10 Best Easter Eggs in Music That Aren’t by Taylor Swift

For many fans of pop superstar Taylor Swift, each release isn’t just about the music—it’s about the Easter eggs, or hidden messages, from references to past work to hints at what may be to come. But Swift is far from the only musician to use Easter eggs in her work. The practice has a long history. While some Easter eggs are relatively simple and fun, others are more complex, demonstrating the creativity and brilliance of their creators, and they provide an enhanced experience for fans.

1. Bach’s Musical Cryptograms
2. The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat Cover
3. Rush’s “YYZ”
4. Pink Floyd’s “Empty Spaces”
5. “Weird Al” Yankovic’s “I Remember Larry”
6. David Bowie’s Blackstar
7. Radiohead’s Kid A
8. Tool’s 10,000 Days
9. Aphex Twin’s “Equation” or “Formula”
10. Jack White’s Lazaretto

Bach’s Musical Cryptograms

Perhaps one of the earliest examples of a musical Easter egg comes from Baroque composer Johann Sebastian Bach, known for using the BACH motif, a series of the notes B flat, A, C, and B natural—in German, B is B flat and H is B natural, meaning the motif actually spelled his name.

The Velvet Underground’s White Light/White Heat Cover

The cover of The Velvet Underground’s second album, White Light/White Heat, isn’t as simple as it seems. While it initially looks to be all black, a black light reveals the skull tattoo on the arm of Joe Spencer, who starred in artist Andy Warhol’s 1967 film Bike Boy. 

Rush’s “YYZ”

Canadian prog-rock band Rush’s instrumental track “YYZ” doesn’t just have a great riff—it also features Morse code. YYZ is the identification code for Toronto Pearson International Airport, the airport closest to the band’s hometown, and the song’s opening features the letters in Morse code.

Pink Floyd’s “Empty Spaces”

Backmasking, or hiding messages in songs that can only be heard when played backwards, has become a famous practice. Rock band Pink Floyd used the technique on The Wall track “Empty Spaces,” which features a hidden message around the 1:12 mark: “Congratulations. You have just discovered the secret message. Please send your answer to Old Pink, care of the Funny Farm, Chalfont,” referencing the album’s main character, Pink.

“Weird Al” Yankovic’s “I Remember Larry”

It’s fitting that master parody artist “Weird Al” Yankovic poked fun at the practice of backmasking and, most notably, the fans who uncovered hidden messages—or those who thought they did. His track “I Remember Larry” features the backwards message, “Wow, you must have an awful lot of free time on your hands!”

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David Bowie’s Blackstar

David Bowie’s final album, the acclaimed Blackstar, is full of secrets for fans to uncover—not even Bowie himself was aware of all of them. When viewed in the sunlight, the album’s gatefold shows an image of stars in the sky, and the stars at the bottom of the cover spell “Bowie.” And the album may hold more secrets waiting to be discovered.

Radiohead’s Kid A

With Kid A, released in 2000, Radiohead laid the groundwork for their following two releases. Some copies of the album included a booklet hidden underneath the CD tray, which featured additional artwork and apparent ramblings that turned out to be song titles and lyrics from 2001’s Amnesiac and 2003’s Hail To The Thief.

Tool’s 10,000 Days

Plenty of albums feature hidden tracks, but Tool took things to another level on 10,000 Days. The song "10,000 Days (Wings Pt. 2)” has a length of 11 minutes and 13 seconds, while the songs “Wings For Marie (Pt. 1)” and “Viginti Tres” together total the same run time. When played at the same time, they create a secret song.

Aphex Twin’s “Equation” or “Formula”

Electronic musician Aphex Twin has hidden a few gems in his songs. His single “Windowlicker” creates a spiral when viewed with a spectral analyzer, but the track’s B-Side is truly impressive. “ΔMi−1 = −αΣn=1NDi[n][Σj∈C[i]Fji[n − 1] +Fexti[n−1]],” better known as “Equation” or “Formula,” features the musician’s face when viewed through a spectrogram. Thanks to fans who have recorded it, you can see it for yourself on YouTube. 

Jack White’s Lazaretto

The vinyl release of Jack White’s album Lazaretto is packed with one fun feature after another, making for an “ultra LP.” It features two hidden tracks underneath the center label, both of which play at different speeds, meaning it’s a three-speed record—plus Side A plays from the outside in. The track “Just One Drink” begins with either an electric or acoustic intro, depending on where the needle is dropped.