Paul is dead
Paul is dead ( English : "Paul is dead") describes a well-known conspiracy theory , according to which Paul McCartney was replaced by the Beatles in 1966 by a doppelganger after he was killed in a car accident.
history
In 1969, the University of Michigan published an article in its campus newspaper jokingly alleging that Paul McCartney died in a car accident. The course of the accident was described as follows:
“One November morning in 1966, Paul McCartney was out in his car. At about 5 o'clock he watched a police maid on the side of the road and therefore did not notice that a traffic light in front of him turned red. His car crashed into another vehicle and went up in flames. The severe burns he suffered and the loss of all of his teeth in the impact made McCartney no longer identifiable.
The remaining band members, John Lennon , George Harrison and Ringo Starr , covered up the death at the urging of management and their record company and held a McCartney lookalike competition. The winner, William Campbell (or Shears ), took Paul's place in the group after a few operations. Since then, the Beatles have tried to draw their fans' attention to the incident through hidden signs. "
A short time later, the Detroit radio presenter Russell Gibb dedicated his program to "Theory", which made it known nationwide for the first time and caused a sensation. Many fans of the Beatles who took the story seriously tried from then on to find "evidence" of Paul's death.
The discussion about the Paul-is-dead-Theory received new impetus in 2007. The occasion was a lawsuit filed by a geriatric nurse from Berlin-Moabit , who was 46 at the time . She claims to be McCartney's daughter. Her mother is said to have had an affair with McCartney between 1959 and 1962. She accuses him of having been represented by a doppelganger in a paternity test in 1984. The signature was incorrectly right-handed and the photo did not show McCartney.
Notes on record covers (chronological)
Yesterday and Today
On the controversially discussed original cover of the album Yesterday and Today , which was only released in the USA , all four Beatles can be seen in meat smocks, covered with bloody pieces of meat. The pieces of meat are distributed on Paul McCartney in such a way that they can mark the parts of the body where he was injured in the accident. McCartney, who sits in the middle of the other three, has two decapitated dolls on his shoulders and a doll's head on his lap, possibly symbolizing that he is "holding his head out" to cover up McCartney's death.
There should also be a note on the alternatively published, defused cover: John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison are standing next to a large trunk. Paul McCartney sits inside. If you turn the plate 90 degrees to the left, it looks like McCartney is lying in a coffin. A scar on the upper lip, which the real McCartney allegedly did not have, on the one hand stands for the accident (head injuries) and on the other hand proves the double theory. Of course, he could have got the scar elsewhere.
McCartney claims to have drawn the scar in the summer of 1966, when the band took a break after years of touring and making records. McCartney went on vacation and went on a motorcycle tour that resulted in an accident and broken front teeth. The operation left a scar on his upper lip. In order to still be able to be there when taking photos, he grew a mustache . The other band members did the same and the mustache became a fashionable appearance of the Beatles, as well as the hippies .
The record was released in June 1966. The accident and death of McCartney is said to have been in November of the same year, so that the claims about this album can not be true.
revolver
Paul McCartney is the only one on the album cover of Revolver in profile and his gaze goes into space. This is taken as an indication that he is no longer part of the group, but is in another world. Starr and Lennon's eyes are fixed on him, a possible sign of their sadness. On closer inspection, one can see a (blessing) hand above McCartney's head for the first time (part of the photo collage), a symbol of death in some countries.
To the right of McCartney's head is a relatively large picture of him screaming. That could illustrate the pain he is said to have suffered in the accident. Another possible clue is the little male sticking his head out of McCartney's ear, looking like he's trying hard to hear something. This should be a hint for the listeners that from now on they should pay more attention to the text of the songs, as there should be many references in the texts.
Sgt.Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles wear brightly colored circus uniforms and hold musical instruments in their hands on the album cover of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band . In front of them is a drum with the title of the album. In the foreground, red and yellow flowers form the band name and an electric bass . In the background there are cardboard displays of numerous prominent personalities.
