Jump to content
Join the Unexplained Mysteries community today! It's free and setting up an account only takes a moment.
- Sign In or Create Account -

The Premature Death of Paul McCartney


JesseTheMutt

Recommended Posts

A Myth that Rocks: The Premature Death of Paul McCartney

By Massimo Polidoro

posted: 20 December 2005

01:54 pm ET

From the January-February issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine.

Did you know that Paul McCartney, the ex-Beatle, never actually left the band because . . . he died in 1966 and was then replaced by a lookalike? It sounds bizarre, and it is. The "Paul is dead" myth is one of the most popular myths set in the world of rock music and perhaps the most fun to follow up.

It all began on October 12, 1969, when Russ Gibb, a DJ for Detroit's underground station WKNR-FM, received a phone call by a man named "Tom," who claimed that some Beatles records contained hidden clues suggesting that Paul McCartney had actually died.

The evidence for a conspiracy revolved around the theory that Paul had been decapitated in an automobile wreck after he left Abbey Road studios in London, where the Beatles recorded their music. Paul had apparently left upset over an argument with the other Beatles, took his Aston Martin sportscar, and perished in a horrible accident that killed him.

This accident supposedly took place at 5 a.m. on November 9, 1966, and was caused by a hitchhiker named Rita who Paul had picked up along the road.

With Paul's death, however, a big problem arose: the Beatles were at the peak of their career and the loss of one of their members would mean the end of the show for them and for the industry behind them. Thus, somebody had the idea of never revealing Paul's death and hiring an impostor in his place, somebody who looked like him and could play music. Some sources claimed that the imposter was an actor named William Campbell, the winner of a Paul McCartney lookalike contest and, conveniently, an orphan from Edinburgh. Of course, it didn't hurt to assume that Campbell could write the same type of songs as McCartney and just happened to have the same voice.

The arrival of an impostor in November 1966, then, could have explained why the Beatles stopped touring that same year (it would have been too easy to spot a fake McCartney performance on stage) and started to grow moustaches (the face was almost identical, but not perfect: it needed some disguise).

However, this terrible secret generated in the remaining Beatles, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, a strong sense of guilt and induced them to insert many hints and clues to the truth in their songs and album covers.

I buried Paul

What had revealed the existence of a conspiracy to the mysterious "Tom" was the publication, two weeks before his telephone call, of the Beatles's latest album, titled Abbey Road. The album cover showed the four Beatles walking in a single file across the now-famous crosswalk at Abbey Road. This was thought to symbolize a funeral procession: John Lennon, dressed in white, represented the Church (and white is the traditional color of mourning in many Eastern cultures); Ringo, dressed in black, represented the undertaker. Paul was out of step with the other three Beatles, with his eyes closed and barefoot: in a number of societies, it appears that corpses are buried without their shoes; furthermore, Paul held a cigarette in his right hand, when everybody knew that the real McCartney was left-handed! George Harrison, last in line, was dressed in work clothes and, to many, represented the gravedigger.

On the street there is also a parked Volkswagen Beetle whose license plate shows an eerie message: "LMW 28IF," interpreted to mean that Paul would have been 28 if he had lived. The fact that Paul was actually 27 years old when Abbey Road was released doesn't seem to make much difference, for in far Eastern societies (the Beatles had quite a fascination with the Far East) an individual's birth included the time spent in the mother's womb. In that case, Paul would indeed have been 28.

These "revelations" quickly launched an unprecedented outbreak of hysteria in the pop world and in the media, as more and more "clues" were found in previous Beatles records.

First of all, the clue-diggers looked at Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, the first album that the Beatles recorded after Paul's supposed demise. Released on June 1, 1967, the record was among the most influential in music history. The cover, another famous picture, showed the four Beatles dressed in band uniforms, gathered around a bass drum bearing the album title and with a crowd of cut-out people around them. It proved to be a goldmine for clue-diggers. Again, the spectators resembled the mourners at a funeral and the flowers in front of them not only spelled the word "Beatles," but also a set of yellow hyacinths formed the shape of a left-handed bass guitar, McCartney's instrument.

