by the Beatles.
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — The Beatles
cbartal — 13 years ago(March 05, 2013 08:48 PM)
by the Beatles.
In the hyped up manufactured melodrama otherwise known as the "Paul is Dead" mystery/hoax/publicity stunt
there is one "clue" that the band cannot dispute, or laugh off.
After I'm So Tired, when played backwards, John obviously says "Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him".
This is not some type of a "I think it sounds like" type of situation like Number 9 sounds like "turn me on dead man". It's not some type of oblique 28if license plate on the cover of Abbey Road, nor the thousands of trumped up clues that Beatles Scavenger hunters have put forth over the last 45 years.
This is, at least John, and perhaps other Beatles obviously, putting this on a Beatles record. There is no mistaking this.
John had some intentions when he did this. Paul likely knew. They were so coy about this whole hoax.
Something went on here (on this song). All other clues run the gambit from ludicrous to slightly plausible, but "Paul is a dead man, miss him, miss him"
That is fact. And that is one more reason that makes Beatles White the most eerily magnificent Rock Album ever made. -
SimplySteve — 13 years ago(March 07, 2013 04:07 PM)
I think John was simply making a mocking reference to the rumors, which were very minimal at the time of the recording of The White Album. Not trying to start or play into them. Especially since the majority of the rumors didn't circulate until Abbey Road, released AFTER the white album.
I do agree about your assesment of the White Album. My favorite Beatles album, therefore making it the greatest album of all time!
. -
cbartal — 13 years ago(March 07, 2013 05:43 PM)
But, and I just wikkied this so don't think I am fact genius, or a nerd (well I am a nerd), the rumors really did not start till 69 Beatles White was released in late Nov 68. So the real rumors, the real questions about Paul is Dead started much later than John put "Paul is dead" on the record.
So John couldn't have been mocking a fan frenzy, cuz it had not started yet.
There must've been some playful premeditation here. I'm not faulting John or the Beatles (or the fans), I'm just trying to get to the bottom of this - I'm sure I'm not the first, or the thousandth, or millionth who has tried to really figure out the genesis.
Again, all of them were so darned coy about this. And that makes it so intriguing.
But again, those who scoff it off as fan created hysteria can not avoid the backwards quote at the end of I'm So Tired. And like I said, this happened before the fan made hoax took hold. So there is something there. It begs the question, did the fans start this, or did the Beatles start this?
From that backwards tape loop I can only conclude that John, or the Beatles started this. -
Lurker-Person — 13 years ago(March 12, 2013 04:59 AM)
Why is it doubtful? personally I think Lennon would have found the rumours (however small at the time) hilarious, and it's very plausible to me that he would have done the jokey reference, even if at the time it was just a sort of in joke.
Apparently when Lennon was writing I Am The Walrus he found out that a teacher from his old school was having his pupils analyze Beatles songs, so he added a verse of nonsense.. Similar type of thing.
How can I go forward when I don't know which way I'm facing? -
cbartal — 13 years ago(March 12, 2013 06:41 PM)
I still just 1354can't accept that at this time in 68 that John had any eye on Beatles fandom, especially at this minute level.
Look, we are analyzing all this in hindsight. The hoax didn't gain any traction till 69.
In 68 John was obsessed with Yoko. He had come back from India disgusted with the Maharishi. He was hard into drugs and Yoko. He was reeling from Epstein's death. He was confused and conflicted. He had been a silent partner in the Beatles during Pepper and Mystery Tour, save for a few brilliant songs.
I just don't see Lennon keeping track of any of the Beatles fans conspiracy theories, let alone the odd, subdued paul is dead theories that were only faint whispers at the time.
John didn't react normally, he acted. Well, that's not true. John did plenty of reacting. I'm wrong saying what I said.
But I gotta believe that John and Paul conspired in some way to start this hoax.
Still, I love discussing this with you.
Craig -
HarveyMidnight — 12 years ago(February 13, 2014 05:26 AM)
I've listened to it many times and all that is clear is "miss him miss him" Paul isn't even heard.
Yah I just NOW t1c84ook the song and ran John's final muddled lyrics thru an audio editor, turned around backwards. Two things that stand out.
The FIRST thing that is obvious when you play it in reverse, that whatever the heck John is mumbling, the way we hear it in the song, is the way he
said
it.. it's not turned around backward in the song.
Because when I turned it backwards
myself
, the syllables and breath sounds are just completely distorted and it SOUNDS backwards.
The second, is there's not ANYTHING that even sounds like "Paul is Dead".. there's a bit that could be
mistaken
for "miss him, miss him" but you can tell there are some letter - L sounds in there instead of the letter - M sounds.
If I were to actually TRY and assign English words to the phrase in reverse, it would be something this:
"Nervous. red reed. One wonders, Govnah.
Ed's in the vessel
hiss him, missile?!!?
"
(**Govnah= 'Governor' with a really thick cockney accent. It's a colloquialism.)
and most of the consonant sounds are hisses and clicks impossible to make with a human mouth. But the inflection definitely goes
up
at the end, like it's a
question
.
Sometimes fires don't go out when you're done playin' with them.