Led Zeppelin's lead guitarist Jimmy Page was born on January 9, 1944 in the west London suburb of Heston. He first picked up a guitar when he was 12 years old and, although he took a few lesson, he mostly taught himself how to play. In 1964, John Entwistle, the bass guitarist for The Who, first suggested the name "Lead Zeppelin" (which was later changed to "Led" Zeppelin to keep people from mispronouncing the name as "Leed Zeppelin"). In 1968, after leaving The Yardbirds, Page finally formed his new rock group, recruiting vocalist Robert Plant and drummer John Bonham. John Paul Jones soon left The Yardbirds as well, and joined Jimmy's new group.
In the 1970s, Jimmy Page owned an occult bookstore and publishing house called "The Equinox Booksellers and Publishers", which eventually published a reprint Aleister Crowley's 1904 work, "The Goetia". People became curious about Page's occult connections when four occultic-looking symbols began to appear on the record albums produced by Led Zeppelin. Page would also often wear clothing with zodiac symbols embroidered on them. The artwork inside the jacket of "Led Zeppelin IV" is an enlargement of a traditional tarot card image called "The Hermit".
The recording for "Stairway To Heaven" began in December 1970, with Page having written the music and Robert Plant the lyrics. The opening guitar cadence is said to have been influenced by an instrumental track called "Taurus" by the band Spirit, whose members were once close friends with the members of Led Zeppelin. At the time Robert Plant was writing the lyrics to the song, he was also heavily reading Lewis Spence's book, "Magic Arts In Celtic Britain".
Critics of heavy rock bands (and of Led Zeppelin in particular) have alleged that there are hidden satanic messages on the song, if it is played backwards at normal speed. One message, which supposedly occurs during the line "If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now," when played backwards, is purported to say:
Oh, here's to my sweet satan
The one whose little path would make me sad
He will give those with him 666
There was a little toolshed where he made us suffer
Sad satan
This controversy originated with a prominent Baptist minister in 1982, who preached on his radio show that Stairway To Heaven contained subliminal satanic messages. Also in 1982, the Consumer Protection and Toxic Materials Committee of the California State Assembly held a hearing, in which Stairway To Heaven was played backwards. A neurologist named William Yarroll claimed that the song also contained other similar satanic messages when played backwards, such as:
I sing because I live with satan
The Lord, He 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
These two backward clips from the song can be played and heard at the original article from which I obtained most of this information, which is at the Wikipedia site located at:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stairway_to_Heaven
If any of you are interested in in other famous backward "hidden lyrics" on songs by the Beatles, the Eagles, Queen and other rock groups, Jeff Milner has an excellent site that deals with "backmasking" in popular songs at:
http://jeffmilner.com/backmasking.htm
There are also some fantastic backward song clips at:
http://www.reversespeech.com/music_reversals.htm
Nuf sah ydobyreve epoh I, llew ho................
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Comments: 58
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Marilyn
Angel
For posting this
I disagree with the assumptions of the person who wrote this. God gave us sex, drugs, rock & roll, peace, love, fun, and independence without lyrics.
Listening to "Hark the Herald Angels" has not tempted me toward religion or God. And "Stairway to Heaven" didn't twist me into Satanic knots.... am I ok?
Nick is right. Those of us who came of age when "Stairway" was released were responding to the political situation at the time. Those of us who were dissatisfied with the status quo were a pretty diverse group. This group included a whole bunch of spiritual people.
Now, show me Satan in that song.
"Help!" was released in '65; The White Album, which contained, "Helter Skelter," was released in '68. Now, you mean to tell me that musicians should not grow, change or evolve in three years' time? Their style should remain static? Sheesh, even that white bread icon Perry Como didn't remain the same. (Yes, that is a slight nod to Zeppelin, there.)
Look at Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra -- icons of music who sang "clean" songs, funny little ditties where nothing untoward was said aloud (but was certainly hinted at!) Martin made a living off of his image as a booze hound, and Sinatra left his wife and young children for a child more than half of his age! Shall we blame them for the middle class suburban customs of alcoholism and clandestine affairs with one's secretary? And what's the greater sin? Singing about the un-pretty things truthfully or singing about the pretty things hypocritically? Maybe we should all listen to Amy Grant.... didn't she bust up a marriage or something?
Maybe look at it all honestly and recognize that society itself is dysfunctional and each successive generation feeds off of the dysfuntion that came before? That's crazy talk, I know; It's much easier to blame music, art, literature, the media, a falling away from the true teachings of the Lord, and last -- but certainly not least!! -- The Devil.
If you are/were STUPID enough to ruin both a phonograph needle AND an album looking for hidden Satanic messages only discernable when played backwards (and who in the sam hill came up with that idea, anyway?!) then your paranoid little mind will certainly find some. We usually do find that which we seek. For instance, I fully expected to come in here and find a lot of reactionary horse puckey, with a dash of God's swift vengenence visited upon the wicked tossed in for fun.
I was certainly NOT disappointed.
\Joy scrambles off to burn a witch.
As for individuals that spend their time listening to music and songs backwards, with a pad and pencil by their side, just salivating at the mere idea they will hear the word Satan, I can only pity them and pray for them.
After he pointed this out to me, I started listening to different songs backwards, even some Christian songs. I found out that some Christian songs contain backwards messages, too. The mystery of it is that those who are heavily anointed seem to bring the message through more clearly. Try it sometimes for yourself.
You have voice recorder on your computer, don't you? Just record it on there and play it backwards.
Rock was never my thing, so I don't know anything about it. I've heard that the words played backward meant something, but I never investigated it.
Country-western and jazz was my thing.
Sorry.
Barbara S.
As for the time I spent on the road and the things I did as a youth, I have nothing to be ashamed of or hide. You are fond of quoting scripture well than here is one for you
John 8
1 but Jesus went unto the mount of Olives. 2 And early in the morning he came again into the temple, and all the people came unto him; and he sat down, and taught them. 3 And the scribes and the Pharisees bring a woman taken in adultery; and having set her in the midst, 4 they say unto him, Teacher, this woman hath been taken in adultery, in the very act. 5 Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such: what then sayest thou of her? 6 And this they said, trying him, that they might have whereof to accuse him. But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. 7 But when they continued asking him, he lifted up himself, and said unto them, He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her. 8 And again he stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground. 9 And they, when they heard it, went out one by one, beginning from the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman, where she was, in the midst. 10 And Jesus lifted up himself, and said unto her, Woman, where are they? did no man condemn thee? 11 And she said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said, Neither do I condemn thee: go thy way; from henceforth sin no more.
As for the song we had that theme as our Graduation Party...Stairway To Heaven...and we had a stairway constructed in white and it curved and at the top hung clouds and angels above our heads and dangling were white and silver and pink crape paper in curlicues......we laid huge piles of pillow filling at the bottom of the steps to look like clouds and then our pictures were taken standing on the bottom step amoung the clouds........we didn't consider it a "Satan" song nor did we feel evil or dirty or less Christian for using that song and theme. Later when all the halooba broke out about it, I still found it a beautiful song....and consider anything by The Red Hot Chile Peppers more Satanic then Led Zepplin. I also heard the same thing about the song Hotel California as well. I really think that it depends on each persons frame of mind wheather they consider something demonic,satanic or evil......"For as a man thinkth in his heart so is he" and if you think it evil...it is, but if you think it simply a beautiful song like I do then it's that too.
(The song Teresa quotes is real--here's an article in the Times.)