“Paul is Dead” Myth
The greatest urban myth in rock’n’roll history – “Paul is Dead”.
A look at the myth and how it was not until 1969 that it actually became a conspiracy theory.
THE CLUES – album sleeves and backwards tracks – they’re HERE in this blog…
Check out if Paul or Ringo
Are On Tour Now
Companion PODCAST
Paul McCartney Died Myth
…with some of the audio “clues”!
SECTIONS
To go directly to one of the sections of this “Paul is Dead” blog – click on the topic.
INTRODUCTION
Urban myth has it that, in the mid-1960s Paul McCartney died in a car accident and, as a result, replaced by an impostor.
This “Paul is Dead” conspiracy has to be the greatest urban myth in rock’n’roll history. Conspiracy theorists see “clues” everywhere. The songs, album covers and even playing the songs backwards provides believers with plenty of “proof” that Paul is playing that great gig in the sky.
More than 200 so-called “clues” have been identified. Although, many simply interpret the lyrics to fit the conspiracy, with references to accidents, death, separation and the like. This blog looks at some of the more interesting “clues”.
All great TV and movie cops say that they don’t believe in coincidences. Wow, are there some coincidences in this legend!
There are three theories about the legend:
1. Billy Shears replaced Paul, after he died in a motorcar accident.
2. The whole thing is a hoax, perpetrated by the Beatles/record company.
3. All of the “clues” are all purely coincidental – there is no impostor or hoax. When any of the band were questioned about the “clues”, this third option was always the explanation.
There are plenty of very interesting web sites presenting evidence about Paul’s replacement by an impostor.
A cynical person might suggest that Paul did not actually die but the urban legend, “Paul is Dead”, was the end in itself.
Subsequently, producing the most sustained IN-JOKE in rock’n’roll history!
“PAUL IS DEAD” – THE LEGEND
Paul left Abbey Road studios in a huff after a disagreement with the other Beatles. On the way home his Aston Martin car skidded off the wet/icy road and crashed. Meanwhile, on the journey he picked up a hitchhiker, Rita. The urban legend has it that Rita recognised the driver as Paul McCartney. As a result, she became hysterical and caused the crash.
Paul died at the scene, supposedly decapitated. Several dates exist for the crash, but the most popular one is Wednesday, 5 am, on the 9 November 1966.
The Beatles were very concerned that they would lose their popularity without Paul . Consequently, they conspired with the police and press to cover it up. This resulted in a news blackout. The Rolling Stones were amongst the very few people in on the secret.
Consequently, they set about the search for a replacement for Paul. The most popular theory is that Brian Epstein organised a Paul look-alike competition. William Campbell won the competition and became known as Billy Shears.
Billy Shears underwent plastic surgery to look like Paul. He also grew a moustache as a partial disguise.
The Beatles supposedly felt guilty about replacing Paul. As a result of this guilt they built “clues” into their songs and album artwork, in order to let fans know of Paul’s demise.
Billy Shears replaced Paul and the rest, as they say, is history…
PAUL’S REPLACEMENT – BILLY SHEARS
Paul’s replacement is usually cited as William Campbell. He supposedly won the Paul lookalike competition.
Although, there are accounts that fellow Liverpudlian, Billy Pepper assumed the role.
Either way, Billy Shears became the identity of the new Paul.
William Campbell
Firstly, a look at some of the aspects of William Campbell.
Different accounts of the story have different permutations of his name, for instance, William Campbell, William Campbell Shears and William Shears Campbell.
He is variously described as coming from Liverpool or alternatively, an orphan from Scotland.
William Shears Campbell (Billy Shears): has his own page on Facebook.
He describes himself as: “Born into an underprivileged family of 10 in Liverpool on 15 November 1953”
However, when Fred LaBour wrote his famous article McCartney Dead: new evidence brought to light, he freely admits that he made up several of the “clues”.
Billy Shears’ actual name was one of his fabrications. LaBour invented his identity as William Campbell, an orphan from Scotland. Michigan Today published the article on 14 October 1969.
More about Fred LaBour’s article below.
Billy Pepper
Secondly, Bill Shepherd – aka Billy Pepper
Bill Shepherd was the lead singer with Liverpool band Billy Pepper and the Pepper Pots.
They released More Merseymania in 1964,
on Allegro, ALL 699.
The album includes two Beatles covers, Please Please Me and She Loves You.
Bill Sheppard wrote most of the other songs on the More Merseymania album.
