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The Band Begins at Ten to bVI: How The Beatles Use Flat Submediant Chords

2/1/2017

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The major flat submediant (bVI) is the tenth most common chord in The Beatles' catalog. It's used 262 times in 45 songs:

​[2] 'P. S. I Love You'
bVI: 6 approach: I x2, V x4
progress: bVII x6

[3] 'Please Please Me'
bVI: 1 approach: bIII x1
progress: V x1

[6] 'I Saw Her Standing There'
bVI: 4 approach: IV x4
progress: I x4

[7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
bVI: 3 approach: ii x3
progress: I x3

[13e] 'Till There Was You'
bVI: 1 approach: I x1
progress: I x1

[14] 'It Won't Be Long'
bVI: 6 approach: I x6
progress: I x6

[20] 'Don't Bother Me'
bVI: 2 approach: iv x2
progress: i x2

[25] 'And I Love Her'
bVI: 5 approach: i x5
progress: Ø x5

[27] 'Tell Me Why'
bVI: 1 approach: vi x1
progress: V x1

[30] 'I Call Your Name'
bVI: 2 approach: II x2
progress: V x2

[33] 'I'll Be Back'
bVI: 7 approach: bVII x7
progress: V x7

[35] 'Things We Said Today'
bVI: 4 approach: bIII x4
progress: bII x4

[46e] 'Honey Don't'
bVI: 10 approach: I x10
progress: I x5, V x5

[62] 'Run For Your Life'
bVI: 4 approach: i x4
progress: V x4

[65] 'Day Tripper'
bVI: 3 approach: Ø x3
progress: V x3

[68] 'We Can Work it Out'
bVI: 4 approach: i x4
progress: V x4

[71] 'Michelle'
bVI: 8 approach: i x5, bIII x3
progress: V x8

[73] 'Think For Yourself'
bVI: 5 approach: I x5
progress: V x5

[85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
bVI: 18 approach: Ø x4, i x2, bIII x12
progress: Ø x6, i x4, bIII x8

[86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
bVI: 10 approach: Ø x1, i x9
progress: i x10

[96] 'A Day in the Life'
bVI: 2 approach: I x1, V x1
progress: bIII x2

[100] 'Only A Northern Song'
bVI: 4 approach: i x4
progress: II x4

[101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
bVI: 12 approach: Ø x1, i x11
progress: V x12

[103] 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'
bVI: 3 approach: I x3
progress: I x3

[107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
bVI: 2 approach: Ø x1, IV x1
progress: bVII x2

[115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
bVI: 6 approach: i x6
progress: Ø x2, I x4

[116] 'I Am the Walrus'
bVI: 11 approach: I x3, IV x3, V x1, bVII x4
progress: II x4, V x4, bVII x3

[120] 'Hello Goodbye'
bVI: 5 approach: IV x5
progress: I x4, II x1

[122] 'Lady Madonna'
bVI: 8 approach: IV x8
progress: bVII x8

[128] 'Blackbird'
bVI: 4 approach: vi x4
progress: V x4

[141] 'Wild Honey Pie'
bVI: 3 approach: VI x3
progress: V x3

[144] 'Glass Onion'
A MINOR:
bVI: 17 approach: i x7, bIII x3, IV x6, bVII x1
progress: i x6, IV x7, bVII x4

[145] 'I Will'
bVI: 1 approach: V x1
progress: I x1

[149] 'Honey Pie'
bVI: 12 approach: I x12
progress: V x5, VI x7

[150] 'Savoy Truffle'
bVI: 5 approach: i x5
progress: Ø x5

[154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
bVI: 6 approach: bIII x6
progress: bVII x6

[167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
bVI: 14 approach: II x6, IV x4, bVII x4
progress: Ø x4, V x1, V+ x6, bVII x3

[169] 'Old Brown Shoe'
bVI: 9 approach: Ø x4, i x1, IV x4
progress: IV x4, V+ x5

[171] 'Oh! Darling'
bVI: 4 approach: IV x2, V x2
progress: I x2, V x2

[173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
bVI: 3 approach: bIII x3
progress: ii° x3

[176] 'Carry that Weight'
bVI: 2 approach: bIII x2
progress: ii° x2

[182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
bVI: 8 approach: I x4, V x2, VI x2
progress: V x6, VI x2

[183] 'Polythene Pam'
bVI: 4 approach: I x2, V x2
progress: bVII x4

[185] 'Because'
bVI: 10 approach: i x5, V x5
progress: i x5, bII x5

[186] 'I Me Mine'
bVI: 3 approach: i x3
progress: Ø x1, i x2


Those 262 bVI chords are approached as follows...

​Ø: 14 instances (5.3%) in 6 songs
  • x3 [65] 'Day Tripper'
  • x4 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x1 [86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
  • x1 [101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
  • x1 [107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
  • x4 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'

I: 47 instances (17.9%) in 10 songs
  • x1 [13e] 'Till There Was You'
  • x6 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x10 [46e] 'Honey Don't'
  • x5 [73] 'Think For Yourself'
  • x1 [96] 'A Day in the Life'
  • x3 [103] 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'
  • x3 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x12 [149] 'Honey Pie'
  • x4 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
  • x2 [183] 'Polythene Pam'

i: 71 instances (27.1%) in 14 songs
  • x5 [25] 'And I Love Her'
  • x4 [62] 'Run For Your Life'
  • x4 [68] 'We Can Work it Out'
  • x5 [71] 'Michelle'
  • x2 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x9 [86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
  • x4 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x11 [101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
  • x6 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x7 [144] 'Glass Onion'
  • x5 [150] 'Savoy Truffle'
  • x1 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'
  • x5 [185] 'Because'
  • x3 [186] 'I Me Mine'

II: 8 instances (3.1%) in 2 songs
  • x2 [30] 'I Call Your Name'
  • x6 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'

ii: 3 instances (1.1%) in 1 song
  • x3 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

bIII: 34 instances (13.0%) in 8 songs
  • x1 [3] 'Please Please Me'
  • x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x3 [71] 'Michelle'
  • x12 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x3 [144] 'Glass Onion'
  • x6 [154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
  • x3 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x2 [176] 'Carry that Weight'

IV: 37 instances (14.1%) in 9 songs
  • x4 [6] 'I Saw Her Standing There'
  • x1 [107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
  • x3 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x5 [120] 'Hello Goodbye'
  • x8 [122] 'Lady Madonna'
  • x6 [144] 'Glass Onion'
  • x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x4 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'
  • x2 [171] 'Oh! Darling'

iv: 3 instances (1.1%) in 2 songs
  • x2 [20] 'Don't Bother Me'
  • x1 [27] 'Tell Me Why'

V: 14 instances (5.3%) in 7 songs
  • x1 [96] 'A Day in the Life'
  • x1 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x1 [145] 'I Will'
  • x2 [171] 'Oh! Darling'
  • x2 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'
  • x2 [183] 'Polythene Pam'
  • x5 [185] 'Because'

bVI: 6 instances (2.3%) in 1 song
  • x6 [2] 'P. S. I Love You'

VI: 5 instances (1.9%) in 2 songs
  • x3 [141] 'Wild Honey Pie'
  • x2 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'

vi: 4 instances (1.5%) in 1 song
  • x4 [128] 'Blackbird'

bVII: 16 instances (6.1%) in 4 songs
  • x7 [33] 'I'll Be Back'
  • x4 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x1 [144] 'Glass Onion'
  • x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
Picture
... and progress as follows:

​Ø: 23 instances (8.8%) in 6 songs
  • x5 [25] 'And I Love Her'
  • x6 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x2 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x5 [150] 'Savoy Truffle'
  • x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x1 [186] 'I Me Mine'

I: 39 instances (14.9%) in 11 songs
  • x6 [2] 'P. S. I Love You'
  • x4 [6] 'I Saw Her Standing There'
  • x3 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
  • x1 [13e] 'Till There Was You'
  • x6 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x5 [46e] 'Honey Don't'
  • x3 [103] 'Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds'
  • x4 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x4 [120] 'Hello Goodbye'
  • x1 [145] 'I Will'
  • x2 [171] 'Oh! Darling'

i: 29 instances (11.1%) in 6 songs
  • x2 [20] 'Don't Bother Me'
  • x4 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x10 [86] 'Eleanor Rigby'
  • x6 [144] 'Glass Onion' (A minor)
  • x5 [185] 'Because'
  • x2 [186] 'I Me Mine'

bII: 9 instances (3.4%) in 2 songs
  • x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x5 [185] 'Because'

II: 9 instances (3.4%) in 3 songs
  • x4 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x4 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x1 [120] 'Hello Goodbye'

ii°: 5 instances (1.9%) in 2 songs
  • x3 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x2 [176] 'Carry that Weight'

bIII: 10 instances (3.8%) in 2 songs
  • x8 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x2 [96] 'A Day in the Life'

IV: 11 instances (4.2%) in 2 songs
  • x7 [144] 'Glass Onion' (A minor)
  • x4 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'

V: 77 instances (29.4%) in 18 songs
  • x1 [3] 'Please Please Me'
  • x1 [27] 'Tell Me Why'
  • x2 [30] 'I Call Your Name'
  • x7 [33] 'I'll Be Back'
  • x5 [46e] 'Honey Don't'
  • x4 [62] 'Run For Your Life'
  • x3 [65] 'Day Tripper'
  • x4 [68] 'We Can Work it Out'
  • x8 [71] 'Michelle'
  • x5 [73] 'Think For Yourself'
  • x12 [101] 'Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite'
  • x4 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x4 [128] 'Blackbird'
  • x3 [141] 'Wild Honey Pie'
  • x5 [149] 'Honey Pie'
  • x1 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x2 [171] 'Oh! Darling'
  • x6 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'

V+: 11 instances (4.2%) in 2 songs
  • x6 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x5 [169] 'Old Brown Shoe'

VI: 9 instances (3.4%) in 2 songs
  • x7 [149] 'Honey Pie'
  • x2 [182] 'Mean Mr. Mustard'

bVII: 30 instances (11.5%) in 7 songs
  • x2 [107] 'With a Little Help From My Friends'
  • x3 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x8 [122] 'Lady Madonna'
  • x4 [144] 'Glass Onion' (a minor)
  • x6 [154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
  • x3 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x4 [183] 'Polythene Pam'
Picture

While the major flat submediant is rather common, the minor flat submediant (bvi) is extremely rare, appearing ​3 times in just 1 song:

[154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
bvi: 3 approach: i x3
progress: Ø x3


Surprisingly, the augmented flat submediant (bVI+) is more common - making the flat submediant the only chord whose augmented uses are greater than its minor uses. bVI+ is heard 8 times in 3 songs:

[10] 'From Me To You'
bVI+: 1 approach: vi x1
progress: I x1

[15] 'All My Loving'
bVI+: 4 approach: vi x4
progress: I x4

[112] 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'
bVI+: 3 approach: IV x3
progress: vi x3

Meanwhile, tomorrow evening I'll be visiting Vidalia, LA for another round of "Band of the Sixties":

Thursday, 2 February 2017, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Vidalia Library, 408 Texas St, Vidalia, LA

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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bII Of Us: How The Beatles Use Neapolitan Chords

1/28/2017

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The Neapolitan chord (the major flat supertonic, or bII) is quite rare in Beatles music. It is heard in only 11 tracks:

[7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
bII: 1 approach: bIII x1
progress: V x1

[14] 'It Won't Be Long'
bII: 1 approach: II x1
progress: I x1

[28] 'If I Fell'
bII: 2 approach: ii x2
progress: Ø x1, I x1

[35] 'Things We Said Today'
bII: 6 approach: II x2, bVI x4
progress: i x6

[55] 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
bII: 2 approach: Ø x2
progress: I x2

[85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
bII: 2 approach: Ø x2
progress: i x2

[132] 'Revolution'
bII: 1 approach: V x1
progress: I x1

[135] 'Sexy Sadie'
bII: 2 approach: II x2
progress: I x2

[171] 'Oh! Darling'
bII: 1 approach: I x1
progress: I x1

[181] 'Sun King'
bII: 2 approach: Ø x1, I x1
progress: Ø x1, ii x1

[185] 'Because'
bII: 5 approach: bVI x5
progress: bii° x5

These 11 songs employ a total of 25 Neapolitan chords, which are approached by...

​Ø: 5 instances (20.0%) in 3 songs
  • x2 [55] 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
  • x2 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x1 [181] 'Sun King'

I: 2 instances (8.0%) in 2 songs
  • x1 [171] 'Oh! Darling'
  • x1 [181] 'Sun King'

II: 5 instances (20.0%) in 3 songs
  • x1 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x2 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x2 [135] 'Sexy Sadie'

ii: 2 instances (8.0%) in 1 song
  • x2 [28] 'If I Fell'

bIII: 1 instance (4.0%) in 1 song
  • x1 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

V: 1 instances (4.0%) in 1 song
  • x1 [132] 'Revolution'

bVI: 9 instances (36.0%) in 2 songs
  • x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x5 [185] 'Because'

... and progress to:

​Ø: 2 instances (8.0%) in 2 songs
  • x1 [28] 'If I Fell'
  • x1 [181] 'Sun King'

I: 8 instances (32.0%) in 6 songs
  • x1 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x1 [28] 'If I Fell'
  • x2 [55] 'You're Going to Lose That Girl'
  • x1 [132] 'Revolution'
  • x2 [135] 'Sexy Sadie'
  • x1 [171] 'Oh! Darling'

i: 8 instances (32.0%) in 2 songs
  • x6 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x2 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'

bii°: 5 instances (20.0%) in 1 song
  • x5 [185] 'Because'

ii: 1 instance (4.0%) in 1 songs
  • x1 [181] 'Sun King'

V: 1 instance (4.0%) in 1 song
  • x1 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

This data is represented visually in the following pie graphs.

Picture
Picture
Technically, Neapolitans can only be major. And The Beatles never used a minor Neapolitan (bii), so there's nothing to document or analyze there.

But they did use a diminished Neapolitan (
bii°) five times in 'Because':
[185] 'Because'
bii°: 5 approach: bII x5
progress: Ø x1, i x3, IV x1

It is the most harmonically unstable concluding chord of any Beatles recording, which
 sets up the massive 'Abbey Road Medley' that immediately follows.

I won't be discussing Neapolitan chords at all tomorrow evening...

