Formal structure of [145] "I Will": Verse 1 0:00-0:17 Tag 0:17-0:22 Verse 2 0:22-0:38 Tag (abbr.) 0:38-0:40 Middle 8 0:40-0:59 Verse 3 (ext.) 0:59-1:24 Tag (ext.) 1:24-1:34 Coda (m8) 1:34-1:45 Comments: The structure of "I Will" is very basic and clear. The tag's function is textbook in that it could easily be interpreted as part of the verse. With that in mind, verses 1 and 2 can be seen as contiguous, just as they were in [1] "Love Me Do", [7] "Do You Want to Know a Secret", [8] "Misery", [9b] "Anna (Go To Him)", [9c] "Boys", [9d] "Chains", [9f] Twist and Shout, [10] "From Me To You", [13e] "Till There Was You", [17] "Little Child", [19] "Not a Second Time", [23] "Can't Buy Me Love", [25] "And I Love Her", [26] "I Should Have Known Better", [28] "If I Fell'', [29] "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You", [31] "A Hard Day's Night", [31b] "Matchbox", [32] "I'll Cry Instead", [35] "Things We Said Today", [40] "I Don't Want To Spoil the Party", [41] "What You're Doing", [42] "No Reply", [43] "Eight Days a Week", [44] "She's a Woman", [44b] "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey", [46d] "Words of Love", [47] "Ticket to Ride", [49] "I Need You", [50] "Yes It Is", [51] "The Night Before", [52] "You Like Me Too Much", [54] "Tell Me What You See", 56b] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", [56c] "Bad Boy", [57] "I've Just Seen a Face", [59] "Yesterday", [66] "If I Needed Someone", [68] "We Can Work it Out", [71] "Michelle", [77] "Tomorrow Never Knows", [80] "Paperback Writer", [82] "Doctor Robert", [84] "Taxman", [88] "Yellow Submarine", [89] "I Want To Tell You", [92] "She Said She Said", [95] "Penny Lane", [96] "A Day in the Life", [99] "Fixing a Hole", [100] "Only a Northern Song", [101] "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", [105] "Within You Without You", [111] "All Together Now", [114] "All You Need Is Love", [116] "I Am the Walrus", [122] "Lady Madonna", [126] "Don't Pass Me By", [128] "Blackbird", [129] "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey", [135] "Sexy Sadie", [138] "Mother Nature's Son", [139] "Yer Blues", [140] "Rocky Raccoon", [143] "Dear Prudence", and [144] "Glass Onion". Also, notice how different in duration the tags are - the tag following verse 1 is 5 seconds, while the tag following verse 2 is abbreviated (just 2 seconds), and the tag following verse 3 is extended (10 seconds). The tag following verse 2 is half as long and the notes are slightly different (to reinforce the different harmonies) than the original. Conversely, the tag following verse 3 is twice as long as the original and, though clearly related, also uses different pitches to reinforce the underlying chords. Similarly, the third verse is also extended, which propels the song to its conclusion. These subtle, organic changes (to both the tag and the verse) prevent the very simple macro-scale formal structure from becoming too predictable or repetitive.
Lastly, a less common tactic employed in this tune is basing the coda on the middle 8, something only found previously in [15] "All My Loving", sort of in [67] "In My Life", and [142] "Back in the USSR".
0 Comments
A Hard Day's Night
I Should Have Known Better
If I Fell
I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
And I Love Her
Tell Me Why
Can't Buy Me Love
Any Time At All
I'll Cry Instead
Things We Said Today
When I Get Home
You Can't Do That
I'll Be Back
Formal structure of [144] "Glass Onion": Verse A 1 0:00-0:18 Verse B 1 0:18-0:31 Verse A 2 0:31-0:48 Verse B 2 0:48-1:01 Middle 8 1:01-1:20 Verse A 3 1:20-1:38 Verse B 3 1:38-1:49 Coda (ind) 1:49-2:17 Comments: "Glass Onion" features two distinct verses, labeled above as verse A and verse B. The only other Beatles song to date to use two different verses in the same song was [116] "I Am the Walrus". The large-scale formal design is thus in three iterations of verse A + verse B, the second and third of which are separated by a middle 8, all of which is followed by a completely independent coda.