Paul had a right hand raised above his head: again, supposedly, in certain Far Eastern societies, this was a symbol of death. Also, while the other Beatles held bright, golden, band instruments, Paul held a black clarinet: another supposed symbol of mourning?

A doll wore a striped "Welcome the Rolling Stones" sweatshirt: on her leg there is a small model car, strongly resembling an Aston Martin that seems to be heading towards the word "Stones." Perhaps a hint of the accident?

If you then held a flat mirror perpendicular to the center of the words "Lonely Hearts" appearing on the bass drum this hidden message appeared: "I ONE IX HE ‡ DIE". "I ONE IX" is a direct reference to the supposed fatal crash day (11/9/66), "HE" refers to Paul, as the diamond that points directly to McCartney confirms, "DIE".

In the open album jacket, the Beatles appear still in the Sgt. Pepper's uniforms and McCartney wore an arm patch that read "OPD": an abbreviation for "Officially Pronounced Dead"?

This was also the first album in history that included the lyrics to the songs appearing in the record, and they were published on the back cover, along with a picture of the four Beatles in their outfits. Strangely, Paul is the only one turning his back to the camera, and also strange is the fact that George's thumb points to the opening lines of "She's Leaving Home." The lyric states: "Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins," another reference to the day and time of Paul's fatal accident?

In another song of the album, "A Day in the Life," John sings "He blew his mind out in a car," and in another, "Good Morning, Good Morning," he starts by singing: "Nothing to do to save his life" (and was the title a play on the words "morning" and "mourning"?) And what about "Lovely Rita"? Was the song a reference to the girl that caused Paul's death? Could be, since in it McCartney (or the imposter) sings: "Took her home and nearly made it."

More clues were also found in subsequent albums. The Magical Mystery Tour cover showed the Beatles dressed in animal costumes. In the center was a black walrus and, in certain Scandinavian countries, a walrus is considered a harbinger of death. Was the imposter dressed in the walrus skin? Apparently not, for John Lennon sings in the album the song titled "I am the Walrus." But on the album cover, as if scribbled later, the complete title appears to be: "I am the Walrus (‘No You're Not!' Said Little Nicola)." So who was the walrus?

In a later Beatles release (titled simply The Beatles, the record became better known as the White Album because the cover was plain white), in a song titled "Glass Onion," Lennon sings: "Well here's another clue for you all, the walrus was Paul"!

On the booklet included in Magical Mystery Tour, the clues abounded: Paul is shoeless in some pictures, is the only one to wear a black flower on his lapel while the others are red, has a hand above his head in various pictures, and he even sits behind a sign stating "I Was."

Near the end of the song "Strawberry Fields Forever," upon careful listening, a faint voice stated something like "I buried Paul."

You could also turn the Magical Mystery Tour album jacket upside-down and look at its reflection in the mirror: the title, detailed as stars, became the digits to a phone number. The rumor further explained that if the numbers were dialed, the listener would get the true details of Paul McCartney's death.

On the White Album, if you listened to a strange murmuring following the song "I'm So Tired," you couldn't make out what it said. But, should you decide to play the record backwards the words became something like: "Paul is dead now, miss him, miss him, miss him." Nothing compared to the chilling revelations of "Revolution No. 9," where, after reversing the song, you could hear a voice saying: "Turn me on dead man," and then the sound of a terrible collision, the sounds of crackling flames and a voice screaming "Let me out! Let me out!" A recreation of Paul's terrible accident?

"My death? An exaggeration"

It seems unimaginable that the American public would believe such an unfounded rumor. However, this same generation had been raised on the idea that there may have been a conspiracy to kill President John F. Kennedy and that the Warren Commission had actually worked to hide this fact from the public. Would it be so impossible, then, to believe that Paul McCartney's death may have been hidden from the public?

