Talk:Backmasking/Archive 1

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Archive 1Archive 2

Daft Punk

just curious if this is good enough to be in the article, there are many articles and sites that reveal the oddity of the song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" Backmasked, would the song qualify as a good enough song to be backmasked

No - it's not really backmasked. If you listen to the song backwards, those lyrics are inaudible. Can you hear the words without looking at the screen? Λυδαcιτγ 21:30, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
Quite truthfully, I can and have. I have the full song reversed and perhaps its a different recording but I can hear the whole song 19:43, 5 September 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 68.230.55.110 (talk)
Do you hear the same words as in the Albino BlackSheep video? Because they make even less sense than the forward lyrics. Λυδαcιτγ 23:15, 1 August 2009 (UTC)

Tenacious D

In the song "Karate" there is a small section set apart at the end which is obviously backmasked. After reversing it with WavePad, it clearly says "Donkey crap."

It's an incredibly clear and easy to find example of blackmasking. Perhaps it would fit well into the parody section.

It's in the list. I think it's better for the main article to use "classic" examples of backmasking when possible. Λυδαcιτγ 03:55, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Removed sponge bob

I removed the following tidbit from the 'hidden message' header 'Another back message can be heard in the theme song to spongebob squarepants. When played backwards the song becomes slightly perverted as the main line is "Aunt pearls, small blouse".' 129.97.18.161 06:21, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

Talk about grasping at straws.

Slayer

To answer a question about an edit I made, Satanic backmasking rumors were well over a decade old before Slayer became prominent. (Led Zeppelin, ELO, etc.) St. Jimmy 00:45, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

OK, but the relevant section of the article is about actual backmasking, not rumors. See if you like the wording I used. TheJabberwʘck 02:12, 25 April 2006 (UTC)
That works for me! St. Jimmy 02:35, 25 April 2006 (UTC)

Darkthrone

I have never heard about Darkthrone using backmasking, it makes me even more skeptical due to the fact that they are so overtly anti-christian they don't need to use backmasked messages and also the fact that they use so little production and are against production as a whole that even the process of backmasking is too technical for them. I would like someone to get a decent source/sound sample or I'm going to delete the reference. I'm not going to be reversing my copys of the album just to find out. Even if its true I don't think it is necessary to be included in this artical due to the previously stated anti-christian views of the band. --Xdiabolicalx 01:30, 11 June 2006 (UTC)

Here's a forum page with sound samples. The page for Transilvanian Hunger also contains a reference to the message; I'm inclined to think it's true. Λυδαcιτγ 02:26, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
Thanks for the links, I can hear it now. Does simply reversing the voice count as back masking though? It seems alot less complicated than what Zepplin and others were accused of. --Xdiabolicalx 21:39, 11 June 2006 (UTC)
Yes, it does count as backmasking. That's basically what Zeppelin was accused of. One of the reasons why I don't think the Zeppelin accusations are true is that the "voices" are so hard to hear - if they wanted kids to hear messages in their songs, why would they make them so hard to hear? Λυδαcιτγ 01:04, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

"Satanic and violent messages"

This section is extremely POV, it reads like a rant about satanic messages, also it doesnt site references and several of the alleged satanic messages are rididculous (particularly the pokemon one)

OK, why don't you help clean it up? I'll work on it as well. Λυδαcιτγ 04:31, 12 June 2006 (UTC)
Done. Λυδαcιτγ 02:12, 17 June 2006 (UTC)

This section's still not right. 1. I think attention should be drawn to the fact that satanic themes are a large part of Cradle of Filth's image and general lyrical content, as with many other similar bands, and that backmasking 'satanic messages' into their songs is a creative extension of these themes. 2. One should not categorize a backmasked message as 'clearly deliberately satanic' unless one is certain(ie. some citation please). How can you be sure these messages weren't parodies? They may have been executed in a serious tone, but how can you determine the reasoning behind their inclusion in a song? Best to put these under 'alleged satanic messages', as you'll never know for sure without confirmation from the artists themselves. 3. What happened to artistic license anyway? Music is a fiction, and should not be seen as a declaration of the artist's beliefs or opinions. If I write a novel about a murderer, does that mean I advocate murder? Does it make me a murderer? 86.129.54.139 06:30, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Better? Λυδαcιτγ 17:17, 25 March 2007 (UTC)

