Back in the late 1960’s, rumours were circulating that Paul McCartney had died in a car crash and been replaced by lookalike William Campbell (AKA Sheppard or Shears). Well could it have happened ? Is Ringo the last surviving Beatle ?
The story varies depending on the source but it generally goes something like this; Paul had a car accident early one Wednesday morning at 5 am in late 1966. He’d eyed up a pretty traffic warden, and missed traffic lights changing to red. He wasn’t killed straight away but his car then burst into flames leaving him badly burned and unrecognisable. A crowd of people gathered around but no one could save him. He later died from wounds to his head (and lost his teeth and hair). A local reporter prepared an article but it was censored by the Beatles and then manager Brian Epstein. A lookalike competition winner and (handily) talented musician, William Campbell, was approached to take over and the Beatles continue without Paul. Afterwards, because the Beatles couldn’t tell us up front about it they gave us hints and clues in a more subtle way.
Another story claims that both Paul and Brian Epstein were kidnapped, and everything went horribly wrong, resulting in their deaths. The UK government, aware of the commercial power of the Beatles, had everything hushed up and the remaining Beatles reluctantly agreed to go along with the story. A replacement was found for both Brian and Paul. Unfortunately the ‘fake’ Brian found the pressure intolerable and ended it all.
John Lennon was put under the watchful eye of agent ‘Yoko Ono’ so subtly decided he would place clues in his songs to the real horrific truth. “I buried Paul” – was disguised as “Cranberry Sauce” on Strawberry Fields”, the inner groove of Sgt. Pepper contains the hidden message “Paul who died he soon came back” when played backwards. Amongst many lyrics hidden away are “he say one and one and one is three. Got to be good looking cause he’s so hard to see…” on the song Come Together (the Beatles were now 3 and the replacement for Paul is so good as you can’t notice the difference)…The cover is obviously that of a funeral procession and Paul is curiously holding a cigarette in his right hand (he was left-handed). He is also walking barefoot (a sign in some cultures that he couldn’t afford shoes) but generally accepted as a sign of death. The VW Beetle (appropriate!) also has the registration LMW 28IF ..a secret sign meaning that Linda McCartney Weeps and Paul would reach 28 if he had lived…or whatever you want. It could just as easily have been Lennon Mostly Wonders if Paul had lived to be 28. However, having had enough of the whole damned thing, Lennon eventually broke the group up and left a final clue on his song “How Do You Sleep”
“”Those freaks was right when they said you was dead; the one mistake you made was in your head.”
“A pretty face may last a year or two, but pretty soon they’ll see what you can do.”
“The sound you make is muzak to my ears; you must have learned something in all those years.” “The only thing you done was yesterday, now you’re just another day”
You can read the rest of the themes on this story at various websites. One of the most enduring has been that the replacement Paul McCartney is noticeably vocally different and around 3 inches taller than the original Paul. They use a multitude of sound samples and photographs of the new Paul noticeably towering over George and John to prove their point.
It is very thought-provoking but once you examine it does it have any basis in fact? Evidence presented that not only are the voice and facial features wrong but also that Paul had now mysteriously grown have little substance once you look at it . The easiest and most common photo of the Beatles standing alongside each other is to use the cover of Abbey Rd. Paul doesn’t look that much taller to me.
But let’s play along with the rumour and assume that ‘Billy Shears’ left his own clues in his solo material. If you look hard enough you will find it.
Having trawled the McCartney solo songbook you can still spot his clues to the fact that the real Paul died and was replaced. Here’s a few I’ve found.
On the album ‘Ram’ ,Billy sings
That Was Your First Mistake
You Took Your Lucky Break And Broke It In Two
Now What Can Be Done For You
You Broke It In Two
Indicating that he had got lucky and then split up the Beatles. This was announced on the release of the McCartney solo album in a press statement by Billy.
On the famous ‘Band on the Run’ single…Billy sings
Well, The Undertaker Drew A Heavy Sigh Seeing No One Else Had Come
Paul’s funeral ..no one there because no one knew he was dead.
On McCartney II he sings a song called ‘Nobody Knows’
Which One Of You Can Tell Me
What It Is I’m Looking At
Anyone Who Can
Has Got To Be A Crazy Cat
‘Cause I Believe That
That Nobody Knows, No Nobody Knows
Yeah, Nobody Knows
Is he telling us still that ‘Nobody Knows’ he’s really Billy?
On the ‘Pipes of Peace’ the track ‘The Man’ seems to suggest some more clues
There’s A Man
Everybody Thought They Knew
There’s Such A Man
He’s Not Like Me And You
And finally the song ‘My Brave Face’ is obviously about the large amount of plastic surgery Billy underwent and he can no longer remember what he truly looks like…
Now That I’m Alone Again
I Can’t Stop Breaking Down Again,
The Simplest Things Set Me Off Again
And Take Me To That Place
Where I Can’t Find My Brave Face
Still not convinced that Paul McCartney is an imposter? Well I’m afraid neither am I….
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