Formal structure of [26] "I Should Have Known Better"
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:07 Verse 1 0:07-0:25 Verse 2 0:25-0:40 Middle 8 0:40-1:09 Verse 3 1:09-1:28 Solo 1:28-1:46 Verse 4 1:46-2:01 Middle 8 2:01-2:26 Coda (verse) 2:26-2:41 Comments: Very straight-forward structurally (rather unusual for a Lennon song!). No chorus.
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This installment of my index of Beatles song structures will feature a new element to the analysis: tonality. The Beatles grew progressively more sophisticated in terms of tonality and tonal relations. In their first two albums, not a single song ever changes key. But beginning with "And I Love Her" on A Hard Day's Night, that changes. And since these changes in tonality often coincide with formal design, all of my structural analyses from now on will consider tonality where applicable.
Formal and tonal structure of [25] "And I Love Her": Intro (verse) 0:00-0:09 C# minor Verse 1 0:09-0:30 C# minor Verse 2 0:30-0:50 C# minor Middle 8 0:50-1:08 C# minor Verse 3 1:08-1:29 C# minor Solo 1:29-1:50 D minor Verse 1:50- 2:11 D minor Coda (verse) 2:11-2:28 D minor* Comments: "And I Love Her" is the first Beatles recording to feature any sort of key change (the technical term is modulation). This happens right at the solo section, at 1:29, from C# minor up a half step to D minor - a modulation I've heard called the "shoehorn modulation", the "truck driver's modulation", and the "Barry Manilow modulation". It has sine become a cliche to jack up the tonality in the final chorus of a song. (Paul would use it again on [90] "Good Day Sunshine".) Although the key change sounds very natural, I have never been able to figure out why it's there. What purpose does it serve? Why right before the solo? I'm not sure. The song ends with a D major chord - a Picardy Third, in which a composition in a minor key concludes on the parallel major. Formal structure of [24] "You Can't Do That"
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:07* Verse 1 0:07-0:22 Chorus 0:22-0:29 Verse 2 0:29-0:44 Chorus 0:44-0:51 Middle 8 0:51-1:06 Verse 3 1:06-1:21 Chorus 1:21-1:29 Solo 1:29-1:51 Middle 8 1:51-2:06 Verse 4 2:06-2:21 Chorus 2:21-2:25 Coda (verse) 2:25-2:33 Comments: Two-part introduction. The verse and chorus combine in a standard 12-bar blues progression. The lines "let you down and leave you flat" remain the same from verse to verse, so they might easily be considered part of a bridge or the chorus (as opposed to my analysis which includes it as part of the verse). Formal structure of [23] "Can't Buy Me Love"
Chorus 0:00-0:09 Verse 1 0:09-0:26 Verse 2 0:26-0:42 Chorus 0:42-0:53 Verse 3 0:53-1:12* Solo 1:12-1:28 Chorus 1:28-1:40 Verse 1:40-1:57 Chorus 1:57-2:11 Comments: No intro or coda. Verses use a 12 bar blues progression. Verse 3 has a one-measure extension connecting it to the solo. Formal structure of [22] "This Boy"
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:09 Verse 1 0:09-0:26 Chorus 0:26-0:35 Verse 2 0:35-0:52 Chorus 0:52-1:02 Middle 8 1:02-1:28 Verse 3 1:28-1:44 Chorus 1:44-1:54 Coda (verse) 1:54-2:15 Comments: You could consider the verse and chorus together as just a verse. Though the energy levels are not significantly higher, the stopping of the backing instruments (at 0:26, 0:52, and 1:44) highlights this section enough to justify analyzing it as its own structural section. That combined with the lyrics being very similar (though not always identical) prompts me to conclude that it is indeed a chorus and not part of the verse. Formal Structure of "I Want to Hold Your Hand"
Intro (mid 8) 0:00-0:07* Verse 1 0:07-0:22 Chorus 0:22-0:29 Verse 2 0:29-0:44 Chorus 0:44-0:51 Middle 8 0:51-1:11 Verse 3 1:11-1:26 Chorus 1:26-1:33 Middle 8 1:33-1:54 Verse 4 1:54-2:08 Chorus 2:08-2:16* Coda (chorus) 2:16-2:25 Comments: Just like in "She Loves You", the final chorus before the coda is extended to propel the song to its coda. Just like "P. S. I Love You", the introduction is based on the middle 8 instead of the more usual verse or chorus. Formal structure of "I'll Get You"
