10 Things You Didn't Know About Famous Music Album Covers
4. Abbey Road - The Beatles (1969)
Before QAnon was spouting rumours about the resurrection of JFK, flat Earth theory, and the return of Donald Trump as the divine emperor of the globe, conspiracy theorists contented themselves with less existentially threatening notions. One of the most humorous was the idea that (the real) Paul McCartney was in fact dead by the time the Abbey Road photo was taken.
Rumours of McCartney's death had been flying around ever since he crashed his car in 1966. Conspiracy theorists claimed the 'McCartney' presented to the public was an imposter, and that clues had been laced throughout various Beatles songs, ever since.
This album cover all but confirmed this theory for those who believed it. The iconic crossing was said to symbolise a funeral procession: Lennon, dressed all in white, conjured up images of a religious figure conducting the service; Ringo, dressed all in black, symbolised mourning; McCartney's lack of shoes, was said to reference certain cultural burial traditions; and Harrison dressed in blue, was supposed to represent the grave digger.
On top of that, the car in the background had a number plate containing the digits 28, the age McCartney would have supposedly been if he was alive. For any believers, McCartney would have been 27 at this time. But, hey, it's a fun theory...