It's been fifty years since rumors spread that the cute Beatle, Paul McCartney, was dead. Everyone was talking about it. Clues: Commercial Coup, or Coincidence?
There seemed to be evidence that the Beatles had intentionally placed clues on their albums and in song lyrics indicating that Mr. McCartney had died years earlier. As the rumors of McCartney's death spread, sales of Beatles records soared because fans and curious investigators alike purchased albums to carouse for clues.
In 1969, KCPX Radio 1320 AM in Salt Lake City, Utah was the station to tune into to hear the latest rock music. When the McCartney story swept the nation, KCPX took the lead in presenting a cohesive program that detailed many of the alleged clues. At the time, I was more interested in GI Joe, than anything else, but five years later, I was intrigued by the possibility of clues about McCartney's death in Beatles music and on their albums. My very wise older sister, Skarzita, suggested that I contact KCPX and request information on the program they had run in 1969. I took her advice, and sent a letter to the radio station, not really expecting to hear back. It had been five years since they had aired the program, and I figured the whole thing had probably been pushed to the background.
I was sitting in Mr. Barton's sixth grade class when I looked up to see my sister standing in the doorway waiving a manila envelope to get my attention. Her purple and white Tooele High School Cheerleaders uniform commanded sufficient authority for her to enter the school and pull me from class. Mr. Barton didn't seem to mind. He was always happy to see a pretty girl in a short skirt. Apparently, Skarzita had been home for lunch and had seen the envelope addressed to me from KCPX radio, and had taken it to West Elementary so that I could open it. I think she was a bit excited about it, too. After all, it had been her idea to write the station in the first place. I carefully lifted the flap, making sure that I didn't tear the sacred vessel that contained vital information from the station. The glue put up a bit of a fight, but before long it was defeated and I cautiously withdrew a multiple-page document of white paper secured together with one staple in the upper left-hand corner. It was so much more than I had hoped for. After closer examination, I discovered that K-PIX (KCPX) had sent me the transcript from the program they had aired in 69. I was thrilled, and as soon as I got home from school, I began examining my album covers and songs while I poured over the document.
The following is a new electronic transcription from KCPX's McCartney program in 1969. I have attempted to transcribe it as accurately as possible, leaving spelling and punctuation errors and variations to preserve the historical viability of the document. I have also provided hyperlinks to photographs of each original page.
KCPX Radio
AM 1320 KC
THIS IS GARY WALDRON, PROGRAM DIRECTOR OF KCPX RADIO,...... in the past, we at KCPX have strived to inform our audience of the things which are making news in the world of pop music. The Beatles are an integral part of the music scene today....The Paul McCartney death thing has been going on for many months on an underground basis. This week, all hell broke loose.....suddenly it was a Big Thing in many major cities to discuss the many oddities which may or may not point out that Paul McCartney is either dead or dying. We at KCPX felt that Salt Lake City had a right to know what was going on in other cities across the country, especially because it involved the Beatles, who you, our listening audience, voted as your favorite group in the recent KCPX Star Poll. We acknowledge the reports that claim Paul is alive and well....we feel great about them. All of the Disc Jockies, and I'm sure, all of our audience, was greatly relieved to hear these reports; however, there is still a certain amount of mystery concerning the well-being of Paul McCartney.....AND THIS SPECIAL PROGRAM IS DESIGNED AS A COMPLETE RECAP OF ALL THAT HAS BEEN DISCUSSED, IN SALT LAKE AND ACROSS THE COUNTRY FOR THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS.
THE BEATLES.......
GREATEST SUPER MUSICAL GROUP OF ALL TIME.......
For the duration of this special KAY-PIX presentation, it will be attempted to let you determine for yourself whether or not The Beatles have been putting on the entire world. Whether or not The Beatles are taking us all in a "Magical Mystery Tour".......