Intro (tag) 0:00-0:08* Verse 1 0:08--0:35 Tag 0:35-0:39* Verse 2 0:39-1:05 Tag 1:05-1:09* Middle 8 1:09-1:24 Verse 3 1:24-1:51 Coda (tag) 1:51-2:06* Comments: Following the example of "Thank You Girl" (released two months prior to "I'll Get You"), the intro, and coda are both based on the tag (the part corresponding to the lyrics "oh yeah, oh yeah"). Formal Structure of "She Loves You"
Chorus 0:00-0:13 Verse 1 0:13-0:25 Bridge 0:25-0:38 Verse 2 0:38-0:51 Bridge 0:51-1:04 Chorus 1:04-1:16 Verse 3 1:16-1:29 Bridge 1:29-1:42 Chorus 1:42-2:06* Coda (chorus) 2:06-2:21 Comments: "She Loves You" is the first Beatles recording not to use an introduction - it simply launches directly into the chorus. The first bridge leads back to another verse instead of to the chorus, which it does every subsequent time. The final chorus, right before the coda, is extended by repeating the line "with a love like that, you know you should be glad" two additional times. Formal Structure of "Thank You Girl"
Intro 0:00-0:07* Verse 1 0:07-0:20 Chorus 0:20-0:27 Verse 2 0:27-0:41 Chorus 0:41-0:48 Middle 8 0:48-1:02 Chorus 1:02-1:09 Transition 1:09-1:16* Verse 3 1:16-1:30 Chorus 1:30-1:38 Coda 1:38-2:03* Comments: Just like "Little Child", "Thank You Girl" features a two-part introduction: first, a few harmonica notes on top of a guitar riff; then the drums enter along with the words "oh, oh". Both of these components reappear in the transition (this time with drums playing throughout), and then again in the coda (which extends through two additional repetitions of the second half of this passage - the "oh, oh" part). "Thank You Girl" is the first Beatles recording to use material otherwise independent in the intro, transition, and coda. The other interesting thing about the structure of "Thank You Girl" is that the middle 8 is followed by the chorus. "Ask Me Why" is the only other Beatles recording as of April 11 1963 (when the single "From Me To You"/"Thank You Girl" was released) to do so. All other songs (except for "A Taste of Honey") that use a middle 8 follow it with a verse. "Honey" inserts a transition - based on the verse - right after the middle 8, which leads back to a verse. Also in "Honey", the second iteration of the middle 8 is followed by the coda, also based on the verse. So both middle 8s in "Honey" do lead to the next verse, it's just that they are delayed in doing so by a brief transition. Thus "Thank You Girl" and "Ask Me Why" are indeed the only two songs to follow the middle 8 with something other than a verse. Having done two posts featuring structural analyses of complete albums (Please Please Me on 12/5, and With the Beatles on 12/6), I have decided an entire album is simply too much material for a single blog post. From now on, I will post single song analyses, beginning today with "From Me To You", their first single not included on an album.
Formal Structure of "From Me To You" Intro (verse) 0:00-0:07 Verse 1 0:07-0:21 Verse 2 0:21-0:35 Middle 8 0:35-0:49 Verse 3 0:49-1:03 Solo 1:03-1:10* end of verse 1:10-1:17* Middle 8 1:17-1:31 Verse 4 1:31-1:44 Coda (verse) 1:44-1:56 Comments: No chorus, although the concluding lyrics of each verse are all the same ("Just call on me and I'll send it along with love from me to you") which suggest it might be a chorus, but the energy level does not increase so I have labeled them as verse. Regardless, "From Me To You" does blur the line slightly between verse and chorus. Solos often take the place of an additional verse, but in this case the solo replaces only the first half of a verse, with the end of the verse sung as usual. |
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