LeBron Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 In psychology class today, we were talking about subliminal messaging and stuff like that, which somehow lead the discussion to backmasking. The teacher used Stairway as an example, and we listened to the song forwards and backwards, now a lot of students in the class are under the impression that LZ is a "devil worshiping" band. I started to talk to my teacher about how the "secret message" was just gibberish and that some of the backwards words were purely coincidental sounds. Now, since a lot of the class thinks that LZ deliberately put secret massages in the song, the teacher wants me to convince them otherwise, because I'm pretty sure the band wouldn't waste time doing something so stupid. What are some of the things that I could say that could convince the class that Stairway doesn't contain backwards messages? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 If one person tells another person that a certain phrase or message can be heard or found in playing a song backwards that person will concentrate on hearing that message through what sounds like gibberish & will probably hear that phrase. It's the power of suggestion. If that first person this time suggests to a group of people each their own specific message or phrase to be heard they each will most likely hear that phrase suggested to them as that's what they are going to be concentrating on hearing. Same song, different phrases given, different conclusions reached for each... the power of suggestion. It's the biggest con going since man was able to string a sentence together. Politicians would be unemployed without it & the male guido's on "Jersey Shore" couldn't get laid without it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lead ballon Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 I can't remember where, but I'm pretty sure I read somewhere that some person sang the lyrics to that part of stairway and played em backwards and it was complete gibberish, leading to the conclusion that it was pure coincidance and Plant's voice. So if all else fails you could always record yourself singing the song and play it backwards to your class. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yupter Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 It's quite interesting testing it out. I've recorded myself saying "May-Queen, Yes" which I narrowed it down to be the alleged "satan" part, but at best it sounds like "sak yen" something (gibberish). If people are listening for it than they just might hear it, I wouldn't be surprised if the teacher said what to listen to before they played it.<< Completely ruins the whole test As far as trying to convince people otherwise, you'd be better off trying to teach a dog a new trick. The best you can do is just tell people to test it for themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 Sounds to me like your teacher's the one who needs to be coming up with the proof here, since he's the one who not only told the class what to "hear," but what it meant, if they now think Zeppelin are devil-worshipers. Ask him to show you some proof from any of the band themselves that this is a genuine message (and while you're at it, ask him what the point would be--people weren't usually in the habit of playing their records backwards!). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeBron Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 My teacher didn't tell us what it supposedly said at first. She played the song backwards, without any of the backwards "lyrics", and then asked us if we heard anything, and a couple students thought they heard the word satan. Then, it was played again with the lyrics showing, and everyone seemed pretty convinced that the rumor is true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 My teacher didn't tell us what it supposedly said at first. She played the song backwards, without any of the backwards "lyrics", and then asked us if we heard anything, and a couple students thought they heard the word satan. Then, it was played again with the lyrics showing, and everyone seemed pretty convinced that the rumor is true. But were all the students unaware of the association? Even though it's 25 years after the fact, some kids still know the rumors unfortunately even more than they know the music so they may have already gone into listening to it with some subconcious direction. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yupter Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 My teacher didn't tell us what it supposedly said at first. She played the song backwards, without any of the backwards "lyrics", and then asked us if we heard anything, and a couple students thought they heard the word satan. Then, it was played again with the lyrics showing, and everyone seemed pretty convinced that the rumor is true. I don't think it helps by just playing the 10 seconds that supposedly have the "satan" part in it either. I would definitely be surprised if your teacher played the full 8 minutes backwards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeBron Posted February 5, 2010 Author Share Posted February 5, 2010 I don't think it helps by just playing the 10 seconds that supposedly have the "satan" part in it either. I would definitely be surprised if your teacher played the full 8 minutes backwards. Why would anyone play the whole song backwards? