understand us." The vinyl reproduction of ''[[Paradise Theatre (album)|Paradise Theatre]]'' had laser etching on side one, spelling out Styx at the top, and two ladies facing each other on the sides. But on side two, the side with the song (Snow Blind) it had a black label with a small hole cut out where you could place the eraser side of a pencil, and play the album backwards to hear the backward message.<ref name="kilroy">{{cite news |last=Hoekstra |first=Dave |title=Styx makes a statement |newspaper=Suburban Sun-Times | location = Chicago |date=April 1, 1983}}</ref> In 1983, the band released a concept album, ''[[Kilroy Was Here (album)|Kilroy Was Here]]'', satirizing the [[Moral Majority]].

A well-known alleged message is found in [[Led Zeppelin]]'s 1971 song "[[Stairway to Heaven]]". The backwards playing of a portion of the song purportedly results in words beginning with "Here's to my sweet Satan" ({{Audio-nohelp|STH reverse.ogg|listen}}).<ref name="milner">{{cite web |last=Milner |first=Jeff |title=Jeff Milner's Backmasking Site |url=http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm |publisher = jeffmilner.com |access-date=2007-03-14| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070314014834/http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm| archive-date= March 14, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> [[Swan Song Records]] issued a statement to the contrary: "Our turntables only play in one direction—forwards."<ref name="davis" /> Led Zeppelin vocalist [[Robert Plant]] denied the accusations in an interview: "To me it's very sad, because 'Stairway to Heaven' was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making music."<ref>{{cite interview |last=Plant |first=Robert |subject-link=Robert Plant |interviewer=J.D. Considine |title=Life In A Lighter Zeppelin | date=December 1983 |url=http://www.led-zeppelin.org/reference/index.php?m=int18 |access-date=2007-03-14| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070423103337/http://led-zeppelin.org/reference/index.php?m=int18| archive-date= April 23, 2007 | url-status= usurped}}</ref> Another widely known alleged message, "It's fun to smoke marijuana", in [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s song "[[Another One Bites the Dust]]", is similarly disclaimed by the group's spokesperson.<ref name="wsj" />

===Subliminal persuasion===
{{further|Subliminal message}}

====Fundamentalist Christian groups====
Various [[fundamentalist Christian]] groups have declared that Satan uses—or Satan-influenced musicians use—backmasked messages to subliminally alter behavior. Pastor Gary Greenwald claimed that subliminal messages backmasked into rock music induce listeners towards sex and drug use.{{sfn|Vokey|2005|p=258}} Minister Jacob Aranza wrote in his 1982 book ''Backward Masking Unmasked'' that rock groups "are using backmasking to convey Satanic and drug related messages to the subconscious."{{sfn|Blecha|2004|p=49}} Christian DJ Michael Mills argued in 1981 that "the subconscious mind is being successfully affected by the repetition of beat and lyrics—being affected through a subliminal message."<ref>Mills, Michael. [http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/01/365_days_1_the_.html Hidden and Satanic Messages In Rock Music]. Radio interview, 1981, blog.wfmu.org. [http://blogfiles.wfmu.org/DP/2007/01/001_Michael_Mills_01_Introduction.mp3 Introduction], at 1:22</ref> Mills has toured America warning Christian parents about subliminal messages in [[rock music]].<ref name="devil" />

Some Christian websites have claimed that backmasking is widely used for Satanic purposes.<ref name="robinson" /> The web page for Alabama group Dial-the-Truth Ministries argues for the existence of Satanic backmasking in "[[Stairway to Heaven]]", saying that the song contains the backward message, "It's my sweet Satan&nbsp;... Oh I will sing because I live with Satan."<ref name="watkins" />

====PMRC====
In 1985, Joe Stuessy testified to the [[United States Congress]] at the [[Parents Music Resource Center]] hearings that:
{{blockquote|
The message [of a piece of heavy metal music] may also be covert or subliminal. Sometimes subaudible tracks are mixed in underneath other, louder tracks. These are heard by the subconscious but not the conscious mind. Sometimes the messages are audible but are backward, called backmasking. There is disagreement among experts regarding the effectiveness of subliminals. We need more research on that.<ref name="pmrc">{{citation |author= United States Senate |year= 1985 |url= http://www.joesapt.net/superlink/shrg99-529/ |title= Record Labeling: Hearing before the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation |work= United States Senate, Ninety-ninth Congress, First Session on Contents of Music and the Lyrics of Records (September 19, 1985) |location= Washington, DC |publisher= U.S. Government Printing Office |pages= 118–25 |via= Joesapt.net |access-date= 2007-06-09 |postscript= .}}</ref>
}}
Stuessy's written testimony stated that:
{{blockquote|
Some messages are presented to the listener backwards. While listening to a normal forward message (often somewhat nonsensical), one is simultaneously being treated to a backwards message (in other words, the lyric sounds like one set of words going forward, and a different set of words going backwards). Some experts believe that while the conscious mind is absorbing the forward lyric, the subconscious is working overtime to decipher the backwards message.<ref name="pmrc" />
}}

