Saturday, August 11, 2007

Backmasking

Today's featured article at Wikipedia is about backmasking, the technique of putting backward messages into music. I spent my early childhood and some of my adolescence in a fundy church. At our youth group meetings we were taught that backmasking came from two sources.

The first source was devil worshiping rock bands intentionally inserting backward messages about all things evil (sex, drugs, Satan, homostuff, etc.).

The second source of reverse messages was Satan himself providing lyricists and singers with words and phrasing designed to contain hidden, reversed messages. The prime evidence presented for this second source was "here's to my sweet Satan" that supposedly can be heard when Stairway to Heaven is played in reverse. Pastor Nick showed us a video where xtian "investigators" played Stairway (and several other songs) backwards. Everyone claimed to hear "here's to my sweet Satan" and something about "666." I was skeptical but afraid to say so. I didn't hear much except music played in the wrong direction.

Those were good times! :)