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The other day I blogged about John Lennon's 1972 album Some Time in New York City, calling it "the worst album Lennon ever released ... musically and artistically abysmal." That being said, it still has moments of brilliance. One such moment is the vocal harmony on 'Born in a Prison'. In pop music, harmony in parallel thirds are by far the most common type of vocal harmony. But in 'Born in a Prison', John and Yoko sing in parallel fifths (shown in blue in the example below) and parallel fourths (shown in red), giving the music an oriental character.  The Beatles typically used thirds, as well, but occasionally implemented fourths and fifths. This might be best illustrated in the bridges of 'Eight Days A Week' and in the choruses of 'Every Little Thing', both of which use both parallel fifths (blue) and fourths (red).   A more recent example is Lorde's 2013 'Royals', which uses parallel fifths in the choruses.  I return to Massachusetts tomorrow for the third of four consecutive "Band of the Sixties":
Thursday, 6 October 2016, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Milford Town Library, 80 Spruce St, Milford, MA The Beatles: Band of the Sixties Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members.
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Yesterday I discussed the lydian plagal cadence, and how the lydian leanings of the II chord were sometimes thwarted by the plagal cadence that immediately followed it. It lead me to wonder what other ways The Beatles use the II chord. There are two aspects that must be considered when analyzing how the II functions in Beatles songs: first, how it's approached (in other words, what comes immediately before the II); second, how it progresses (what comes immediately after the II). 72 of The Beatles' 211 officially recorded and released tracks between 1963-70 employ at least one II chord. The list below shows precisely how each song's II chords are approached and how they progress. [4] 'Ask Me Why' II: 2 approach: iv x2 progress: V x2 [9] 'Hold Me Tight' II: 10 approach: ii x2, IV x8 progress: V x10 [9b] 'Anna (Go To Him)' II: 2 approach: IV x2 progress: V x2 [10] 'From Me To You' II: 2 approach: IV x2 progress: V x2 [12] 'She Loves You' II: 3 approach: vi x3 progress: IV x1, iv x2 [13] 'I'll Get You' II: 1 approach: I x1 progress: V x1 [13b] 'You Really Got A Hold On Me' II: 3 approach: IV x3 progress: V x3 [13d] 'Devil In Her Heart' II: 3 approach: iv x3 progress: V x3 [13e] 'Till There Was You' II: 2 approach: ii x2 progress: V x2 [14] 'It Won't Be Long' II: 1 approach: bIII x1 progress: bII x1 [16] 'I Wanna Be Your Man' II: 6 approach: I x3, VI x3 progress: V x6 [17] 'Little Child' II: 8 approach: I x2, IV x5, VI x1 progress: V x8 [20] 'Don't Bother Me' II: 10 approach: III x10 progress: I x10 [22] 'This Boy' II: 1 approach: IV x1 progress: V x1 [30] 'I Call Your Name' II: 8 approach: Ø x1, iv x2, VI x5 progress: IV x4, V x2, bVI x2 [32] 'I'll Cry Instead' II: 4 approach: iii x2, vi x2 progress: V x4 [33] 'I'll Be Back' II: 1 approach: vi x1 progress: IV x1 [35] 'Things We Said Today' II: 4 approach: IV x4 progress: V x4 [36] 'When I Get Home' II: 5 approach: IV x5 progress: V x5 [37] 'Baby's In Black' II: 2 approach: vi x2 progress: IV x2 [40] 'I Don't Want To Spoil the Party' II: 4 approach: vi x4 progress: IV x4 [41] 'What You're Doing' II: 26 approach: I x19, vi x7 progress: Ø x2, I x15, vi x9 [43] 'Eight Days A Week' II: 20 approach: I x14, vi x6 progress: I x4, IV x16 [46] 'I'll Follow the Sun' II: 10 approach: I x5, iii x5 progress: I x5, V x5 [48] 'Another Girl' II: 2 approach: Ø x2 progress: I x2 [49] 'I Need You' II: 2 approach: V x2 progress: V x2 [50] 'Yes It Is' II: 2 approach: I x2 progress: V x2 [52] 'You Like Me Too Much' II: 6 approach: iii x2, vi x4 progress: iii x2, V x2, VI x2 [59] 'Yesterday' II: 5 approach: vi x5 progress: IV x5 [60b] 'Act