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[77] "Tomorrow Never Knows" "Tomorrow Never Knows" is the 22nd Beatles original not to use a middle 8. [78] "Got To Get You Into My Life" "Got To Get You Into My Life" is the 23rd Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the bridge and chorus function as a contrast to the verses. [79] "Love You To" The middle 8 is used 4 times, lasting 6 measures and 11 seconds the first and third times, and 4 measures and 7 seconds the second and fourth times (where they meld seamlessly into sitar solos, accounting for their abbreviated length), all of which totals 20.0% (36/180) of the song's duration. [80] "Paperback Writer" "Paperback Writer" is the 24th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the break functions as a contrast to the verses. [81] "Rain" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 12 measures and averaging 27.5 seconds, totaling 30.6% (55/180) of the song's duration. [82] "Doctor Robert" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 8 measures and 12 seconds each time, totaling 17.9% (24/134) of the song's duration. [83] "And Your Bird Can Sing" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 8 measures and 15 seconds each time, totaling 25.0% (30/120) of the song's duration. [84] "Taxman" The middle 8 is use once, lasting 9 measures and 16 seconds, totaling 10.1% (16/158) of the song's duration. [85] "I'm Only Sleeping" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 8 measures and 9 seconds each time, totaling 10.0% (18/179) of the song's duration. [86] "Eleanor Rigby" "Eleanor Rigby" is the 25th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, a bridge and chorus functions as a contrast to the verses. [87] "For No One" The middle 8 is used three times, lasting 5 measures and 15 seconds the first two times, and 5 measures and 19 seconds the third time (because it also functions as a coda), totaling 41.2% (49/119) of the song's duration. [88] "Yellow Submarine" "Yellow Submarine" is the 26th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the breaks and choruses function as a contrast to the verses. [89] "I Want to Tell You" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 8 measures and 15 seconds each time, totaling 20.4% (30/147) of the song's duration. [90] "Good Day Sunshine" "Good Day Sunshine" is the 27th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the choruses function as a contrast to the verses. [91] "Here There and Everywhere" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 4 measures and 12 second each time, totaling 16.7% (24/144) of the song's duration. This middle 8 modulates from G major to B-flat major, the same tonal relationship (Tonic to flat submediant and back) that was used in [48] "Another Girl" and [55] "You're Going to Lose That Girl") [92] "She Said She Said" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 11 measures and averaging 20 seconds each time, totaling 25.6% (40/156) of the song's duration. This middle 8 employs two sub-sections, changes time signature from quadruple to triple, and tonicizes (but NOT modulates to!) E-flat. As with the previous chapters of this study, I am including a chart that summarizes all my findings to this point: 
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Taxman
Eleanor Rigby
I'm Only Sleeping
Love You To
Here There and Everywhere
Yellow Submarine
She Said She Said
Good Day Sunshine
And Your Bird Can Sing
For No One
Doctor Robert
I Want to Tell You
Got To Get You Into My Life
Tomorrow Never Knows
Formal structure of "I'm Only Sleeping":
Verse 1 0:00-0:21 Chorus 0:21-0:35 Verse 2 0:35-0:56 Chorus 0:56-1:10 Trans. 1:10-1:15* Middle 8 1:15-1:24 1st half of Verse 3 1:24-1:33* Break/Solo 1:33-1:45* Chorus 1:45-1:59 Trans. 1:59-2:04* Middle 8 2:04-2:13 Verse 4 2:13-2:34 Chorus 2:34-2:38 Coda (ind.) 2:48-2:59 Comments: No introduction - it simply starts right up with the first verse (as did [15] "All My Loving", [19] "Not a Second Time", [29b] "Long Tall Sally", [42] "No Reply", [46b] "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby", and [58] "I'm Down", [61] "Wait", [68] “We Can Work it Out”, and [76] "Girl"). The break/solo following verse 3 is simply the second half of the verse, just with the backward guitar playing replacing the vocals. Verses 1 and 4 share identical lyrics. Choruses generally share identical lyrics in each iteration, but in this case the first and fourth choruses are the same ("Please don't wake me, no don't shake me..."), which differ from the second and third choruses ("Please don't spoil my day, I'm miles away..."). Each of the transitions following the choruses are extensions of the chorus - the last two bars of those choruses are repeated (though the repetition is not exact). This alerts a listener that something different is happening, and propels the song into the the middle 8s. Despite being rock 'n' rollers, The Beatles were very polite in their lyrics. Of the 213 songs recorded by the Beatles and released on their albums, 25 (12%) use the word "please":
Love Me Do (1962): "Love, love me do. You know I love you. I'll always be true, so please love me do." Chains (1963): "Please believe me when I tell you your lips are sweet" Please Please Me (1963): "Please please me like I please you" I Want to Hold Your Hand (1963): "Oh please say to me you'll let me be your man, and please say to me you'll let me hold your hand." Don't Bother Me (1963): "But till she's here please don't come near, just stay away" Please Mr. Postman (1963): "Please Mr. Postman look and see if there's a letter, a letter for me" You Really Got a Hold on Me (1963): "I love you and all that I want you to do is just hold me please, hold me squeeze, hold me" Mr. Moonlight (1963): "Mr. Moonlight, come again please. Here I am on my knees begging if you please." If I Fell (1964): "If I trust in you, oh please, don't run and hide. If I love you too, oh please, don't hurt my pride like her." When I Get Home (1964): "Come on, if you please, I got no time for trivialities." You Can't Do That (1964): "So please listen to me if you wanna stay mine" I Don't Want to Spoil the Party (1964): "If she turns up while I'm gone please let me know." What You're Doing (1964): "Please stop your lying, you got me crying girl" Yes it Is (1965): "Please don't wear red tonight" Day Tripper (1965): "Tried to please her, but she only played one night stand." Help! (1965): "Won't you please, please help me?" I Need You (1965): "Please come on back to me. I'm lonely as can be. I need you." "Please remember how I feel about you. I could never really live without you." Nowhere Man (1965): "Nowhere man please listen, you don't know what you're missing." I'm Only Sleeping (1966): "Please don't wake me, no don't shake me, leave me where I am I'm only sleeping." "Please don't spoil my day, I'm miles away, and after all I'm only sleeping." Blue Jay Way (1967): "Please don't be long, please don't you be very long, please don't be long or I may be asleep." Martha My Dear (1968): "Martha my dear, though I spend my days in conversation, please be good to me." Honey Pie (1968): "Honey Pie, you are making me crazy, I'm in love but I'm lazy, so won't you please come home." Come Together (1969): "He got hair down below his knee, Got to be a joker he just do what he please." Oh! Darling (1969): "Oh, darling, please believe me. I'll never do you no harm." I've Got a Feeling (1969): "Oh please believe me, I'd hate to miss the train." P.S.: For those who are wondering, only 2 Beatles songs use "thank you": Thank You Girl (1963): "And all I gotta do is thank you girl, thank you girl." Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1967): "We'd like to thank you once again." |
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