Backmasking Essay

There are some cases of back masking that cannot be determined wither or not they were intentional instances or just a coincidence, for example Led Zepplin’s “Stairway to Heaven”. When the song is played forward it is “If there's a bustle in your hedgerow, don't be alarmed now, it's just a spring clean for the May queen. Yes there are two paths you can go by, but in the long run there's still time to change the road you're on.” Which sounds normal enough, in reverse the lines sound like “'Oh here's to my sweet Satan. The one whose little path would make me sad, whose power is Satan. He'll give those with him 666, there was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.” There is clearly a huge difference between the lines forward and backward however it cannot be determined wither it was intentional or not. I believe it was intentional because the lines forward although sounding normal have a very odd word choice. That means that they had to pick odd sounding words to insure that the back masked message was still audible. This is one of the most famous examples and yet nobody has been able to discover if it was deliberate or not. There are songs that have reverse speech solely by coincidence. Eminem’s “My Name Is” is an example of this. Forward he says “Hi! My name is... (what?) My name is... (who?) My name is... {scratches} Slim Shady. Hi! My name is... (huh?) My name is... (what?) My name is... {scratches} Slim Shady.” In reverse he says “It is Slim. It's Eminem, it's Eminem, it's Eminem. It is Slim. It's Eminem, it's Eminem, it's Eminem.” I believe that this instance was a coincidence and others believe that one subconsciously says things in reverse before they are actually said. However I would agree that this is a coincidence and not a deliberate action by Eminem. With so much suspicion, controversy, and rumors surrounding every song accused of back masking it will be hard to discover the truth about them. Some songs people can understand the writer’s intention like “Empty Spaces” but others like “Stairway to Heaven” may be shrouded in secrecy forever. Intentional or not these examples are interesting allowing insight to a songwriters thought process and the subconscious mind.

311 - "Getting Through to Her" lyrics

"Getting Through to Her" 311 There was an earthquake In her dreams so she thinks her Foundation is crumbling away Fault lines in her words Hoping to show her so disturbed that Has shaped her to what she is today Getting through to her Getting through to her Getting through to her Getting through to her Sometimes when I call She tells me things that were not her fault And her surface starts to break Breakdown a hurting sound I want to tell her that it's ok now But I'm not too sure just what to say Getting through to her Getting through to her Getting through to her Getting through to her All she wants is some breathing room If not tomorrow surely one day soon All she wants is some breathing room If not tomorrow surely one day soon Excuse me did she say She wished she went away And not return to the shame Brought to her those days We'll take man's dirty deeds And suck them out like cosmic beings Into the sun hoping They'll be happy burning But life is not T.V. Life is not T.V. Life is not T.V. She's on wounded knee And well crazy horse that's me Her hard parts I'm cradling I feel refreshed when I watch her sleep Sometimes it's all I need It's all about the company we keep Getting through to her Getting through to her Getting through to her Getting through to her All she wants is some breathing room If not tomorrow surely one day soon All she wants is some breathing room If not tomorrow surely one day soon If not tomorrow surely one day soon

All Time Low - "Break Your Little Heart" Lyrics

"Break Your Little Heart" All Time Low Wide awake, my mistake so predictable You were fake, I was great nothing personal I'm walking, who's laughing now? (Who's laughing, who's laughing now?) I'm wasted, wasting time You talk for hours but you're wasting lines A pretty face but the chase ain't worth the prize I'm gonna break your little heart Watch you take the fall Laughing all the way to the hospital 'Cause there's nothing surgery can do When I break your little heart in two I'm gonna break your little heart in two Party queen, cause a scene so ridiculous Little dress, maybe less so conspicuous You're falling, who's crashing now? (Who's crashing, who's crashing now?) I'm wasted, wasting time I'm moving on but you're left behind A pretty face but the chase ain't worth the prize I'm gonna break your little heart Watch you take the fall Laughing all the way to the hospital 'Cause there's nothing surgery can do I'm gonna break your little heart Show you to the door sew yourself shut Now you're begging for more 'Cause there's nothing surgery can do When I break your little heart in two Don't be so sentimental, no This love was accidental, so Give it up, this was never meant to be more than a memory for you I'm gonna break your little heart Watch you take the fall Laughing all the way to the hospital 'Cause there's nothing surgery can do (When I break your little heart in two) I'm gonna break your little heart Show you to the door sew yourself shut Now you're begging for more 'Cause there's nothing surgery can do When I break your little heart in two

