The Best Backwards Messages In Music History

Do you remember when people flipped out about secret messages encoded in backwards grooves on albums? Hell, do you even remember albums? It used to be easy to play a song backwards – just reverse the drive on your turntable and go. Artists have been hiding backwards messages for decades. Some claim it’s accidental, but some are just too perfect to be a “mistake.”

Here are some of the best, from scary Satanism to wacky jokes.

Prince – Darling Nikki

The Purple One is notorious for engaging in all kinds of audio trickery on his albums, so it’s not surprising that he’d throw a reverse message in one. “Darling Nikki” is one of his dirtiest tracks, full of lyrics about a young lady pleasuring herself with a magazine. So what was so nasty that he had to hide it backwards? “Hello, how are you? I am fine, because I know that the Lord is coming soon.” O…kay.