====Court cases====
Serial killer [[Richard Ramirez]], on trial in 1988, stated that [[AC/DC]]'s music, and specifically the song "[[Night Prowler (song)|Night Prowler]]" on ''[[Highway to Hell (album)|Highway to Hell]]'', inspired him to commit murder.<ref name="watkins">{{cite web |last=Watkins |first=Terry |title=Rock Music: The Devil's Advocate |publisher=Dial-the-Truth Ministries |url=http://www.av1611.org/rock.html |access-date=2007-03-17}}</ref> [[Reverse speech]] advocate [[David John Oates]] claimed that "[[Highway to Hell (song)|Highway to Hell]]", on the same album, contains backmasked messages including "I'm the law", "my name is Lucifer", and "she belongs in hell".<ref>{{cite web |last=Von Ulrich |first=Meyerratken |url=http://www.reversespeech.com/esotera.htm |title=Esotera Magazine |website=Reverse Speech |editor=George, Michael |translator=Galbraith, Evan |access-date=2007-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061230184800/http://www.reversespeech.com/esotera.htm |archive-date=December 30, 2006}} Originally published in ''Esotera'' magazine (June 1997).</ref> AC/DC's [[Angus Young]] responded that "you didn't need to play [the album] backwards, because we never hid [the messages]. We'd call an album ''Highway to Hell'', there it was right in front of them."<ref>{{cite interview|last=Young |first=Angus |subject-link=Angus Young |last2=Young |first2=Malcolm |subject-link2=Malcolm Young |interviewer=Sylvie Simmons |title=AC/DC Celebrate Their Quarter Century |url=http://www.sylviesimmons.com/interviews.php?interview=ACDC |work=[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]] |date=December 2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061217215707/http://www.sylviesimmons.com/interviews.php?interview=ACDC |archive-date=December 17, 2006}}</ref>

In 1990, British [[heavy metal music|heavy metal]] band [[Judas Priest]] was sued over a [[suicide pact]] made by two young men in [[Nevada]]. The lawsuit by their families claimed that the 1978 Judas Priest album ''[[Stained Class]]'' contained hidden messages, including the forward subliminal words "Do it" in the song "[[Better by You, Better than Me]]" (a cover version of a [[Spooky Tooth]] song), and various backward subliminal messages. The case was dismissed by the judge for insufficient evidence of Judas Priest's placement of subliminal messages on the record,{{sfn|Vokey|2005|p=261}} and the judge's ruling stated that "The scientific research presented does not establish that subliminal stimuli, even if perceived, may precipitate conduct of this magnitude. There exist other factors which explain the conduct of the deceased independent of the subliminal stimuli."<ref>{{cite web |last=Sophia |first=Cassiel |title=Subliminal Suicide? |publisher=Metareligion |url=http://www.meta-religion.com/Secret_societies/Conspiracies/Mind_Control/subliminal_suicide.htm |access-date=2007-03-17}}</ref> Judas Priest members commented that if they wanted to insert subliminal commands in their music, messages leading to the deaths of their fans would be counterproductive, and they would prefer to insert the command "Buy more of our records."<ref>Van Taylor, David. KNPB Channel 5 Public Broadcasting, 1982: ''Dream Deceivers: The Story Behind James Vance Vs. Judas Priest''.</ref>