Is Paul McCartney dying? Is Paul McCartney already dead, as some believers in the supernatural, propose? A fantastic number of people think one of these possibilities is a reality. Since last Saturday, the entire world has been discussing the eerie signs from album pictures and Beatle records....that The Beatles are somehow obsessed with death; and, in particular, the death of Paul McCartney. This program will not solve the magical mystery. The intention is to present the many, many coincidences that have appeared concerning that mystery.
In the song just played, "Magical Mystery Tour", the lyrics say.... "The Magical Mystery Tour is waiting to take you away, waiting to take you away." In the next verse, the lyrics are changed to "Hoping to take you away." In the next verse, the lyrics are changed to "Hoping to take you away." Followed by "Coming to take you away." and finally, "Dying to take you away."
Listen.... as we play all four together.....
Thus begins the "Magical Mystery Tour". It appears it all started with the album "Yesterday and Today", released in 1966. Capitol records released the album with a cover that was so gruesome and publicly
distasteful that it was rejected before being released. The cover showed The Beatles sitting and standing in meat cutter's attire, with large chunks of beef over their shoulders, pools of blood at their feet, and parts of a mutilated child's doll completing the scene. Since the cover was unacceptable, The Beatles substituted the photo that is presently on the album as you see it today. This picture shows Paul McCartney sitting in a trunk, poised in the European burial position, with his legs crossed and his hands one on the other. What this meant at the time is not known, but from "Yesterday and Today" to the present, indications of death or dying have been discovered on Beatle records and album covers.
The song, Rain" was the first experiment with backward segments.
(Rain)
"Rain" was played here because later on, backward segments of Beatle songs became very important in the Magical Mystery Tour.
In the "Revolver" album, the Beatles music began to change....becoming more progressive, with emphasis on messages. Lyrics started to be very important, and from "Revolver" on, popular music was in a new bag. On the album cover, Paul is the Beatle who is different. Three Beatles are facing front, while Paul is shown in profile. Many believe this to be another sign that The Beatles were going to profile Paul's death in their LP covers and songs. Also, "Revolver" was the first album cover done in black and white....black...another symbol of death. The significant song in "Revolver" is "Tomorrow Never Knows", where the lyrics in the first part say, "It is not dying, it is not dying". The song ends with the words, "It is not living", and "Of the beginning". Of course, the title, "Tomorrow Never Knows" is also taken by some as a clue.
The album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" is a whole new thing. The cover alone won The Beatles an award for the Album of the Year. On that cover, hints of Paul being singled out, emphasized, different from the other Beatles. Here, for the first of many times, a hand is being held over Paul's head, representing the hand of fate, and a sign of impending death. Keep this in mind, because it will be pointed out that a hand is held over Paul's head in several future album photos. In the title song, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", the lyrics say, "So let me introduce to you the one and only Billy Shears, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". It is said that Billy Shears was the winner of the Paul McCartney Look-Alike Contest, conducted by The Beatles. Why did The Beatles have a contest designed to find a look-alike for Paul McCartney?
(Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)
"So let me introduce to you, the one and only Billy Shears, and a little help from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" (possibly the other three Beatles?)
(With a Little Help From My Friends)
Once again, back to the cover of Sgt. Pepper's"....it is very apparent the Beatles are at a funeral, at least that is the general mood of the cover. The word "Beatles" is spelled across the bottom in red flowers, representing a grave, and under this, is a left-handed
bass guitar. Paul McCartney plays his bass guitar left-handed. Also, it seems that if you slightly tilt the album with the left side upward, the yellow flowers that make up the guitar appear to spell the letters "P-A-U-L'S". It is quite close, but a little imagination needed here. Also, on the front, notice that John, George and Ringo are holding brass instruments, while Paul is different....he is holding a black woodwind. Between the L and E of "BEATLES", there sets what may be an ashen, used to contain the ashes of a person who is cremated after death. The ashen is definitely pointing directly at Paul. There is also a red-haired doll representing Jane Asher, McCartney's ex-girlfriend. The white bust near the word "BEATLES" bears a strong resemblance to early pictures of McCartney's father. Both of these people are close to the grave, and both were close to Paul. Another song from "Sgt. Pepper's", which some think is another direct clue from The Beatles, is "Good Morning, Good Morning". The lyrics you will hear are at the beginning of the song, "Nothing to do to save his life, call his wife in". Nothing to say but what a day." Also, "Everyone you see is half asleep, and you're on your own, you're in the street.", and "Everywhere in the town is getting dark. Everyone you see is full of life."