​Monday, 30 January 2017, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Beauregard Parish Library, 205 S Washington St, DeRidder, LA
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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III Cool Cats: How The Beatles Use Mediant Chords

1/24/2017

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​As a follow-up to my blog from the other day on how The Beatles used flat mediant chords, this one examines how The Beatles use mediant chords.

The most common mediant chord is the minor mediant (iii), which, being heard 282 times in 46 songs, is the 9th most common chord The Beatles used. If you really want the nitty gritty blow-by-blow account, here's a PDF documenting every single one of those 282 iiis:​
minor_mediant_282_instances.pdf
File Size: 95 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

For those who would rather skip the details and cut to the good stuff, here's how those minor mediants are approached (the chords immediately preceding) and how they progress (what chord comes immediately next), represented via pie graphs:
Picture
Picture
The next most commonly used mediant is the major mediant (III), heard 62 times in 18 tracks, making it the 15th most frequently used chord in The Beatles' catalog.

​Here's documentation for every single one of those 62 IIIs:
major_mediant_62_times.pdf
File Size: 77 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File

And the corresponding graphs:
Picture
Picture

In the meantime, I continue even further south and a little west to enter Louisiana for the first time in my life, making The Pelican State the 30th of the 50 United States to host one of my programs. I will be participating in a friendly debate with the excellent and authoritative Beatles author Bruce Spizer regarding whether or not John Kennedy's assassination had any influence of The Beatles' meteoric rise to fame in the US a few months later.

Thursday, 26 January 2017, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
Tangipahoa Parish Library, 314 E. Thomas St, Hammond, LA
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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One and One and One is bIII: How The Beatles Use Flat Mediant Chords

1/23/2017

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47 of The Beatles' 211 tracks employ a major flat mediant chord (bIII). Those 47 are listed below, along with exhaustive documentation of how they are approached (what chord comes immediately before it) and how they progress (what comes immediately after it):

​[3] 'Please Please Me'
bIII: 4 approach: I x4
progress: IV x3, bVI x1

[6b] 'A Taste Of Honey'
bIII: 5 approach: i x3, IV x2
progress: bVII x5

[7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
bIII: 1 approach: i x1
progress: bII x1

[9] 'Hold Me Tight'
bIII: 4 approach: I x4
progress: I x4

[14] 'It Won't Be Long'
bIII: 1 approach: I x1
progress: II x1

[20] 'Don't Bother Me'
bIII: 10 approach: IV x10
progress: i x10

[35] 'Things We Said Today'
bIII: 4 approach: i x4
progress: bVI x4

[48] 'Another Girl'
bIII: 4 approach: Ø x2, IV x2
progress: Ø x2, V x2

[51] 'The Night Before'
bIII: 4 approach: I x4
progress: I x1, IV x3

[52] 'You Like Me Too Much'
bIII: 2 approach: I x2
progress: V x2

[61] 'Wait'
bIII: 10 approach: Ø x6, i x4
progress: Ø x4, V x6

[71] 'Michelle'
bIII: 3 approach: i x3
progress: bVI x3

[73] 'Think For Yourself'
bIII: 6 approach: v x6
progress: IV x6

[74] 'The Word'
bIII: 5 approach: bVII x5
progress: Ø x1, IV x4

[76] 'Girl'
bIII: 5 approach: i x1, iv x4
progress: Ø x1, V x4

[84] 'Taxman'
bIII: 1 approach: I x1
progress: I x1

[85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
bIII: 16 approach: iv x8, bVI x8
progress: V x4, bVI x12

[91] 'Here There And Everywhere'
bIII: 1 approach: iii x1
progress: ii x1

[95] 'Penny Lane'
bIII: 3 approach: Ø x3
progress: V x3

[96] 'A Day in the Life'
bIII: 2 approach: bVI x2
progress: bVII x2

[97] 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
bIII: 2 approach: I x2
progress: IV x2

[100] 'Only A Northern Song'
bIII: 5 approach: Ø x1, V x4
progress: Ø x4, IV x1

[102] 'Lovely Rita'
bIII: 4 approach: bVII x4
progress: I x4

[108] 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)'
bIII: 5 approach: I x5
progress: IV x5

[109] 'Magical Mystery Tour'
bIII: 12 approach: I x12
progress: IV x12

[110] 'Baby, You're a Rich Man'
bIII: 2 approach: IV x2
progress: I x2

[115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
bIII: 5 approach: Ø x5
progress: V x5

[116] 'I Am the Walrus'
bIII: 12 approach: I x6, II x4, IV x2
progress: II x2, IV x10

[128] 'Blackbird'
bIII: 4 approach: IV x4
progress: II x2, IV x2

[129] 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey'
bIII: 6 approach: I x3, bVII x3
progress: I x3, bVII x3

[134] 'Helter Skelter'
bIII: 5 approach: I x5
progress: I x2, IV x3

[136] 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'
bIII: 5 approach: bVII x5
progress: V x5

[138] 'Mother Nature's Son'
bIII: 6 approach: I x6
progress: IV x6

[139] 'Yer Blues'
bIII: 8 approach: I x8
progress: V x8

[142] 'Back in the USSR'
bIII: 12 approach: I x4, IV x8
progress: IV x12

[143] 'Dear Prudence'
bIII: 1 approach: IV x1
progress: bV x1

[144] 'Glass Onion'
A MINOR:
bIII: 6 approach: bvii x6
progress: bVI x3, bvii x3

[148] 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'
bIII: 5 approach: I x5
progress: I x3, i x2

[150] 'Savoy Truffle'
bIII: 8 approach: IV x8
progress: V x8

[154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
bIII: 6 approach: i x6
progress: bVI x6

[167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
bIII: 8 approach: i x8
progress: IV x4, bVII x4

[170] 'Something'
bIII: 6 approach: IV x6
progress: V x6

[173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
bIII: 10 approach: I x4, II x3, bVII x3
progress: V x2, bVI x3, bVII x5

[176] 'Carry that Weight'
bIII: 4 approach: Ø x1, I x1, bVII x2
progress: V x2, bVI x2

[177] 'Here Comes the Sun'

bIII: 6 approach: V x6
progress: bVII x6

[180] 'The End'
bIII: 1 approach: II x1
progress: IV x1

[183] 'Polythene Pam'
bIII: 2 approach: I x2
progress: V x2

Those 47 songs use a total of 247 major flat mediants, making it the 12th most common chord in The Beatles' catalog.