===Skepticism===
[[Skepticism|Skeptic]] [[Michael Shermer]] says that the emergence of the "Paul is dead" phenomenon was caused by [[pareidolia]]. Shermer argues that the human brain evolved with a strong [[pattern recognition]] ability that was necessary to process the large amount of [[noise]] in man's environment, but that today this ability leads to false positives.<ref>{{cite news |last=Shermer |first=Michael |title=Turn Me On, Dead Man |date=May 2005 |work =Scientific American |url=http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=turn-me-on-dead-man|access-date=2012-01-25}}</ref> [[Stanford University]] psychology professor Brian Wandell postulates that the observance of backward messages is a mistake arising from this pattern recognition facility, and argues that subliminal persuasion theories are "bizarre" and "implausible."<ref name="seattle">{{cite news |last=Holguin |first=Jaime |title=Backmasking unmasked! Music site's in heavy rotation |date=February 27, 2006 |newspaper=Seattle Times |url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002828774_backmasking27.html |access-date=2007-02-28| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070218091502/http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002828774_backmasking27.html| archive-date= February 18, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> Rumors of backmasking in popular music have been described as auditory [[pareidolia]].{{sfn|Zusne|Jones|1989|p=77}} James Walker, president of Christian research group [[Watchman Fellowship]], states that "You could take a Christian hymn, and if you played it backwards long enough at different speeds, you could make that hymn say anything you want to"; Led Zeppelin publicist [[BP Fallon]] concurs, saying "Play anything backwards, and you'll find something." Eric Borgos of audio reversal website talkbackwards.com<ref>{{cite web |url= http://www.talkbackwards.com/ |title= Backmasking and Reverse Speech |work= TalkBackwards.com |access-date= 2007-06-05}}</ref> states that "Mathematically, if you listen long enough, eventually you'll find a pattern",<ref name="wsj" /> while Jeff Milner<ref name="milner" /> recounts, "Most people, when I show them the site, say that they're not able to hear anything, until, of course, I show them the reverse lyrics."<ref>{{cite news |last=Hopper |first=Tristin |title=Student sets up "backmasking" website |date=January 26, 2006 |work=The Charlatan | location = Carleton University, Ottawa |url=http://www.charlatan.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=16842&Itemid=27 |access-date=2007-04-20}}</ref>

Audio engineer Evan Olcott says that messages by artists including Queen and Led Zeppelin are coincidental [[phonetic reversal]]s, in which the spoken or sung [[phoneme]]s form new combinations of words when listened to backwards.<ref name="ev" /> Olcott states that "Actually engineering or planning a phonetic reversal is next to impossible, and even more difficult when trying to design it with words that fit into a song."<ref name="ev2" />

In 1985, [[University of Lethbridge]] psychologists John Vokey and J. Don Read conducted a study using [[Psalm 23]] from the [[Bible]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]]'s "[[Another One Bites the Dust]]", and other sound passages made up for the experiment. Vokey and Read concluded that if backmasking does exist, it is ineffective. Participants had trouble noticing backmasked phrases when the samples were played forwards, were unable to judge the types of messages (Christian, Satanic, or commercial), and were not led to behave in a certain way as a result of being exposed to the backmasked phrases. Vokey concluded that "we could find no effect of the meaning of engineered, backward messages on listeners' behaviour, either consciously or unconsciously."{{sfn|Vokey|2005|p=260}} Similar results to Vokey and Read's were obtained by D. Averill in 1982.<ref>{{cite news |last=Averill |first=D. |date=September 12, 1982 |title=Did the Devil make you do it? |newspaper =Tulsa World |location = Oklahoma |page=17}} Cited in {{Harvnb|Zusne|Jones|1989|p=79}}</ref> A 1988 experiment by T.E. Moore found "no evidence that listeners were influenced,
consciously or unconsciously, by the content of the backward messages."<ref name="brannon">{{cite book |last1= Brannon |first1= Laura A. |last2= Brock |first2= Timothy C. |chapter= The Subliminal Persuasion Controversy: Reality, Enduring Fable, and Polonius's Weasel |editor1-last= Shavitt |editor1-first= Sharon |editor2-first= Timothy C. |editor2-last= Brock |title= Persuasion: Psychological Insights and Perspectives |publisher= Allyn & Bacon |year= 1994 |url= http://courses.umass.edu/psyc392a/pdf/brannon&brock.1994.pdf |isbn= 978-0-205-15143-1 |access-date= August 23, 2018 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120722092128/http://courses.umass.edu/psyc392a/pdf/brannon%26brock.1994.pdf |archive-date= July 22, 2012 }}</ref> In 1992, an experiment found that exposure to backward messages did not lead to significant changes in attitude.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Swart |first1=L. C. |first2=C. L. |last2= Morgan |title=Effects of subliminal backward-recorded messages on attitudes |journal=Perceptual and Motor Skills |date=December 1992 |pages=1107–13 |pmid=1484773 |doi=10.2466/PMS.75.8.1107-1113 |volume=75 |issue=3 Pt 2}}</ref> Psychology professor Mark D. Allen says that "delivering subliminal messages via backward masking is totally and ridiculously impossible".<ref>{{cite news|last=Glover |first=Melanie |newspaper=The California Aggie |title=Backmasking: Satan, marijuana and Cheez Whiz |date=January 19, 2006 |url=http://media.www.californiaaggie.com/media/storage/paper981/news/2006/01/19/ArtsEntertainment/Backmasking.Satan.Marijuana.And.Cheez.Whiz-1477952-page2.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927234234/http://media.www.californiaaggie.com/media/storage/paper981/news/2006/01/19/ArtsEntertainment/Backmasking.Satan.Marijuana.And.Cheez.Whiz-1477952-page2.shtml |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |access-date=2007-03-01}}</ref>