Even though there are two parts to each verse, verse 1 and 2 are contiguous, following many previous Beatles songs to use that same pattern: [1] "Love Me Do", [7] "Do You Want to Know a Secret", [8] "Misery", [9b] "Anna (Go To Him)", [9c] "Boys", [9d] "Chains", [9f] Twist and Shout, [10] "From Me To You", [13e] "Till There Was You", [17] "Little Child", [19] "Not a Second Time", [23] "Can't Buy Me Love", [25] "And I Love Her", [26] "I Should Have Known Better", [28] "If I Fell'', [29] "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You", [31] "A Hard Day's Night", [31b] "Matchbox", [32] "I'll Cry Instead", [35] "Things We Said Today", [40] "I Don't Want To Spoil the Party", [41] "What You're Doing", [42] "No Reply", [43] "Eight Days a Week", [44] "She's a Woman", [44b] "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey", [46d] "Words of Love", [47] "Ticket to Ride", [49] "I Need You", [50] "Yes It Is", [51] "The Night Before", [52] "You Like Me Too Much", [54] "Tell Me What You See", 56b] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", [56c] "Bad Boy", [57] "I've Just Seen a Face", [59] "Yesterday", [66] "If I Needed Someone", [68] "We Can Work it Out", [71] "Michelle", [77] "Tomorrow Never Knows", [80] "Paperback Writer", [82] "Doctor Robert", [84] "Taxman", [88] "Yellow Submarine", [89] "I Want To Tell You", [92] "She Said She Said", [95] "Penny Lane", [96] "A Day in the Life", [99] "Fixing a Hole", [100] "Only a Northern Song", [101] "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", [105] "Within You Without You", [111] "All Together Now", [114] "All You Need Is Love", [116] "I Am the Walrus", [122] "Lady Madonna", [126] "Don't Pass Me By", [128] "Blackbird", [129] "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey", [135] "Sexy3 Sadie", [138] "Mother Nature's Son", [139] "Yer Blues", [140] "Rocky Raccoon", and [143] "Dear Prudence".
It Won't Be Long
All I've Got to Do
All My Loving
Don't Bother Me
Little Child
Till There Was You
Please Mister Postman
Roll Over Beethoven
Hold Me Tight
You've Really Got a Hold on Me
I Wanna Be Your Man
Devil in Her Heart
Not a Second Time
Money (That's What I Want)
Formal structure of [143] "Dear Prudence":
Intro (coda, tag) 0:00-0:18 Verse 1 0:18-1:03 Part a 0:18-0:44 "Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play..." Part b 0:44-0:50 "The sun is up, the sky is blue..." Part c 0:50-0:57 "Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?" Part d 0:57-1:03 Tag Verse 2 1:03-1:48 Part a 1:03-1:28 "Dear Prudence, open up your eyes..." Part b 1:28-1:35 "The wind is low, the birds will sing..." Part c 1:35-1:41 "Dear Prudence, won't you open up your eyes?" Part c 1:41-1:48 Tag Middle 8 1:48-2:05 "Look around..." Tag 2:05-2:11 Verse 3 2:11-2:55 Part a 2:11-2:37 "Dear Prudence, let me see you smile..." Part b 2:37-2:44 "The clouds will be a daisy chain..." Part c 2:44-2:50 "Dear Prudence, won't you let me see you smile?" Part d 2:50-2:55 Tag Verse 4 2:55-3:39 Part a 2:55-3:19 "Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play..." Part b (aug) 3:19-3:30 "The sun is up, the sky is blue..." Part c 3:30-3:39 "Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play?" Coda (intro) 3:39-3:55 Comments: "Dear Prudence" uses one of the most interesting formal designs of any Beatles song. One on hand, it's structure very simple: 4 verses halved by a middle 8, all bookended by an introduction and coda. This results in contiguous first and second verses - a structural aspect the Beatles had used previously in [1] "Love Me Do", [7] "Do You Want to Know a Secret", [8] "Misery", [9b] "Anna (Go To Him)", [9c] "Boys", [9d] "Chains", [9f] Twist and Shout, [10] "From Me To You", [13e] "Till There Was You", [17] "Little