Do you think Stairway to Heaven played backwards really has satanic messages?

Question

heres some video so you can judge for yourself

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pTTIv8405I

why do you all say no, "i dont hear it".. but if i play if to my friends and family they all say yes it does say that?

Answer 1

In short, no, I do not think that satanic messages are embedded within Stairway to Heaven. Backmasking, the process of playing a song backwards, usually with the intent to discover subliminal messages of a recorded medium, such as a song or movie/television dialogue, was popularized when the Beatles released the song "Rain." John Lennon later acknowledged intentionally recording an innocent backmasked message in the song. Later, radicals decided to look for satanic messages that they assumed were concealed within Rock and Roll music. Led Zepplin faced quite the assault when so many reported that "Stairway to Heaven" contained satanic references. In fact, in 1982 a California State Assembly was held to hear the song, and they said that, when played backwards, these lyrics could be heard:
"I sing because I live with Satan
The Lord turns me off-- there's no escaping it
Here's to my sweet Satan, whose power is Satan
He will give you 666. I live for Satan."
While the band and the label usually made no comment to the propaganda, Robert Plant later professed, "To me it's very sad, because "stairway" was written with every best intention, and as far as reversing tapes and putting messages on the end, that's not my idea of making music."
Many research projects have since ensued.

I found this from an online source:

"In 1985, university psychologists John R. Vokey and J. Don Read conducted a study using Psalm 23 from the Bible, Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust," and various other sound passages made up for the experiment. Vokey and Read had subjects listen for phrases that they themselves could hear in a backward playing of these recordings. They then asked subjects if they could hear these same phrases, and other phrases that Vokey and Read did not hear in the recordings. Subjects were in agreement with the researchers "assignment of the passages" of the time. Vokey and Read conclude that "people do in fact" hear "intelligible phrases in streams of backward speech". They also found that "people cannot be induced to hear virtually anything in backward speech". In other words subjects heard phrases that Vokey and Read heard and told subjects were there, and did not hear phrases that Vokey and Read did not hear but said were there."

The conclusion made by Vokey and Read in the study described above was that if backmasking did indeed exist, it was ineffective. Their volunteers had trouble even noticing the backmasked phrase when the tape was played forward, were unable to judge the type of message (whether it was Christian, Satanic, or commercial) it contained, and were not led to behave in any certain way as a result of being "exposed" to the backmasked phrase.

Many would agree that the power of suggestion is strong. Furthermore, we discussed this in my psychology class and concluded that subliminal messages are generally ineffective or quite limited in their influence. A message recorded backwards is unintelligible when the record is played forwards. It could not be understood even if it was played apart from the music. A backmasked message superimposed on a musical passage would be itself masked by the music so that it would not readily be heard.

So basically, no, i don't think there are satanic messages even though the imagination is powerful enough to suggest that there might be. And even if there were, it wouldn't be significant to the song itself played forward. Still pretty fascinating though!

Answer 2

I don't need video. I used to be a god fearing, bible thumping, hypocritical Christian until that night that we all decided to play Stairway to Heaven Backwards. I still can't believe how complete, and rapid the transformation was after hearing that terrible sound emitting from the stereo. It must have been satanic, and I know now that it was directed at me since on the following day I resolved to become a blood sucking capitalist, make tons of money and keep all of it for myself, including the 10% which I used to give to the church. I feel so ashamed, but what else could I have done? I was under the power of the great rock and roll demons, and I still am to this day.

Answer 3

I've heard it played backwards before, along with a number of other songs. I didn't hear a darn thing in any of them until I was told what they were "supposed" to say, then I could hear it if I listened for it. I think it's all suggestion.

The one exception was Queen's "Another One Bites The Dust", where I DID easily make out part of the supposed backwards message before knowing what it was supposed to say. (But whether it was intentional or not, no surprises it it talking about smoking marijuana.)

Answer 4

I will listen to it. Its called subliminal messages. This is a very influential technique used on listeners without them even knowing. Our brains are very, very complexed organs. It can process things in ways science has not yet explained. I believe ya. Ever hear Madonna's "Like a Prayer" played backwards. She sings "Oh Satan" over and over.

Answer 5

The only backwards message I actually was able to decipher was "Turn me on, dead man," in Revolution #9 by the Beatles. But then again, I think that tune was meant to be played backwards...

Answer 6

Wrong.

Hotel California by the Eagles allegedly has "Satanic" messages.

Some say the song Another One Bites The Dust by Queen contains a message that it's ok to smoke marijuana.

;o)

Answer 7

No. I've done some research on back masking because my parents strongly believe in it. Most of the time, you don't catch any of the "satanic messages" unless there's a prompt that says what you're supposed to be listening for. If you are listening for "satan is god" chances are, you'll hear it.

Answer 8

This report came out in 1979 or 1980, as I heard it on the radio when I was a teenager. We played it back and we did hear something about Christ.

Answer 9

YES!!!!! My dad had that song on the old big, black records, and when he played it backwards all he could hear was "ssssatan, ssssatan" all creepy like. For this reason I hate that song, and everything else that band produced.

Answer 10

THIS HAS BEEN AROUND A LONG TIME. I BELIEVE IT IS REAL.THE BEATLES WHERE FAMOUS FOR IT.I HAVE HEARD MANY SONGS AND NO ONE TOLD ME WHAT TO LISTEN FOR.
IT WAS USED IN THE MOVIES IN THE 60 TO MAKE PEOPLE GO BUY FOOD AT THE SNACKS BARS.IT WAS RULED AS AGAINST THE LAW.LOST A LOT OF WEIGHT AFTER THAT.