Paul is dead?!?
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INTRODUCTION:
For twenty-five years the Paul Death Hoax has intrigued a plethora
of Beatles fans and fanatics alike. While it's difficult to point
to an absolute point of origination, there is no evidence whatsoever
that the Beatles themselves had anything to do with its genesis, although
many claim that the Beatles intended it to be a joke on their fans.
But clues, which seem so cleverly arranged, are random coincidences or
inaccurate interpretations of existing facts (to wit: John does *not* say
"I buried Paul" at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever", he said by
his own admission "cranberry sauce"...etc.) And all Beatles have denied
that they were involved in any way with the hoax, John's denial being
particularly fervent.
Recently several indications point more forcefully to an origination
of the hoax in the American midwest, sometime just prior to the release
of the LP "Abbey Road" (26 September 1969). First documented written
source was the Drake University (Iowa) Times-Delphic article written
by Tim Harper, published on 17 September 1969; second was Barb
Ulvilden's virtual borrowing of Harper's article in the Northern
Star, the newspaper of Northern Illinois University, on 23 September
1969. Both articles seem to have inspired other campuses and writers
to pursue the story, which at that point included none of the familiar
Abbey Road clues.
A popular radio show hosted by disc-jockey Russell Gibb of WKNR-FM in
Detroit was a vital element in the spread of the hoax. A regular r.m.b.
reader, Headly Westerfield, who was not only a friend of Gibb but
was present in-studio that afternoon (12 October 1969), recalls reading
an "underground newspaper" (it may have been one of the the college papers
then carrying the "clues") with a list of "Paul Is Dead" clues. Mr.
Westerfield, incidentally, used a different name at that time.
Gibb and cohorts were sufficiently inspired to read them on the air and to
improvise new ones on the spot. Listeners to the show even recall someone
calling up Gibb to report that if you played "Revolution No. 9" backward,
you'd hear a secret message. (Note: radio-show collectors used to offer
an aircheck of this show or a followup show for trade! Anyone have a copy?)
Within days, Gibb & Co. were astonished when newspapers and reporters took
their on-air joke seriously and spread the tale more widely. Some clues
which have become part of established folklore, Westerfield reports, were
invented that obscure day at WKNR-FM, but have since been accepted as
part of the original hoax. Gibb and friends were not the source of the
hoax, he emphasizes, but played a part in its initial wider dissemination.
Another r.m.b. reader, J. Gray, was the literary editor of The Michigan
Daily, student newspaper at the U. of Michigan. Leslie Wayne was its
arts editor, and one Fred LaBour was an arts reviewer. Ms. Wayne assigned
a review of the Beatles' recently released "Abbey Road" LP to LaBour, who
serendipitously listened to Russell Gibb's radio show the Sunday afternoon
wherein the "clues" were jocularly announced. LaBour was inspired to
write his own article, based on "clues" from Gibb and some invented ones
of his own.
The Michigan Daily published it under the title "McCartney Dead; New
Evidence Brought To Light". Editor Gray and author LaBour assumed it
was obvious that their work was a joke. The rest of the world took
it seriously. Gray reports that he and LaBour received phone calls
from media representatives worldwide, and playing along, LaBour insisted
on the veracity of his information. Gray says that LaBour's article
was reprinted in an anthology of student writings, and that LaBour was
even flown to Los Angeles for a television interview. (LaBour, BTW,
became a musician and toured in the seventies with Dickie Lee, whose
fame was based on death-themes too---"Patches" and "Laurie"---and
eventually played guitar for Riders In The Sky).
A followup article, printed in J. Gray's underground journal "Big Fat
Magazine", gives the date of Russ Gibb's broadcast (12 October 1969),
the date of Fred LaBour's tongue-in-cheek response (14 October 1969),
and even details some of the clues invented by LaBour---the invention
of William Campbell, Paul's "look-alike" (LaBour originally wanted
to call him Glenn Campbell but thought that would be too obvious); the
statement that a walrus was a Greek symbol for a corpse (this seemingly
derived from the Harper/Ulviden clue that the walrus was a Scandinavian
ior American Indian sign of death!).
