"Dig a Pony" is the first in my series of structural analyses to be included on the album Let it Be. As a result of Paul McCartney's 2003 remake, Let it Be ... Naked, in addition to the fact that some of the songs from the album were also released as singles, means that there are as many as potentially three different versions of the same songs. Fortunately, with most of the tracks, the structures are identical, even if the timings are not. Where applicable, I will include multiple columns to illustrate the differences between the multiple versions. Formal structure of [157] "Dig a Pony":
Comments: This is one where structurally the song is identical on the two albums. The only thing that is different is the timing because Naked omits the studio chatter heard at the very beginning of Let it Be. The macro-scale formal design in both instances can be seen as three iterations for two consecutive verses + a chorus, with a solo inserted between the second and third such iterations, all bookended by an introduction and coda:
This pattern, of course, employs contiguous verses three separate times: verses 1 and 2, verses 3 and 4, and verses 5 and 6. While it's very common to find other Beatles songs that follow verse 1 immediately with verse 2 ([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", [144] "Glass Onion", [145] "I Will", [149] "Honey Pie", and [152] "Long Long Long" are all examples), it is somewhat uncommon to find contiguous verses other than verses 1 and 2. In fact, "Dig a Pony" is just the 12th to do so, behind [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), [135] "Sexy Sadie" (in which verses 1 and 2 are contiguous, as are verses 3 and 4), [140] "Rocky Raccoon" (in which verses 1-5 are contiguous, as are verses 6-7), and [143] "Dear Prudence" (in which verses 1 and 2 are contiguous, as are verses 3 and 4).
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[157] "Dig a Pony""Dig a Pony" is the 60th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the chorus serves as contrast to the verses. [158] "I've Got a Feeling" The middle 8 is used once, lasting 5 measures and 14 seconds, totaling 8.7% (19/218) of the song's duration. [159] "Don't Let Me Down" The middle 8 is used once (as the keystone of a palindromic structure), lasting 8 measures and 25 seconds, totaling 11.6% (25/215) of the song's duration. [160] "Get Back" "Get Back" is the 61st Beatles original not to use a middle 8. The chorus instead serves as a contrast to the verses. [161] "Two of Us" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 6 measures and and 14 seconds, totaling 13.0% (28/216) of the song's duration. [161b] "Maggie Mae" The middle 8 is used once (although that's debatable), lasting 8 measures and 15 seconds, totaling 37.5% of the song's duration. But, of course, this is incomplete. Had the full song been present, no doubt the middle 8 would not constitute such a significant portion of the track. [162] "Dig It" "Dig It" is the 62nd Beatles original not to use a middle 8. The novel structure has no need for a middle 8. [163] "For You Blue" "For You Blue" is the 63rd Beatles original not to use a middle 8. The novel structure has no need for a middle 8. [164] "Let It Be" "Let it Be" is the 64th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the chorus serves as contrast to the verses. [165] "The Long and Winding Road" The middle 8 is used twice (including the break as a middle 8), lasting 4 measures and 14 seconds each time, totaling 12.8% (28/218) of the song's duration. [166] "The One After 909" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 16 measures (which can be subdivided into two 8-bar phrases) and 21 seconds each time, totaling 24.1% (42/174) of the song's duration. [167] "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" "I Want You (She's So Heavy)" is the 65th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. The novel structure has no need. [168] "Ballad of John and Yoko" The middle 8 is used once, lasting 8.5 measures and 16 seconds, totaling 8.9% (16/179) of the song's duration. [169] "Old Brown Shoe" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 12 measures and an average of 20.5 seconds each time, totaling 20.7% (41/198) of the song's duration. [170] "Something" The middle 8 is used once, lasting 8 measures and 28 seconds, totaling 15.4% (28/182) of the song's duration. [171] "Oh! Darling" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 8 measures and averaging 33.5 seconds, totaling 32.4% (67/207) of the song's duration. [172] "Octopus's Garden" The middle 8 is used once (although that's debatable), lasting 8 measures and 21 seconds, totaling 30.0% (21/170) of the song's duration. [173] "You Never Give Me Your Money" "You Never Give Me Your Money" is the 66th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [174] "Her Majesty" "Her Majesty" is the 67th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [175] "Golden Slumbers" "Golden Slumbers" is the 68th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [176] "Carry that Weight" "Carry that Weight" is the 69th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [177] "Here Comes the Sun" The middle 8 is used once. Due to time signature changes that could be interpreted in any number of different ways, counting the duration of the middle 8 in measures is pointless; however, in seconds the duration is 41 seconds. This totals 22.2% (41/185) of the song's duration. The middle 8 consists of 6 iterations of the same pattern (the part with the lyrics "Sun, sun, sun, here it comes") in the first of which vocals are omitted. [178] "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" is the 70th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the chorus serves as contrast to the verses. [179] "Come Together" "Come Together" is the 71st Beatles original not to use a middle 8. Instead, the chorus serves as contrast to the verses. [180] "The End" "The End" is the 72nd Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [181] "Sun King" "Sun King" is the 73rd Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [182] "Mean Mr. Mustard" "Mean Mr. Mustard" is the 74th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley") does not need one. [183] "Polythene Pam" "Polythene Pam" is the 75th Beatles original not to use a middle 8. It's structure (as part of the massive "Abbey Road Medley" does not need one.) [184] "She Came in Through the Bathroom Window" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 6.5 measures and averaging 14 seconds, totaling 23.7% (28/118) of the song's duration. [185] "Because" The middle 8 is used once, lasting 4 measures and 19 seconds, totaling 11.5% (19/165) of the song's duration. [186] "I Me Mine" The middle 8 is used twice, lasting 10 measures and 18 seconds both times, totaling 24.7% (36/146) of the song's duration. Complete Middle 8 chart:
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