The finding of backward Satanic messages has been explained as caused by the [[observer-expectancy effect]]. The ''[[Skeptic's Dictionary]]'' states that "you probably won't hear [backmasked] messages until somebody first points them out to you. Perception is influenced by expectation and expectation is affected by what others prime you for."<ref>{{cite book |last=Carroll |first=Robert Todd |author-link=Robert Todd Carroll |chapter= Backwards satanic messages (backmasking) |title= The Skeptic's Dictionary |edition= online |date=December 28, 2006 |url=http://www.skepdic.com/backward.html |access-date=2007-04-18| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20070501094630/http://www.skepdic.com/backward.html| archive-date= May 1, 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> In 1984, S. B. Thorne and P. Himelstein found that "when vague and unfamiliar stimuli are presented, [test subjects] are highly likely to accept suggestions, particularly when the suggestions are presented by someone with prestige and authority."<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Thorne |first1=Stephen B. |first2 =Philip | last2 = Himelstein |year=1984 |title=The Role of Suggestion in the Perception of Satanic Messages in Rock-And-Roll Recordings |journal=Journal of Psychology |volume=116 |issue=2 |pages=245–8|doi=10.1080/00223980.1984.9923643}} Cited in {{cite book |last=Hicks |first=Robert D. |title=In Pursuit of Satan: The Police And the Occult |publisher=Prometheus |year=1991 | location = Buffalo, NY |isbn=978-1-59102-219-0 |page=306}}</ref> Vokey and Read concluded from their 1985 experiment that "the apparent presence of backward messages in popular music is a function more of active construction on the part of the perceiver than of the existence of the messages themselves."<ref name="devil" />

===In popular culture===
Backmasking has been satirized in the comic strip ''[[Bloom County]]'' on several occasions when one "expert" claims to have found Satanic verses hidden in songs recorded by [[Debby Boone]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1983/03/24|title=March 24, 1983- Bloom County|work=gocomics.com}}</ref> and [[Billy Joel]];<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.gocomics.com/bloomcounty/1983/03/25|title=March 25, 1983- Bloom County|work=gocomics.com}}</ref> and by Milo Bloom investigating the fictional heavy metal group [[Billy and the Boingers Bootleg|Billy and the Boingers]] (formerly Deathtöngue).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://cimarronline.blogspot.com/2012/05/another-old-bloom-county-from.html|title=Pilgrimage Journal|website=Cimarronline.blogspot.com|access-date=March 16, 2023}}</ref>

A page in [[Frank Miller]]'s comic ''[[The Dark Knight Returns]]'' depicts a character named "Arnold Cimp," who becomes convinced Led Zeppelin is trying to kill him after hearing "Stairway To Heaven" backwards.