Not really - it still doesn't cite any evidence. I for one have no recollection of any "anti-backmasking legislation" being proposed anywhere. I don't know for sure that it wasn't, but I seriosuly doubt the veracity of any of these claims. As it reads, this part of the article looks like it is an attack, whether directed at Christians or Satanists who can say, but what does any of this portion add to the article? Seriously, affecting people subliminally? Did we get this off an episode of Saved by the Bell? Lame. This is supposed to be an encyclopedia, not science fiction. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.232.90.230 (talk) 14:20, 6 February 2009 (UTC)

Led Zeppelin

My research started when I was looking up meanings for certain songs, like Hotel California (The Eagles), and then I looked up Stairway to Heaven. At the start, they're talking about a prostitute, but I wanted to see if there were a story to the song, like what Pink Floyd had done with his most famous album "The Wall." I was looking around on the Internet about backmasking, and I had seen some rumors floating around, and so I had done some experimenting. Though they may not have meant for the lyrics to come out the way they did backwards (which would be very, very hard to do by accident, as I had tried doing the vocals myself to see what would show up, and I could only hear the word "Satan." The backwards section is in the lyrics "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow don't be alarmed now. It's just a spring clean for the May Queen. Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run; there's still time to change the road you're on." Play it backwards and you really can hear about "sweet Satan." I made an mp3 section of that part, then I had reversed the part and saved it, and you can hear it, you have to listen to hear the beginning, but the lyrics are there. You can download the forwards section at http://rapidshare.de/files/23589828/Forwards.rar.html and download the reverse section at http://rapidshare.de/files/23589879/Backwards.rar.html. If you have any questions on what I have printed, please contact me at aaronarmstrong13@hotmail.com. And I am not ranting on about Satanic messages. This is what backmasking had for Zeppelin's song. Though Robert Plant claims to have written the lyrics "next to an open fire" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairway_to_Heaven), the track still speaks volumes backwards.

Thanks, Aaron. As I said on your talk page, most of that info is best suited to "Stairway to Heaven". Λυδαcιτγ 02:11, 21 June 2006 (UTC)

"Most famously Amy Grant"

Is there a source for this? I can't find anything, and List of backmasked messages doesn't list her. --Kapow 06:56, 23 June 2006 (UTC)

I asked the writer of that part (it was written back in 2003!). I'd like to keep the info, since it's both funny and illuminating. Λυδαcιτγ 19:22, 23 June 2006 (UTC)
But is it true? That sections mentions law-suits, so there should be a public record if this is true. Jayvdb 06:45, 14 September 2006 (UTC)
I don't know. If anyone has access to Lexis-Nexis, for example, the case should be easy to find. For now I've moved the bold part here:
It is worth noting that, given a randomly generated series of syllables spoken in a variety of accents, a two-syllable pair that can be liberally interpreted as "Satan" is very easy to generate. Therefore, any individual with a small amount of creative interpretation skills could play virtually any song with vocals backwards and uncover "Satanic messages". This fact has been exploited by defense attorneys in "backwards messaging" court cases, who often disprove allegations by "uncovering Satanic messages" in songs by Christian artists, most famously Amy Grant.
Λυδαcιτγ 23:11, 14 September 2006 (UTC)

Any science backing this?

The whole idea that running a message backwards would be comprehensible on even a subconsious level is a little difficult for me to get. Has there ever been any study about whether backwards messages can have a subliminal effect akin to that of, say, hypnosis? Or whether they can even be understood if, I don't know, repeated over and over? --Lenoxus 04:02, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

I've only seen pseudoscience, at best (example). I think that the failure of the Judas Priest lawsuit indicates that there is no hard evidence of that effect. Λυδαcιτγ 16:14, 25 June 2006 (UTC)

There's no science backing that people can perceive the message backwards; however, certainly some artists, (Tally Hall) have deliberately added backmasking to songs, obviously for artistic effect and not for the intention of subconscious control. If the backmasking is obvious enough, people can easily tell that the track IS backmasked, though they won't be able to understand what it means.

