Reading Between the Lines: 5 Songs That Have Strong Messages

One great thing about music is that you can express your feelings with more than words. That’s what artists have been doing for years — they spread their messages to the world through songs. Lots of popular songs have strong messages, and some even have hidden messages. Take a look at these songs to discover the messages these artists were trying to relay.

Secret Message in “Empty Spaces” by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd added a secret message to their song, “Empty Spaces,” addressing people who like to find hidden messages in music. There is a part of the song that sounds like gibberish, but when played backwards says, “Congratulations, you have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm. Many people believe “Old Pink” is a previous band member (Syd Barrett) and the “Funny Farm” is where he is located (a mental hospital).

Rumors of Paul McCartney’s death

The Beatles have a couple of songs that supposedly have evidence of Paul McCartney’s death. For instance, their song “I’m so tired” has a hidden message at the very end that when played backwards says, “Paul is dead man — miss him, miss him, miss.” Additionally, there are claims that another Beatles song, “Revolution 9” has sounds of a car crash with a person screaming, “Let me out,” when it is played in reverse.

Irony in “The Piano Man” by Billy Joel

“The Piano Man” is a very long song by Billy Joel where he sings about the woes of having a job playing music in a bar. The song is all about being stuck as a piano man and all the difficulties that come along with that. It is actually pretty ironic because Billy Joel is a multi-millionaire and definitely not stuck as a simple piano man in a bar.

Satanic Message in Led Zepplin’s, “Stairway to Heaven”

According to Paul Crouch, there is a satanic message presented through backmasking in Led Zepplin’s song, “Stairway to Heaven.” When played backwards, supposedly, the song says, “Oh, here’s to my sweet Satan. The one whose path would make me sad — whose power is Satan. He will give those with him 666. There was a little tool shed where he made us suffer, sad Satan.” The recording agency denies the claims, saying it is mere coincidence that is sounds anything like that. It still remains a mystery.

Positive Messages from Jimmy Buffett

Jimmy Buffett is a great lyricist, and most of his songs have positive messages meant to inspire. You’ll experience this first hand with Jimmy Buffet tickets . For instance, in his song, “Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes,” he sings, “Oh, yesterday’s over my shoulder, so I can’t look back for long. There’s just too much to see waiting in front of me, and I know that I just can’t go wrong.”

There are plenty of other songs with strong messages and hidden messages in them. What is your favorite?