Billy Shears
Beatles fans were introduced to Paul’s replacement in 1967, on the album Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
At the end of the title track (side 1, track 1), the song ends with the lines:
“So let me introduce to you, the one and only Billy Shears, and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”.
The track segues into Ringo singing With a Little Help From My Friends.
THE MYTH TOOK HOLD IN 1969
17 September 1969
TIMES-DEPHIC STUDENT NEWSPAPER
Surprisingly, the first appearance in print for the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy was in the unusual setting of a college newspaper in Iowa.
Tim Harper wrote the article, Is Beatle Paul McCartney Dead? in the Times-Delphic, the student newspaper for Drake University, Iowa. However, there was no concrete source for the article. Harper says he wrote the piece for entertainment purposes only.
The article came about as the result of information he received from college friend Dartanyan Brown. Coincidentally, Brown was the associate editor of the Times-Delphic.
Dartanyan Brown is a well-respected musician, inducted into the Iowa Rock’N Roll Music Association Hall of Fame in 2011. At the time he lived with fellow musicians from the Black and Blue Band in Des Moines, Iowa. Other musicians would jam at the house and crash there.
For his article, Harper says that much of the information came from Dartanyan Brown. He claims to have heard the stories from a musician at one of the jam sessions. The unknown musician told Brown that he’d heard some strange rumours about the Beatles. Paul McCartney had died and consequently, the remaining Beatles were building encrypted messages about his death into their albums. Interestingly, this unknown musician had heard it from yet another unknown musician on the Californian West Coast.
26 September 1969 Abbey Road album released (UK)
The Beatles’ released Abbey Road in America a week later, on 1 October.
12 October 1969 Detroit DJ Russ Gibb
Played Revolution 9 backwards
The catalyst for the conspiracy theorists can be traced back to the Detroit DJ Russ Gibb.
Whilst hosting his show on WKNR he received a telephone call. A mystery caller told him to play Revolution 9 on the Beatles’ White Album and spin Revolution 9 backwards.
Following on from the phone call, Gibb hunted down a copy of the White Album and played Revolution 9 backwards live, on-air. The result was breath-taking. “Revolution 9” played backwards resulted in, “turn me on dead man”.
After that the “Paul is Dead” legend took on a life of its own.
In 2004 the American magazine Goldmine (record collectors’ go-to magazine) published an article by Beatles historian Bruce Spitzer titled Paul McCartney Admits Beatles Planned Death Hoax.
Beatles manager Brian Epstein reputedly created the “hoax”. The Beatles and associates then set about building “clues” into songs and album covers.
When John told the Beatles he was quitting they were concerned that Abbey Road might not sell very well. Paul thought the time was right to awaken fans to the existence of the clues. In order to do this, he sent his long-time associate Mal Evans to Detroit in order to tell some college kids about the clues.
One of them phoned the radio station and a legend was born…
But BEWARE, Goldmine published the article on APRIL FOOLS’ DAY, 1 April 2004.
Fred LaBour was listening to the show…
14 October 1969 Fred LaBour
Michigan Today Article
Fred LaBour’s article was not the first “Paul is Dead” story to be published. However, it’s the one that brought the “Paul is Dead” myth to the attention of the national press and TV.
Fred LaBour was preparing his review of the Beatles new Abbey Road album, for college magazine Michigan Daily. He tuned in to the Russ Gibb radio broadcast in time to hear the Revolution 9 message, “turn me on, dead man”.
This changed everything. Inspired by what he’d heard, he gathered other Beatles albums from his collection to hunt out more “clues”.
Instead of a review of the Beatles’ latest album Abbey Road, he wrote a spoof article, McCartney dead; new evidence brought to light. He wrote it as a college prank, not intended to be taken seriously. To this end he even made up many of the “clues” on the spot. For instance, the identity of Paul’s replacement. The Scottish orphan – William Campbell, was a figment of LaBour’s fertile imagination.
Never his intention but LaBour’s article was taken very seriously indeed. National news and television picked up the story. Life magazine dispatched a reporter to interview McCartney. Personal fame also beckoned. LaBour was invited to Hollywood to appear in an RKO special. However, by the time that it aired, public interest had faded and it rated just a single TV airing on a local New York station on 30 November 1969.
7 November 1969 Life Magazine
Interview with Paul McCartney
Inspired by all the recent publicity, Life magazine interviewed Paul McCartney at his Scottish home.
