Top 10 Creepiest Hidden Messages in Songs
#10: "Nightmare/The Dreamtime" (1991)
Motörhead If you’ve got something to say, say it backwards. That’s what Motörhead did on “Nightmare/The Dreamtime” off of their ninth album, “1916.” When heard in reverse, the nightmarish opening vocals are revealed to be frontman Lemmy delivering a condemnation to those who are trying to censor his band, telling them they won't succeed. Some believe the message is intended for their former label, GWR Records, who they were in legal conflict with. Others believe it was intended for the Parents Resource Music Center, a group co-founded by Tipper Gore that scrutinized objectionable content in music. Whoever it was for, Motörhead wasn’t letting them get off easy.
#9: “Look At Your Game, Girl” (1993)
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Guns N’ Roses This isn’t exactly about a hidden message, but actually about a hidden cover track at the end of Guns N’ Roses fifth album, “The Spaghetti Incident?” And the thing that many people might not know about the song being covered by the hard rock band is that it wasn’t by a particularly well-liked artist. “Look At Your Game, Girl” was originally written and recorded by notorious cult leader Charles Manson. Creepy, much? Axl Rose and Guns N’ Roses’ keyboardist Dizzy Reed, doing percussion, turned Manson’s creepy folk song into a relaxed ballad with some Caribbean flair. But the cover garnered outrage, including from Sharon Tate's sister, Patti. To mute some of the controversy, royalties were given to Bartek Frykowski, whose father, Wojciech, was killed in the Tate Murders, and to the Doris Tate Crime Victims Bureau. Some things should just stay hidden.
#8: “665” (1988)
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Soundgarden When you name your song one number below the “Number of the beast,” people are bound to look for some hidden messages. On the first album from grunge legends Soundgarden,the band got cheeky about satanic panic in rock music. When played backwards, “665” broadcasts a message of devotion towards an all-powerful being who can influence children to do his will. That’s right: Soundgarden are singing about Santa. Two songs later is “667,” as the band was apparently arguing that the numbers before and after “666” have equal potency. If your parents saw this album’s tracklist, they might have a fit.
#7: “Another One Bites the Dust” (1980)
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Queen “Another One Bites the Dust” has everything you’d want from a Queen song: tasty grooves, a catchy chorus, and, of course, a sensational lead vocal performance from Freddie Mercury. However, some concerned listeners thought they found something else, hidden within the song.The claim was that, when played backwards, the song’s chorus was various messages in support of marijuana usage, including: "It's fun to smoke marijuana" and “Start to smoke marijuana.” Queen’s label, Hollywood Records, has dismissed such allegations, and while we understand how it could sound like that’s what Mercury is saying, the evidence is just too flimsy. Remember: say no to drugs, but say yes to Queen.
#6: “Intension” (2006)
Tool Tool has developed one of the most passionate fan bases in modern music, with diehards obsessing over finding hidden messages in the alternative metal band’s work. "Intension," off of the band's fourth album, "10,000 Days," includes a message seemingly about the dangers of conformity. When reversed, a message plays, instructing listeners to obey their parents and stay in school. Since this is Tool we're talking about, the message probably isn't meant to be taken at face value. Instead, it seems to them doing some reverse psychology, showing their fans just how easy it can be to fall in line and not think for yourself. Or, maybe it’s just Tool having some fun.
#5: “Bloodbath in Paradise” (1988)
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Ozzy Osbourne Ozzy Osbourne is no stranger to controversy. The metal legend has drawn plenty of attention for his provocative music and its grim subject matter. And in 1988, he recorded a song with an actual hidden message. But “Bloodbath in Paradise” finds Osbourne mocking the idea of his music being corrupting. This track, included on his 1988 album “No Rest for the Wicked,” has a backwards message that is actually a riff on an infamous line from “The Exorcist.” Osbourne’s version is, “Your mother sells whelks in Hull,” which basically means she sells sea snails in England. While sea snails themselves may not be inherently creepy, “The Exorcist” certainly is for many!
#4: “Revolution 9” (1968)
The Beatles No Beatles song is as polarizing as “Revolution 9,” an eight-minute sound collage full of effects and a voice repeatedly saying “number nine.” And things get even stranger when it’s played backwards. Before the release of the band's self-titled "white" album, a rumor started to spread that member Paul McCartney was killed in a car accident and had been replaced by an imposter. When some listeners played "Revolution 9" backwards, they heard "Turn me on, dead man" as apparent evidence of his death. Other alleged proof includes McCartney being barefoot on the cover of "Abbey Road" and a misinterpretation of John Lennon's words at the end of "Strawberry Fields Forever" as "I buried Paul." Even without any hidden message, “Revolution 9” is plenty creepy.
#3: “Kiss Kiss Kiss” (1980)
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Yoko Ono Three weeks before John Lennon was tragically murdered, he released his final album, "Double Fantasy," a collaboration with his wife, Yoko Ono. While it was widely derided at the time of its release, its reception grew following Lennon's death and it ended up winning the Grammy for Album of the Year. One track has been particularly scrutinized. Rumors claim that “Kiss Kiss Kiss,” an Ono contribution, has a backwards message of her saying “I shot John Lennon.” While Lennon was shot and killed that same year, it wasn’t by Ono. As far as musical conspiracy theories go, this one is a “Miss Miss Miss.”
#2: “Stairway to Heaven” (1971)
Led Zeppelin There are many words that can be used to describe “Stairway to Heaven”: seminal, beautiful, and...evil? That’s at least according to late televangelist Paul Crouch, who, in 1982, on his channel, the Trinity Broadcasting Network, popularized claims that sections of Led Zeppelin’s iconic song actually included messages praising Satan, only to be heard when played backwards. This sparked further controversy about alleged subliminal messages in music, and the band has written off any claims of the sort. If "Stairway to Heaven" inspired kids to do anything, it was probably to pick up a guitar.
#1: "Dinner At Deviant’s Palace" (2001)
Cradle of Filth A band bringing in one of their members’ kids to perform on a track is a cute concept. But not when that band is extreme metal outfit Cradle of Filth. “Dinner At Deviant’s Palace,” a cut from the band's 2001 EP, "Bitter Suites to Succubi," features a backwards recording of guitarist Paul Allender’s son. Listen forward, and it turns out he’s reciting The Lord’s Prayer. This plays into fears of reciting the prayer backwards as a method of conjuring demons. And even if you don't have any explicit fears of Satan or possession, it’s still plenty frightening. If it makes you feel better, do a sign of the cross after listening.