Child", [19] "Not a Second Time", [23] "Can't Buy Me Love", [25] "And I Love Her", [26] "I Should Have Known Better", [28] "If I Fell'', [29] "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You", [31] "A Hard Day's Night", [31b] "Matchbox", [32] "I'll Cry Instead", [35] "Things We Said Today", [40] "I Don't Want To Spoil the Party", [41] "What You're Doing", [42] "No Reply", [43] "Eight Days a Week", [44] "She's a Woman", [44b] "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey", [46d] "Words of Love", [47] "Ticket to Ride", [49] "I Need You", [50] "Yes It Is", [51] "The Night Before", [52] "You Like Me Too Much", [54] "Tell Me What You See", 56b] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", [56c] "Bad Boy", [57] "I've Just Seen a Face", [59] "Yesterday", [66] "If I Needed Someone", [68] "We Can Work it Out", [71] "Michelle", [77] "Tomorrow Never Knows", [80] "Paperback Writer", [82] "Doctor Robert", [84] "Taxman", [88] "Yellow Submarine", [89] "I Want To Tell You", [92] "She Said She Said", [95] "Penny Lane", [96] "A Day in the Life", [99] "Fixing a Hole", [100] "Only a Northern Song", [101] "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", [105] "Within You Without You", [111] "All Together Now", [114] "All You Need Is Love", [116] "I Am the Walrus", [122] "Lady Madonna", [126] "Don't Pass Me By", [128] "Blackbird", [129] "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey", [135] "Sexy3 Sadie", [138] "Mother Nature's Son", [139] "Yer Blues", and [140] "Rocky Raccoon". What is much less common is finding a Beatles song with contiguous verses other than verses 1 and 2. In fact, "Prudence" (in which verses 1 and 2 are contiguous, as are verses 3 and 4) is just the 11th such example, following [19] "Not a Second Time" (in which verses 1 and 2 are contiguous, as are verses 3 and 4), [31b] "Matchbox" (in which the first three and last two verses are contiguous), [56b] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy" (in which verses 1-2 are contiguous, as are verses 4-5), [77] "Tomorrow Never Knows" (in which verses 1-3 are contiguous, as are verses 4-7), [80] "Paperback Writer" (in which verses 1-2 are contiguous, as are verses 3-4), [84] "Taxman" (in which verses 1-2 are contiguous, as are verses 3-4), [95] "Penny Lane" (in which verses 1-2 are contiguous, as are verses 4-5), [96] "A Day in the Life" (in which verses 1-3 are contiguous), [129] "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey" (in which all three verses are contiguous), and [135] "Sexy Sadie" (in which verses 1 and 2 are contiguous, as are verses 3 and 4), and [140] "Rocky Raccoon" (in which verses 1-5 are contiguous, as are verses 6-7). On the other hand, contrasting with the macro-scale structural simplicity, each verse has a complex and sophisticated micro-structure that can be divided into 4 distinct sections: Part a, lasting eight measures and consisting of two phrases (each four measures, and each in turn two iterations of the same two-measure chord progression); Part b, lasting just two measures and using the same two-measure chord progression found in Part a, but increasing the energy with more lyrics (a greater rate of words sung per second), and (in the first verse only) through the addition of percussion; Part c, which repeats the opening lyrics of the verse (usually in slightly modified form) and also employs different chords; and Part d, an instrumental tag which requires its own separate discussion (see below). This micro verse structure is adhered to by verses 1 through 3, but verse 4 breaks the pattern by rhythmically augmenting Part b (it lasts four measures instead of two) and jumping to the coda in place of Part d. Lastly, the tag/intro/coda