Gray is certain that LaBour got his idea for the "Paul Is Dead" hoax
from Russ Gibb's show. However, both Gibb and LaBour are probably
responsible for the inclusion of "clues" from the Abbey Road LP,
which had just been released in the U.S. Before Gibb's radio show,
no Abbey Road LP clues existed, of course. And before Tim Harper's
article, it appears that the hoax, if it existed at all, was spread
by word of mouth at campus parties during the first week of classes
that semester. Harper says he heard it that week from a student
called Dartanyan Brown. Brown says he heard it from a woman musician
at a party.
A British permutation of the rumor existed prior to the American
hoax, but in very rudimentary form. There seems to have been a
concern that Paul McCartney died in an auto crash around November
1966 and was replaced by a double. It was a source of distress
to the Beatles themselves, who apparently countered the rumor
at least once (May 1967) in a press conference. By late fall
of 1967 it was a subject of hilarity at a party attended by
various Fabs and their entourage; one of the latter, quoted by
New York Times journalist J Marks, made light of it one evening.
Unlike the later American permutation, the British rumor seems
not to have been built upon clues, but to have involved only
the story that Paul had died and had been replaced by someone
else. Perhaps the story had its origin in a real accident
McCartney suffered on 26 December 1965, while riding a moped
around Cheshire near his father's house outside Liverpool;
Paul's moped skidded and Paul was sent flying, cutting his
lip and chipping a tooth. The chipped tooth was visible for
some months afterward (in unretouched "butcher" cover photos,
in the "Rain" television promo) until McCartney had it capped
in mid-1966. Of course, it goes without saying that Paul did
not die. :-)
By late October 1969 the hoax was well entrenched, and even McCartney
came out of seclusion at his Scottish farm to deny it vociferously.
But this gesture did little to dispel the growing mythologizing of Paul's
"death", and over the years the hoax has taken on aspects of a bizarre,
morbid parlor game, with new adherents convinced that the Beatles created
their music already imbued with secret elements intended for the clever
capabilities of tenacious trivia-buffs.
Various other legends surrounding the Beatles' genesis---their haircuts,
their Hamburg attachments, their rise to fame---have either been lately
confirmed by documentation or debunked by same.
But the "Paul Is Dead" story seems too big to defeat with facts. And
it appears facts aren't the issue, anyway.
Most Fabs fans these days are pretty well convinced that the original
Paul is alive. What originated as a story about Paul's "death" has
nowadays transformed itself (not without help) into a belief that
the Beatles perpetuated upon an unsuspecting public a myth so
cleverly convoluted that "clues" are virtually endless. Without the
merest hint of verifiable evidence or documentation, it is often
proclaimed that the Beatles must have been behind all this. After
all, the clues are there! Aren't they?
Of course not everyone believes this is the case. Some of us rely on
denials from the principals...or one of them, anyway. John was asked
outright, by a Rolling Stone interviewer in 1970, whether there were
"any of those things really on the albums that were said to be there".
John's reply: "No. That was bullshit, the whole thing was made up." He
*did* admit that the group put in the "tit, tit, tit" as a deliberate
joke in "Girl", but that was the totality of secret messages, backwards
or otherwise, in the Beatles oeuvre ("Rolling Stone", January 4, 1971).
This is surely a fertile field for folklorists, some of whom have
already considered it. One article I've seen about the phenomenon is
Barbara Suczek's "The Curious Case of the 'Death' of Paul McCartney"
in Urban Life & Culture, Vol. 1, Number 1 (1972). Even in this early
work, Suczek picks up on the odd fact that true believers of this
scheme are mightily piqued when confronted with denials---whether
from John, Paul, or mere doubters like me. The suggestion that some
reliable evidence is necessary to prove the Beatles originated this
this hoax is, to ardent PID-fans, ludicrous. As Suczek points out,
"Evidence was the whole point! [Believers] were fortified, bulwarked,
armed to the teeth with evidence: they had a veritable overkill of
evidence."