Here's how those 247 bIIIs are approached:

​Ø: 18 instances (7.3%) in 6 songs
  • x2 [48] 'Another Girl'
  • x6 [61] 'Wait'
  • x3 [95] 'Penny Lane'
  • x1 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x5 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x1 [176] 'Carry that Weight'

I: 79 instances (32.0%) in 19 songs
  • x4 [3] 'Please Please Me'
  • x4 [9] 'Hold Me Tight'
  • x1 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x4 [51] 'The Night Before'
  • x2 [52] 'You Like Me Too Much'
  • x1 [84] 'Taxman'
  • x2 [97] 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  • x5 [108] 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)'
  • x12 [109] 'Magical Mystery Tour'
  • x6 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x3 [129] 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey'
  • x5 [134] 'Helter Skelter'
  • x6 [138] 'Mother Nature's Son'
  • x8 [139] 'Yer Blues'
  • x4 [142] 'Back in the USSR'
  • x5 [148] 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'
  • x4 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x1 [176] 'Carry that Weight'
  • x2 [183] 'Polythene Pam'

i: 30 instances (12.1%) in 8 songs
  • x3 [6b] 'A Taste Of Honey'
  • x1 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
  • x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x4 [61] 'Wait'
  • x3 [71] 'Michelle'
  • x1 [76] 'Girl'
  • x6 [154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
  • x8 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'

II: 8 instances (3.2%) in 3 songs
  • x4 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x3 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x1 [180] 'The End'

iii: 1 instance (0.4%) in 1 song
  • x1 [91] 'Here There And Everywhere'

IV: 45 instances (18.2%) in 10 songs
  • x2 [6b] 'A Taste Of Honey'
  • x10 [20] 'Don't Bother Me'
  • x2 [48] 'Another Girl'
  • x2 [110] 'Baby, You're a Rich Man'
  • x2 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x4 [128] 'Blackbird'
  • x8 [142] 'Back in the USSR'
  • x1 [143] 'Dear Prudence'
  • x8 [150] 'Savoy Truffle'
  • x6 [170] 'Something'

iv: 12 instances (4.9%) in 2 songs
  • x4 [76] 'Girl'
  • x8 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'

V: 10 instances (4.0%) in 2 songs
  • x4 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x6 [177] 'Here Comes the Sun'

v: 6 instances in (2.4%) 1 song
  • x6 [73] 'Think For Yourself'

bVI: 10 instances (4.0%) in 2 songs
  • x8 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x2 [96] 'A Day in the Life'

bVII: 22 instances (8.9%) in 6 songs
  • x5 [74] 'The Word'
  • x4 [102] 'Lovely Rita'
  • x3 [129] 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey'
  • x5 [136] 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'
  • x3 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x2 [176] 'Carry that Weight'

bvii: 6 instances (2.4%) in 1 song
  • x6 [144] 'Glass Onion'​
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And here's how they progress:

​Ø: 12 instances (4.9%) in 5 songs
  • x2 [48] 'Another Girl'
  • x4 [61] 'Wait'
  • x1 [74] 'The Word'
  • x1 [76] 'Girl'
  • x4 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'

I: 20 instances (8.1%) in 8 songs
  • x4 [9] 'Hold Me Tight'
  • x1 [51] 'The Night Before'
  • x1 [84] 'Taxman'
  • x4 [102] 'Lovely Rita'
  • x2 [110] 'Baby, You're a Rich Man'
  • x3 [129] 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey'
  • x2 [134] 'Helter Skelter'
  • x3 [148] 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'

i: 12 instances (4.9%) in 2 songs
  • x10 [20] 'Don't Bother Me'
  • x2 [148] 'Happiness is a Warm Gun'

bII: 1 instance (0.4%) in 1 song
  • x1 [7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'

II: 5 instances (2.0%) in 3 songs
  • x1 [14] 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x2 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x2 [128] 'Blackbird'

ii: 1 instance (0.4%) in 1 song
  • x1 [91] 'Here There And Everywhere'

IV: 74 instances (30.0%) in 15 songs
  • x3 [3] 'Please Please Me'
  • x3 [51] 'The Night Before'
  • x6 [73] 'Think For Yourself'
  • x4 [74] 'The Word'
  • x2 [97] 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  • x1 [100] 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x5 [108] 'Sergeant Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (reprise)'
  • x12 [109] 'Magical Mystery Tour'
  • x10 [116] 'I Am the Walrus'
  • x2 [128] 'Blackbird'
  • x3 [134] 'Helter Skelter'
  • x6 [138] 'Mother Nature's Son'
  • x12 [142] 'Back in the USSR'
  • x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x1 [180] 'The End'

bV: 1 instance (0.4%) in 1 song
  • x1 [143] 'Dear Prudence'

V: 59 instances (23.9%) in 14 songs
  • x2 [48] 'Another Girl'
  • x2 [52] 'You Like Me Too Much'
  • x6 [61] 'Wait'
  • x4 [76] 'Girl'
  • x4 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x3 [95] 'Penny Lane'
  • x5 [115] 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x5 [136] 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'
  • x8 [139] 'Yer Blues'
  • x8 [150] 'Savoy Truffle'
  • x6 [170] 'Something'
  • x2 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x2 [176] 'Carry that Weight'
  • x2 [183] 'Polythene Pam'

bVI: 34 instances (13.8%) in 8 songs
  • x1 [3] 'Please Please Me'
  • x4 [35] 'Things We Said Today'
  • x3 [71] 'Michelle'
  • x12 [85] 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • x3 [144] 'Glass Onion'
  • x6 [154] 'The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill'
  • x3 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x2 [176] 'Carry that Weight'

bVII: 25 instances (10.1%) in 6 songs
  • x5 [6b] 'A Taste Of Honey'
  • x2 [96] 'A Day in the Life'
  • x3 [129] 'Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey'
  • x4 [167] 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • x5 [173] 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x6 [177] 'Here Comes the Sun'

bvii: 3 instances (1.2%) in 1 song
  • x3 [144] 'Glass Onion'
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Far less common is the minor flat mediant (biii), found 22 times in 3 songs:
[7] 'Do You Want To Know A Secret'
biii: 15 approach: iii x15
progress: ii x15

[13e] 'Till There Was You'
biii: 5 approach: iii x5
progress: ii x5

[122] 'Lady Madonna'
biii: 2 approach: ii x2
progress: ii x2

​And rarer still is the diminished flat mediant (biii°), used 8 times in 1 song:
[28] 'If I Fell'
biii°: 8 approach: iii x8
progress: ii x8

CONCLUSIONS: So what do all these numbers means, and who really cares?
My entire career is designed to answer one fundamental question: Why were The Beatles so great? Every presentation I deliver, every book I author, every interview I give, and every blog I write is designed to contribute to answering that inquiry.

In traditional classical contexts, tonal chords function in relatively few ways: Certain chords are "required" to progress to others. But The Beatles often use chords that function in multiple ways. And the major flat mediant (by far the most commonly used variety of flat mediants) is a prime example, being approached in 12 different ways and progressing also in 12 different ways.

​In other words, we can better understand The Beatles' extraordinary use of harmony on a macro level by examining and understanding their use of harmony on a micro level - in this case by studying their use of flat mediant chords in great detail.

The tour continues tomorrow as I head even further south. 

Tuesday, 24 January 2017, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Amory Municipal Library, 401 2nd Ave N, Amory, MS
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.

​For the record, I won't be discussing flat mediant chords at all!
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Very Strange: Ambiguous Chord Progressions

11/28/2016

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'From Me To You' and 'All My Loving' share an ambiguous harmonic progression. Both use a vi resolving to I. But in between those standard chords is a very strange one. It could either be interpreted as a bVI+ or a /b6:
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and
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or
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and
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And here's what it ultimately boils down to: Is this progression three different chords (in which case the bVI+ should be used)? Or is it two different chords connected by a chromatic passing tone (in which case the /b6 should be used)? Neither is necessarily "right" or "wrong", they're just different interpretations of the same progression.