The rumors became so noisy that Paul McCartney himself had to reassure his fans that he was still alive. In an exclusive interview with Life magazine (November 7, 1969) he stated, paraphrasing Mark Twain, that "Rumors of my death have been greatly exaggerated. However, if I was dead, I'm sure I'd be the last to know." He also offered a number of explanations for the mysterious clues.

The OPD patch he wore on Sgt. Pepper's actually meant "Ontario Police Department"; he wore a black flower in Magical Mystery Tour because they had run out of red ones; it was John wearing the walrus outfit and, on Abbey Road, he was barefoot only because it was a hot day.

Other "clues" had similar simpler explanations: John did not say "I buried Paul" at the end of "Strawberry Fields" but, as can be clearly heard now on a clearer take of the song in Anthology 3, he says "cranberry sauce."

However, while it is true that most clues can be easily attributed to coincidence and wishful thinking, there are little things that must have been put there by the Beatles for some purpose, like the various "walrus" claims, the backward messages, and some other hints in the album covers. It may just be, as John Lennon said, that they only wanted to have a laugh at the expense of those critics reading cryptic messages in everything they did.

What is sadly true is the fact that Charles Manson and his "family" also believed that there were hidden messages in Beatles songs hinting at the Armageddon. He thought that the Fab Four were actually angels sent by God to reveal the secrets of the approaching apocalypse and that, in order to start the end of the world, they needed Manson's help. This is the tragically absurd reasoning he gave for the murder of Sharon Tate, the pregnant wife of film director Roman Polanski, and the guests she was hosting at their house in Hollywood.

According to R. Gary Patterson, author of the well-researched "The Walrus Was Paul" (New York: Fireside, 1996), "Perhaps the Beatles became concerned that if they admitted to planting clues they could very well be charged in some sort of conspiracy that would indirectly link them to the Manson murders. Perhaps it would be much safer to give up the hoax and deny it ever happened. This way, the Beatles would be safe from any lawsuit implicating the band members."

Perhaps. In a lighter vein, however, the rumor also helped to further boost the sale of the Beatles catalog and inspired a lot of cartoons and comedy skits, like one that was presented on The Ed Sullivan Show on Februrary 23, 1970, involving two angels in heaven:

Angel One: Is there any truth to the rumor that Paul McCartney is still alive?

Angel Two: I doubt it. Where do you think we get those groovy harp arrangements?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Massimo Polidoro is an investigator of the paranormal, author, lecturer, and co-founder and head of CICAP, the Italian skeptics group. His Web site is www.massimopolidoro.com. This article appears in the January-February issue of Skeptical Inquirer magazine and is republished here by agreement with LiveScience.com.

source

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 48
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

  • Lord Umbarger

    7

  • JesseTheMutt

    7

  • Bebi

    4

  • Ghostdancer

    3

lol, funniest rumor in rock and or roll.

But not true.

Yeah,I know.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn it I got all excited when I read the thread title :devil:

Never understood what all the fuss is about the Beatles anyway. Ok they may have been innovative in their day, but to me they sound mediocre and all these youngsters who say they're great never cease to mystify me... There are much better bands around now than the Beatles!

<< digs fall-out shelter :ph34r: heh

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn it I got all excited when I read the thread title :devil:

Never understood what all the fuss is about the Beatles anyway. Ok they may have been innovative in their day, but to me they sound mediocre and all these youngsters who say they're great never cease to mystify me... There are much better bands around now than the Beatles!

<< digs fall-out shelter :ph34r: heh

Well I thought it was mildly interesting..And I wanted attention so I posted it.Can you blame me?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well I thought it was mildly interesting..And I wanted attention so I posted it.Can you blame me?

lol I wasn't aiming that at anyone in particular, just getting it off my chest :D

Link to comment
Share on other sites

lol I wasn't aiming that at anyone in particular, just getting it off my chest :D

yay!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand that for thier time they must have really been something but, so was Frank Sinatra! Personally, I really rather dig Alice Cooper a lot more than the Beatles. Alice Cooper Rocks, the Beatles wash his socks! Sorry, I had to add that though. Yuo'll understand later.