And evidence seems to point, according to Suczek, right back to
the Fabs---at least that's what the PID proponents say. Otherwise,
one must suppose that the whole thing really *is* a massive joke,
played by some anonymous wit who's still enjoying the stir he's
created. Heaven forfend that the joke should be on the innocent
Beatles fan. Even the suggestion causes tempers to bristle. To
wit: "The fact of the matter was that each public would accept
as credible evidence only such data as suited the logic of its
cognitive system and thus it was that the more McCartney's
death was denied, including by himself, the more the tension
and hostility seemed to increase, feeding in and out of the
interfactional dispute" (Suczek, p. 30).
So it's *got* to be true...or else everyone's wasted a passel
of energy on the subject.
At this point in her article, Suczek wanders into musings on
Dionysian elements in the McCartney resurrection myth, which is
less relevant to today's PID folklore. I think she just misses
the more interesting hypothesis for the perpetuation of this
legend. It's not that people really believe Paul is dead; it's
more or less a belief that one can share the joke with the Fabs
themselves through these clues cleverly planted by their own
hand (for so it must be) from 1966 onward.
It's a big puzzle; and the Beatles relied on us, being True
Fans, to cling tenaciously to the clues till the story was
revealed. What a concept. That's even better than a concept-
album! What other pop group planned such a hoax---and a long-
lived one at that---of such remarkable proportions? It's like
a search for the grail. And once PID enthusiasts get a taste
for the hunt, they're not going to let go. The more random,
disconnected, and illogical the clues, the better. That makes
the game more of a challenge.
The much better question is who *really* might have been behind
the Paul-Is-Dead hoax. The most detailed information is now
available in journalist Andru Reeve's book "Turn Me On, Dead
Man: The Complete Story of the Paul McCartney Death Hoax"
(Popular Culture Ink., 1994; available from Beatlefest,
1-800-BEATLES.)
But finding out the origins of the PID hoax would likely not
not diminish the fervor of its adherents. It might, however, teach
us something about the resilience of personal belief.
What follows is a conglomeration of clues, trivia, and whatnot as
collected by famous folk of r.m.b.'s past. Although occasionally
contradictory and now superseded in some instances by newer information,
we hope it will amuse and enlighten. Some "clues" from lyrics are so
farfetched that it seems pointless to refute them. If you're confused
about the interpretation, please write and ask for a clarification.
This is not, by any means, an attempt to gather all available clues,
some of which are still being "invented" by well-meaning fans
who think they've noticed something new. For seventy definitive
clues, and their refutations, please consult Andru Reeve's book,
mentioned above.
All spelling errors belong to the originators, not the Editor. :-)
--saki (dmac@math.ucla.edu)
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MYTH: The story was based on "clues" from record sleeves, songs, etc.
that "proved" Paul had been killed in a car crash in November *1966*.
Researchers "discovered" that a crash had occurred around that time which
involved a young dark haired male who was disfigured beyond
recognition.
REALITY: Paul did suffer a minor motorcycle accident in Dec. 1965, and
chipped a tooth; you cans see the as-yet-uncapped tooth in the "Rain"
promo and in a filmed Ed Sullivan appearance in June 1966. This
accident may be the source for the story of Paul's "car crash death".
MYTH: Then the Beatles, in the winter of 1966, held a "Paul look-
alike" contest but no winner was ever announced. BUT - there was
a winner....his name was William Campbell, and he was paid a
considerable amount of money to play along with the facade - he
was to be the NEW Paul. He supposedly looked enough like PM to sit in
with the other Beatles for photographs, sometimes even fooling the
photographers. Strangely, nothing was ever heard of William Campbell
again. His picture is included on the poster that came with the White
album in the lower right-hand corner. Looks like Paul with glasses,
mustache, and combed back hair. William Campbell has this faint scar
on his upper lip, PM doesn't.
REALITY: Such a contest was actually held, co-sponsored by an American
teen magazine (perhaps "Tiger Beat"?) and Dick Clark of the TV show
"American Bandstand". The winner of this 1965 contest was Keith Allison,
who had a brief brush with fame on teen shows such as "Where The Action
Is" and apparently later joined Paul Revere and the Raiders, circa
1966. The real Paul *does* have a faint scar on his upper lip from
the above-mentioned motorcycle accident. No William Campbell ever won
a Paul look-alike contest.