Paul was happy to report that he was live and well.
As for the conspiracy theory, it was “all bloody stupid”.
30 Nov 1969 F Lee Bailey TV Show
As a result of his article in Michigan Today, Fred LaBour was invited onto a TV show to talk about the “Paul is Dead “clues”.
Celebrity attorney F Lee Bailey hosted the show, designed as a mock-trial. The “expert witnesses” included the Beatles ex-manager Allen Klein and Paul McCartney’s ex-girlfriend’s brother Peter Asher.
The discussion on the show included the hidden message “I buried Paul”, which can be heard at the end of Strawberry Fields.
Alan Klein suggested that when John says “I buried Paul” it’s because on that particular take John’s guitar buried Paul’s sound.
However, in an interview John corrects the interviewer and says that what he actually said was “cranberry sauce”.
DATES OF PAUL’S “DEATH“
Three dates are usually associated with Paul McCartney’s accidental death. Although, 9 November 1966 is generally cited as the date Paul “died”.
26 December 1965 Paul’s Moped Accident
It’s a matter of record that Paul was injured in a moped accident in late 1965.
He fell off a moped whilst out riding on the Wirral with Tara Browne. As a result, he sustained some minor injuries. These included a cut lip, which needed stitches, and a slightly chipped tooth. Subsequently, he grew a moustache to hide his injuries.
26 December 1965 is usually the date cited for the accident. However, Paul refers to a “full moon” and that occurred a little before this date.
Some conspiracy theorists present this as the date of Paul’s “death”. This is the earliest date I’ve come across in researching this topic.
Paul’s chipped tooth is visible in promo videos for Paperback Writer and Rain.
9 November 1966 Paul McCartney
“Died” in a car crash
The date most commonly cited for Paul’s “death” is 9 November 1966.
More specifically, the fatal car crash is said to have happened on Wednesday, 5 am, 9 November 1966.
The general gist of the urban myth is that Paul left Abbey Road Studios in a huff after a disagreement with the others. On the way home his Aston Martin skidded off the wet/icy road and crashed.
He had reputedly picked up a hitchhiker, Rita, along the way. When she realised it was Paul at the wheel she became over-excited and leapt on him. Paul lost control and crashed.
Paul was supposedly decapitated in the crash.
John met Yoko on 9 November 1966
It’s often said that the Beatles died on the day that John Lennon met Yoko Ono. Coincidentally, John met Yoko on 9 November 1966 when he visited Yoko’s Indica exhibition.
Yoko was already an established avant-garde artist and was holding her Unfinished Paintings and Objects exhibition at London’s prestigious Indica Gallery.
John’s friend, John Dunbar, owned the gallery and John decided to go along.
7 January 1967 Beatles Monthly
Denied that Paul had died in a car accident
The February issue of the British The Beatles Monthly Book ran a very short article denying that Paul had died in a car crash on 7 January 1967.
The 10-line piece appeared under the headline – FALSE RUMOUR.
It suggested that 7 January, “was very icy, with dangerous driving conditions on the M1 motorway”. Continuing, “a rumour swept London that Paul McCartney had been killed in a car crash on the M1”.
The magazine confirmed that there was, “absolutely no truth in it at all”.
It confirmed Paul was “home all day with his black Mini Cooper safely locked up in the garage”.
This was the first published denial that “Paul is Dead”. Although, the conspiracy theories came much later.
In the same issue, Beatles Monthly reported that the Beatles were growing “Moustaches All Round”.
COINCIDENCES – ALBUM COVERS
As TV and movie cops are prone to say – “I don’t believe in coincidences…”
It’s interesting to note that all of the “coincidences” involving record artwork and backwards tracks only ever involve Paul and only with albums since Revolver. With a “taster clue” of “Paul in a coffin” on the American release Yesterday And Today.
For the detailed, summary list of the “clues”…
These are some of the many “coincidences” which single Paul out on the album sleeves and artwork.
Yesterday And Today
An American album, originally released with the notorious “butcher cover”. During its early release it received negative reaction from fans, DJs and retailers alike. This resulted in the album being quickly withdrawn and replaced by the “trunk cover”.
Paul can be seen inside the trunk, whereas the other three are all outside the trunk. Rotating the sleeve through 90 degrees, makes it looks as though Paul is in a coffin.
Revolver
Paul is the only one to be shown in profile.
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
So many “clues” on this album.
Once again, Paul is standing differently to his fellow musicians.
