'Paul McCartney is dead' myth tops rock's ridiculous rumour poll

[snopes]

Beatles' legend Sir Paul McCartney's death riddle has topped an online poll of rock's greatest myths.

http://www.dailyindia.com/show/13047...us-rumour-poll

[KingDavid8]

Isn't #4 (Angie Bowie caught her husband in bed with Mick Jagger) true? IIRC, she did say that she didn't actually see them having sex, but she did find them sleeping naked in the same bed, and assumed they'd been intimate. Or was it later proven that she made it up or something?

David

[We'veBeenHad]

Hmm. I listened to Revolution 9 backwards and it really does say Paul McCartney's dead (very clearly.) Is that where the myth came from?

I don't know about Angie Bowie but I saw the woman who Mick wrote the song Angie for on either Maury or Sally Jessie and she mentioned catching them in bed. She was Mick's girl, not David's, though. She was also really cool - tattoos, biker gear, tough attitude etc.

[Jenn]

Originally Posted by KingDavid8

Isn't #4 (Angie Bowie caught her husband in bed with Mick Jagger) true? IIRC, she did say that she didn't actually see them having sex, but she did find them sleeping naked in the same bed, and assumed they'd been intimate. Or was it later proven that she made it up or something?

http://www.snopes.com/music/artists/bowie.htm

[OptimusShr]

I just thought of the "Bring out your dead!" scene from Monty Python and the Holy Grail involving Paul McCartney.

[J.G. Walker]

Originally Posted by We'veBeenHad

Hmm. I listened to Revolution 9 backwards and it really does say Paul McCartney's dead (very clearly.) Is that where the myth came from?

"Revolution #9" played backwards says "Turn me on, dead man." At the end of "Strawberry Fields," a warbly voice (John's, I always assumed) says something that sounds like "I buried Paul"

[We'veBeenHad]

Good link, Jenn. Admittedly, the Angie I saw (not on Joan Rivers, though) merely *claimed* that the song was about her; that's not exactly proof that it's true.

And anyway why the big deal? As the one guy said in Hair "Well I wouldn't kick Mick Jagger out of my bed, but I'm not homosexual." I mean, were I single I doubt I'd have kicked either one out of my bed either

[We'veBeenHad]

Yeah it says Turn Me On Dead Man repeatedly; but (now I agree memory is a sketchy thing here, so I could be wrong) I was sure that before it goes into that it first says "Paul McCartney's dead." If it doesn't, my bad. I really can't test it out now.

[Ramblin' Dave]

Originally Posted by J.G. Walker

At the end of "Strawberry Fields," a warbly voice (John's, I always assumed) says something that sounds like "I buried Paul"

Yes, it is John, but he's saying "cranberry sauce."

ETA: Speaking of John, I'd never even heard of #5. Or #2 either, but I was only ever a lukewarm Fleetwood Mac fan. If #5 were that widespread, I have to think I'd have read it somewhere.

[KingDavid8]

Originally Posted by We'veBeenHad

Yeah it says Turn Me On Dead Man repeatedly; but (now I agree memory is a sketchy thing here, so I could be wrong) I was sure that before it goes into that it first says "Paul McCartney's dead." If it doesn't, my bad. I really can't test it out now.

You might be thinking of the gobbledygook between "I'm So Tired" and "Blackbird", which played backwards sounds kind of like, "Paul is dead man. Miss him, miss him, miss him." Supposedly, the gobbledygook was John mumbling "Monsiour Monsiour Monsiour, How bout another one?"

You can hear it (and other backwards stuff) here: http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm

David

[jw]

Paul McCartney has died a few times, it seems.

Faul lives on as Paul McCartney.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by We'veBeenHad

Hmm. I listened to Revolution 9 backwards and it really does say Paul McCartney's dead (very clearly.) Is that where the myth came from?

As somebody else has said, their is no "Paul McCartney's Dead". Your mind is playing tricks on you by interpreting gibberish as real words.

Playing songs backwards will always yield random stuff (unless the artist specifically put it in backwards and then its blatantly obvious) and if your told what to look for it will almost always sound like what you expect it to.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by diddy

As somebody else has said, their is no "Paul McCartney's Dead". Your mind is playing tricks on you by interpreting gibberish as real words.

Playing songs backwards will always yield random stuff (unless the artist specifically put it in backwards and then its blatantly obvious) and if your told what to look for it will almost always sound like what you expect it to.

An addendum: Snopes linked to This site on the subject
Wikipedia's take on the evidence
At least most Beatles fans know its false...

[Joostik]

Originally Posted by We'veBeenHad

Admittedly, the Angie I saw (not on Joan Rivers, though) merely *claimed* that the song was about her

She's so vain.

Anyway, I thought 'Jim Morrison is not dead' would be #2.

[UEL]

This is the legend that originally brought me to snopes.

[We'veBeenHad]

Agreed that backward masking is almost always comlete nonsense, and people hearing what they think they want to hear; it's hard to believe the Revolution 9 thing was an accident though, since it's very clear and repeats over and over. Maybe it was an accident even so. Thanks for the link to the Milner thing.

[diddy]

Originally Posted by We'veBeenHad

Agreed that backward masking is almost always comlete nonsense, and people hearing what they think they want to hear; it's hard to believe the Revolution 9 thing was an accident though, since it's very clear and repeats over and over. Maybe it was an accident even so. Thanks for the link to the Milner thing.

The problem with backwards masking is that once your told what to look for the brain fills in the gaps and you hear it regardless of if it is there or not.

It repeats though because the ending repeats. Trust me, it is not anything related to Paul McCartney. Never underestimate the power of suggestion.

[Mycroft]

I was told that one piece of evidence was the cover of "Abbey Road" showing all four Beatles crossing the road, but Paul has bare feet, showing that he is dead.
The Rutles included the line 'Stig is dead, honestly' in "Piggy in the Middle", their version of "I am the Walrus" and had their own version of the rumour.

I had a roommate in college who was really into the Beatles. He loved the "Paul is dead" stuff because it was so far-fetched. So this thread brings back some fond memories...

Chloe, you may work with him... (my old roommate, not Paul....)

Of course, isn't it ironic that Paul is just about the only Beatle left alive...

[Christie]

Originally Posted by Doug4.7

I had a roommate in college who was really into the Beatles. He loved the "Paul is dead" stuff because it was so far-fetched. So this thread brings back some fond memories...

Chloe, you may work with him... (my old roommate, not Paul....)

Of course, isn't it ironic that Paul is just about the only Beatle left alive...

There were four, now there are two. Does that really count as "just about the only Beatle left alive"?