(Good Morning, Good Morning)
Now, immediately following these animal sounds, the reprise of "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" comes in. Listen carefully...to the counting...."one, two, three, four". Between two and three, you can definitely hear the word "dying". Some believe there is the phrase,
"Paul is dying", but you can definitely hear "dying". Now, hear it again.
In the center picture, when you open the album, Paul is again sitting in the European burial position, which is also the Hindu position monks use when they burn themselves to death. On the back cover of "Sgt. Pepper's", the four Beatles are standing, and here again Paul is the one who is different....he is standing with his back to you, while the others are facing front.
Sgt. Pepper's album came out in 1967; at that time, The Beatles experimentations with drugs filled the news. It is interesting to note that John Lennon and George Harrison were both convicted of violating drug laws, while Paul McCartney has never had any publicity regarding narcotics. Paul was missing from The Beatles drug scene. Just as if he had his back turned to it, as seen on the back of the album cover. The Beatles big drug record was "Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds". Take the first letter of "Lucy", "Sky" and "Diamonds", and you have.....LSD.
(Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds)
With the four Beatles standing on the back cover of the Sgt. Pepper's album, George Harrison's right hand index finger is pointing to the words, "Wednesday morning at five o'clock as the day begins". The story goes that that Paul McCartney was involved in an automobile accident in 1966, at 5 o'clock on a Wednesday morning. The results of that accident are not clear. Still others believe that George's finger pointing to Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock indicates that
calling a 'phone number in London at that time will reveal the whole McCartney story. Some believe this is the phone number of Billy Shears, who will ask you if you know the rest of the riddle. If you can tell him, you'll receive a personal invitation to Paul's funeral. the 'phone number is revealed on the cover of the album, "Magical Mystery Tour". To get the number, you must hold the front cover of the LP up to a mirror. The word "Beatles", formed by yellow stars, will then be backwards. Starting with the "S" in "Beatles", you come up with two-three-one....seven-four-three-eight. This number in London has been called several times with the same result. It is not a working number. In 1967 it may very well have been a working number, and as many believe, was possibly the 'phone number of one, Billy Shears.
"Strawberry Fields Forever" contains some extremely important lyrics. From the first, "Let me take you down, 'cause I'm going to, Strawberry Fields"......to the very last audible portion which says, if you listen very closely, "I buried Paul". Listen carefully to the lyrics, particularly, the very end.
(Strawberry Fields Forever)
Let's listen to that ending again. Unmistakably, you will hear, "I buried Paul", at the very last part of the song. (Play end again) One more time. Listen (Play again)
The album "Magical Mystery Tour" contains a picture book inside, and many of the photographs seem very strange, with possibly more signals. On the front cover, the Beatles are dressed in costumes, with Paul as the walrus. The walrus is the Nordic symbol of death, and the walrus
is referred to many times in Beatle songs, as will be pointed out.
Here is "I Am the Walrus". Some of the lyrics to listen for are, "Sitting on a cornflake, waiting for the van to come (possibly a hearse).... a reference to Edgar Allen Poe, who always wrote about death. It also mentions a dead dog's eye...here again the death theme. Near the end of the song, many things are thrown in, mostly obscure, but some believers say they can hear the phrase, "I am near death".
In the Magical Mystery Tour booklet, on page three, Paul is sitting at a desk with British flags crossed over his head, possibly another sign. Also, on front of the desk are the words, "I, You, Was". Again, I Am the Walrus, I Was the Walrus.