On the front cover he is the only one standing front-on to the camera.
On the back cover he’s the only one standing with his back to the camera.
Magical Mystery Tour
The walrus is in a black costume. Whereas, the other three are in white.
In the song Glass Onion, on the White Album, John sings the line:
“Here’s another clue for you all. The walrus was Paul”.
One of the pictures in the booklet shows the four Beatles in tuxedos with flowers in their lapels. Paul’s flower is black but the other three flowers are red.
Paul is holding a bouquet of red flowers at the end of this Your Mother Should Know scene. The explanation for this “coincidence” is that there were only three red flowers available… Maybe not…
Yellow Submarine
Once again, Paul has a hand above his head.
The Sgt Pepper front cover also sported this symbol of religious blessing.
Abbey Road
There are several more “clues” on the zebra crossing.
As well as their well-known attire, Paul is exactly out of step with the other three Beatles. All four have the heel of one foot and the toe of the other on the ground at same time. Suggesting that this could not have been photographed with them walking naturally across the road.
In addition, the left-handed Paul is holding the cigarette in his right hand.
Or, once again, is it just a coincidence that Paul is “out of step” with the other three?
Let It Be
The black cover has a head and shoulders photo of the four band members. John, George and Ringo are looking to the left and all the photos have white backgrounds.
In contrast, Paul is looking straight ahead – with a blood-red background.
Each of these examples is trivial in-itself and is always suggested to be a coincidence.
But, it’s ALWAYS Paul who is depicted differently to the symmetry of the other three Beatles.
COINCIDENCES – TRACKS PLAYED BACKWARDS
Strawberry Fields Forever
“I buried Paul” or “cranberry sauce”
Originally destined for the Sgt Pepper album.
Sgt Pepper – runout groove
“Will Paul be back as Superman”
(amongst other things)
White Album – Revolution 9
“turn me on dead man”
This is the “clue” that ignited the blue touch-paper for the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy.
Detroit DJ Russ Gibb played this on his WKNR radio show in 1969, following a telephone call from a mystery caller.
White Album – I’m So Tired
“Paul is dead man. Miss him! Miss him miss him!”
THE BEATLES PERPETUATED THE MYTH THEMSELVES
On the White Album
In the song Glass Onion, John sings the line:
“Here’s another clue for you all. The walrus was Paul”.
The walrus is in black on the cover of Magical Mystery Tour.
In contrast, the others are all dressed in white.
John actually uses the words “another clue”. This keeps the myth alive.
Paul’s debut album – McCartney
The front cover of Paul’s debut solo album depicts an empty bowl, with cherries scattered around it. The bowl and cherries are on a white strip, against a black background.
There is a very well-known saying that, “life is just a bowl of cherries”. This bowl is indeed, bereft of cherries…
Ringo Starr – 3rd album Ringo
The John Lennon penned I’m the Greatest is one of the songs on Ringo’s eponymous third album.
The lyrics include the lines, “Yes, my name is Billy Shears. You know it has been all these years”.
John also provided harmony vocals on the track, ably assisted by George on guitar.
Moreover, Billy Shears is a reference to the name of the person who supposedly replaced Paul.
Paul McCartney – released Paul is Live
In 1993 Paul himself perpetuated the myth with his latest album.
The sleeve parodies the zebra crossing Abbey Road sleeve. It has the famous Volkswagen car but this one has the registration, 51 IS.
Just to underline the point, the album’s called Paul is Live.
Maybe this is Paul calling time on the in-joke.
CONCLUSION
Three explanations for the “clues”
There are three explanations for the 200+ “clues on Beatles’ albums and lyrics.
Firstly, an impostor replaced Paul after he died in a car crash. Secondly, the Beatles themselves perpetrated the whole thing as a hoax. Thirdly, there was no impostor or hoax. All the “clues” were simply coincidences.
There are plenty of websites with “proof” that Paul died and was replaced by Billy Shears. Lips, eyes and ears are all pointed out as differences between the two “Pauls”.
The third option, no imposter or hoax, is always presented as the answer by the Beatles and their establishment.
Discount impostor option and coincidences…
Over 200 “clues have been spotted by eagle eyed and eared conspiracy theorists. A great many of the so called “clues” are song lyrics which fit neatly into the theory that Paul died in a car crash and was replaced by Billy Shears.
Every album sleeve since Revolver has portrayed Paul differently to his band-mates. Some of the tracks-played-backwards refer to Paul directly, Similarly, none of the backwards tracks ever refer to any other members of the band.
