Talk:Backmasking

Two issues here that could be confused.

On the one hand, a sound track or portion of one can be reversed and inserted into (or substiuted for) all or a portion of a recording deliberately for various reasons (e.g. as a promotional gimmick [if you think rock muscians capable of such a ploy]) for desired effects, which is, as I understand it, called "backmasking", a word whose meaning, BTW, is unclear to the uninitiated and which, seems to me, to suggest something more than the simple prosaic truth of the matter. Apparently the idea of playing a recording backwards occured to Thomas Edison; so much for later generations claims to innovation and discovery.

On the other hand, some sounds in some recordings when played backwards, sound, or seem to sound, like something meaningful, i.e. as word fragments, words, or short phrases, which might then be misconstrued as, or wrongly imputed to be, examples of backmasking. The one effect is deliberate, the other, accident combined with wishful thinking, a little imagination, or expectation.

When I was growing up, I heard the usual scuttlebutt (popular rumors and urban legends) about both effects, and never took any of it to be of any real significance; although, I can imagine members of the illiterate general public getting quite worked-up about this, and for that matter some, even, who ought to know better , e.g. our legislatures folks (we sure can pick 'em).

They Might Be Giants live recording a song to backmask during the same show.

In 2020 They Might Be Giants began playing a song now known as "Stilloob" https://tmbw.net/wiki/Stilloob which is recorded live during the first half of their live Flood anniversary shows, then backmasked and replayed backwards during the second part of the show.

The recording when reversed plays their original flood song "Sapphire Bullets of Pure Love" https://tmbw.net/wiki/Sapphire_Bullets_Of_Pure_Love

Here is a version of it on YouTube, but other then TMBW.net I'm not sure how to reference it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y03ABXQWQtE

This seems like a worthy addition to the Music section of the article. zack (talk) 15:19, 12 October 2022 (UTC)

It is a worthy addition if we can find a WP:RS that has reported on the performance. ~Kvng (talk) 14:06, 17 October 2022 (UTC)

In looking for reliable sources, the They Might Be Giants Wikipedia page references TMBW.net in various spots as a reliable source, and the song "Stilloob" has it's own page and description there: https://tmbw.net/wiki/Stilloob

Additionally for reliable source news articles, I've found: https://consequence.net/2020/02/they-might-be-giants-performed-a-song-backwards-watch/ , https://laughingsquid.com/they-might-be-giants-play-song-backwards/ , https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/they-might-be-giants-backwards-song/ , & https://www.stereogum.com/2072928/watch-they-might-be-giants-play-sapphire-bullets-of-pure-love-backwards/news/

I'm not certain which (if any) of those would qualify as reliable. hoffmanbike (talk) 19:36, 8 November 2022 (UTC)

TMBW.net is WP:UGC but the other sources you've listed, while not golden, are numerous enough to demonstrate that this performance is notable enough to deserve mention in this article. ~Kvng (talk) 15:06, 11 November 2022 (UTC)

example in a movie

please include it somewhere in the article if appropriate https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XJxSP3LC9BA then remove my topic from here (i'm inexperienced in editing/talk) 86.101.36.203 (talk) 06:29, 23 March 2024 (UTC)

Frank Zappa, Ya Hozna

Frank Zappa composed a tune, "Ya Hozna", of which the lyrics consist entirely of back masked vocals sung by at least six vocalists. This song is an elevation of backmasking and deserves mention in this article. Them or Us

http://www.donlope.net/fz/notes/Them_Or_Us.html#Hozna Optic Del (talk) 14:50, 18 January 2025 (UTC)