Can backmasking hidden in a song be spiritually dangerous?

Response

Backmasking, also known as backward masking, is an audio technique where a voice message or series of sounds is recorded backward onto an audio track meant to be played forward. Backmasking is a deliberate process carried out by an individual with the aim of reversing segments of the audio. It is distinct from phonetic reversal, where a reversed word coincidentally sounds like another word.

Although backmasking began its experimental phase in the 1950s, it gained popularity with the Beatles’ 1966 album Revolver, which featured backward instrumentation. Since then, many other musicians have employed backmasking for artistic, humorous, or satirical purposes. “Clean” radio versions often use backmasking to censor profanity or offensive language in explicit songs. Reversing audio tracks was relatively straightforward during the era of vinyl LPs and magnetic audio tape. In the digital age, playing audio tracks backward has become challenging without specialized equipment or software, leading to a decline in interest in uncovering hidden messages in songs.

Backmasking has sparked controversy among Christians, particularly in the 1970s and 1980s, when various Christian organizations alleged that satanic messages were being inserted into secular music through backmasking. Most musicians refute using backmasking to endorse Satanism. Nevertheless, some bands have indeed utilized backmasking to intentionally embed messages in their music. The potential impact of these messages on listeners remains a topic of debate.

Critics of backmasking claim that hidden messages can have a subliminal influence on the listener as the subconscious tries to interpret the backward sounds. However, there are two issues with this argument. Firstly, subliminal messages only work if the recipient is already contemplating or planning to act on the suggestion. Additionally, research has indicated that auditory subliminal messages do not have a significant or lasting effect on behavior.All messages have little to no effect on the listener.

Secondly, the human brain is predisposed to search for patterns, a psychological phenomenon known as pareidolia. Pareidolia is the perception of a familiar pattern, such as language, where no pattern actually exists. We have all experienced this phenomenon, whether it is finding an animal in the clouds, seeing a man in the moon, or hearing a hidden message in a song played backward or at a higher or lower speed than normal. When an audio track is played forward or backward, the listener’s mind will try to make sense of what is being heard. Thus, a person could perceive words that were not intentionally inserted.

Some claims of backmasking in songs, where the artist has denied the use of backmasking, could be a simple case of pareidolia; if a person is looking for certain words in the reverse audio of a song, he will probably find them. In other cases, backmasking has definitely been used, and the musicians have admitted it. Ultimately, a Christian’s life will not be affected by backmasking in songs unless he or she searches for it and allows the hidden message to fester in the mind.

While backmasking need not be a major concern, we should still be aware of the types of music we allow to occupy our minds. The Bible teaches that whatever the mind dwells upon will sooner or later come out in a person’s words and actions (Philippians 4:8;Colossians 3:2,5). Second Corinthians 10:5 says we should “take captive every thought and make it obedient to Christ.” More important than finding out if a song has backmasking is considering the lyrics of songs and how the music affects us personally. If anything leads us down a path that does not glorify God, that thing should be avoided.