Naturally' II: 2 approach: I x2 progress: V x2 [61] 'Wait' II: 4 approach: Ø x2, vi x2 progress: V x4 [64] 'Drive My Car' II: 4 approach: vi x4 progress: V x4 [65] 'Day Tripper' II: 3 approach: I x3 progress: Ø x3 [67] 'In My Life' II: 3 approach: vi x3 progress: iv x3 [75] 'You Won't See Me' II: 15 approach: I x15 progress: IV x13, V x2 [89] 'I Want to Tell You' II: 6 approach: I x6 progress: ii x2, V x4 [90] 'Good Day Sunshine' II: 6 approach: VI x6 progress: V x6 [94] 'When I'm Sixty-Four' II: 3 approach: VI x3 progress: V x3 [97] 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' II: 9 approach: Ø x1, I x8 progress: IV x8, V x1 [99] 'Fixing A Hole' II: 6 approach: V x6 progress: V x6 [100] 'Only A Northern Song' II: 4 approach: bVI x4 progress: V x4 [102] 'Lovely Rita' II: 6 approach: vi x6 progress: V x6 [103] 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds' II: 4 approach: I x4 progress: Ø x2, V x2 [106] 'She's Leaving Home' II: 12 approach: vi x12 progress: I x2, IV x1, V x5, vi x4 [108] 'Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)' II: 4 approach: I x4 progress: Ø x1, IV x1, V x2 [112] 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)' II: 7 approach: vi x7 progress: IV x7 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know' II: 7 approach: VI x7 progress: V x7 [116] 'I Am The Walrus' II: 7 approach: Ø x1, bIII x2, V x1, bVI x3 progress: Ø x1, I x3, bIII x3 [120] 'Hello Goodbye' II: 1 approach: i x1 progress: IV x1 [128] 'Blackbird' II: 7 approach: I x7 progress: V x7 [130] 'Good Night' II: 1 approach: ii x1 progress: v x1 [133] 'Cry Baby Cry' II: 7 approach: vi x7 progress: bVII x7 [135] 'Sexy Sadie' II: 2 approach: IV x2 progress: bII x2 [138] 'Mother Nature's Son' II: 5 approach: vi x5 progress: I x1, V x4 [140] 'Rocky Raccoon' II: 17 approach: vi x17 progress: V x17 [144] 'Glass Onion' * TOTAL II: 11 approach: I x4, IV x7 progress: Ø x1, I x1, iii x3, IV x6 * = 'Glass Onion' is harmonically ambiguous, which means its numbers could easily be interpreted otherwise. The above accounts for interpretations in both C major and in a minor. [147] 'Piggies' II: 9 approach: V x1, vi x8 progress: V x5, vi x4 [149] 'Honey Pie' II: 12 approach: I x1, VI x7, vi x4 progress: I x2, V x10 [150] 'Savoy Truffle' II: 4 approach: I x4 progress: IV x4 [151] 'Martha My Dear' II: 8 approach: V x2, VI x4, vi x2 progress: V x5, vi x3 [163] For You Blue' II: 1 approach: IV x1 progress: V x1 [166] 'One After 909' II: 4 approach: I x4 progress: V x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)' II: 6 approach: i x6 progress: bVI x6 [170] 'Something' II: 8 approach: IV x4, vi x4 progress: IV x4, V x4 [171] 'Oh! Darling' II: 2 approach: I x2 progress: V x2 [172] 'Octopus's Garden' II: 1 approach: I x1 progress: Ø x1 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money' II: 3 approach: I x3 progress: bIII x3 [174] 'Her Majesty' II: 2 approach: I x2 progress: V x2 [177] 'Here Comes The Sun' II: 5 approach: IV x5 progress: I x5 [178] 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer' II: 8 approach: I x5, V x3 progress: V x8 [180] 'The End' II: 3 approach: I x1, IV x2 progress: bIII x1, V x2 [181] 'Sun King' II: 2 approach: IV x2 progress: I x1, IV x1 Those 72 tracks use a total of 396 II chords, which break down as follows: APPROACH Ø : 7 instances (1.8%) in 5 songs
I : 122 instances (30.8%) in 25 songs
ii: 5 instances (1.3%) in 3 songs
bIII: 3 instances (0.8%) in 2 songs
III: 10 instances (2.5%) in 1 song
iii: 9 instances (2.3%) in 2 songs
IV: 55 instances (13.9%) in 16 songs
iv : 5 instances (1.3%) in 2 songs
V: 15 instances (3.8%) in 6 songs
bVI: 7 instances (1.8%) in 2 songs
VI: 36 instances (9.1%) in 8 songs
vi : 115 instances (29.0%) in 22 songs
PROGRESS: Ø : 11 instances (2.8%) in 7 songs
I: 51 instances (12.9%) in 12 songs
ii: 2 instances (0.5%) in 1 song
bIII: 7 instances (1.8%) in 3 songs
iii: 5 instances (1.3%) in 2 songs
IV: 79 instances (19.9%) in 17 songs
