In the late-sixties, an urban legend surfaced seemingly out of nowhere claiming that Paul McCartney of The Beatles had died in 1966 and had since then been replaced by an actor. The rumour, helped along by some American college students pubishing articles about it, said that clues that Paul had died could be found in the lyrics and artwork of Beatles albums. Looking for these clues soon became a worldwide phenomenon.
The rumour gained popularity around when the album Abbey Road was released and it was to this album that many people first turned to for the alleged clues that had been left for fans. The album cover is interpreted by beleivers of the legend to be a funeral procession for Paul. John is dressed in white, like a priest or other religious figure. Ringo is supposed to be dressed as an undertaker. Paul is dressed shabbily and bare foot, representing a corpse. Lastly, George is dressed in old jeans and is seen by fans as a gravedigger.
The Fact that Paul is holding his cigarette in his right hand when he is supposed to be left handed is taken as yet another sign by fans that he has been replaced.
On the back of the Album, some rather far fetched clues can be found. The dots in front of the "Beatles" sign can be connected into a 3. Fans took this as meaning there were only 3 remaining Beatles. The woman in blue's arm is also supposed to be Paul's profile.
The songs themselves on Abbey Road are often cited as proof of Paul's demise. "Come Together" in particular is magnet for analyzations. The song is said to be about a funeral, with people coming together over a grave. Some of the lyrics even tie the song directly to Paul. "He wears no shoe shine," for example, is about corpse-Paul on the cover's lack of shoes. "Toe Jam Football" is a reference to Paul's sport of choice, Rugby. He got “monkey finger,” meaning the person John is singing about is skinny and bony like a skeleton. The "one and one and one is three" line is supposedly another reference to how only 3 Beatles remain.
The last 3 songs on the album are “Golden slumbers,” (an eternal sleep) “Carry That Weight,” (a heavy coffin) and “The End.”
While some or all of this "proof" may seem a little bit improbable as anything but coincidence, many fans truly beleived and still do believe that Paul is dead and went on to find more clues in albums like Sgt. Peppers, Magical Mystery Tour, The White Album, and Let It Be.
I have never heard of this before, what do you think about this? I think people can be "suckers" for conspiracy theories and find clues where there are none. I wonder why Paul was chosen as the deceased Beatle. I have to admit that I am interested in things like this and the little hints apparently left by the remaining Beatles. I wonder what Paul thinks about all this assuming he is actually still alive!
ReplyDeleteI can't wait to read the rest of your posts about this, it is interesting!