The title of this song (and its album, also called "Secret Messages") refer to the fact that, in the early 1980s, several parent groups were concerned about rock bands allegdly using "backwards masking" to insert Satanic messages in their songs.
One such group was pushing to have parental warning labels placed on albums that they determined had these backwards messages. One of the targeted albums was ELO's "Face the Music;" on the song "Fire on High," the band had placed a very obvious (but clearly non-Satanic) backwards verse. (The backwards words? "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back...turn back...turn back..")
In keeping with this theme, the "Secret Messages" album contains numerous backwards-tracked snippets. One line in "Danger Ahead" is played backwards, and there are also little messages sprinkled between some of the tracks (saying such sinister things as "Welcome to the show" and "Thank you for listening").
The title of this song (and its album, also called "Secret Messages") refer to the fact that, in the early 1980s, several parent groups were concerned about rock bands allegdly using "backwards masking" to insert Satanic messages in their songs.
One such group was pushing to have parental warning labels placed on albums that they determined had these backwards messages. One of the targeted albums was ELO's "Face the Music;" on the song "Fire on High," the band had placed a very obvious (but clearly non-Satanic) backwards verse. (The backwards words? "The music is reversible, but time is not. Turn back...turn back...turn back..")
In keeping with this theme, the "Secret Messages" album contains numerous backwards-tracked snippets. One line in "Danger Ahead" is played backwards, and there are also little messages sprinkled between some of the tracks (saying such sinister things as "Welcome to the show" and "Thank you for listening").