The William Campbell clue was invented by Fred LaBour.
MYTH: Since then, the Beatles supposedly started putting clues on their
album sleeves and even in their music so that their poor fans would find
them and thus the shock of Paul's untimely death would be assuaged.
REALITY: All four Beatles, John included, denied any involvement in the
Paul Is Dead hoax.
CLUES:
Yesterday...and Today
Paul looks like he's in a coffin in the cover shot.
"Yesterday and Today" was released in mid 1966 (supposedly
just prior to Pauls demise) with the famous "Butcher Cover".
As we all know, these albums were recalled just after they
were released (right after Paul "died") and 'pasted over' with
the now familiar 'Trunk Cover'.
MYTH: This was allegedly done not because the buying public was
outraged at the original "Butcher" cover (as was 'officially' announced
by Capitol) but because the cover too closely depicted the carnage
that occured in that deadly 'car crash' and the Beatles themselves
demanded that Capitol remove it from the market.
REALITY: None of the above is true. There was no "death of Paul"
and memos exist explaining why the "butcher cover" to "Yesterday and
Today" were being withdrawn. BTW, the "butcher cover" shot was actually
photographed as a promotion for the "Paperback Writer" single; it was
used on "Yesterday and Today" only as an afterthought.
MORE CLUES:
The title "Yesterday and Today" symbolizes the controversy that was
to start "Yesterday" and still be un-resolved even "Today".
All of the doll parts are resting on Paul except the one doll head
that George is holding up. [ Actually, both dolls' bodies are
resting on two Beatles - one on John/Paul, the other on
Ringo/Paul.]. This is two clues in one -
a) George was the 'head' of the plot (it was his idea).
b) The doll head is right next to Pauls head symbolizing his
decapitation.
REALITY: No evidence for either of the above.
The false teeth on Paul's right forearm indicate that his teeth were
knocked out in the crash and dental identification was impossible.
And, of course, the previously mentioned symbolic 'coffin' on
the 'Trunk' cover.
Lyrics:
Nowhere Man: "He's a real nowhere man.." "..doesn't
have a point of view, knows not where he's going to.." "..you
don't know what you're missing, nowhere man can you see me at
all?.."
REALITY: How could "Nowhere Man" have been part of the plot if it preceded
Paul's alleged "death"?
Dr. Robert: "..you're a new and better man.." "..he
does everything he can, Dr. Robert.." (William is the new
man. Nothing Dr. Robert can do will bring Paul back)
REALITY: "Dr. Robert" was actually written about a New York physician
who supplied famous people with pills to get high.
Yesterday: .."oh I believe in yesterday, suddenly, I'm not
half the man I used to be, there's a shadow hanging over me.
Yesterday came suddenly.."
REALITY: "Yesterday" was *also* written before Paul's alleged "death".
And Your Bird Can Sing: "..you can't see me, you can't see
me.." "..you can't hear me, you can't hear me.."
REALITY: All of "Yesterday and Today" was recorded before the Nov. '66
alleged "death" of Paul, so all clues on this album are obviously false.
CLUE:
(movie) Hard Day's Night: aerial sequence of the "Can't Buy Me Love"
romp, director Richard Lester runs around instead of Paul.
REALITY: In fact, Paul was filmed in most sequences; he missed one
because of a hangover, and Lester used his own legs and feet (wearing
Beatle boots!) as a subsitute for the temporarily incapacitated Paul.
John is missing from the final scene ("Sorry we hurt your field, mister")
because he had to attend a literary luncheon at the Dorchester Hotel in
Islington, celebrating the publication of his first book "In His Own
Write".
Also, there was a major scene between Paul and an actress cut
from the movie (presumably Paul was unavailable).
REALITY: The scene was cut because Paul's acting was very self-conscious.
And anyway, "A Hard Day's Night" was filmed in 1964. How could the Beatles
have planned "clues" that early???