The lush floral decorations and the large number of people (mourners) are seen as a funeral. Paul McCartney holds a black woodwind instrument ( English horn ) as a symbol of death and the coffin. In addition, he has only three fingers on the instrument of his left hand, possibly a reference to the three original Beatles who are still alive.
It looks like he needs support from Ringo Starr and George Harrison. Another open hand can be seen above his head (see Revolver and Yellow Submarine ). It belongs to Stephen Crane , a writer who died at age 28. On the right of the cover you can see a doll wearing a shirt that says “Welcome the Rolling Stones” and whose head is broken. She has a toy car (a white Austin Healey - the model McCartney allegedly crashed in) on one knee and a bloody driver's glove on the other.
The flower bass in the foreground is supposed to represent the death of its owner. Some also believe that they can recognize the word "PAUL?" In the flower pattern. The bass as a whole looks like a capital "P". There are three guitar strings on the flowers, which in turn can be interpreted as a reference to the three remaining Beatles.
If you mirror the upper half of the words "LONELY HEARTS" horizontally, the presumed message emerges:
- I ONE IX HE () DIE
There are two possible interpretations for this:
- I (+) ONE (+) I (= 3) X (stands for Paul) HE () (the arrow points directly to Paul) DIE
- → 3 (Beatles) X (Paul) HE () DIE
- I (and) ONE (11) IX ( Roman number nine) HE () DIE
- → 11 9 (November 9th) HE () DIE
Inside the record sleeve is another picture of the Beatles with Paul McCartney wearing an armband with the words “OPD” on it. The abbreviation supposedly stands for Officially Pronounced Dead (translated: officially declared dead ). In truth, however, it was an armband from the Ontario Provincial Police, OPP , with the lower part of the second 'P' somewhat obscured. This in turn could be a reference to William Campbell, who was a police officer in Canada .
On the back, on which all the lyrics are printed, George Harrison points with one hand to the line of text "Wednesday morning at five o'clock" from the song She's Leaving Home. Allegedly, McCartney died at 5 a.m. on a Wednesday. McCartney has his back to the viewer and appears taller than his colleagues (he is no longer there, but in heaven). Harrison, Lennon and Starr form with their hands, from left to right, symbolically the letters 'L', 'V' and 'E' (L [O] VE). The missing 'O' could denote the void McCartney's death leaves.
Magical Mystery Tour
In contrast to the other Beatles, Paul McCartney does not wear a red, but a black carnation (mourning, death) in a picture of Magical Mystery Tour in the booklet with his suit. Another photo shows him at a desk that says “Iwas” (I was). Turned upside down, the letters of the word "BEATLES" on the cover may result in the phone number 5371438, about which there have been several theories. One theory is that if you dialed that number in the 1960s, you were talking to a London funeral home. In addition, according to other sources, if you dial the number at the right time, you should be put through to someone who answered Billy Shears . Three Michigan students said they had been promised tickets for a trip to Pepperland because the puzzle was solved.
Another fictitious clue was the interpretation of the black walrus disguise on the record cover, which was supposedly a harbinger of death in some Scandinavian countries . The addition to the song I Am the Walrus “'No you're not!' said little Nicola ”(so it couldn't be John Lennon) and the line“ Well here's another clue for you all, the walrus was Paul ”in the song Glass Onion on the album The Beatles were also interpreted as references to McCartney's death.
Yellow Submarine
John Lennon raised his hand over McCartney's head on the cover of Yellow Submarine (see Revolver and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band ). The three outstretched fingers (index finger, little finger and thumb across) are supposed to symbolize the three remaining band members, but could also be an incorrect representation of the symbol for "I Love You" in American Sign Language . Another interpretation is the sign of the devil . The submarine inside the mountain is compared to a buried coffin. Ringo Starr's tie depicts a cross.
Very together
Very Together is an LP released in Canada in 1969 with recordings of the Beatles as an accompaniment to Tony Sheridan from 1961. The cover shows a candlestick with four candles. Only three of the candles are burning. Supporters of the theory saw the extinguished candle as an indication of McCartney's death.