Comparative Analysis

Andrew Morse 11/20/12 One of the most common themes for songs is love and loss. Many of our favorite songs were written because somebody has been hurt or someone has fallen in love. 311’s “Getting Through to Her” and All Time Low’s “Break Your Little Heart” are no different. Both songs are about a relationship that has taken a turn for the worst. However 311 utilizes more literary content in order to portray the speakers struggling relationship while All Time Low uses more repetition to show how the speaker is going to “watch you take the fall”. The two songs main similarities lie in their subject matters. Both of the songs are about relationships but more specifically a relationship that has begun to sour. In both songs the respective speaker talks about his relationship, how things aren't going great, and his troubles. There are not many devices shared between the two songs other than characterization. However the two speakers from the songs are characterized as completely opposites. The speaker from "Break Your Little Heart", as you may have guessed, is made out to be mean and inconsiderate. In "Getting Through to Her" the point of view changes but the speaker still appears as one who is trying to make it work and cares about the other person. Another similarity is the motif of the "girl" in both of the songs and her feelings. The speaker in "Break Your Little Heart" repeatedly mentions the girl’s feelings and how he is going to destroy them. He claims he will “break your little heart / Watch you take the fall / Laughing all the way to the hospital” showing his lack of concern for her feelings and how he will actually enjoy hurting her because he will be laughing while she is hurting. In the latter of the songs the speaker in “Getting Through to Her” is much more considerate and is trying his best to be sensitive to the girl’s feelings but he is struggling, “I want to tell her that it’s ok now / But I’m not too sure just what to say”; he wants to help her but he just can’t find the words to do so. There are a considerable amount of differences between the two songs. The first and most obvious is what the song is about; yes the subject matters are similar but "Break Your Little Heart" is about ending a relationship while "Getting Through to Her" is about preserving a relationship. As a whole "Getting Through to Her" is far more lyrical than "Break Your Little Heart". 311's song contains more powerful devices such motif and symbolism along with subtle devices like wordplay and allusion. There is the motif of earthquakes and fault lines in the song, "Foundation is crumbling away/Fault lines in her words." and "She tells me things that were not her fault/And her surface starts to break/Breakdown a hurting sound" The references work toward symbolizing the state their relationship is in, for they are trying to make it work but they are on shaky footing. The lines while contributing to the motif are also wordplay "She tells me things that were not her fault/and her surface starts to break/Breakdown a hurting sound". When he says “not her fault” it references the idea of the earthquakes. That along with “surface starts to break/Breakdown” is wordplay because she is having an emotional breakdown which is a figurative breaking, while an earthquake would cause real things breaking like the surface of the ground. "Getting Through to Her" also contains historical allusion. The song alludes to Native American history, "She’s on Wounded Knee/and well crazy horse that's me". There is a famous battle in Native American history called the battle of Wounded Knee and Crazy Horse was a Native American chief. This allusion helps to reinforce the precarious state of the relationship that could potentially end in violence. The most notable device in "Break Your Little Heart" is characterization. This is offered in the 311 song but is more prominent in All Time Low's song. The speaker is characterized as selfish and pompous and believes he is better than this girl and that is why he has the right to lead her on and then “break her little heart”. All Time Low and 311 both have great songs with lyrical content hidden throughout each one. It is interesting how they are both able to produce a song that conveys a certain message or subject matter to the listener, but they do it two different ways. "Getting Through to Her" is more lyrical but requires some background knowledge and thinking to discover the true intentions of the authors of the song. "Break Your Little Heart" has less lyrical content but is more relate-able to the listener and can be more easily understood.