(movie) There was a third movie in the works for the Beatles in late
1966 after HDN and Help, but it was canceled when Paul died
and Billy Campbell was unready to appear before the searching
eye of the camera. John spent the time appearing in Richard
Lester's "How I Won the War", while 'Paul' composed music for
the film "The Family Way" (performed by George Martin and a
BBC orchestra).
REALITY: The third film was "A Talent For Loving", set for filming in
1966 but abandoned when the Beatles lost interest. Playwright Joe Orton
wrote a play which he offered to Paul as a vehicle for the Beatles, but
"Up Against It" never appealed to Paul and it was never seriously
considered.
CLUES:
Rubber Soul
REALITY: Remember, "Rubber Soul" was recorded and released in late 1965.
It preceded the hoax and even Paul's alleged "death". Its clues are thus
entirely bogus.
The Soul is in the shape of a heart, indicating a "false soul"
amongst them. The Beatles are peering downwards (in/at a grave?!).
Lyrics:
I've Just Seen A Face: "..had it been another day I
might've looked the other way, and I'd have never been
aware.."
Girl: "..that a man must break his back to earn his
day of leisure/will she still believe it when he's dead.."
I'm Looking through You: "..I'm looking through you, where did
you go? I thought I knew you, what did I know. You don't
look different but you have changed, I'm looking through you,
you're not the same.." "..your lips are moving I can not hear,
you don't sound different I've learned the game.." "..you were
above me but not today, the only difference is you're
down there.."
REALITY: Paul actually wrote this about a fight he had with Jane Asher.
In My Life: "..all these places have their
moments ... some are dead and some are living, in my life I
love you more."
REALITY: John had written the lyrics to "IML" some time before he
and Paul worked to finish the melody...all long before the
Paul Is Dead hoax came about.
CLUES:
Revolver
REALITY: "Revolver" precedes Paul's alleged "death"; clues are bogus.
On the cover, Paul's name is sideways, as if it didn't fit in
with the other Beatles any more.
Lyrics:
Taxman: "..if you drive a car Paul.." "..if you get
too cold Paul.." "..my advice to those who die, taxman!"
REALITY: Actually the lyric is: "If you drive a car...*ohhhhh*"....
Eleanor Rigby: "..father McKenzie (McCartney?) writing the
words of a sermon that no one will hear.." "..was buried.."
"..father McKenzie wiping the dirt from his hands as he walks
from the grave, no one was saved.."
REALITY: Paul has said he originally wrote it as "Father McCartney"
but thought his dad Jim Mac would be embarrassed or offended.
Yellow Submarine: "..in the land of submarines.." "..sky of
blue, sea of green in our yellow submarines.." (nice term for
a casket that's underneath a sea of green grass)
REALITY: Interpretive and unsubstantiated.
She Said She Said: "..she said I know what it's like to be dead.."
REALITY: John admits he took this phrase from Peter Fonda, who was tripping
on LSD when he said it; it has nothing to do with Paul.
For No One: "..she says her love is dead.." "..she says that
long ago she knew someone but now he's gone.."
Got To Get You Into My Life: "..I was alone I took a ride I
didn't know what I would find there.." "..and then suddenly I
see you.."
Tommorow Never Knows: "..laid down all thoughts surrendered to
the void.." "..Paul played the game existence to the end.."
REALITY: Actual lyrics are "*all* play the game...."
CLUES:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Sgt. Pepper cover depicts a funeral for "The Beatles" (written
in flowers over the grave). There is also a bass guitar made
up of flowers. Closer inspection of this "bass guitar" shows
that the flowers that make it up actually spell "PAUL?"
indicating his questioned existance.
REALITY: Everyone involved with the cover says that the guitar idea
was a spur-of-the-moment thing by the florist Apple hired to
arrange the flowers, and that the hyacinths are not any sort of clue.
There are three strings on the guitar, to symbolize
the three remaining 'real' Beatles.
REALITY: Coincidence; unintended by album cover designer.
