Bite Me (song)

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“Bite Me”
“Bite Me” cover
Song by "Weird Al" Yankovic
Album Off the Deep End
Format CD
Recorded January 27, 1992
Genre Comedy
Length 0:06
Label Scotti Brothers
Producer "Weird Al" Yankovic
Off the Deep End track listing
  1. "Smells Like Nirvana"
  2. "Trigger Happy"
  3. "I Can't Watch This"
  4. "Polka Your Eyes Out"
  5. "I Was Only Kidding"
  6. "The White Stuff"
  7. "When I Was Your Age"
  8. "Taco Grande"
  9. "Airline Amy"
  10. "The Plumbing Song"
  11. "You Don't Love Me Anymore"
  12. "Bite Me" (Hidden Track)

"Bite Me" is a song by "Weird Al" Yankovic, from his album Off The Deep End. It is commonly considered a pastiche of Nirvana's hidden track "Endless, Nameless," which appeared on their 1991 album, Nevermind. It is a hidden track on most CDs.

Contents

[edit] Contents

The song, which is the last track of the album, consists of only six seconds of cacophony, following ten minutes of silence after the previous track "You Don't Love Me Anymore". Al wanted a way to scare listeners who neglect to turn the CD off[2]. This track was present in the CD version of this album, but not the cassette version. An edited 3-second version is played after the end credits of each episode of The Weird Al Show.

[edit] Backmasking

When "Bite Me" is reversed and slowed down three times (roughly 800%), a hidden song becomes audible. This was discovered in 2004, and the song was determined in 2006 to be "Tears of the Earth" by David Hallyday, which was also released under the Scotti Bros. label. The song is faint, but clearly heard at about 0:17 (of the slowed down version). The faint lyrics include:

When we cannot ask the forest for a moment's shade,
Though every ray of sun cuts like a razorblade
And we cannot ask the river for water,
If she has none!

It is unknown as to who is responsible, it has been theorized that, since Hallyday was formerly on Scotti Bros., it might have been an intentional addition, other people have stated that it was a complete accident that went unnoticed. Some people have also claimed that it was put in the song by Tony Papa, Yankovic's chief engineer, who was in charge of mixing the album. Additionally, Yankovic has never made a public comment about the hidden song, so it is unknown if he even knows about the snippet.[1]

As similar incidents have occurred in the past, it seems most likely that the 'easter egg' is nothing more than the result of the sound collage being dubbed onto a second-hand tape. Another notable incident of this sort can be heard at the end of Pink Floyd's Dark Side Of The Moon, in which the song "Eclipse" appears to fade into a barely audible, string-based cover of the Beatles' "Ticket To Ride" - the result of Floyd's recording being placed over top of a previous recording on that tape.

Though none of the cacophonous sounds of "Bite Me" become recognizable when the piece is reversed and reduced in speed, the leakage of "Tears Of The Earth" appears to be on the recording of the strange, metallic squeaks that appear reversed and sped up when the track is played normally.

[edit] References

  1. ^ The "Weird Al" Forums: Easter Eggs at [1];retrieved on November 23, 2007

[edit] See also