The 20 Most Infamous “Paul Is Dead” Clues — And Why Beatles Fans Still Can't Let It Go
In 1969, as Abbey Road climbed the charts, a strange rumor exploded across college campuses and late-night radio waves: Paul McCartney was dead. According to the theory, Paul died in a fiery car crash in late 1966, and rather than devastate fans worldwide, the remaining Beatles — with alleged help from British intelligence — replaced him with a lookalike named Billy Shears. To ease their guilt or slyly share the truth, they began leaving cryptic clues in lyrics, album artwork, and even backmasked recordings. The result? A full-blown pop culture phenomenon that had fans poring over Beatles records like ancient scrolls.
Here are 20 of the most iconic and widely cited “Paul is dead” clues that kept a generation of fans guessing.
1. “Turn Me On, Dead Man” – Revolution 9
When fans played the experimental White Album track Revolution 9 in reverse, many claimed to hear the phrase “Turn me on, dead man” repeated clearly. This eerie line, combined with the track’s already nightmarish soundscape, seemed to point directly to a hidden message about Paul’s death, sparking one of the theory’s most persistent audio clues.
2. Abbey Road as a Funeral Procession
The Abbey Road cover became Exhibit A for the conspiracy. John, dressed in white, was interpreted as a priest; Ringo, in black, the undertaker; George, in denim, the gravedigger; and Paul — barefoot, out of step with the others, and holding a cigarette in his right hand despite being left-handed — was seen as the corpse. Fans believed this “funeral procession” was a symbolic farewell to the real Paul.
Source: thatericalper.com/Eric Alper
