Sub-Rosa Subway
Encyclopedia
Sub-Rosa Subway is a song written by the Canadian progressive rock
band Klaatu, from their album 3:47 EST
, describing the efforts of Alfred Ely Beach
to create the original New York Subway. His work is described as secretive (hence sub rosa
). The song made it to #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976 as the B-side to Calling Occupants.
The song is best known for sparking the rumour that the band was The Beatles
in disguise. The vocals and instrumentals are in a Beatlesque style with chord progressions similar to the Beatles' "Blackbird" and "It's All Too Much", as an homage to the band.
Two minutes and fifty seconds into the song, a long message in Morse code
plays in the background. John Woloschuk, in an article in the fan magazine The Morning Sun, finally provided a translation of the code:
"From Alfred, heed thy sharpened ear — A message we do bring — Starship appears upon our sphere — Through London's sky come spring."
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
band Klaatu, from their album 3:47 EST
3:47 EST
The album ends with a mouse squeak.-Origin of the title:In the 1951 science fiction film The Day the Earth Stood Still, the alien emissary Klaatu arrives in Washington, D.C. at 3:47 in the afternoon Eastern Standard Time...
, describing the efforts of Alfred Ely Beach
Alfred Ely Beach
Alfred Ely Beach was an American inventor, publisher and patent lawyer, born in Springfield, Massachusetts.-Early years:Beach was born in Springfield, Massachusetts and was the son of a prominent publisher, Moses Beach...
to create the original New York Subway. His work is described as secretive (hence sub rosa
Sub rosa
The Latin phrase sub rosa means "under the rose" and is used in English to denote secrecy or confidentiality, similar to the Chatham House Rule....
). The song made it to #62 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1976 as the B-side to Calling Occupants.
The song is best known for sparking the rumour that the band was The Beatles
The Beatles
The Beatles were an English rock band, active throughout the 1960s and one of the most commercially successful and critically acclaimed acts in the history of popular music. Formed in Liverpool, by 1962 the group consisted of John Lennon , Paul McCartney , George Harrison and Ringo Starr...
in disguise. The vocals and instrumentals are in a Beatlesque style with chord progressions similar to the Beatles' "Blackbird" and "It's All Too Much", as an homage to the band.
Two minutes and fifty seconds into the song, a long message in Morse code
Morse code
Morse code is a method of transmitting textual information as a series of on-off tones, lights, or clicks that can be directly understood by a skilled listener or observer without special equipment...
plays in the background. John Woloschuk, in an article in the fan magazine The Morning Sun, finally provided a translation of the code:
"From Alfred, heed thy sharpened ear — A message we do bring — Starship appears upon our sphere — Through London's sky come spring."