On Page 5, Paul is standing with his guitar and John Lennon is dressed as the walrus, seated at the piano. This may mean John wanted to be in Paul's place, since they are such close friends. On the inside cover, where the song titles are listed, under "I Am the Walrus", it says, "No you're not", as if John isn't going along with what's happening. In the same picture, on page 5, with Paul in the center, there are fifteen doctors around...maybe an indication of sickness or disease.
On page 7, the cartoon #6 at bottom right, says I Am, I Was," with AM and WAS in red, the other letters in black. Again, going back to the walrus lyrics: on Page 8, the table everyone at is shaped in the form of a cross.
On Page 9 of the booklet, in cartoon #8, Paul plays the part of the fool on the hill, and it says, "Paul begins to daydream. His thoughts fly far away". The cartoons here also mention five magicians
casting wonderful spells. Five magicians may refer back to Billy Shears being the fifth Beatle. In the last cartoon on Page 9, they are going to the Amazing Land of the Walrus. John says, "I Am the Walrus,".... "No You're Not", someone says, indicating Paul is really the Walrus.
Turning to page 10, three Beatles have shoes on...Paul does not. McCartney is seen many times without shoes such as on the center double, Pages 12 and 13; as you know, people are not buried with shoes on.
On Page 18, Paul is seen again with a hand over his head. Page 23 shows the Beatles in white suits, white for heaven or a symbol of mourning in in Britain, with three of The Beatles wearing red carnations... but Paul has a black one. Paul is also holding a bouquet of dead flowers. On Page 24, Paul has a hand over his head again. On the back cover, Paul has his arm at an angle different from the others, as he salutes. Once again....Paul is the different Beatle.
The next Beatle album was "Yellow Submarine". Again, on the front cover, and also on the back, a hand is being held over Paul's head. On the front, to the right at the bottom, there are cartoon characters symbolizing the Beatles. The other three Beatles are playing brass instruments as in Sgt. Pepper, but Paul is out of line, with a flute....a woodwind instrument.
A yellow submarine is said to be a pill, a narcotic. As stated previously, Paul has not been associated with the dope scene. The following song could be about a girl named Judy. But it could also be about H...Heroin...and it is sung by Paul.
The album entitled, "The Beatles" (The double album ) is almost totally white...white again for English mourning or heaven. The only exceptions are the four black pictures of the Beatles inside and the song titles. As for the music in the LP, "Yer Blues" says, "Yes, I'm lonely wanna die, if I ain't dead already". "Feel so suicidal even hate my rock and roll."
Another song from the Double Album is "Glass Onion". This one mentions many of The Beatles' past efforts, including this important line...."I told you about the Walrus and me, man...you know that we're as close as can be, man. Well, here's another clue for you all, the Walrus was Paul."
"I'm So Tired" contains some unintelligible jibberish at the end. The jibberish sounds like this:
Reversing your turntable and playing it backwards reveals the words, "Paul is a dead man".
The most easily heard clue on the Double Album is obtained by playing a portion of "Revolution Number Nine" backwards, which changes "Number Nine" to "Turn Me On Dead Man"!
The latest Beatles' album is "Abbey Road". This LP has sparked still more questions about the entire Paul McCarntey mystery. A thorough look at the album cover in just a few minutes. But first, to confirm that the Beatles are still lingering on the death theme, here is a song from "Abbey Road" concerning murder, treated in a light manner .
(Maxwell's Silver Hammer)
In the foreground of the "Abbey road" cover, The Beatles are walking across a street which is assumed to be Abbey Road. Each is dressed completely different from the others. John Lennon is in the lead, dressed completely in white, a symbol of mourning or of heaven. Behind John is Ringo Starr, dressed in a black suit which resembles an English mortician's clothing. The suit is well pressed, and his shoes are spotlessly shined. Following Ringo is Paul, wearing a suit which could easily be taken as burial clothing. Paul is clean shaven, just as a man who had been prepared for interment. Paul is left-handed, yet he is holding a cigarette in his right hand. Most people agree that Paul's eyes are closed. and onced again, he is barefoot, a reminder that people are buried without shoes, and Paul has been photographed this way many times. Next in line is George Harrison, who appears to be dressed as a grave digger, in levis and a blue denim shirt. The most striking and noticeable thing about The Beatles in this picture is that Paul McCartney is the Beatle who is different! Paul is the one who is out of step; the other three have their left foot forward, Paul has his right foot forward. Another graphic example of the strangeness of this photo is the license plate on the white Volkswagen. The figures on the license are 28-I-F..... twenty-eight, If. Paul McCartney will be 28 on his next birthday.....IF....
