As a PSU student, I am always learning something very interesting from friends in different majors.  Joanne, who is studying engineering, told me about a fascinating study she and some classmate did on “backmasking,” or hidden messages in music. Some people believe that when certain songs are played backwards, Satanic, drug related, and sexually explicit messages can be heard. The class she is taking is called “Wacky or real?” and she and her group set out to prove that backmasking was definitely wacky.

Joanne and the other members of her group used their classmates as test subjects, playing songs backwards for them, and then quizzing them on what kind of subliminal messages they might have heard. Songs that they tested included Britney Spears’ “Hit Me Baby One More Time,” The Doors’ “Break on Through,” Queen’s “Another One Bites the Dust,” and The Beatles’ “Revolution #9.”  After hearing a song backwards, students were asked to choose and answer from a multiple choice quiz. Surprisingly, the class chose the “correct” answer four times out of five! So, rather than exposing backmasking as a hoax, Joanne and her classmates proved that it is real! So watch what you let your kids listen to because the songs might not be as innocent as they appear!