There is also a raised hand behind Paul's head, the
the Indian sign for death as well as the four
armed "Shiva" in the lower portion of the photo who is
pointing its left back hand at Paul.
REALITY: The hand is just waving; it is no Indian sign for death
(none exists). In alternate shots of the cover photo, in fact, Paul
*isn't* placed under this hand and the Shiva doesn't point at him.
If it were an intentional clue, all photos would have been arranged
the same.
A doll sits off to the side (Jane Asher?!) with red lines
(blood) running down her dress.
REALITY: No identifiable association with Jane Asher. Red lines are
stripes in the dress material.
A small car sits on her lap, a model of the car PM was
driving.
REALITY: Paul didn't die in a car crash or anywhere else.
Paul wears a patch that reads "OPD" (officially pronounced
dead in Canada) on his left arm in the center spread.
REALITY: Actual patch says OPP, for Ontario (Canada) Provincial
Police. Paul and all the Fabs got similar patches during their
1965 tour of North America.
On the back cover of the "Sgt. Pepper" album, George Harrison
is pointing at the lyric "Wednesday morning at five o'clock",
indicating the time of Paul's death. Paul's head just touches
the title of "Within you *Without you" George is pointing a
"sixth" finger at him, a sign of ill-omen.
REALITY: No such sign of ill-omen exists.
On back cover, from left to right, you can find all sorts of
clues. Starting with "Somebody calls you, you answer quite
slowly" (from Lucy), continue reading across "Wednesday
Morning at five o'clock as the day begins", "life flows on
within you and without you", "you're on your own you're in the
street".
REALITY: All non-sequiturs, all meaningless in proving Paul's "death".
Lyrics:
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Heart's Club Band: "..so let me
introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears and Sgt.
Pepper's lonely heart's club band.." (Sgt. Pepper's Band is
actually an idea taken from history (somewhere) where a man
was able to take the place of another man without anyone
catching on).
REALITY: This is not attested in the Beatles literature, or anywhere else,
*at all*.
Fixing A Hole: "..and it really doesn't matter if I'm wrong
I'm right where I belong. See the Beatles standing there,
they disagree.." "..silly Beatle run around.." (William is
adjusting to his new role as PM)
REALITY: Lyric is actually "Silly *people*..."]
She's Leaving Home: "..Wednesday morning at five o'clock as
the day begins.." (the time of the supposedly fatal accident)
Lovely Rita: "..standing by a parking meter when I caught a
glimpse of Rita.." (he took his eyes off the road!)
Good Morning, good Morning: "..nothing to do to save his
life.." "..and you're on your own you're in the street.."
"..people running around it's 5 o'clock.." "..watching the
skirts you start to flirt, now you're in gear.."
A Day In The Life: "..I saw the photograph. He blew his mind
out in a car, he didn't notice that the lights had changed. A
crowd of people stood and stared they'd seen his face before,
nobody was really sure if he was from the house of Paul.."
REALITY: The album lyrics say 'House of Lords'. The man who died in the
car crash was Tara Browne, heir to the Guinness beer family fortune,
and a well-respected man about swinging London at the time. He was
just 21 at the time of his death.
Inner Groove - on side 2, on the British release, an
infinitely-repeating groove (i.e. the needle never went to the
inside of the record) contains gibberish that, played
backwards, said "Will Paul come back as Superman?" (or
alternately, "We'll fuck you like Supermen!")
REALITY: Backwards it sounds like the latter to most people, which has
limited relevance to the hoax. :-)
Magical Mystery Tour
Paul is dressed as a [black] "Walrus" on the MMT album which,
according to the Lewis Carroll story, ate oysters and died.
REALITY: In the Lewis Carroll poem "Walrus and the Carpenter", it's the
oysters who die, having been eaten by the protagonists.
The walrus is a sign of death in certain cultures.
REALITY: No traceable legends support this assertion. In fact, this "clue"
can be traced to Fred LaBour's article in the Michigan Daily.