Meanwhile, I wrap up the final tour of 2016 tomorrow:

Tuesday, 29 November 2016, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
La Salle Public Library, 305 Marquette St, Lasalle, IL
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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Eargasm: Harmony on Please Please Me

11/16/2016

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The Beatles' extraordinary sense of harmony can be seen in their first recordings. While several of the tracks on their first album, Please Please Me (1963), employ utterly conventional harmony (see 'Misery' or 'Boys'), several also contain exquisite and innovative progressions (see 'Ask Me Why', 'Do You Want To Know A Secret?', or 'There's A Place'). This blog will look at all 14 tracks on the album in the order in which they are heard. Each track is analyzed using Roman Numeral analysis, with the results compiled into a concordance documenting how every chord is approached (what came immediately before it) and how it progresses (what comes immediately after it), followed by a consideration and discussion of the harmonies used on that particular song.

It should be noted that 6 of the 14 songs on this album are covers, meaning The Beatles did not write the harmony. Nevertheless, they chose either to retain the harmony of the originals or tweak that harmony (such as the Picardy third in 'A Taste Of Honey', which is absent from the original). This catalog analyzes the harmony heard on the album - regardless of who decided to use the chords - because that what The Beatles put forth as their finished product.

​
​
1. 'I Saw Her Standing There'
I: 24 approach: Ø x1, IV x8, V x11, bVI x4
     progress: Ø x1, IV x11, V x12
IV: 14 approach: I x11, V x3
     progress: I x8, V x2, bVI x4
V: 14 approach: I x12, IV x2
     progress: I x11, IV x3
bVI: 4 approach: IV x4
     progress: I x4

The opening track uses fairly standard bluesy harmony. The one unusual chord is found in the refrains, when a bVI is heard on the falsetto "Oh!"
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It's the first example of a bVI being used as a V substitute. In other words, this harmony would make perfect sense and be more "normal" if a V had been used instead of a bVI.
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This is a trick The Beatles would pull several more times in their career (including 'Hello Goodbye').


2. 'Misery'
I: 16 approach: IV x4, V x8, vi x4
     ​progress: IV x8, vi x8
IV: 9 approach: Ø x1, I x8
     progress: I x4, V x5
V: 8 approach: IV x5, iv x3
     progress: I x8
vi: 8 approach: I x8
     progress: Ø x1, I x4, V x3

Plain vanilla harmony here.


3. 'Anna (Go To Him)'
I: 26 approach: Ø x1, IV x2, V x6, vi x17
     progress: Ø x1, IV x4, vi x21
II: 2 approach: IV x2
     progress: V x2
ii: 4 approach: vi x4
     progress: V x4
IV: 4 approach: I x4
     progress: I x2, II x2
V: 6 approach: II x2, ii x4
     progress: I x6
vi: 21 approach: I x21
     progress: I x17, ii x4

Also pretty tame harmony. The use of a secondary dominant toward the end of the bridge makes a nice harmonic pull back to tonic for the return of the verse...
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... but even that is about as conventional as secondary functions get.



4. 'Chains'
I: 16 approach: Ø x1, IV x10, iv x1, V x4
     progress: Ø x1, IV x9, V x6
IV: 13 approach: I x9, V x4
     progress: I x10, iv x1, V x2
iv: 1 approach: IV x1
     progress: I x1
V: 8 approach: I x6, IV x2
     progress: I x4, IV x4

Textbook 12 bar blues harmony here, with the one exception being the subdominant mode mixture (IV-iv) at the end as the track is fading out.
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My favorite part of what is - let's be honest here - kind of a dull song!

​
​​5. 'Boys'
I: 21 approach: IV x14, V x7
     progress: IV x7, V x14
IV: 14 approach: I x7, V x7
     progress: I x14
V: 15 approach: Ø x1, I x14
     progress: Ø x1, I x7, IV x7

Like 'Chains', 'Boys' is also a standard 12 bar blues. Unlike 'Chains', 'Boys' doesn't deviate from the 12 bar blues model at all, making it complete standard harmony.


6. 'Ask Me Why'
I: 18 approach: Ø x1, ii x6, IV x4, iv x1, V x6
     progress: I+ x4, ii x9, III x3, IV x2
I+: 4 approach: I x4
     progress: IV x4
II: 2 approach: iv x2
     progress: V x2
ii: 15 approach: I x9, iii x6
     progress: I x6, iii x9
III: 3 approach: I x3
     progress: vi x3
iii: 13 approach: ii x9, IV x4
     progress: Ø x1, ii x6, IV x6
IV: 12 approach: I x2, I+ x4, iii x6
     progress: I x4, iii x4, V x4
iv: 3 approach: vi x3
     progress: I x1, II x2
V: 6 approach: II x2, IV x4
     progress: I x6
vi: 3 approach: III x3
     progress: iv x3

Now we're talking! One rather crude measure of harmonic sophistication is the number of different chords used in a song. 'Boys' used just three chords; 'Ask Me Why' uses ten. Furthermore, those ten chords are used in intriguing and unconventional ways.

The chord planing in the initial two phrases of each verse are unusual. This creates an ascending progression (I-ii-iii) that is immediately counter-balanced by the same pattern in reverse (iii-ii-I).
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I can't think of any pop song prior to this one to do that, although the classical music of Claude Debussy (1862-1918) immediately comes to mind.

The second iteration of this ascending/descending phrase is propelled by a secondary dominant (III7) to the relative minor (vi).
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This isn't terribly rare, but it's also not terribly common - or least not for the time. The Beatles would frequently use this pattern in a variety of contexts throughout the decade (see 'Your Mother Should Know' from 1967,and 'There's A Place' below).

The pull towards vi is a potential threat to I's tonal authority. But that peril is immediately quashed by a strong half cadence that is reinforced with a secondary dominant of its own (this time the more conventional II functioning as a V of V, which ensures I is still tonic).
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Also note another example of subdominant mode mixture (iv) similar to the end of 'Chains' except in this case there's no IV preceding the iv.

'Ask Me Why' is also the first use of an augmented chord - in this case a I+. This enhances the secondary function of the chord, as it pulls toward resolution on IV to start the bridge.
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Also notice how the IV chord is approached by a iii. This, too, is somewhat unusual - and something The Beatles will use periodically throughout their career (see 'I Want To Hold Your Hand', 'Getting Better', or 'There's A Place' below).

Finally, we've seen above how the III7-vi progression threatens but never overthrows I. The end of the song, however, does overthrow I. The calm alternation between I and IV at the end reinforces the sense of conclusion. And a lesser composer might have ended the song conventionally by retaining I's authority...
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.. but John Lennon chose the far more intriguing and highly unusual jazzy iii7.
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I have a feeling this is the kind of song Bob Dylan had in mind when he said of The Beatles, "They were doing things nobody was doing. Their chords were outrageous, just outrageous, and their harmonies made it all valid. Everybody else thought they were teenyboppers, that they were gonna pass right away. But it was obvious to me that they had staying power. I knew they were pointing to the direction where music had to go." (Encyclopedia of leadership, edited by George R. Goethals, Georgia Jones Sorenson, James MacGregor Burns, page 87)


​
7. 'Please Please Me'
I: 24 approach: Ø x1, IV x9, V x14
     progress: Ø x1, bIII x4, IV x19
ii: 3 approach: IV x3
     progress: vi x3
bIII: 4 approach: I x4
     progress: IV x3, bVI x1
IV: 25 approach: I x19, bIII x3, vi x3
     progress: I x9, ii x3, V x13
V: 14 approach: IV x13, bVI x1
     progress: I x14
bVI: 1 approach: bIII x1
     progress: V x1
vi: 3 approach: ii x3
     progress: IV x3

The harmonies of 'Please Please Me' are, for the most part, standard. But a few chords on this album's title track are somewhat unusual.