Thanks for responding. I guess, to rephrase my confusion, I have little more to express than my own awe that someone "thought of" this idea in the first place; to me, it's like saying that a message printed on the reverse side of an opaque sheet of paper will have a subliminal effect, because it seems humans are just as capable of reading that as they are of "listening backwards." --Lenoxus
While not wanting to give too much credibility to the subconscious influence theory, I wonder - why wouldn't a transparent or translucent piece of paper be a better metaphor? Λυδαcιτγ 20:12, 22 January 2007 (UTC)
Indeed, it would. What still makes a "wall" for me (hence the "opacity") is the element of time. After all, it's not that hard to train yourself to read something backwards, even at the exact same rate as one reads forward, because the direction of reading is naturally arbitrary. But to "listen backwards" would require the memorization not only of phonetic sounds in addition to a kind of intrinsic understanding of the fact that imperfect articulation/recording means that a "perfect reverse" isn't the same as the "real thing", and varies considerably from one speaker/accent/etc to the next. --Lenoxus 04:28, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
But why do you assume the backwards sounds would have to be memorized? Couldn't your brain reverse them while listening, just as it would reverse the words in a book read in a mirror, despite having never seen the letters written backwards before? Λυδαcιτγ 21:42, 23 January 2007 (UTC)
Hmm, an interesting counter-point... this is starting to look like a discussion for another forum; what do you suggest? --Lenoxus 02:43, 27 January 2007 (UTC)
I'll copy everything from here on up to my talk page. Λυδαcιτγ 04:46, 27 January 2007 (UTC)

The translucent page is not a good metaphor. What was said about memorising the phonemes is correct. In normal listening the unique combination of phonemes activates our phonological input lexicon for each word. If the order of phonemes were reversed it would not activate the phonological input lexicon unless you had previously been exposed to that combination of phonemes before, which would be such a rare circumstance as to be close to impossible. Reading and listening are two distinctly different things. When reading you control your eye movements, so you can read a reversed word backwards by going right to left. This can not happen in listening. Ninahexan (talk) 04:27, 17 September 2009 (UTC)

What is the problem with this bit?

"An example in less hardcore culture was the controversy over the theme tune of the popular childrens' television anime Pokémon. It is alleged that the words "Gotta catch 'em all", when played backwards, say "I love Satan" or "Oh, Satan"[1]." It is even credited with the same source as others here. Trencacloscas 02:16, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

It's not true - it doesn't even sound faintly like "I love Satan". Λυδαcιτγ 14:57, 22 August 2006 (UTC)

Zappa message

The backmasked Zappa message is actually censored in the actual audio. I assume you hear "feeping" instead of "fucking", or maybe "f-[silence]-ing" - does anyone know? Λυδαcιτγ 13:16, 2 September 2006 (UTC)

The mp3 link to the Boards of Canada song in the Artistic Backmasking section did not work. It was either replaced by spam or it linked to a very spammish site that needed some sort of login to listen to the mp3. Either way, it wasn't doing anything for the article in that condition.

I suggest some one find the recording and make a proper link to it.

The main page is dead - the "lease" probably expired. I linked to the archive.org version. Λυδαcιτγ 01:33, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

Eminem

Perhaps a reference to Eminem's song? "My Name Is" FOREWARD: Hi, My name is.. (what?) My name is.. (who?) REVERSED: It is Slim.. It's Eminem, it's Eminem, It's Eminem. Perhaps not? Don't know if it was intentional, but it sounds very convincing phocks 05:57, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

Unintentional - see http://www.backmaskonline.com/mp3.html. It's vaguely audible, but obviously a coincidence when you compare it to the ones that are listed as intentional. Λυδαcιτγ 06:18, 24 January 2007 (UTC)

"Under the influence of Cannabis"...