On page three of the booklet, Paul is shown sitting behind a desk
with placard [closer examination shows its a bumper sticker]
in front of him that reads "I WAS" [or "I You Was", or "I was
you", depending on how you read it]. On page 15 in the MMT book,
there's a cartoon of Paul playing with a car on his desk. On page 18
and on the last page of the booklet there's that open palm
again above PM's head. Paul is shown in several of the shots
without any shoes on [but wearing socks, which is why its not
so noticeable] and in one picture it actually looks like there
is blood on his shoes (Page 13 - he's not wearing them in the
picture - they are sitting off to the side). There are several
shots of him with a raised hand behind his head. Towards the
end of the booklet, Paul can be seen wearing a black carnation
while the other Beatles are wearing red ones. [Like most of
the pictures from this booklet, it comes from the movie - the
"Your Mother Should Know" production number. Paul later
explained this was due to a shortage of red carnations, and
Paul had to take a black one because that's all they had.]
John sings [says] "I buried Paul" on "Strawberry Fields
Forever". The phrase 'I buried Paul' occurs at the end of
Strawberry Fields Forever. It appears to have been slowed
down, but it is quite clear.
REALITY: Working versions available on Ultra Rare Tracks and the like
make it *very clear* that the words are "cranberry sauce."
The word "Beatles" when held to a mirror is actually a phone
number! The number is: 2317438.
REALITY: Try it. It's really 23L (backwards) TA38. That's as close as
it comes to a real phone number! Some people report having tried to
call the number, however, or variants on the number, and have
reported different effects. A Rolling Stone article of 29 November
1969, by John Burks, has more information about the numbers; also
see Andru Reeve's book "Turn Me On, Dead Man".
Lyrics:
Fool On The Hill: "..day after day, alone on a hill,
the man with the foolish grin is perfectly still.." "..but
nobody ever hears him and the sound he appears to make.."
[In the booklet on page 9, theres a cartoon of Paul labeled
'The Fool on the Hill', where the last bit of 'hill' runs down
the side Paul's head.]
I Am The Walrus:
"..I am the eggman, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus.." (eggmen
represent "life", walrus represents death. Since PM is the walrus
the meaning implied is that I have life, they have life, I am dead).
REALITY: It's pretty hard to make sense out of this! As previously noted,
the walrus is *not* a sign of death.
Hello Goodbye: "..you say goodbye, I say hello.." (exit PM,
enter William Campbell).
REALITY: The song is thematically in keeping with Paul's many lyrics
which talk about romantic conflicts and difference of opinion (viz.,
"I'm Looking Through You", "We Can Work It Out").
Strawberry Fields Forever: "..I buried Paul.." (this infamous
ending line by JL) [Except it's really "cran-berry sauce..."]
All You Need Is Love: "..No one you can save that can't be
saved.." "..nothing you can see that isn't shown.." "..yes he's
dead.." [actually "yes, he is"], "..we loved you yeah, yeah, yeah.."
[actually "she loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah...].
Yellow Submarine:
Lyrics:
Only A Northern Song:
"..when you're listening late at night you may think the band is
not quite right.." "..you may think the band's a little dark and
out of key, you're correct, there's nobody there.."
['Northern' was the Beatles publishing company.]
Hey Bulldog: "..you think you know me but you haven't got a clue.."
Yellow Submarine: (see Revolver)
All You Need Is Love: (see Magical Mystery Tour)
White Album
When "Revolution #9" is played backwards, the "number 9...number 9
...number 9" at the beginning translates to "turn me on, dead man..
..turn me on, dead man".
REALITY: Not everyone hears this phrase, especially those who don't know
what to listen for. :-)
At the end of the "I'm So Tired" track, a bunch of seemingly
meaningless syllables are uttered. When you do the 'ol
classic backwards playback, you hear "Paul is dead now, miss
him, miss him."
REALITY: Forwards this is a real phrase: John says "Monsieur, monsieur,
let's have another one". To most people it sounds like gibberish when
played backward. Best transcription: "re re nu va nes devna esne
missile missim". Not very close! :-)
Lyrics:
Glass Onion: "..I told you about Strawberry Fields.." "..well
here's another place you can go.." "..to see how the other
half live, looking through a glass onion.." "..I told you
about the walrus and me.." "..well here's another clue for you
all, the walrus WAS Paul.." "..I told you about the fool on
the hill.." "..listen to me, fixing a hole in the ocean.."