Abbey Road
Abbey Road's record sleeve shows the Beatles walking left to right across a zebra crossing. John Lennon wears white, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney wears dark and George Harrison wears blue. McCartney is barefoot (in the UK people are buried barefoot. Also, in Italy barefoot is a symbol of death).
In the background is a white VW Beetle with a license plate that reads 'LMW 28IF'. 'LMW' is deciphered to ' Linda McCartney Weeps' or 'Linda McCartney Widow'. However, Linda and Paul McCartney first met in 1967, one year after his alleged death. So she wouldn't be McCartney's widow, nor would she be made to cry. 28IF is supposed to mean that McCartney would be 28 years old if (if) he hadn't died. In Great Britain, however, the scheme of three letters - three digits - one letter was used at that time (see → here ): It is not to read 'IF', but '1F' as part of 'LMW 281 F'. Also, McCartney would be 27 years old at the time, not 28 since he was born in 1942. The argument was explained by supporters of the conspiracy theory by the fact that the nine months prenatal were added to the age of birth; therefore he would actually have been 28 years old.
The Beatles are seen as a funeral procession: Lennon is the priest and runs ahead, Starr is the pallbearer, McCartney is the deceased and Harrison in work clothes is the gravedigger. Lennon wears white, the color of mourning in eastern countries, Starr wears black, the color of mourning in western countries. Despite being left-handed , McCartney holds a cigarette in his right hand, which could indicate a doppelganger. He is also the only one who does not walk in step with the other Beatles and, in contrast to them (only visible on closer inspection), does not touch a white spot on the zebra crossing.
Notes in song lyrics (alphabetical)
-
A Day in the Life :
“He blew his mind out in a car. He didn't notice that the lights had changed. A crowd of people stood and stared. They'd seen his face before. Nobody was really sure if he was from the house of Lords ”is considered by some to be an exact description of the alleged accident.
Some say the word 'Lords' sounds like 'Paul', which would indicate that no one could identify the body. -
All You Need Is Love :
At the end of the song you can supposedly hear: “Yes he's dead […] We loved you yeah yeah yeah […]”
Analyzes of the sound carriers show that John sings “Yesterday […]” and Paul sings it joins in with “She loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah / She'd love to, yeah, yeah, yeah […]” -
Come Together :
“He got hair down to his knee […] he wear no shoeshine […] he got toe-jam football […] he got monkey finger […] one and one and one is three […] got to be good looking […] 'cos he's so hard to see […] Come together right now over me ”
The song is supposed to be an obituary for McCartney. The passages are interpreted as follows: "His hair continued to grow after his death [...] he has no shoes in his coffin [...] he liked football and rugby [...] now he has skeletal and stiff monkey fingers [...] there are only three." Beatles [...] Paul was the handsome Beatle [...] now he's gone and no longer to be seen [...] people come together over him or his grave to bury him. " -
Don't Pass Me By :
“You were in a car crash and you lost your hair. You said that you would be late about an hour or two I said that's alright I'm waiting here, just waiting to hear from you ”. This is said to relate to the alleged McCartney car accident. -
Lovely Rita :
"Lovely Rita meter maid [...] when I caught a glimpse of Rita [...] where would I be without you?"
McCartney died after watching a meter maid. So without her he would still be here. The song was written by Paul McCartney. -
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band :
"So may I introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears." According to some versions of the theory, McCartney's substitute was William Shears. -
She's Leaving Home :
“Wednesday morning at five o'clock” was the time of the accident. -
Strawberry Fields Forever :
“I buried Paul”. Allegedly, John Lennon mumbles these words at the end of the song. Lennon's actual words, "Cranberry Sauce," actually sounded somewhat like "I buried Paul," which was laterclarifiedby George Martin, when heard on the record at a slower pace. -
Within You Without You :
“Life goes on within you and without you” describes the mood after McCartney's death.
Hidden messages and miscellaneous
Many supporters of the theory believe that they can hear certain sentences from songs when they are played backwards .
- The words “number nine” in Revolution 9 sound like “hnia nabman” backwards - which is supposed to sound like “Turn me on, dead man”.
