There are many outrageous conspiracies out there. Don’t lie, we all love a mind-boggling conspiracy theory. Well, I am no random YouTuber doing a video, but buckle in because this about to get a little wild.  

In 1969, a rumor started that Paul McCartney from The Beatles had died in a car accident. Supposedly, McCartney slid off an icy road and crashed his car into a tree on Nov. 9, 1966. This is the root of the “Paul is Dead” theory. People believe that The Beatles replaced McCartney with a man named Billy Shears who looked exactly like McCartney. Apparently, Billy Shears could act and sing just like McCartney to cover up his death.  

A lot of people look at the band’s album covers to find hidden clues. The album packaging for “Sargent Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band” had many clues. On the front, it is said that The Beatles are attending a funeral for McCartney. On the jacket that McCartney is wearing, there is a patch that says, “OPD.” People thought that this stood for “Officially Pronounced Dead,” but it really stood for “Ontario Provincial Police.”  

There are more clues on the back of the album. George Harrison’s finger points to the words “Wednesday morning at 5 o’clock.” This is when McCartney supposedly died. Plus, McCartney is the only one facing backwards on the back of the album.  

The “White” album leads us to more clues. The album has a song called “Revolution 9.” In the beginning of the song, “number nine” is repeated multiple times, but people spun the record backwards to find a chilling clue. When played backwards, it supposedly says, “turn me on, dead man.” On the same album, in between the songs “I’m so tired” and “Blackbird,” people have pointed out that you can hear John Lennon say, “Paul is dead, man, miss him, miss him.” Creepy, right?  

The most famous piece of evidence comes from the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” At the end of the song, John Lennon supposedly says “I buried Paul.” This was debunked because the lyrics were actually “cranberry sauce,” but many people still think that it is the other way around.   

You may have seen the famous “Abbey Road” album cover. It shows the four members crossing the street. People think that this was a funeral procession. John Lennon is wearing white because he is the preacher. Ringo Starr is wearing black because he is the undertaker. George Harrison wears blue jeans and casual clothes because he is a grave digger. Then McCartney wears black because he is supposedly dead and is out of step with the others. 

Whether you believe it or not, this conspiracy is out there. Many members of The Beatles have said that this is all false and that Paul McCartney is alive and well. I also believe that it was all just a hoax, but it is interesting to see all the clues. Who knows, maybe we have been listening to Billy Shears all this time?

Ellen Dooley is a freshman special education major. She can be contacted at 581-2812 or emdooley@eiu.edu.