The opening phrases of each of the three verses contains an energetic non-diatonic progression of three major chords each a major second higher pitched than the previous.
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As I illustrate in my presentation The Beatles: Band of the Sixties, this unusual progression was likely lifted from Carl Perkins' song 'Lend Me Your Comb' (1957).
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The famous story is that 'Please Please Me' was originally a slow ballad until George Martin suggested they ramp up the tempo and turn it into a rock song instead. Presumably, this was when John borrowed from Perkins' example as a way to inject some enthusiasm into the song.

The other progression that likely resulted from Martin's suggestion was the coda, which employs a secondary dominant on bIII (rather unusual) and uses bVI as a pre-dominant (something The Beatles would use again several times in the future - see 'Run For Your Life', 'Day Tripper', and 'We Can Work It Out').
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8. 'Love Me Do'

I: 28 approach: Ø x1, IV x27
     progress: Ø x1, IV x23, V x4
IV: 27 approach: I x23, V x4
     progress: I x27
V: 4 approach: I x4
     ​progress: IV x4

I can tell this was an early attempt at songwriting. The chords, while pleasant, are about as conventional as harmony gets. Not much to say here...


9. 'P. S. I Love You'
I: 22 approach: ii x4, IV x6, V x3, bVII x6, vii° x3
     progress: Ø x1, ii x4, IV x8, V x7, bVI x2
ii: 4 approach: I x4
     progress: I x4
IV: 9 approach: Ø x1, I x8
     progress: I x6, vii° x3
V: 11 approach: I x7, vi x4
     progress: I x3, bVI x4, vi x4
bVI: 6 approach: I x2, V x4
     progress: bVII x6
vi: 4 approach: V x4
     progress: V x4
bVII: 6 approach: bVI x6
     progress: I x6
vii°: 3 approach: IV x3
     progress: I x3

Quite similar to 'Please Please Me', 'P. S. I Love You' also employs the non-diatonic progression of three major chords each a major second higher than the previous. In this case, however, it's using bVI-bVII-I (whereas 'Please Please Me' used bIII-IV-V).
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While they're not identical (different keys, different chords, different scale degrees), they are quite similar. I suspect that 'P. S. I Love You' was also inspired by Carl Perkins' 'Lend Me Your Comb', though it's a less obvious influence.

'P. S.' is also The Beatles' first use of a diminished chord. In the introductory bridge - and, curiously, only in the introductory bridge - a highly unusual vii° is inserted in between the conventional IV and I.
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Why this diminished chord is not reprized in the two subsequent the bridges has mystified me for years. And right now, as I'm typing this, it finally dawned on me: The other bridges contain harmony vocals, but the introductory bridge does not. To retain the vii°, then, would have required alterations to the vocal harmonies to reinforce that diminished chord in a way that was not necessary in the intro.


10. 'Baby It's You'
I: 17 approach: Ø x1, ii x3, IV x4, V x5, vi x4
     progress: IV x3, vi x14
ii: 3 approach: vi x3
     progress: I x3
IV: 9 approach: I x3, vi x6
     progress: I x4, V x5
V: 5 approach: IV x5
     progress: I x5
vi: 14 approach: I x14
     progress: Ø x1, I x4, ii x3, IV x6

'Baby It's You' employs five chords, all in standard ways. The one possible exception might be the cadence ii-I.
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This is unusual in classical contexts, but fairly standard in pop contexts. The Beatles would use this resolution on occasion (see 'Till There Was You' or 'I Want To Tell You').


11. 'Do You Want To Know A Secret?'
I: 15 approach: V x12, bVI x3
     progress: iii x15
i: 2 approach: Ø x1, iv x1
     progress: bIII x1, iv x1
bII: 1 approach: bIII x1
     progress: V x1
ii: 21 approach: biii x15, IV x2, v x1, vi x3
     progress: V x16, bVI x3, vi x2
bIII: 1 approach: i x1
     progress: bII x1
biii: 15 approach: iii x15
     progress: ii x15
iii: 15 approach: I x15
     progress: biii x15
IV: 5 approach: V x4, v x1
     progress: ii x2, V x3
iv: 1 approach: i x1
     progress: i x1
V: 20 approach: bII x1, ii x16, IV x3
     progress: Ø x1, I x12, IV x4, vi x3
vi: 2 approach: vi x2
     progress: ii x1, IV x1
bVI: 3 approach: ii x3
     progress: I x3
vi: 5 approach: ii x2, V x3
     progress: ii x3, v x2

'Do You Want To Know A Secret' incorporates 13 different chords - the most of any song on Please Please Me. This is due, in part, to the introduction. Four of the intro's five chords are never heard again in the song - the one exception being the V.
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While the first phrase is harmonically conventional (i-iv-i), the second is anything but. It's the first example in The Beatles' work of a Neapolitan chord (bII). And the tritone root motion of bII-V also fits into Dylan's "just outrageous" category. Overall, the intro to 'Secret' strongly foreshadows Lennon's introduction to 'If I Fell' from one year later.

Similar to 'Ask Me Why', 'Secret' also employs chord planing - in this case iii-biii-ii.
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Unlike 'Ask', however, this time it's chromatic. No doubt the inspiration was 'Till There Was You'.
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Similar to 'I Saw Her Standing There', 'Secret' also uses a bVI as a V substitute.
Picture
This passage could easily have instead used the more conventional V.
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Lastly, 'Secret' is the first example in The Beatles' catalog of a deceptive cadence (V-vi).
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​12. 'A Taste Of Honey'
I: 1 approach: IV x1
     progress: Ø x1
i: 14 approach: Ø x1, IV x8, bVII x5
     progress: bIII x3, IV x11
bIII: 5 approach: i x3, IV x2
     progress: bVII x5
IV: 11 approach: i x11
     progress: I x1, i x8, bIII x2
bVII: 5 approach: bIII x5
     progress: i x5

'A Taste of Honey' is the first Beatles song in a minor key. As I blogged about yesterday, just 40 (19.0%) of the band's 211-song catalog employ at least one minor tonality. And of those 40, just eight are only in minor - and 'Honey' is the first. In that sense, the harmonies of 'Honey' are unusual for The Beatles simply because they're in minor. But within that somewhat unusual minor framework, the harmonies are pretty standard.

That being said, it's worth mentioning the Picardy third that concludes the song as it's one of only two in the Beatles catalog (the other being 'And I Love Her').
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​13. 'There's A Place'

I: 16 approach: Ø x1, II x2, IV x10, vi x3
     progress: III x2, IV x11, vi x3
II: 2 approach: vi x2
     progress: I x2
III: 2 approach: I x2
     progress: vi x2
iii: 2 approach: V x2
     progress: IV x2
IV: 14 approach: I x11, iii x2, V x1
     progress: Ø x1, I x10, V x1, vi x2
V: 4 approach: IV x1, vi x3
     progress: iii x2, IV x1, vi x1
vi: 8 approach: I x3, III x2, IV x2, V x1
     progress: I x3, II x2, V x3

'There's A Place' is a sibling of 'Ask Me Why'. Both are "under the radar" kind of songs, with neither typically considered among The Beatles' best work, but their harmony is extraordinary and similar.