They were kind of like the KISS of thier time I guess. With all the members writing new material it made it possible for them to crank out album after album. Also, I guess that with thier different styles it made a little something for everybody but, the real reason that they were popular? PARENTS HATED THEM!!! Simple as that.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I understand that for thier time they must have really been something but, so was Frank Sinatra! Personally, I really rather dig Alice Cooper a lot more than the Beatles. Alice Cooper Rocks, the Beatles wash his socks! Sorry, I had to add that though. Yuo'll understand later.

They were kind of like the KISS of thier time I guess. With all the members writing new material it made it possible for them to crank out album after album. Also, I guess that with thier different styles it made a little something for everybody but, the real reason that they were popular? PARENTS HATED THEM!!! Simple as that.

Alice is great, I think he's a very intelligent bloke.

Another reason for their (Edit: their = The Beatles oops wasn't too clear sorry) modern popularity among the younger people I think is because they're a famous group and it's "cool" to like them. A bit like the joke about there aren't any Manchester United fans in Manchester...

Edited by Bebi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Everyone says "why do people like the beatles they sound mediocre...". The same could be said for Jimi Hendrix. I was talking to one of my friends at school and she said "why does everyone like Jimi Hendrix? He sounds like everyone else... i just dont get it." My response "He doesnt sound like everyone else... Everyone else sounds like him" Many bands are influenced by the beatles more than you realize.

plus the whole paul is dead thing is an awsome marketing scheme. I mean how many people probably bought the records just to find "clues" to pauls death. I f i ever hit it big in a band im defninitly doin that LOL.

Edited by Gamb1t
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not saying that bands aren't influenced by them, but I still think a lot of young people say they like a band because of peer pressure, and buy the merchandise because their friends have it etc etc

Edited by Bebi
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seen a documentary on this and it's actually quite impressive! I see no reason why not to believe this. Just as I see no reason why not to be religious.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Seen a documentary on this and it's actually quite impressive! I see no reason why not to believe this. Just as I see no reason why not to be religious.

haha yeah.The only reason not to believe this is John and the rest of the Beatles come forward a long time ago it was a hoax for publicity and marketing.So it's kinda false but alright.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

So we've become naive all of a sudden? I thought we're about extreme possibilities here. It might concern themselves, but it's still really interesting and besides, it's really morbid to make fun about this. Suppose he did die in a caraccident later on, would they have regret they ever started it? That'd be hypocritical.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'd go along with the threory of kids liking the band because its cool more than I'd like to. Probably a lot of truth there. Kind of like wiht the sports team.

But, do you really want to know the truth?

I killed McCartney! I've been chewing his bones since 1999! If you don't believe me, I'll shake the house and you can hear them rattle! Rattle, rattle, rattle! Is that proof enough!

Now, wouldn't it just be the booze in the Senior Prom punch if he was the last of them to really die? Dude, I'd be on the phone all day calling it in from all my high school class mates!

(Later that night, Lord Umbarger bought a small cola at the Burger Joint with his girlfriend, Dutch, of course)!!!!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Darn it I got all excited when I read the thread title :devil:

Never understood what all the fuss is about the Beatles anyway. Ok they may have been innovative in their day, but to me they sound mediocre and all these youngsters who say they're great never cease to mystify me... There are much better bands around now than the Beatles!

<< digs fall-out shelter :ph34r: heh

:no: You're miss, are wrong. The Beatles inspired a lot of people like Ozzy Osbourne and other such artist. We would have a pathetic pop culture if the Beatles hadn't existed. They were the first all world hit and that'll never change. Do not disrespect them...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm not saying that bands aren't influenced by them, but I still think a lot of young people say they like a band because of peer pressure, and buy the merchandise because their friends have it etc etc

You do realize that the Beatle popularity empire died years ago? In America, all the biggest fans are 20+

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm 16.I've liked the beatles since I was like 9.Nobody around here knew they were except my parents.Their music is just soooo awesome.And Lennon!Wow his ways of thinking.Just far out I swear to god.Anyways..Yeah.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

This type of conspiracy would of been so elaborate and invove too many person's to be kept quiet all these years, especialy in the age of sell your soul and sell out your best friend to the media for a little or alot of cash.