I'm taking out the part about John Lennon being "Under the influence of Cannabis" because it's retarded. Anybody who's actually smoked pot knows that it isn't some kind of freaky psychedelic mind-altering trip or something. So stating anything about somebody doing something "Under the influence of cannabis" is stupid. If you wanted to say that he was stoned and he thought it sounded cool, that's fine. But "Under the influence" makes it sound like there's some major perception altering going on when there isn't. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 69.214.139.81 (talkcontribs).

Well, although I agree that there probably wasn't any major perception altering, I wouldn't be surprised if the pot had something to do with Lennon's discovery. What do you think of this: "Lennon, who at the time was high on cannabis, ..." -Audacity 00:38, 2 February 2007 (UTC)
And don't forget that a drug needn't be mind-altering in order to have some influence on neural activity — even caffience can "influence" creativity to some extent. --Lenoxus 01:22, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Sentence reading "Other artists accused of backmasking" needs sources/citations

Sentence reading "Other artists accused of backmasking" needs sources/citations. Otherwise, it should be deleted as an unsourced statement that is potentially libelous. Ronbo76 04:30, 23 February 2007 (UTC)

Done. -Audacity 22:01, 23 February 2007 (UTC)
I seriously question references 14, 15 and 16 as not meeting WP:EL. #14 links up to a site that is entitled "essay". #15 says it is excerpted and in caps "SOME INFO MAY BE OUTDATED OR FLAT OUT WRONG". #16 appears to a site that is self-posted along with user comments. None of these meet the intent of Wikipedia:Reliable sources. The Portugeese site I will have translated by a friend. Ronbo76 00:45, 24 February 2007 (UTC)
. In terms of the specific sites, though:
  • Yes, #14 is an essay, but it's well-referenced and credible to my eyes.
  • The woman who typed up #15 states that some info might be outdated/wrong because the book was published in 1983. Some of it may be outdated, but for our purposes the age of the book just means that the claims were made prior to 1983.
  • Number 16 is user-posted, and lacks references. But we don't have to believe that a secret message exists to believe that the author is documenting a well-known claim.
Keep in mind that these references are being used simply to justify the claim that accusations have been made against these artists. -Audacity 05:24, 24 February 2007 (UTC)
While this is not a bio article, this is potentially a libelous claim that is contra WP:BLP. I will ask for a review. Ronbo76 05:27, 24 February 2007 (UTC)
OK. For anyone who is interested, the request is here. -Audacity 03:22, 25 February 2007 (UTC)

I haven't begun to look at this part yet, but if the citations are as bad as the Satanic and violent messages section, then I don't have much hope for them. CovenantD 04:06, 28 February 2007 (UTC)

Okay, I've looked at them now.

This one is in a foreign language. If the controversy about the Eagles is that notable, an source in English should be easy to find. If it can't, then it's not notable enough for inclusion.

This citation I would allow. The author has published books in a related field (kinda) and seems to be credible. Citing the actual book he refers to would be much better.

{{cite book|last=Poundstone|first=William|title=Big Secrets|date=1983|publisher=William Morrow and Company|location=[[New York City]]|id=ISBN 0-688-04830-7|url=http://www.crispen.org/rants/secrets.html|accessdate=2006-08-23}} This one is misleading. The link goes to a personal family website that has personal commentary intertwined, making it effectively useless as a source. Same problem as above; use of somebody else to relate what's in the book.

The Britney Spears article recounts what appears to be Original Research by somebody with a website. I couldn't find anything that would lead me to believe that this author has any credentials that would qualify him to perform this kind of analysis.

The Rush article, on the other hand, is by an internet media outlet that has some notability in the music field. I'd allow this one.