iv: 5 instances (1.3%) in 2 songs
V: 195 instances (49.2%) in 47 songs
v: 1 instance (0.3%) in 1 song
bVI: 8 instances (2.0%) in 2 songs
VI: 2 instances (0.5%) in 1 song
vi: 20 instances (5.1%) in 4 songs
bVII: 7 instances (1.8%) in 1 song
To illustrate of this information visually, here are two pie graphs: the first showing how II chords are approached, the second showing how II chords progress.   I visit Vermont for the second time in my career tomorrow night:
Wednesday, 5 October 2016, 7:00-8:00 p.m. Rutland Free Library, 10 Court St, Rutland, VT The Beatles: Band of the Sixties Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members. Yesterday I blogged about flat mediant plagal cadences (bIII-IV-I), citing all 12 Beatles tracks that use it, and four non-Beatles examples. It has led me to another, slightly less common progression that is very similar: II-IV-I. This might be dubbed a "lydian plagal cadence" because the II, with its raised fourth, implies the lydian mode, which is then thwarted by the textbook IV-I plagal cadence. 10 Beatles tracks employ at least one lydian plagal cadence. 'She Loves You'  'Eight Days A Week'  'Yesterday' There is a certain bittersweet character to lydian plagals. The raised fourth of the II chord noticeably brightens the music, giving it certain optimism. But that lydian brightness is immediately countered by the non raised fourth of the subsequent IV which noticeably darkens the music. While this bittersweetness does not appear to play a role in 'She Loves You' or 'Eight Days A Week', it sure does in 'Yesterday', reflecting the nostalgic melancholy found in the lyrics.  'You Won't See Me' Though substantially less gloomy than 'Yesterday', the use of lydian plagals in 'You Won't See Me' also reflects love lost.  'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' and its reprise  The reprise is noteworthy for the flat median plagal cadence immediately following the lydian plagal cadence.  'She's Leaving Home' The bittersweet character of the lydian plagal cadence explored in 'Yesterday' and to a lesser extent in 'You Won't See Me' is reprized in 'She's Leaving Home'.  The above seven tracks all feature textbook examples of lydian plagal cadences. But there are three more Beatles tracks that feature unusual variations of lydian plagals 'I Call Your Name' This one adds mode mixture to the formula. The major IV is followed by a minor iv, before resolving to I.  'Hello Goodbye' The end of the song proper (not including the "Heya, hey hey aloha" coda) employs a cadence unique among Beatles music. It is indeed a lydian plagal, but the II is inverted (#4 in the bass instead of 2) and is preceded by a bVI6 and i/5. Very unusual and also very cool harmony!  'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)' While this tune technically does employ a II-IV-I progression, they are incongruent constituents (despite being contiguous, they're more or less unrelated). Cadences by definition CONCLUDE phrases, and in this case there are two distinct phrases (indicated in the analysis below through two different lines), the first of which ends with a II and the second of which starts with a IV-I. So while 'YKMN' satisfies the "lydian" and "plagal" labels, it does NOT satisfy the "cadence" label. In other words, yes, it is a II-IV-I progression, it just doesn't function as a lydian plagal cadence because it's not a cadence - the II and the IV-I are parts of different phrases. Every other example I've cited so far IS a cadence because they conclude phrases. So, to be thorough in my catalog of how The Beatles use lydian plagal cadences, I include it, but with this caveat.  Lastly, here are a couple more recent example of the same progression. Cee Lo Green: 'Forget You' (2010)  Dierks Bentley: 'Somewhere On A Beach' (2016)  The tour continues with 4 consecutive days of "The Beatles: Band of the Sixties", the first of which comes tomorrow evening.