"..looking through a glass onion.."
REALITY: None of these phrases have anything to do with the PID hoax.
They were written by John in response to critics whom he felt over-
analyzed "I Am The Walrus", and whom he wanted to confound.
One "clue" alleged that centuries-old definition of a "glass
onion" referred to a glass coffin handle used in Britain in
the past (Russ Gibb seems to have come up with this one) but
a scrupulous search of the OED shows no such meaning.
I'm So Tired: "..Paul's dead man, miss him miss him.." (what
you hear when you play the very end of the song and the
beginning of "Blackbird" backwards).
REALITY: Answered above; actually unintelligible gibberish backwards.
"Revolution No. 9": 9 letters in McCartney!
REALITY:
John claimed the the engineer from EMI would say at the
beginning of each take of a song, "This EMI Recording Studio
Number 9" (or perhaps "EMI Test Tape Number 9") and John liked
the sound of it and added it in).
While My Guitar Gently Weeps: George calls out to Paul at the
end of the song.
REALITY: generic moaning: "Oh, oh, oh...", no indication that it was
intended for Paul.
Don't Pass me By: "...you were in a car crash...."
Abbey Road
This album cover was the clincher. The front shows a funeral
procession and depicts John as the preacher (in white), Ringo
as a mourner (in black), George as the gravedigger (in work
clothes) with Paul as the deceased.
REALITY: No basis for this interpretation; preachers, gravediggers and
mourners do not wear typologically identifiable clothing in all situations.
Paul is in bare feet, is out of step with the others, has his
eyes closed, and is the only one shown smoking, holding a
cigarette in his right hand when he is a left hander.
REALITY: Alternate takes of this album cover photo show Paul with
sandals on and in step with the others, eyes open. Many candid photos
exist showing that Paul, although a lefty, holds the ciggie in his right.
VW license says "28 IF" (Paul's age, had he lived. Actually, he'd
be 27 at the time of the cover, but this is covered by
pointing out that in many Indian religions, one is considered
1 year old at the date of birth, and so he would in fact have
been "28 IF").
REALITY: Indian religions date from actual birth of child. Some Chinese
traditions are said to date this way, but there's no indication that
the Beatles knew of this or believed in it.
On the back, a crack runs through "The Beatles",
indicating a split in the group.
REALITY: "Abbey Road" was actually a revival for the group, after the
disastrous experience with the "Let It Be" project. But the group was
destined to break up anyway, and ironically it was the real live Paul
who tried to hold it together!
Lyrics:
Come Together: "..he say I know you, you know me.."
"he got early warning.." "..he say one and one and one is
three. Got to be good looking cause he's so hard to see.."
(only 3 remaining Beatles). "here come old flattop" (no hair)
"He got Joo-Joo eyeballs" (replaced by the undertaker) "... he
one holy roller..." (in heaven) "... he got hair down below
his knees..." (hair growing after death)
You Never Give Me Your Money: "..one, two, three, four, five,
six, seven, all good children go to heaven.."
Hey Jude
The picture above the Beatles on top of the doorway they are
standing in front of is a picture of where Paul is supposed to
be buried.
Lyrics:
Lady Madonna: "..Wednesday morning papers didn't
come.."
Revolution: "..don't you know it's gonna be -all right, Paul
died, all right.." (a couple of those "all rights" sound just
like "Paul died", also a background vocal occasionally dubs in
Paul died)
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What this exercise shows best is that it's relatively easy to "prove"
a series of unrelated facts are hallmarks of hidden wisdom. It's just
as easy to put together a set of clues proving that none of the Beatles
ever sang a note, or were impersonated by the royal family, or predicted
the end of the world on July 22, 1996. All it takes is a little imaginative
game-playing. :-)
Any additional information? Ideas? Comments? Please send them to saki
at saki@evolution.bchs.uh.edu.
(
geocities.com/paris)