All good TV cops denounce the idea that a coincidence is the solution to anything. The “coincidence” explanation always points to the fact that there were lots of other photos which: didn’t have Paul’s back to the camera, cross the road out of step or whatever. But, it’s interesting to note that none of these alternative photos or backwards tracks ever made it to the finished product. That in itself is a massive coincidence.
Consequently, there are maybe far too many “clues” to write them all off as coincidences.
Given that all three solutions are theoretically possible. The imposter theory is unlikely. That leaves 200+ coincidences or a hoax…
Maybe, it’s all just an in-joke
Just for fun, let’s take 200+ coincidences – as just a tad too many.
If the “clues” are looked at from the perspective of an in-joke – the whole thing falls into place.
All the albums covers single out Paul
It started with Revolver, around the time they stopped touring.
Every album cover since then has portrayed Paul in a different way to the symmetry of the other three Beatles.
By the time they recorded Sgt Pepper they were spending hundreds of hours in the studio. Much of it non-productive and very boring.
Plenty of time to play around with some backwards recording and have a little fun.
They released their single Rain in mid-1966, with the first taste of backwards effects.
First report that “Paul is Dead”
But, no conspiracy theory – 1967
In February 1967, the British Beatles Monthly magazine published the first denial that Paul had died in a car crash. However, there was no conspiracy theory then.
The Beatles knew that they were splitting up and that Abbey Road would be their swansong. What better time to kickstart the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy. Up until Abbey Road, no published conspiracy theories existed.
First “Paul is Dead” conspiracy theory Published in a college newspaper in Iowa 1969
If we look at how the myth came about, there are no identifiable originating sources.
The first published “Paul is Dead” story came in an Iowa student newspaper. Tim Harper wrote the piece. His source was friend and musician Dartanyan Brown. He told Harper about the stories that Paul was dead and the Beatles were building clues into their albums. A musician passing through the town told the stories to Brown. This unknown musician heard the stories from another unknown musician on California’s West Coast.
The myth took on a life of its own after a mystery caller phoned a Detroit DJ and told him to play Revolution 9 backwards. Russ Gibb played it live on air and they all heard, “turn me on, dead man”.
Fred LaBour heard the show. He was in the process of writing a review of the Beatles’ Abbey Road and decided, instead, to write about the “Paul is Dead” conspiracy. He never intended his article to be taken seriously and even invented some of the “clues”. For instance, Billy Spears’ real name was William Campbell.
After that the national press and TV picked up the story.
The Beatles perpetuated the myth
“Paul is Dead”
The Beatles themselves have directly fuelled the fires of “Paul is Dead”.
In Glass Onion John sings, “Here’s another clue for you all, the walrus was Paul”.
The walrus is the only one dressed in black on the Magical Mystery Tour cover.
The John Lennon penned I’m the Greatest is one of the songs on Ringo’s eponymous third album. The lyrics include the lines, “Yes, my name is Billy Shears. You know it has been all these years”.
Billy Spears is the name of the impostor who supposedly replaced Paul.
Paul himself perpetuated the myth with two of his solo album covers. Firstly, his debut album cover depicts an empty bowl with cherries scattered around it. He will certainly have come across the popular expression, “life is just a bowl of cherries”.
Secondly, his 1993 album is titled, Paul is Live and comes in a sleeve parodying the Abbey Road zebra crossing cover. It even has that VW Beetle but this time the registration plate shows 51 IS.
Maybe, that was Paul finally calling time on the in-joke.
Paul – “hidden meanings”, in 1964
Paul talked about “the search for hidden meanings” back in 1964…
This whole thing is very much in the vein of John Lennon’s own brand of humour. John published his first book, In His Own Write, in 1964.
Paul wrote the book’s Introduction. In it he comments, “There are bound to be thickheads who will wonder why some of it doesn’t make sense, and others who will search for hidden meanings”.
Paul concludes his Introduction with,
“None of it has to make sense and if it seems funny then that’s enough.”
John Lennon and Paul McCartney, what a team!
“Paul is Dead” – possibly, the most sustained in-joke in rock’n’roll history.
