Satan, Subliminals, and Suicide: The Formation and Development of an Antirock Discourse in the United States during the 1980s

On May 16, 1985, the American news program 20/20 featured a segment entitled "The Devil Worshippers." In his introduction to the segment, news anchor Hugh Downs explained that "[there] have been a series of criminal acts reported around the country that have had unique characteristics that [link] them together. And the source of all this is the apparent practice of Satanism. That's worship of the devil."¹ Over the course of the next half hour, reporter Tom Jarriel, law enforcement officials, psychologists, and former cult members described a variety of "perverse, hideous acts that defy belief." In addition to reports of churches and graves being desecrated with satanic symbols (including inverted pentagrams and the number 666), "The Devil Worshippers" described how reports of murders, missing and abused children, and the slaughter of animals may be associated with satanic rituals and ceremonies.

In one of the most memorable scenes from "The Devil Worshippers," Jarriel enters a videocassette store to show how easy it is for young people to rent or buy films with occult themes, including The Exorcist, The Omen, Amityville Horror, and Rosemary's Baby. Next, Jarriel enters a bookstore, where he pulls copies of The Satanic Bible and The Satanic Rituals from the shelves (both books written by Anton LaVey, the founder of the Church of Satan). Finally, Jarriel is shown in a record store, where, he claims, the "satanic message is clear, both in the album covers and in the lyrics, which are reaching impressionable young minds." As Jarriel's voice-over continues, Mötley Crüe's song "Shout at the Devil" plays in the background as viewers are shown album covers by heavy metal acts Ozzy Osbourne (Blizzard of Oz), Iron Maiden (The Number of the Beast), and Black Sabbath (Born Again). "And the musical message comes across loud and clear," Jarriel continues, "at concerts and now through rock videos. The symbolism is all there: the satanic pentagram, the upside-down cross, the blank eyes of the beast, the rebellion against Christianity, and again and again, the obsession with death."

Citing findings by police, Jarriel describes how heavy metal album covers, lyrics, videos, and live performances are influencing children and teenagers, including a "growing subculture that mixes heavy metal music with drugs and the occult." Furthermore, Jarriel continues, evidence gathered at murder scenes and suicides suggests links between heavy metal music and occult rituals. "How often do you find heavy metal music indicators at the scene of a crime involving devil worship?" Jarriel asks a police officer. "Probably about thirty-five, forty percent of the calls," the officer responds. Jarriel also describes how "in addition to groups that are blatantly satanic, there are also many recordings which some believe may contain satanic references in the form of backward messages." The scene cuts to show Jarriel sitting in a radio broadcasting booth with Chris Edmonds, a disk jockey. Edmonds plays a segment of Led Zeppelin's song "Stairway to Heaven" forward and, before playing the same segment of music backward, tells Jarriel that "a lot of people hear the phrase 'my sweet Satan.'" After being told what to listen for when the section is played backward, Jarriel has no trouble hearing the hidden message: "my sweet Satan."

When the segment first aired in May 1985, the claims presented in "The Devil Worshippers" linking heavy metal music to Satanism were probably familiar to most American viewers. Since the early 1980s, a number of antirock preachers, politicians, and concerned parents had been engaged in a battle with many forms of contemporary rock and pop music, not just heavy metal. For these antirock activists, lyrical descriptions and visual depictions that glorified and promoted violence, sex, drug and alcohol abuse, and Satanism were symptomatic not only of the declining moral standards of many forms of popular entertainment (including television and film) but also of the overall moral decay of America. At the same time, many of these antirock activists argued that a great deal of contemporary music they deemed "objectionable" was dangerous through its...