==See also==
* [[List of backmasked messages]]
* [[Phonetic reversal]]
* ''[[Programming the Nation?]]''
* [[Reverse speech]]
* [[Subliminal stimuli]]

==References==

===Notes===
{{Reflist}}

===Bibliography===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Blecha |first=Peter |author-link=Peter Blecha|title=Taboo Tunes: A History of Banned Bands and Censored Songs |publisher=Backbeat Books |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-87930-792-9 |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/tabootuneshistor0000blec}}
* {{cite book |last=Denisoff |first=R. Serge |title=Inside MTV |publisher=Transaction |year=1988 |isbn=978-0-88738-864-4}}
* {{cite book |last=Patterson |first=R. Gary |title=Take a Walk on the Dark Side: Rock and Roll Myths, Legends, and Curses |publisher=Fireside |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-7432-4423-7 |url=https://archive.org/details/takewalkondarksi00rgar}}
* {{cite book |last=Poundstone |first=William |author-link=William Poundstone |title=[[Big Secrets]] |year=1983 |publisher=William Morrow and Company|location=New York City |isbn=978-0-688-04830-3 |chapter=Secret Messages on Records |chapter-url=http://skepticfiles.org/mys1/backmsk1.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202063455/http://skepticfiles.org/mys1/backmsk1.htm |archive-date=December 2, 2008 }} Chapter also available [http://www.crispen.org/rants/secrets.html with commentary] by Malinda McCall.
* {{cite book |last=Poundstone |first=William |author-link=William Poundstone |title=[[Big Secrets|Bigger Secrets]] |year=1986 |publisher=Houghton Mifflin |isbn=978-0-395-45397-1 |chapter=Backward Messages on Records |chapter-url=http://www.skepticfiles.org/mys1/backmsk2.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081202063507/http://www.skepticfiles.org/mys1/backmsk2.htm |archive-date=December 2, 2008 }}
* {{cite book |title=Psychological Sketches |edition=7th |year=2005 |publisher=Psyence Ink |location=Lethbridge, Alberta |chapter=Subliminal Messages |pages=249–261 |last=Vokey |first=John R. |url=https://www.uleth.ca/dspace/handle/10133/509 |format=PDF |access-date=2012-01-25}}
* {{cite book |last1=Zusne |first1=Leonard |first2= Warren H. |last2= Jones |title=Anomalistic Psychology: A Study of Magical Thinking |publisher=Lawrence Erlbaum Associates |year=1989 |isbn=978-0-8058-0508-6|page=78}}
{{refend}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20120316215735/http://angle.netlab.sk/ostatne/backward_masking/ Backmasking]{{snd}}essay on backmasking & a small survey about perception of alleged satanic messages in the song "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin
* [http://www.backmaskonline.com/ Backmask Online]{{snd}}clips and analysis of possible backmasked messages
* [http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm Jeff Milner's Backmasking Page]{{snd}}a Flash player with forward and backward versions of songs claimed to contain backmasking; the focus of [https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB113677367081541303 the Wall Street Journal article]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20101110221348/http://www.persuasionesubliminale.it/subliminale-audio/subliminal-audio-database.html Subliminal Audio Database]{{snd}} Another flash player with forward and backward versions of songs claimed to contain backmasking
* [http://www.talkbackwards.com/ TalkBackwards.com]{{snd}}allows uploaded music to be reversed
* [http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/01/365_days_1_the_.html Hidden and Satanic Messages In Rock Music]{{snd}}1981 radio interview with Michael Mills
** [http://www.ubu.com/outsiders/365/2003/012.shtml Excerpt] with alleged backward messages by [[Led Zeppelin]], [[The Beatles]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]]
* "[https://web.archive.org/web/20070525133214/http://guypluspodcast.blogspot.com/2005/09/backwards-messages-in-rock-music.html Backwards Messages in Rock Music{{snd}}Revealed!]" podcast featuring [[The Beatles]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[The Eagles]], [[Rush (band)|Rush]], [[Jefferson Starship]], [[Wings (band)|Wings]], [[Queen (band)|Queen]], [[Phil Collins]], [[Britney Spears]], [[Judas Priest]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[Iron Maiden]], [[Electric Light Orchestra]], [[Xuxa]], [[Prince (artist)|Prince]] and [[Information Society (band)|Information Society]]
* [http://www.joekleon.com/backwardmasking.html Radio program] exploring backmasking by announcer Joe Kleon, broadcast on [[WRQK-FM]], with audio samples from [[Britney Spears]], [[Led Zeppelin]], [[Pink Floyd]], [[Metallica]], [[Styx (band)|Styx]], [[Cheap Trick]] and others
* [http://www.touchradio.org.uk/touch_radio_75_autodigest.html A Touch Radio podcast made of backmasking, both as a tribute and as an artistic approach]

{{Hidden messages}}

[[Category:Audio engineering]]
[[Category:Perception]]
[[Category:Popular music]]
[[Category:Religious controversies in music]]
[[Category:Pareidolia]]