TIMELINE – “PAUL IS DEAD”
3 Dec 1965 released Rubber Soul (UK)
mid-Dec 1965 Paul’s moped accident – date usually 26 December
26 Dec 1965 earliest date for Paul’s death
20 Jun 1966 released Yesterday And Today (US)
5 Aug 1966 released Revolver (UK)
Paul “died”
9 Nov 1966 Paul McCartney died in a car crash
Winter 1966 Paul look-alike competition – won by Billy Shears
7 Jan 1967 Beatles Monthly magazine – denied that Paul was dead
13 Feb 1967 released Strawberry Fields Forever (US)
1 Jun 1967 released Sgt Pepper (UK)
24 Nov 1967 released Hello Goodbye c/w I Am the Walrus (UK)
8 Dec 1967 released EP: Magical Mystery Tour (UK)
26 Dec 1967 Magical Mystery Tour – premier on BBC TV
15 Mar 1968 released – Lady Madonna (UK)
Number 9 “clue” on the White Album
22 Nov 1968 released White Album (UK)
17 Jan 1969 released (album) Yellow Submarine (UK)
17 Sep 1969 1st published conspiracy theory – student newspaper – Iowa
26 Sep 1969 released Abbey Road UK – US Release 1 October
12 Oct 1969 Russ Gibb played Revolution 9 backwards on his radio show
The myth took hold after Fred Labour’s article
14 Oct 1969 Fred LaBour – Michigan Today article
7 Nov 1969 Life Magazine interview with Paul McCartney
30 Nov 1969 TV Show – mock trail of “Paul is Dead”
17 Apr 1970 Paul released solo debut, McCartney (UK)
8 May 1970 released (album) Let It Be (UK)
2 Nov 1973 Ringo Starr – released 3rd album, Ringo (US)
16 Nov 1993 Paul McCartney – released Paul is Live (US)
SUMMARY OF THE “CLUES”
PLEASE NOTE
The descriptions for these “clues” are the interpretations typically given to the “clues”.
They are NOT a statement of fact.
Over 200 “clues” have been discovered, this is only a selection and is not intended as a comprehensive list.
Yesterday And Today
Yesterday And Today – Cover
Yesterday And Today was originally released with the notorious “butcher cover”. This depicted the Fab Four in white coats and covered in raw meat. Paul holding a decapitated doll’s head further exaggerated the image.
Public response to the cover was very negative. The record company withdrew the album and replaced it with the “trunk cover”.
The “trunk cover” provides its own clue. When it is rotated through 90 degrees, the trunk becomes Paul McCartney’s coffin. Hence, the “coffin cover”.
Songs – Yesterday And Today
Yesterday And Today Song 1 – Dr Robert
lyric: “you’re a new and better man”
Dr Robert carried out the plastic surgery on the new Paul.
Yesterday And Today Song 2 – Yesterday
lyric: “I’m not half the man I used to be. I believe in yesterday.”
Revolver
Album Title – Revolver
Suggestions that the title refers to Paul “turning in his grave”, at the thought of the others carrying on without him but with an impostor.
Revolver – Cover
Revolver Cover 1
Paul is the only one in depicted in profile.
When the sleeve is rotated through 90 degrees, Paul is looking upwards.
Revolver Cover 2
The photo of Paul superimposed on the drawing of Paul’s head, Is pointing away.
Revolver Cover 3
Another photo of Paul superimposed on the drawing of Pauls head, seems to be in distress – possibly screaming. None of the others are depicted in this way.
Revolver Cover 4:
In the drawing of Paul, a small “Paul” is crawling out of his ear. As if a beetle is crawling out of a dead body.
Songs – Revolver
Revolver Song 1 – Taxman
lyric – “Now my advice to those who die – declare the pennies on your eyes.”
British custom to put pennies on a dead person’s eyes. Paul grew up near the street Penny Lane.
Revolver Song 2 – Got to Get You Into My Life
lyric – “I was alone, I took a ride – I didn’t know what I’d find there”
Reference to a journey into death.
Revolver Song 3 – Tomorrow Never Knows
lyric – “Paul played the game existence to the end.”
Followed by, “of the beginning”. (around 2 min 11 sec)
Strawberry Fields Forever
The famous “I buried Paul” in the outro.
In the F Lee Baily TV show (details above) on 30 November 1969, the discussion on the show included a discussion about the hidden message “I buried Paul”, which can be heard in the outro of Strawberry Fields. (around 3 min 57 sec)
Alan Klein suggested that when John says “I buried Paul” it’s because on that particular take John’s guitar buried Paul’s sound.
However, in an interview John corrects the interviewer and says that what he actually said was “cranberry sauce”.
Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Album Title – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
It was Paul’s idea to record an album under an assumed name.
Additionally, Paul came up with the idea for the long band name for this fictitious group. In this hippie era, long band names were very popular.
Front Cover – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The flower arrangements on the front cover give the appearance of people at a graveside.
It might be that the “clues” come as a consequence of the “new” Beatles burying the “old” Beatles. They had just stopped touring and become a studio band. Their music had also developed from simple love songs to a far more complex psychedelic sound.
In retrospect, anyone looking for “clues” to Paul’s death will find plenty of material.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 1
The younger, old-style wax Beatles are looking down mournfully at the grave. Whereas, the new psychedelic Beatles are standing and looking forward.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 2
Paul appears to be supported by the others.
Paul is the only one facing forward, the other three are standing at an angle.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 3
Paul’s instrument is black, the others are holding brass instruments.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 4
There is a hand above Paul’s head (repeated on other albums), as if he’s being blessed by a priest.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 5
The yellow flowers on the grave depict a bass guitar, the left-handed way Paul would have played it.
There are only three sticks/strings on it – only three Beatles left.
The yellow flowers also resemble the letter “P”.
The yellow flowers spell out “PAUL?”
The Famous 11 November HE DIE “Clue”
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 6
A mirror image of the “Lonely Hearts” on base drum shows
IONEIX HE <> DIE
The mirror image depicts the day Paul “died”.
1 ONE 1X HE DIE
11 1X HE DIE
November 9 HE DIE
Interestingly, this is the American format for dates.
If “11 1X HE DIE” is interpreted in the British format
it becomes: 11 September HE DIE…
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 7
The Shirley Temple doll
The inscription on the sweater – “Welcome the Rolling Stones”. The Stones are believed to be in on the cover up.
There is a model of an Aston Martin near the doll’s foot.
Paul supposedly drove an Aston Martin when he died.
The grandmother, on whose lap Shirley Temple is sitting, is wearing a blood-stained driving glove.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 8
The television is turned off.
The media suppressed the news of Paul’s death.
Sgt Pepper Front Cover 9
The OPD badge on Paul’s sleeve.
OPD = Officially Pronounced Dead, the equivalent of Dead on Arrival.
However, the badge actually has the initials OPP. Paul reputedly picked up the badge from the Ontario Provincial Police in Canada.
Back Cover – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Sgt Pepper Rear Cover 1
Paul is the only one with his back to the camera.
Sgt Pepper Rear Cover 2
Paul’s head is directly under the Without You song title.
His head obscures the “Within You” part of the title. To the right of his head are the title words, “Without You”.
Sgt Pepper Rear Cover 3
George appears to the pointing to the words “Wednesday morning at five o’clock”.
The time that Paul is supposed to have died.
Sgt Pepper Inner Cover 1
Paul is sitting in fetal position.
Some cultures bury their dead in this position.
The fetal position can also represent rebirth or reincarnation.
Songs – Sgt Pepper
Sgt Pepper Song 1 Introduction – Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
The Beatles introduce Billy Shears.
lyric – “So let me introduce to you, the one and only Billy Shears, and Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”
Sgt Pepper Song 2 – With a Little Help From My Friends
lyric – “Lend me yours ears and I’ll and I’ll sing you a song, and I’ll try not sing out of key”.
William Campbell, referred to as Billy Shears, still perfecting his voice as Paul’s replacement.
Sgt Pepper Song 3 – Good Morning Good Morning
lyric – “Nothing to do to save his life”
Sgt Pepper Song 4 – Lovely Rita
lyric – *I took her home, nearly made it”
legend – Paul picked up a woman named Rita in his car the night he died. When Rita realised who he was she became over-excited and threw herself on him. Resulting in Rita causing the crash.
Yet more song “clues”…
Sgt Pepper Song 5 – A Day in the Life
lyric – “He blew his mind out in a car. He hadn’t noticed 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.”
legend – This is the official announcement that Paul was dead. Specifically that he was decapitated.
Sgt Pepper Song 6 – She’s Leaving Home
lyric opens – “Wednesday morning at 5 o’clock as the day begins”
Paul is supposed to have died on 9 November 1966. It was a Wednesday and he “died” at 5 o’clock.
lyric – “meeting a man from the motor trade”
Yet another reference to cars.
Sgt Pepper “Song” 7 – Side 2 run-out groove – play backwards
This is the famous run-out groove on side two of the UK vinyl release.