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaiser Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Why would anyone play the whole song backwards? I think you have answered your own question(s) with that very question. Why would anyone listen to 8 seconds of the song backwards much less 8 minutes of the song backwards? Think about it, does it make any sort of sense? No, not for myself anyway. People who do that either enjoy their music played backwards, are looking for something that can't be heard played forward, or they're trying to convince others that there is in fact coded messages in the song that are barely audiable. I on the other hand would rather go to beach & play frisbee with bikini clad women while drinking a beer & listening to music played FORWARD, but not everyone subscribes to my idea of fun so I guess these backwards playing record people amuse themselves in other ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquamarine Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 Think about it, LeBron. Let's imagine you're a satanist, and you want to spread a subliminal message about Satan, and the evil he gets up to, etc. So you encode that message on your latest album, where people will only hear it if they play the track backwards. Here's the point: Why WOULD anybody play the track backwards???? The only way it's going to get heard is by accident, unless you put a sticker on the album "Play backwards for interesting message!!" When it was heard by accident on LZIV, people differed wildly over what they thought they were hearing, and I have yet to hear of one person who rushed off to Satan's toolshed to sign up. So it's been a pretty ineffectual message all the way around really--and the guys we know were a lot smarter than that, right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lead ballon Posted February 5, 2010 Share Posted February 5, 2010 I on the other hand would rather go to beach & play frisbee with bikini clad women while drinking a beer & listening to music played FORWARD, but not everyone subscribes to my idea of fun so I guess these backwards playing record people amuse themselves in other ways. I also subscribe to your idea of fun as listening to countless songs backwards just to see if there is any chance of hearing the word "Satan" is very boring. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
*Paladin* Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Didn't Jimmy or Robert, when asked about backmasking on Stairway, say something to the effect of: "If there was anything to backmasking, we would have said buy 10 copies of this record"? I'll have to research that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conneyfogle Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Jimmy Page said, more sincerely, that the song has whatever meaning the listener wants to put to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BonzoLikeDrumer Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Didn't Jimmy or Robert, when asked about backmasking on Stairway, say something to the effect of: "If there was anything to backmasking, we would have said buy 10 copies of this record"? I'll have to research that one... They just got lucky with that one, the song was/is a huge hit and has sold million's every where, was, and I think still, stands as the most requested song in radio. With all those big time fact's I'm sure one more sale's ploy is just icing on the cake...especially if the fan's or some DJ came up with this clever little trick by sticking it on there turn table and running it backwards. Just think, the biggest marketing idea in the history of music and there was no one who got paid to think of it. And to prove it to yourself you had to but a copy of the record! Only with Led Zeppelin! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikeinmobile Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Several groups in the 60's and 70's wanted these kind of controversies to spread and create buzz about their records. The Beatles were experts at this. Like everything they did, Zep took it to another level. Let's let people make up their own conspiracies and keep our mouths shut! You see how well it worked. Luckily for us the whole "backward message corrupting us" is non existent. The Beatles song "Revolution #9" was created to be played backwards and forwards. The lyric "number nine", (repeated constantly in the song) when played bkwds sounds sorta like "turn me on dead man". So, if your ninth in line and they call your number, sorry, go straight to hell, do not pass go! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walesdad Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 I would have thought that the only message any band would backmask is '...buy our other albums!'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Conneyfogle Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 Zeppelin were fans of Python & included many references to them in their concerts One of their albums (Matching tie & hankerchief) was the first album to contain 3 sides on 1 LP I wonder if one day i'll put on Led Zeppelin II and get Satan's hidden messages on the B side? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zepps_apprentice Posted February 16, 2010 Share Posted February 16, 2010 i did this experiment. i sang the "satanic" lyrics forward then played that backwards and i wanted to see if it wanted to turn into "If theres a bustle..." etc. it was 110% jibberish. then i sang the song forwards and played it backwars a few words matched but they were minor words. and i tried my best to sound like plant. so i figured its all his voice. also if you play dora or spongebob backwards its supposedly "satanic" so i guess everything is now... this makes me angry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bong-Man Posted February 17, 2010 Share Posted February 17, 2010 "I did not hate Jesus and God. I hated the Jesus and God of the people I hated." ~ Aleister Crowley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
z1inspector Posted February 5, 2013 Share Posted February 5, 2013 HEY IVE NOTICED A BIG SIMILARITY BETWEEN THE (POSSIBLE) LANGUAGE HEARD DURING STH BACKWARDS & Roberts Solo song "slow dancer" played forwards. BECAUSE its surely NOT the lyrics everyone thinks they are,go listen ,its not even english, Maybe ill start a thread about this... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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