is it true that if you play a song backwards you get a devilish message?

Question

or gives a satanic message?

Answer 1

No. But it is true if you play a song backwards that it is going to sound like crap.

Answer 2

Human vocal cords simply do not work that way. It would take a virtuoso singer and a cunning lyricist to be able to learn a reverse message and then sing it backwards, in key, to have it sound like anything other than complete nonsense.

The band Tenacious D places backwards "satanic" messages in their songs quite a bit, though it is done humorously and is ridiculously obvious, as well as unintelligible unless played backwards.

This is yet another example of an xtian urban legend. A truly "devilish" message would be heard audibly in the first place.

Answer 3

Look up "backmasking" or "backward masking" -- a few songs from the 60s and 70s did this. I have heard a radio documentary about it, and it is undeniably true in some instances. In others, people are hearing what they want to hear. But E.L.O. for example deliberately went into the studio and layered some backward messages into their records. Nothing satanic, just some eerie deep voice talking about time being irreversible, and to turn back now. it was in very clear King's English, not the typical burping sounds that some claim say something which they absolutely do not.

Answer 4

This is something that was widely reported in the 70's. Supposedly certain bands like ACDC and Black Sabbath had songs that supposedly had Satanic messages encoded into them that you could hear if the the song was played on an old reel to reel tape recorder, backward. These were supposedly messages that worked on the subconscious and it was refereed to as back masking, I think. I'm sure it was a bunch of hooey, probably started by some religious organization.

Answer 5

That's mostly a myth propagated by the religious right. There was a famous lecture given about the messages of rock n' roll, claiming, for example, that playing "another one bites the dust" by Queen, would give you "Start to smoke marijuana" over, and over again. Or that "And she's buying a stairway to Heaven" translated backward into "because I live with Satan, etc..."
But I've listened to these things and personally, I'm not convinced. It sounds more like people are hearing what they want to hear, i.e. looking for messages. What I think is happening is more akin to listening to a foreign film. Sometimes, you're under the impression they've just said something weird in English. That's simply because your brain is trying to decode what it's hearing and it goes to the closest thing it knows.

Answer 6

At one time certain preachers were all up in arms about KISS. They claimed that it stood for Knights In Satins Service. They claimed that if you music played the backwards you could hear satanic messages. The target of most of their ranting was Gene Simmons who as it turns out is like Ward Clever. Never drank or did drugs and is a model father. Don't buy into the rantings of people with too much time on their hands listening to music backwards.

Answer 7

No, it is not true. The ancient language used by angels and devils(fallen angels) cannot be understood by us. Unless they want to be understood. Why would you play a song backwards, unless you were loony that is. It is a language spoken by God and angels and devils only. If you can't understand their language how can you say it is a devilish message. People that do this don't have a life. Don't pay attention to this. If someone or something wanted to give you a message they would do it so you understand what they are saying. I am sure that they can speak our language. Yes, I believe in angels, they are good. Devils lie and cannot be trusted obviously. If you are going to believe in something or someone, believe in something or someone positive.

Answer 8

Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin does have some interesting sounding "lyrics" when played backwards, but I hardly think it's a satanic message. Clever producers or just a coincidence.

Answer 9

This effect happens because we hear what are unmistakably human voices singing but they make no sense played backwards. Our minds try to assign meaning because we know that voices are supposed to have meaning. So we fill in the blanks. If someone gives us a list of words or sentences to look at while we listen, there is a very high probability we will be fooled into thinking that we can actually hear these words.

I have done this with a recording of "Thine be the glory", and people were understandably surprised to hear the satanic messages that I suggested were there. It is even easier with a choir than with a single voice, as we can pick which harmonic to listen to. Once again I stress that it is an auditory hallucination - there was no actual message in the recording.

Now, having said that, it is very possible for someone to revese engineer the process in order to enhance elements of the suggested voice or to actually put one in.

Answer 10

Thats only on some songs. Not all songs. However there is a lot of research going on with reversed speech. Go to www. reversespeech.com and check it out. There is a lot of things on the Jone Bena Ramsey case (the little girl that was killed in colorado years ago) and other high profile cases where they believe the sentences that suspects are saying are acutally unintentional confessions when played backwards. Check it out it is pretty interesting.

Answer 11

Many songs have mysterious messages when you play them backwards, though not all. Most are unintentional, though some have been done on purpose. Very few of these "messages" are Satanic, though they are often thought to be.