It’s suggested that you can hear, “Will Paul be back as Superman”
Other, more lewd, interpretations have also been suggested
Magical Mystery Tour
Magical Mystery Tour Front Cover
A telephone number is hidden in the stars.
Ring it to hear a true account of Paul’s death.
Magical Mystery Tour Booklet
In the shot of all Beatles wearing tuxedos, John, George and Ringo have a red rose – Paul has a black rose.
Paul is holding a bouquet of red flowers at the end of this Your Mother Should Know scene.
The usual explanation for this “coincidence” is that there were only three red flowers available… Maybe not…
Magical Mystery Tour Song – I Am the Walrus
I Am the Walrus ends with a live BBC broadcast of a fatal scene from Shakespeare’s King Lear. Oswald groans “O untimely death!”
This is absolutely true.
Play the song backwards to hear “Ha ha Paul is Dead” in the outro.
Lady Madonna
lyric – “Wednesday morning papers didn’t come”
Paul died Wednesday morning at 5 am – news blackout and cover-up.
White Album
White Album Song 1 – Revolution 9
Detroit DJ Russ Gibb set the ball rolling for the “Paul is dead” myth on 12 October 1969.
Whilst hosting his show on WKNR a mystery caller told him to play Revolution 9 backwards. The part with the repeated “number 9”.
When he played it live on-air, his audience heard the words, “turn me on dead man”. And a legend was born…
White Album Song 2 – Glass Onion
lyric – John sings the line, “Here’s another clue for you all, the walrus was Paul”.
Once again, Paul is singled out on a record cover. The walrus on the Magical Mystery Tour sleeve is dressed in black. Whereas, the others are dressed in white.
White Album Song 3 – I’m So Tired
To hear “Paul is dead man. Miss him! Miss him miss him!”, drop the stylus right after I’m So Tired and spin the platter backwards.
Yellow Submarine
Yellow Submarine Cover
Hand over Paul’s head.
John’s holding his hand above Paul’s head, like a religious blessing.
The same image appears on the Sgt Pepper cover.
Abbey Road
Front Cover Abbey Road
Abbey Road Front Cover 1
Beatles on the zebra crossing, dressed as:
John, a preacher in white, Ringo, an undertaker in black, Paul a corpse barefoot and George as an undertaker in denim.
Abbey Road Front Cover 2
The Beatles on the zebra crossing:
Paul is out of step.
Abbey Road Front Cover 3
Beatles on the zebra crossing:
Paul is holding the cigarette in his right hand. Paul was left-handed
Abbey Road Front Cover 4
The VW Beetle has the registration plate 28 IF.
Paul born was born on 18 June 1942 and “died” on 9 November 1966.
Paul was 27 years old when Abbey Road was released in the UK on 26 September 1969.
It could have been that the band were expecting Abbey Road to be released the following year. They had already recorded their follow up to the White Album, originally called Get Back. It was released as their last album, Let it Be. The delay in releasing Let it Be could well have meant that Abbey Road was released sooner than anticipated.
Back Cover Abbey Road
Abbey Road Back Cover 1
Reflection of a skull. A skull is visible to the right of the “S” in Beatles.
Beatles – Solo Albums
McCartney
The front cover of Pau’s debut solo album depicts an empty bowl, with cherries scattered around it.
The bowl and cherries are on a white strip, against a black background.
There is a very well-known saying that, “life is just a bowl of cherries”. This bowl is indeed, bereft of cherries…
Ringo
The John Lennon penned I’m the Greatest is one of the songs on Ringo’s eponymous third album. The lyrics include the lines, “Yes, my name is Billy Shears. You know it has been all these years”.
John also provided harmony vocals on the track, ably assisted by George on guitar.
A direct reference to Billy Shears, the name of the person most commonly referred to as Paul’s replacement.
Paul is Live
In 1993 Paul himself perpetuated the “Paul is dead” myth with his latest album.
The sleeve parodied the zebra crossing Abbey Road album cover.
It has the famous Volkswagen car but this one has the registration, 51 IS.
Just to underline the point, the album’s called Paul is Live.
Maybe this was Paul calling time on the in-joke…
Paul is Dead myth
Paul McCartney died and was replaced by an impostor. The greatest urban myth in rock’n’roll history.
Nobody ever mentions the back cover photo of Pepper is printed backwards. Look at the shoulder chords on John and Ringo.
The weird thing is that the thought just came to me while driving that Paul had died early in his career.