One noteworthy aspect of 'Place' that is not found in 'Ask Me Why' is a particular pattern of four chords in which the second and fourth are the same, but the first and third are similar but not identical. In this case, its the progression iii-IV-I-IV.
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Two things stand out about this phrase. First, this four-chord pattern will reappear periodically throughout The Beatles' catalog ('No Reply' comes to mind, which uses vi-iii-IV-iii). The band obviously liked this pattern since they continued to use it.

Second, it's another example of iii functioning as a leading tone (or more precisely leading chord) to IV, something also found in 'Ask Me Why'. Just as scale degree 7 has a strong harmonic pull towards scale degree 1, so too scale degree 3 has a strong pull toward 4. That's unsurprising as 3-4 and 7-1 are the two half steps in the major scale. What is somewhat surprising, however, is the use of the iii chord (not just scale degree) resolving to the IV chord. As mentioned earlier, this is distinctly unclassical (I don't believe Beethoven ever wrote such a progression), but it's relatively common in popular styles.
​
Another earcatcher is the cadence II-I, similar to the ii-I cadence mentioned above in both 'Ask Me Why' and 'Baby It's You'.
Picture
This, too, is distinctly unclassical, yet it's relatively common in pop contexts.

Finally, the above is also another example of III functioning as a secondary dominant of vi, as cited above in the consideration of 'Ask Me Why'.


14. 'Twist And Shout'
I: 34 approach: Ø x1, V x33
     progress: Ø x1, IV x33
IV: 33 approach: I x33
     progress: V x33
V: 33 approach: IV x33
     progress: I x33

Like 'Boys' and 'Love Me Do', the three-chord harmony on 'Twist And Shout' could hardly be more simple. Now, let me be clear: Simple doesn't mean bad. In this case, the minimal quantity of chords are used to maximum effect - particularly the two "ah" build-ups on V that create so much harmonic tension that their resolutions are absolutely eargasmic.

Tomorrow I return to my signature program:

​Thursday, 17 November 2016, 6:00-7:00 p.m.
Mead Public Library, 710 N 8th St, Sheboygan, WI​
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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Now That You've Found Another Key: Beatles Songs in Minor Keys

11/15/2016

2 Comments

 
The vast majority of The Beatles' recordings are in a major key. In fact, 171 (81.0%) of the band's 211 tracks are exclusively in major keys. That leaves 40 songs (19.0%) that use (a) minor key(s).


Eight are in minor and only in minor:
  • 'A Taste Of Honey'*
  • 'Don't Bother Me'
  • 'Eleanor Rigby'
  • 'Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!'
  • 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'
  • 'Come Together'
  • 'Because'
  • 'I Me Mine'
* = Interestingly, the only cover song in minor is 'A Taste Of Honey' (the other 24 covers are exclusively in major).


Much more common are songs that are partially in minor. This is found on 30 tracks:
  • 'And I Love Her'
  • 'I'm Happy Just To Dance With You'
  • 'I'll Be Back'
  • 'Things We Said Today'
  • 'Wait'
  • 'Run For Your Life'
  • ''Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)'
  • 'If I Needed Someone'
  • 'We Can Work It Out'
  • 'Michelle'
  • 'Girl'
  • 'I'm Only Sleeping'
  • 'For No One'
  • 'Here There And Everywhere'
  • 'When I'm Sixty-Four'
  • 'Only A Northern Song'
  • 'Magical Mystery Tour'
  • 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • 'The Fool On The Hill'
  • 'Hey Bulldog'
  • 'Cry Baby Cry'?
  • 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps'
  • 'Glass Onion'?
  • 'Happiness Is A Warm Gun'
  • 'Savoy Truffle'
  • 'The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill'
  • 'Old Brown Shoe'
  • 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • 'Golden Slumbers'?
  • 'Carry That Weight'


Lastly, two are neither major nor minor:
  • 'Love You To'
  • 'Within You Without You'
Uncoincidentally, both are George Harrison songs.

Tomorrow evening I speak for a third time at the Fremont library (during which I will miss my only chance to see Deconstructing The White Album - oh well!).

Wednesday, 16 November 2016, 7:00-8:00 p.m.
Fremont Public Library, 1170 N Midlothian Rd, Mundelein, IL
The Beatles & The Rolling Stones
Ask anybody to name two English rock bands from the 1960s and the response will likely be The Beatles and The Rolling Stones. But despite often being portrayed as rivals in the media, the two groups were actually quite friendly towards each other, both socially and musically. This 60-minute presentation will compare and contrast the two through musical examples and interviews with the band members to illustrate the relationship between The Beatles & The Rolling Stones.
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Love You II: How The Beatles Use the II Chord

10/4/2016

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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
  • x1 'I Call Your Name'
  • x2 'Another Girl'
  • x2 'Wait'
  • x1 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  • x1 'I Am The Walrus'

I : 122 instances (30.8%) in 25 songs
  • x1 'I'll Get You'
  • x3 'I Wanna Be Your Man'
  • x2 'Little Child'
  • x19 'What You're Doing'
  • x14 'Eight Days A Week'
  • x5 'I'll Follow The Sun'
  • x2 'Yes It Is'
  • x2 'Act Naturally'
  • x3 'Day Tripper'
  • x15 'You Won't See Me'
  • x6 'I Want To Tell You'
  • x8 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  • x4 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'
  • x4 'Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)'
  • x7 'Blackbird'
  • x4 'Glass Onion' *
  • x1 'Honey Pie'
  • x4 'Savoy Truffle'
  • x4 'One After 909'
  • x2 'Oh! Darling'
  • x1 'Octopus's Garden'
  • x3 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x2 'Her Majesty'
  • x5 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'
  • x1 'The End'

i: 7 instances (1.8%) in 2 songs
  • x1 'Hello Goodbye'
  • x6 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'

ii: 5 instances (1.3%) in 3 songs
  • x2 'Hold Me Tight'
  • x2 'Till There Was You'
  • x1 'Good Night'

bIII: 3 instances (0.8%) in 2 songs
  • x1 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x2 'I Am The Walrus'

III: 10 instances (2.5%) in 1 song
  • x10 'Don't Bother Me'

iii: 9 instances (2.3%) in 2 songs
  • x2 'I'll Cry Instead'
  • x5 'I'll Follow The Sun'
  • x2 'You Like Me Too Much'

IV: 55 instances (13.9%) in 16 songs
  • x8 'Hold Me Tight'
  • x2 'Anna (Go To Him)'
  • x2 'From Me To You'
  • x3 'You Really Got a Hold on Me'
  • x5 'Little Child'
  • x1 'This Boy'
  • x2 'I Call Your Name'
  • x4 'Things We Said Today'
  • x5 'When I Get Home'
  • x2 'Sexy Sadie'
  • x7 'Glass Onion' *
  • x1 'For You Blue'
  • x4 'Something'
  • x5 'Here Comes The Sun'
  • x2 'The End'
  • x2 'Sun King'

iv : 5 instances (1.3%) in 2 songs
  • x2 'Ask Me Why'
  • x3 'Devil in Her Heart'

V: 15 instances (3.8%) in 6 songs
  • x2 'I Need You'
  • x6 'Fixing A Hole'
  • x1 'I Am The Walrus'
  • x1 'Piggies'
  • x2 'Martha My Dear'
  • x3 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'

bVI: 7 instances (1.8%) in 2 songs
  • x4 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x3 'I Am The Walrus'