  • Hope this helps. CovenantD 05:03, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
"This kind of analysis" - what kind of analysis? Surely you don't mean that a widespread accusation of backmasking suggests that the accusation is supported by a reliable analysis? Λυδαcιτγ 21:50, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
"This kind of analysis" = interpreting the words that may or may not exist in music played backwards. Check out WP:RS for more info. CovenantD 22:10, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
What I'm trying to say is that whether or not this guy is qualified to interpret the existence of the message doesn't matter. His site is being used to justify the claim that claims were made against Britney. Λυδαcιτγ 22:40, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
It does matter. He isn't just relating that somebody else has accused Spears, he's making the accusation himself. If he's setting himself up to interpret, then there has to be level of expertise in order for it to be a reliable source. To give an anology, I could create a website that says the Benedictine Monks were really advocating child abuse. That wouldn't make it a reliable source. I see nothing that makes this any different. CovenantD 22:54, 28 February 2007 (UTC)
Concur with user:CovenantD. Today's URL citation caught my attention while on RC Patrol. It seems to be another casual reference to someone who claims that backmasking exists. It is not an authorative source that would be considered hard-hitting journalism. Morenooso 02:26, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Look, here is the factual claim that I am making: Britney Spears has been accused of backmasking. If I find a site that accuses Britney of backmasking, that supports my claim. It doesn't matter if the author is a total idiot, a liar, or an unreliable source in other ways. His website is being used as a primary source, and reliability is not at issue. Λυδαcιτγ 03:01, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

What we are trying to tell you is YES, it does matter. Poorly sourced claims or allegations are just that. As CovenantD said, an accusation built upon a self-built website, or, in your case just trying to find someone who has claimed this has happened is similar to building a house upon a deck of cards. Eventually it will fall. Recommend deletion of poorly sourced citations. Morenooso 03:20, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
I think you misunderstand my intent. I don't want to say that Britney Spears used backmasking. If anything, I think the fact that she is listed should indicate how ridiculous the claims are. All I'm using this as is an indication that the claims made about her exist. I'm not sure exactly what the "house" in your analogy would be.
Anyway, I've got a couple of other sources for y'all: . What think you? Λυδαcιτγ 03:38, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

I haven't looked at those yet, but regarding this edit; much better. You've nicely tied in the accusations and the Milner link. Being mentioned in the WSJ gives him a credibility that his blog alone lacks. (The wording needs tightening up, but that's minor.) I'd suggest adjusting the Spears reference as well, if you haven't found something else already, since the WSJ link mentions her rather prominently. CovenantD 03:42, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

Okay, looked at the new sources. The first one, No. Songfacts is user edits, which means we have no way of knowing if the information comes from a reliable source. The second one, it depends on the context. What part are you using? CovenantD 03:49, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Only the comments at Songfacts are user-edited; the facts themselves are posted by admins, although they are sometimes pointed out by users (as in this case). See ).
The second:

Something which is much more likely to cheer me up is taking the mickey out of vapid celebrities. Step forward ebaumsworld.com's expose of Britney Spears's subliminal messages. The site claims that if you play a snippet of "Baby one more time" backwards then it sounds like la Spears is singing: "Sleep with me, I'm not too young."
I have no idea if this is true or not but given the sexual imagery used to market her music, you never know.

Λυδαcιτγ 20:20, 1 March 2007 (UTC)
Songfacts - I read that about sources, and I also looked the entry itself. Unfortunately they don't say which "books, magazines, newspaper articles, reference materials and interviews" they relied on, so we have no way of verifying their information. Couple that with the direct thanks to a reader and it crosses the threshold of reliability.
Scotsman - Since the Scotsman website so conveniently provides a link to their source, I checked out eBaum's World. I direct your attention to this coverage of them in Wired Magazine.
I understand the desire to find different sources, but neither of these two have the aura of respectability that the WSJ does. CovenantD 22:15, 1 March 2007 (UTC)

POV & OR tags

Good article nominee?

Doubtful this is a B Class Mid importance article

Backmaskonline.com vs WP:EL

Backmasking as censorship

Semi-automatic peer review

Tech N9ne

Minor copyedit observations

Unclear sentence

Other uses?

Controversial topic

Quicker and easier?

Name

The Reverse Echo Effect

Jimi Hendrix

New Kids on the Block

The Beatles

C S Lewes??

Russell Gibb Redirect

Suggestion for new sub-topic under "Accusations"

Victor Wooten

Bill Hicks

Clash

Suggestibility

High School Musical?

Stanley Kubrick / Eyes Wide Shut / Jocelyn Pook

Entire song backmasked

Better organization

Orbital - Halcyon

Explanation of reverts

Archiver frequency

B-class

Refimprove template

Revolver?

deleted wikiproject:psychology template

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