"Paul is dead" is an urban legend alleging that Paul McCartney of the British rock band the Beatles died in 1966 and was replaced by a look-alike and sound-alike. McCartney is alive and well as of 2007.
Evidence for McCartney's death consists of "clues" found among the Beatles' many recordings, most of which are treated as if they were deliberately placed by the Beatles or others—as if McCartney's death was a puzzle to be deciphered by the public. They include statements allegedly heard when a song is played backwards, symbolism found in obscure lyrics, and ambiguous imagery on album covers.
It is often unclear whether proponents spread this story as a joke or as a real conspiracy theory. The rumour has been the topic of much sociological examination because its development, growth, and rebuttal took place very publicly, due to the Beatles' enormous popularity.
Many fans have claimed that the rumour was a hoax perpetrated by the Beatles, either as a joke, or to stimulate record sales (the initial call placed to Russ Gibb coincided with the release of Abbey Road). This has been denied numerous times by all four band members.
The rumours surrounding McCartney began in earnest on October 12, 1969, when someone telephoned Russ Gibb (a radio DJ on WKNR-FM in Dearborn, Michigan serving the Detroit market). Identifying himself as "Tom" (allegedly Tom Zarski of Eastern Michigan University), the caller announced that McCartney was dead. He also asked Gibb to play "Revolution 9" backwards. Gibb thought he heard "Turn me on, dead man."[1]
The most common tale is that on Wednesday, November 9, 1966 at 5 am, McCartney, while working on the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album, stormed out of a recording session after an argument with the other Beatles and rode off in his Austin-Healey. "He didn't notice that the lights had changed" ("A Day in the Life"😉 because he was busy watching the pretty girl on the pavement ("Lovely Rita"😉 after narrowly missing her dressed in blue (she's the blur on the back of Abbey Road) jaywalking ("Blue Jay Way"😉. He then crashed into a light pole (a car crash sound is heard in "Revolution 9"😉 and, dying from massive head injuries, his hair and face burned (having "lost (his) hair" according to "Don't Pass Me By", although that is not the context of the song as a whole). He was pronounced dead on a "Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins" (the day and time mentioned in "She's Leaving Home"😉, and nobody found out this because the news was withheld: "Wednesday morning papers didn't come" ("Lady Madonna"😉. A funeral procession was held days later (as implied in the Abbey Road album cover), with Lennon presiding over the service and gravedigger Harrison burying the body.
haermm nonsense