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Formal structure of [172] "Octopus's Garden":
Intro 0:00-0:10 guitar (ind) 0:00-0:05 beat (v) 0:05-0:10 E major Verse 1 0:10-0:52 E major Verse 2 0:52-1:34 E major Solo/Middle 8 1:34-1:55 A major Verse 3 1:55-2:34 E major Coda (v) 2:34-2:50 E major Comments: Using a tactic used more by the Beatles in their earlier years, "Octopus's Garden" uses a two-part introduction (as did [6b] "A Taste Of Honey", [11] "Thank You Girl", [17] "Little Child", [14b] "Roll Over Beethoven", [24] "You Can't Do That", [31b] "Matchbox", [37] "Baby's in Black", [38b] "Mr. Moonlight", [45] "I Feel Fine", [46e] "Honey Don't", [47] "Ticket to Ride", [62] "Run For Your Life", [63] "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)", [66] "If I Needed Someone", [77] "Tomorrow Never Knows", [79] "Love You To", [81] "Paperback Writer", [89] "I Want to Tell You", [92] "She Said She Said", [102] "Lovely Rita", [104] "Getting Better", [105] "Within You Without You", [110] "Baby, You're a Rich Man", [114] "All You Need Is Love", [125] "Revolution 1", [126] "Don't Pass Me By", [130] "Good Night", [131] "Ob-la-di Ob-la-da", [134] "Helter Skelter", and [138] "Mother Nature's Son") with a guitar lead in for two measures before the whole rhythm section joins in with a truncated (2 bars instead of 4) statement of the verses' chord progression. Similarly, the verses feature a 4-part structure that was also more common in the band's earlier recordings) in which the first, second, and fourth quarters of each verse are very similar, but the third quarter is substantially different. The Beatles had used similar four-part verse structures in [6] “I Saw Her Standing There”, [31] "A Hard Day's Night", [35] "Things We Said Today", [40] "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", [42] "No Reply", [43] "Eight Days a Week", [49] "I Need You", [51] "The Night Before", [70] "I'm Looking Through You", [74] "Wait", and [75] "You Won't See Me". More on this when I do my harmonic analysis of the song. In addition, verses 1 and 2 are contiguous (as they were in [1] "Love Me Do", [7] "Do You Want to Know a Secret", [8] "Misery", [9b] "Anna (Go To Him)", [9c] "Boys", [9d] "Chains", [9f] Twist and Shout, [10] "From Me To You", [13e] "Till There Was You", [17] "Little Child", [19] "Not a Second Time", [23] "Can't Buy Me Love", [25] "And I Love Her", [26] "I Should Have Known Better", [28] "If I Fell'', [29] "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You", [31] "A Hard Day's Night", [31b] "Matchbox", [32] "I'll Cry Instead", [35] "Things We Said Today", [40] "I Don't Want To Spoil the Party", [41] "What You're Doing", [42] "No Reply", [43] "Eight Days a Week", [44] "She's a Woman", [44b] "Kansas City/Hey Hey Hey Hey", [46d] "Words of Love", [47] "Ticket to Ride", [49] "I Need You", [50] "Yes It Is", [51] "The Night Before", [52] "You Like Me Too Much", [54] "Tell Me What You See", 56b] "Dizzy Miss Lizzy", [56c] "Bad Boy", [57] "I've Just Seen a Face", [59] "Yesterday", [66] "If I Needed Someone", [68] "We Can Work it Out", [71] "Michelle", [77] "Tomorrow Never Knows", [80] "Paperback Writer", [82] "Doctor Robert", [84] "Taxman", [88] "Yellow Submarine", [89] "I Want To Tell You", [92] "She Said She Said", [95] "Penny Lane", [96] "A Day in the Life", [99] "Fixing a Hole", [100] "Only a Northern Song", [101] "Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite", [105] "Within You Without You", [111] "All Together Now", [114] "All You Need Is Love", [116] "I Am the Walrus", [122] "Lady Madonna", [126] "Don't Pass Me By", [128] "Blackbird", [129] "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me and My Monkey", [135] "Sexy Sadie", [138] "Mother Nature's Son", [139] "Yer Blues", [140] "Rocky Raccoon", [143] "Dear Prudence", [144] "Glass Onion", [145] "I Will", [149] "Honey Pie", [152] "Long Long Long", [163] "For You Blue", [166] "One After 909", and [172] "Oh! Darling"). All of the things mentioned above illustrate how this Ringo composition employs the tricks of many early Lennon/McCartney numbers. Nothing against the song or the songwriter, but it is clearly based on the songwriting formulas from previous Beatles recordings. There is, however, one thing unusual and more original