Gary J Sibio
The cover of the Abbey Road album.
From 1964 to 1970, the Beatles were the most popular band in the world. Every record they released rocketed to the top ten and almost all of them to number one.
In 1969 the rumor that Paul McCartney, the band’s bass guitar player and, with John Lennon, its chief vocalist and songwriter, had died and been replaced by a look-alike. Clues about the incident were included in the lyrics of their songs and the art on their album covers.
The story was that Paul had died in a car accident in January 1967. This “fact” made it into the lyrics of “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
Other lyrical clues included “turn me on, dead man” in “Revolution #9” although how anyone could pick out anything in that song baffles me. If you played the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever” two things would happen. First you’d hear John Lennon say “I buried Paul,” then you ruined your phonograph. By the way, according to Paul, John actually said “cranberry sauce.”
In the song “Glass Onion,” John sings “Here’s another clue for you all, the walrus is Paul.” According to the conspiracy theorists, the walrus symbolized death. OK, where does a walrus symbolize death? No one ever said.
Clues weren’t just lyrical. The cover of the album “Abbey Road” provided a plethora of data. It supposedly depicts a funeral procession. The white-clad Lennon was the preacher or some heavenly figure; Ringo, who was dressed in black, was the undertaker or a mourner; and George, wearing denim jeans and shirt, symbolized a gravedigger. Paul, who was barefoot and out of step with the others, was the deceased.
Personally I thought the best evidence for Paul having died was the atrocious music he recorded after The Beatles broke up, but that’s just my opinion.
Anyway, all this goes to prove how much can be concluded by snatching little bits of data out of context. You can prove pretty much anything you want.
Text © 2016 Gary J. Sibio. All rights reserved.
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Question of
Do you believe that Paul McCartney died in an automobile accident when The Beatles were still playing together?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Do you think this whole thing was a prank played on their fans by The Beatles?
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Yes
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No
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Maybe
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Question of
Do you think that Paul has done one decent song since The Beatles broke up?
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Yes
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No
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Question of
Do you think that some people have too much time on their hands?
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Yes
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No
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Question #4 is unanimous so far! Hahaha!
Paul was replaced by a man named Billy Shears (sp?). The Beatles were simply too valuable of a franchise for the record label to let die.
You nailed it with the last question. Some have to much time on their hands.
It is interesting because now the rumors spread so much faster. Different times!
Unfortunately, nonsense will often be believed by people who might otherwise be thought to have a modicum of common sense. That is why the world is saddled with religion and Donald Trump.
It is possible that the real Paul McCartney died a long time ago.
It’s possible of course but I really don’t think so.
My older sisters who remember the Beatles better than I do said that the Paul McCartney death story was a gimmick to sell records.
Question 4 was a real no-brainer, huh? Cute post. More, please.
Yeah. I threw that one in for fun.
It was fun, keep ’em coming. And that breathing post you did just stellar rocked. I have used similar apps on the smart phone, but never thought to look for one on Windows.