deserves special consideration. This is not a textbook use of the tag (it might be considered more of an ostinato) because it is heard throughout except for during verse 4 (tags are usually only heard between sections, during the intro, and/or during the coda, but not during the verse proper like this one). I classify it as a tag, however, because of its adhesive quality, which is a defining characteristic of the tag - it bridges and transitions from from formal section to another. In fact, with the exception of verse 4 (and its absence is hardly even noticed there due to the increased energy and density of instrumentation), the tag really never begins or ends because the music both fades in and fades out, although it does change to reflect the underlying chords and structure. More commentary on this when I reach this song in my harmonic analyses. "A/B Road" Tracks Comparison with Doug Sulpy's "Get Back" Catalog, Part 4 of 20: 1969.01.0711/4/2013 January 7 lines up pretty well between A/B Road and Sulpy's book. There are, however, a few notable discrepancies. Several #s are out of order, but most significant are the omissions. Sulpy #s 7.15, 7.16, and 7.17 are apparently missing from A/B Road, as are Sulpy #s 7.25, 7.26, and 7.27. The second part of Sulpy # 7.93 is also apparently not found in A/B Road. I suspect I may find these, as I continue my comparison, listed under different dates.
Formal structure of [142] "Back in the USSR": Intro 0:00-0:16 sfx 0:00-0:09 beat 0:09-0:16 Verse 1 0:16-0:30 Chorus 0:30-0:40 Verse 2 0:40-0:53 Chorus (ext) 0:53-1:06 Middle 8 1:06-1:23 Solo (v) 1:23-1:36 Chorus 1:36-1:46 Middle 8 1:46-2:03 Verse 3 2:03-2:17 Chorus 2:17-2:27 Coda (m8) 2:27-2:43 Comments: The second chorus is extended by repeating the words "back in the US" twice before completing the phrase ("back in the USSR"). This elongates the duration of the chorus by three seconds (13 seconds, compared to the 10 seconds of the other four choruses). Given that the solo functions as a verse (the solo instrument replaces the lead vocal, but everything else remains the same as heard in the verses), the macro-scale formal design can be seen as four iterations of verse + chorus + middle 8, with the first such iteration omitting the middle 8:
Lastly, in following this pattern of verse, chorus, middle 8, the coda is based on the middle 8, which is quite rare in Beatles music - something only used twice before in [15] "All My Loving", and [67] "In My Life".
"Nobody I Know" was Paul McCartney's follow-up to "World Without Love", both songs having been given by Paul to his friend and almost brother-in-law, Peter Asher, to record with his duo Peter & Gordon. The song was released on 29 May 1964. Several supposed bootleg demos of the Beatles playing the song have surfaced, but I am very suspicious of their validity. Even so, here are two of them - decide for yourself if you think it sounds like the real thing or not. In addition to the fact that this doesn't really sound like Lennon, it's also a McCartney composition. Lennon admitted this in his 1980 interview with David Sheff of Playboy magazine (page 204). So why would Lennon have recorded the demo? My conclusion: This is one is forged. The vocals sound more legit in this one, but the instrument playing (particularly the lead guitar) and the production does not. That plus the fact that it is definitely NOT part of the Beatles Anthology (as the above video claims) makes me conclude this one is forged, too.
CITATIONS Sheff, David. G. Barry Golson, ed. The Playboy Interviews with John Lennon & Yoko Ono. Berkley Books, New York, NY, 1983. |
Beatles BlogThis blog is a workshop for developing my analyses of The Beatles' music. Categories
All
Archives
May 2019
|