Tuesday, 4 October 2016, 6:30-7:30 p.m. East Longmeadow Library, 60 Center Square # 2, East Longmeadow, MA The Beatles: Band of the Sixties Explore the music of The Beatles in this 60-minute multimedia presentation (part history and part musical analysis) spanning the full 1960's: beginning with the band's seminal visits to Hamburg, continuing through Beatlemania, and concluding with Abbey Road. The program will be supplemented with audio clips of music and excerpts from interviews with the band members While driving past New York City out to New England for October's lecture tour (30 speaking engagements in the next 27 days!), I listened to John Lennon's 1972 Some Time In New York City. In my opinion, it's the worst album Lennon ever released! While I appreciate the feminist philosophy behind songs like 'Woman is the Nigger of the World' and 'Sisters, O Sisters', they're musically and artistically abysmal. But I also appreciated that the choruses of 'Attica State' used a particular chord progression that might be called a "flat mediant plagal cadence" because the plagal motion (IV-I) is preceded by a flat mediant (bIII), making the complete cadence bIII-IV-I.  It's one of the cliches of pop music that is extremely rare in classical contexts. The Beatles, for example, would use the same progression in twelve different tracks. I associate it most with the choruses of both title tracks of Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967), arguably the band's best album.   But they first used it in 1965's 'The Night Before' to connect verses (counting the solo as a verse iteration)...  ... and 'The Word', recorded about eight months after 'The Night Before':  Since 'Magical Mystery Tour' (1967) is in many ways a sequel to 'Sgt. Pepper's', it should come as no surprise that this flat mediant plagal cadence returns throughout the MMT verses.  'Helter Skelter' (1968) uses flat mediant plagals at the end of each verse...  ... as does 'Mother Nature's Son' ...  ... and 'Back in the USSR', all from the same year.  The Beatles also chose to conclude The Abbey Road Medley (1969) with perhaps the most obvious or important flat mediant plagal cadence they ever used, at the very end of 'The End':  So far, all of these are Paul songs. But there is one John song that uses flat mediant plagals: 'I Am the Walrus' (1967).  And there are two George Harrison songs: 'Think For Yourself' (1965) ...  ... and 'Only A Northern Song' (1967).  Of course, The Beatles are not the only band to use this progression. I vividly recall the first time I became consciously aware of this progression in Fatboy Slim's 1998 mega-hit 'The Rockafeller Skank':  Shortly before that, Savage Garden used it in the choruses of their own mega-hit 'I Want You' (1996):  And 'You Oughta Know' from Alanis Morisette's 1995 album Jagged Little Pill uses it, too:  More recently, in 2011, Parachute released 'Something To Believe In':  Indeed there are a great many more songs that use this progression - far too many to create an exhaustive list here. Meanwhile, the tour proper begins tomorrow. And what better place to speak about John F. Kennedy than in his home state of Massachusetts?:
Monday, 3 October 2016, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wilbraham Public Library, 25 Crane Park Dr, Wilbraham, MA From the Shadow of JFK: The Rise of Beatlemania in America Many Beatles authors have cited John F. Kennedy's assassination on 22 November 1963 as a cause of the Beatles' sudden popularity in the United States in early 1964. Their logic: Kennedy's assassination made America sad, then the Beatles made America happy again. But this commonly accepted answer is overly simplistic. The real answer is that Kennedy's life and death inadvertently primed the nation for the Beatles' arrival and success. This 60-minute program will explain how and why. |
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