I do almost believe a theory that I have researched regarding James Dean.

I at this point will tell you that I feel it is possible, not probable but possible that he is alive and well. Very few in on it and most of them are deceased now. More likely to be controlled and sucessful.

I always will be the romantic who hopes Elvis is swayin in a hammock, strummin his guitar and the tropical breeze is blowing that gorgeous hair. Maybe Anne Margaret by his side.

Iam prone to go in for these crazy thoughts out of a need to believe people I like are o.k. and have peace and happiness and I guess I dont totaly feel that being dead is all its cracked up to be. And Iam a Catholic.

Edited by chunga
Link to comment
Share on other sites

This type of conspiracy would of been so elaborate and invove too many person's to be kept quiet all these years, especialy in the age of sell your soul and sell out your best friend to the media for a little or alot of cash.

I do almost believe a theory that I have researched regarding James Dean.

I at this point will tell you that I feel it is possible, not probable but possible that he is alive and well. Very few in on it and most of them are deceased now. More likely to be controlled and sucessful.

I always will be the romantic who hopes Elvis is swayin in a hammock, strummin his guitar and the tropical breeze is blowing that gorgeous hair. Maybe Anne Margaret by his side.

Iam prone to go in for these crazy thoughts out of a need to believe people I like are o.k. and have peace and happiness and I guess I dont totaly feel that being dead is all its cracked up to be. And Iam a Catholic.

They all admitted it was a hoax a long time ago.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Oh, yeah! The Beatles were awesome! They were incredibly innovative. Almost every modern musical style owes something to them. It's kind of bittersweet listening to them now, though. When they were at their zenith they were young and optimistic and filled with hope for the future. And now it's all over and done with, John has been murdered and George died of cancer and all that's left is the distant, shining memories of a more innocent time and the sweet, sweet music.

Btw, part of the reason the older generation disliked the Beatles so much was because they didn't bother to listen to their lyrics and assumed they were just another bunch of musical troublemakers. Revolution, for example, seems on the surface like a call for revolution, but in fact it's just the opposite. "If you go carrying pictures of Chairman Mao/ you're not gonna make it with anyone anyohow/ and you know it's gonna be/ all right!/ it's gonna be/ all right! . . . " B)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If Elvis had not hav died in 1977, then he certainly would've when Lisa Marie married Whacko Jacko!

:w00t::w00t:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

check out "the walrus was paul" by r. gary patterson. hell, check out any of his books if you like rock and roll myths and legends. he gets into the paul is dead hoax, the club of 27, and all sorts of weird parts of rock history.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 7 months later...

The greatest achievement of the Beatles was in song writing.

Before them bands performed music that was written by songwriters and the lyrics were written like traditional poems. The last word on every second verse rhymed with the next so that a pattern was created to tie everything together.

What the Beatles did, actually more specifically John Lennon, was to write lyrics that didn't always tie to that "norm". They also wrote the music/lyrics that they performed. Fans were amazed to see that names lennon/mccartney on 90% of their songs. George Harrison and Richard Starkey (ringo) wrote the other 9% and guys like Billy Preston and such wrote the other 1%.

Yes there were songs that had the traditional rhyme, but at least half of their songs didn't. The song "come together" has hardly any rhyme to it, but it is a masterpiece.

There is also an interesting fact that they were the first band to ever do a guitar solo and a drum solo.

If you are a non fan I invite you to listen to the "revolver" album, it was the one that started the whole psychadelic phase, but more importantly it shows the beginning of some truely amazing writing and word plays.

The bubble gum stuff that makes the radio is only 10% of what made these guys great.

I can only think of two other albums that mke you want to listen to every song:

1) Pink Floyd the Wall

2) Guns and Roses appetite for destruction

The Beatles wrote at least 10 albums like that.

I started to listen to them when I was 9 and 29 years later I am still hooked.

Jeff

Edited by Noxdowne
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.