Listen to the lyrics of "Come Together". Almost every line seems to fit into the strange series of circumstances concerning Beatle, Paul McCartney.
Here again, more references to the Walrus...."early warning, you can feel his disease, he wears no shoeshine because he wears no shoes". "One and one and one is three"....Three Beatles. "Got to be good lookin', cause he's so hard to see....feet below his knees"...again no shoes. So many things adding up in "Come Together".
The mystery may have come together with this song. Maybe there will be more to follow. You can believe whatever you wish.
Maybe you've been on a Magical Mystery Tour without even realizing it.....OR....COULD IT HAVE BEEN JUST ANOTHER DAY IN THE LIFE OF THE BEATLES???????????????????????
"Hello...this is Johnny Ryder speaking for the Disc Jockeys here at K-PIX Radio.
Last Saturday, "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell presented some pertinent facts about some very definite and obvious symbolisms on Beatle Album covers, posters, fold-outs and the records themselves. All of these symbolisms, as best we could figure out, seemed to point to one of three things:
(1) Someone, perhaps many people involved with The Beatles, or the Beatles themselves, purposely put these symbolisms in and around Beatle records to make people talk, and wonder, and ultimately...sell more records as a direct result of the publicity involved.
(2) All of these symbolisms were inserted in and around Beatle records by John, George and Ringo to connote the death or dying of their fellow Beatle, Paul. Whether it was the spiritual, psychological or physical dying or death of Paul McCartney, it was and still is, a question unanswered, or....Number...
(3) The entire bit...the symbolisms on the album covers, the strange eerie death sayings heard when playing certain Beatle records backwards, the Paul McCartney look -alike contest, etc., were all nothing....but coincidence.
As to the Station's policy concerning what has been said on the air since last Saturday afternoon, let's go back to that Saturday when "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell first presented some of the facts concerning the Paul McCartney "mystery". These were not facts conjured up by "Skinny" Johnny Mitchell or any member of the K-PIX Staff or management.
They were facts brought to our attention by You!! the listener. After the mention of these facts on "Skinny's" show Saturday, thousands of 'phone calls and hundred of letters, again from You, the listener, poured in demanding more information on the Paul McCarntey "mystery". So we gave you what information we had. When that was gone, we asked you, the listener, for all the information you had, and again, you responded with thousands of 'phone calls and hundreds of letters. The program you have just heard, ladies and gentlemen...was...in truth...put together by you.
Once again, speaking for all the Disc Jockeys here at K-PIX, we believe, as the majority of you do, that Paul McCartney is alive and living with his family in London. But, we also believe the obvious symbolisms in and around the Beatle records, and they are there, point to one of of the three aforementioned statements. As to which one.... in any...is a decision you must make.
Cranberry Sauce
Not long after KCPX aired this program, LIFE Magazine did a cover story on the missing Beatle, who, it turns out, had been keeping a low profile with his new family on a remote farm in Scotland.
Rhetro Zenberg's Conclusion
After completing the transcription of the KCPX document, I find it difficult to believe that so many people got caught up in this silly quasi-conspiracy. In my opinion, the conclusions reached were less than convincing, and in most cases, outright off the wall. Some of the lyrics used as evidence weren't even quoted accurately. I must admit that I am a bit disappointed that the evidence isn't more convincing and provocative. I suppose what it all boils down to, is that people are gullible, and have a need to believe in something ridiculous.