VI: 36 instances (9.1%) in 8 songs
  • x3 'I Wanna Be Your Man'
  • x1 'Little Child'
  • x5 'I Call Your Name'
  • x6 'Good Day Sunshine'
  • x3 'When I'm Sixty-Four'
  • x7 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x7 'Honey Pie'
  • x4 'Martha My Dear'

vi : 115 instances (29.0%) in 22 songs
  • x3 'She Loves You'
  • x2 'I'll Cry Instead'
  • x1 'I'll Be Back'
  • x2 'Baby's In Black'
  • x4 'I Don't Want To Spoil The Party'
  • x7 'What You're Doing'
  • x6 'Eight Days A Week'
  • x4 'You Like Me Too Much'
  • x5 'Yesterday'
  • x2 'Wait
  • x4 'Drive My Car'
  • x3 'In My Life'
  • x6 'Lovely Rita'
  • x12 'She's Leaving Home'
  • x7 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'
  • x7 'Cry Baby Cry'
  • x5 'Mother Nature's Son'
  • x17 'Rocky Raccoon'
  • x8 'Piggies'
  • x4 'Honey Pie'
  • x2 'Martha My Dear'
  • x4 'Something'

PROGRESS:
Ø : 11 instances (2.8%) in 7 songs
  • x2 'What You're Doing'
  • x3 'Day Tripper'
  • x2 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'
  • x1 'Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)
  • x1 'I Am The Walrus'
  • x1 'Glass Onion' *
  • x1 'Octopus's Garden'

I: 51 instances (12.9%) in 12 songs
  • x10 'Don't Bother Me'
  • x15 'What You're Doing'
  • x4 'Eight Days A Week'
  • x5 'I'll Follow The Sun'
  • x2 'Another Girl'
  • x2 'She's Leaving Home'
  • x3 'I Am The Walrus'
  • x1 'Mother Nature's Son'
  • x1 'Glass Onion' *
  • x2 'Honey Pie'
  • x5 'Here Comes The Sun'
  • x1 'Sun King'

bII: 3 instances (0.8%) in 2 songs
  • x1 'It Won't Be Long'
  • x2 'Sexy Sadie'

ii: 2 instances (0.5%) in 1 song
  • x2 'I Want To Tell You'

bIII: 7 instances (1.8%) in 3 songs
  • x3 'I Am The Walrus'
  • x3 'You Never Give Me Your Money'
  • x1 'The End'

iii: 5 instances (1.3%) in 2 songs
  • x2 'You Like Me Too Much'
  • x3 'Glass Onion' *

IV: 79 instances (19.9%) in 17 songs
  • x1 'She Loves You'
  • x4 'I Call Your Name'
  • x1 'I'll Be Back'
  • x2 'Baby's In Black'
  • x4 'I Don't Want To Spoil The Party'
  • x16 'Eight Days A Week'
  • x5 'Yesterday'
  • x13 'You Won't See Me'
  • x8 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  • x1 'She's Leaving Home'
  • x1 'Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)
  • x7 'You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)'
  • x1 'Hello Goodbye'
  • x6 'Glass Onion' *
  • x4 'Savoy Truffle'
  • x4 'Something'
  • x1 'Sun King'

iv: 5 instances (1.3%) in 2 songs
  • x2 'She Loves You'
  • x3 'In My Life'

V: 195 instances (49.2%) in 47 songs
  • x2 'Ask Me Why'
  • x10 'Hold Me Tight'
  • x2 'Anna (Go To Him)'
  • x2 'From Me To You'
  • x1 'I'll Get You'
  • x3 'You Really Got A Hold On Me'
  • x3 'Devil In Her Heart'
  • x2 'Till There Was You'
  • x6 'I Wanna Be Your Man'
  • x8 'Little Child'
  • x1 'This Boy'
  • x2 'I Call Your Name'
  • x4 'I'll Cry Instead'
  • x4 'Things We Said Today'
  • x5 'When I Get Home'
  • x5 'I'll Follow The Sun'
  • x2 'I Need You'
  • x2 'Yes It Is'
  • x2 'You Like Me Too Much'
  • x2 'Act Naturally'
  • x4 'Wait'
  • x4 'Drive My Car'
  • x2 'You Won't See Me'
  • x4 'I Want To Tell You'
  • x6 'Good Day Sunshine'
  • x3 'When I'm Sixty-Four'
  • x1 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'
  • x6 'Fixing A Hole'
  • x4 'Only A Northern Song'
  • x6 'Lovely Rita'
  • x2 'Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds'
  • x5 'She's Leaving Home'
  • x2 'Sgt. Pepper's (Reprise)'
  • x7 'Your Mother Should Know'
  • x7 'Blackbird'
  • x4 'Mother Nature's Son'
  • x17 'Rocky Raccoon'
  • x5 'Piggies'
  • x10 'Honey Pie'
  • x5 'Martha My Dear'
  • x1 'For You Blue'
  • x4 'One After 909'
  • x4 'Something'
  • x2 'Oh! Darling'
  • x2 'Her Majesty'
  • x8 'Maxwell's Silver Hammer'
  • x2 'The End'

v: 1 instance (0.3%) in 1 song
  • x1 'Good Night'

bVI: 8 instances (2.0%) in 2 songs
  • x2 'I Call Your Name'
  • x6 'I Want You (She's So Heavy)'

VI: 2 instances (0.5%) in 1 song
  • x2 'You Like Me Too Much'

vi: 20 instances (5.1%) in 4 songs
  • x9 'What You're Doing'
  • x4 'She's Leaving Home'
  • x4 'Piggies'
  • x3 'Martha My Dear'

bVII: 7 instances (1.8%) in 1 song
  • x7 'Cry Baby Cry'

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.
Picture
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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.
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It Must Be High Or Low: II-IV-I in Beatles Songs

10/3/2016

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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'
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'Eight Days A Week'
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'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.
Picture
'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.
Picture
'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band'​ and its reprise
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The reprise is noteworthy for the flat median plagal cadence immediately following the lydian plagal cadence.
Picture
'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'.
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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.
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'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!
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'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.
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Lastly, here are a couple more recent example of the same progression.

Cee Lo Green: 'Forget You' (2010)
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Dierks Bentley: 'Somewhere On A Beach' (2016)
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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

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Some Time Driving Past New York City: Lennon's Worst & The Beatles' Best

10/2/2016

2 Comments

 
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.
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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.
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But they first used it in 1965's 'The Night Before' to connect verses (counting the solo as a verse iteration)...
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... and 'The Word', recorded about eight months after 'The Night Before':
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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.
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'Helter Skelter' (1968) uses flat mediant plagals at the end of each verse...
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... as does 'Mother Nature's Son' ...
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... and 'Back in the USSR', all from the same year.
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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':
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So far, all of these are Paul songs. But there is one John song that uses flat mediant plagals: 'I Am the Walrus' (1967).
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And there are two George Harrison songs: 'Think For Yourself' (1965) ...
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... and 'Only A Northern Song' (1967).
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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':
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Shortly before that, Savage Garden used it in the choruses of their own mega-hit 'I Want You' (1996):
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And 'You Oughta Know' from Alanis Morisette's 1995 album Jagged Little Pill uses it, too:
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More recently, in 2011, Parachute released 'Something To Believe In':
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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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