As perhaps the most famous band of all time the Beatles have been the subject of their fair share of conspiracy theories. Yet between speculation about coded messages in “Helter Skelter” and urban legends about John Lennon meeting aliens, the idea that Paul McCartney died long ago and was replaced by someone else has endured longer than any other. This wild claim is said to have occurred at the height of the Beatles’ fame and proposes that John, George and Ringo somehow managed to find the perfect replacement for Paul in the blink of an eye.
The notorious “Paul is dead” theory not only boggles the mind with its sheer ridiculousness, but also McCartney had an almost equally impressive career with his post-Beatles bandWings, and as a solo artist, meaning the new Paul was arguably even more talented than the original. Those who swear by this bizarre theory are not without proof, as some have pointed to clues in the Beatles’ songs and album covers that suggest the original McCartney may no longer be of this world.
The Paul Is Dead Theory Explained
Some claim that McCartney died during the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band sessions
The urban legend that Paul McCartney died and was replaced by a lookalike starting in 1966 but it gained wide popularity in 1969 after being discussed on American college radio. The story goes that a caller told Detroit WKNR-FM DJ Russ Gibb on the live rumor (via Detroit News), and the host discussed the theory and its clues with more people over the next hour. The idea behind this was that McCartney died in a car accident and, to spare the public the grief, the Beatles, along with the British MI5, quickly found a suitable replacement.
McCartney argued with his bandmates during the Sergeant Peppers recording sessions and was so distracted when he left in anger that he crashed his car.
Although there have been different versions of this conspiracy over the years, the most repeated aspects of the legend claim that McCartney argued with his bandmates during the Sergeant Peppers recording sessions and was so distracted when he left in anger that he crashed his car and died. Some have said that the Beatles held a similar competition to find their new Paul, while other iterations of the story claim that MI5 thought McCartney’s death would be so distressing to fans that it would be dangerous to let his death be known to the public.
Why People Believed Paul McCartney Was Replaced
The Beatles are believed to have left clues about Paul’s death in their songs
Although false reports of celebrity deaths happen all the time, some people believed the ‘Paul is dead’ conspiracy because of the “evidence” found by theorists. Whether they were clues left in the Beatles song, such as “Lovely Rita”, representing the meter maid who distracted Paul at the approaching red light, or McCartney barefoot on the cover of Abbey Road symbolizing his corpse, as people are often buried without shoes. Fans have also speculated that John Lennon spoke the words “I buried Paul” in the final section of “Strawberry Fields Forever,” although he later claimed to have said “cranberry sauce.”
McCartney himself acknowledged this in interviews where he described him as “stupid blood.”
Once the rumor spread, it was impossible to stop people from speculating about it. Eventually it grew so much that the Beatles‘the press office issued a statement calling him “lots of old rubbish“(through New York Times.) McCartney himself acknowledged this in interviews where he described him as “stupid blood” and said: “I’d rather be a little less famous these days“(through Beatles interviews.) Although McCartney became frustrated with the rumor during the 1960s, he later developed a sense of humor about the whole thing, even jokingly calling his 1993 live album a joke. Paulo is live.
Sources: Detroit News, New York Times, Beatles interviews