- At the end of the song I'm So Tired , Lennon should say (backwards) “Paul is a dead man. Miss him! Miss him! Miss him! "
- I Am the Walrus ends with the words “Sit down father, rest you…” which is played backwards as “Ha! Ha! Paul is dead! " should be audible.
- According to proponents of the theory, McCartney's bass playing prior to 1966 differs in both style and quality from later recordings.
- Before his alleged death, Paul McCartney was engaged to Jane Asher . His alleged doppelganger is said to have married Linda Eastman because he didn't get along with Jane Asher. The engagement of McCartney and Asher did not take place until 1967, however, the separation took place in 1968.
- Since August 1966, the Beatles have not appeared at public concerts (last public appearance on August 29, 1966 in Candlestick Park in San Francisco ).
Paul McCartney on the conspiracy theory
McCartney himself has made several comments on the subject. In Life magazine entitled The case of the missing Beatle - Paul is still with us on November 7, 1969, he expressed his lack of understanding of the rumors and responded to some of the clues cited by the supporters of the theory:
“It is all bloody stupid. I picked up that OPD badge in Canada. It was a police badge. Perhaps it means Ontario Police Department or something. I was wearing a black flower because they ran out of red ones. It is John, not me, dressed in black on the cover and inside of the Magical Mystery Tour . On Abbey Road we were wearing our ordinary clothes. I was walking barefoot because it was a hot day. The Volkswagen just happened to be parked there. "
“This is total bullshit. I came across the OPD patch in Canada. It was a police uniform patch there. Maybe it stands for Ontario Police Department or something. I am wearing a black flower because there was no more red one. John wears black on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour , not me. In the Abbey Road photo, we all wear ordinary clothes. I'm barefoot because it was a hot day. The Volkswagen just happened to be there. "
He saw his withdrawal from the press as the reason for the rumors. The interview with Life magazine did not help to end the rumors, but rather fueled the legend. In a 1984 interview with Playboy magazine , he said that there was generally too much interpretation in the Beatles' lyrics and record covers at the time. During an appearance on the television show Saturday Night Live , McCartney was self-deprecating . He responded to the anxious question of the moderator whether the former rumors a hoax (dt. Hoax, hoax ) were: "Yes, I was not really dead."
In 1993 Paul McCartney recorded the live album Paul Is Live , the title of which ironically alludes to the Paul-is-dead legend. The cover photo is a parody of the Abbey Road cover. Volkswagen's license plate ends with '51IS', McCartney's age at the time of recording.
literature
- Andru J. Reeve: Turn Me On, Dead Man - The Beatles and the "Paul-Is-Dead" Hoax. Authorhouse, ISBN 1-4184-8294-3 .
- Christian Huwer: Is Paul really dead? - Thoughts about the sense or nonsense of a conspiracy theory. Books on Demand, ISBN 978-3-8391-9122-4 .
Movies
- Paul Is Dead , German feature film from 2000 that deals with conspiracy theory.
- Paul McCartney Really Is Dead: The Last Testament of George Harrison , American mockumentary from 2010.
Web links
- Notes in song lyrics and on the covers (with cover photos)
- Is Paul Dead? Turn me on dead man! The Original Radio Show
- The Magical McCartney Mystery
- Detailed story on Spiegel Online
- Article from 2015 at Epoch Times
- English article at dailymail.co.uk
Individual evidence
- ↑ Investigations against Paul McCartney . In: Spiegel Online , May 18, 2007
- ^ The Beatles Virtual Museum
- ^ Andru J. Reeve: Turn Me On, Dead Man . Authorhouse, Bloomington, IN 2004, ISBN 978-1-4184-8294-7 , pp. 256-257 .
- ↑ Combination of the characters for the letters 'I', 'L' and 'Y' to form “I love you” in American sign language
- ↑ What are the major "Paul is dead" musical clues in Beatles songs?
- ^ McCartney interview. In: Life Magazine , November 7, 1969.
- ↑ Playboy interview with Paul and Linda McCartney ( Memento April 13, 2006 in the Internet Archive ), Playboy 1984
- ↑ Short excerpt ( Memento of May 6, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) , Saturday Night Live