aspect of "Octopus" that the Beatles had not done very much: there is a key change at the solo. That alone is not terribly uncommon - [25] "And I Love Her", [55] "You're Going to Lose That Girl", [71] "Michelle", [76] "Girl", [90] "Good Day Sunshine", [122] "Lady Madonna", and [170] "Something" all featured key changes at the point where the solo begins. But in "Octopus's Garden", the entire song is in one key (E major) except for the solo section (which is in A major). No other Beatles song to date uses a formal design in which the entire song is in a single tonality except for the solo section which is in another tonality. Furthermore, the labeling of the solo section in "Octopus" is somewhat ambiguous precisely because of the key change. Had the solo remained in E major, it would be very clearly labeled a solo. With the key change, however, it can be seen as a hybrid solo and middle 8 (key changes being something middle 8s have employed in past Beatles songs). Again, more on this notion when I do my harmonic analysis of "Octopus's Garden". Lastly, the coda is largely an extension of verse. Quite similar to the songs recorded shortly prior (i.e. [168] "The Ballad of John and Yoko", and [169] "Old Brown Shoe"), the final verse is extended through repetition of the final line of lyrics. Unlike "Ballad" and "Show", however, which both repeated that last line once (so it's heard twice), "Octopus" repeats it twice (so it's heard a total of three times). This helps propel the song to its conclusion.
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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: 
Deceptive cadences refer to a particular pattern of chords in which the chord built on the fifth scale degree, which usually resolves to the first scale degree, instead proceeds to the sixth scale degree. This may be expressed in roman numerals as follows:
Authentic: V-I Deceptive V-vi (or, less commonly, V-bVI) One of the defining characteristics of a deceptive cadence is the aural anticipation of tonic following the dominant chord. That expectation is then thwarted, thus the term "deceptive". Additionally, cadences by definition conclude phrases. Deceptive cadences, then, may only be found at the ends of phrases. Many Beatles songs ([5] "There's a Place", [11] "Thank You Girl", [12] "She Loves You", [25] "And I Love Her", [34] "Any Time At All", [40] "I Don't Want to Spoil the Party", [47] "Ticket to Ride", [50] "Yes It Is", [52] "You Like Me Too Much", [64] "Drive My Car", [68] "We Can Work it Out", [70] "I'm Looking Through You", [96] "A Day in the Life", [106] "She's Leaving Home", [144] "Glass Onion" [154] "The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill", [170] "Something", [174] "Her Majesty", and [185] "Because") use the same chords that would be used in a deceptive cadence, but these are not actually so because they bridge phrases (with V concluding the former phrase and vi starting the new phrase) rather than conclude them (with V-vi concluding the former phrase and the new phrase beginning on some other chord). Conversely, some songs ([21] "I Want to Hold Your Hand", [26] "I Should Have Known Better", [27] "Tell Me Why", [29] "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You", [32] "I'll Cry Instead", [51] "The Night Before", [67] "In My Life", [87] "For No One", [93] "Strawberry Fields Forever", [94] "When I'm Sixty-Four", [107] "With a Little Help From My Friends", [114] "All You Need Is Love", [120] "Hello Goodbye", [147] "Piggies", [153] "I'm So Tired", [164] "Let It Be", [171] "Oh! Darling", [183] "Polythene Pam") use the right chords in the middle of their progression - rather than at the end as part of a cadence. More unusually, [43] "Eight Days a Week" uses the same chords not as V to vi, but as bVII to i during a tonicization of the relative minor during the Middle 8; and [181] "Sun King" uses the chords, but in a non-functional harmonic context. All of these instances are not examples of deceptive cadences and are thus purposely omitted from the list below. With those out of the way, 7 Beatles songs actually do employ true deceptive cadences, and each is identified below with analysis and explanation. [2] "P. S. I Love You" uses probably the most blatant of all the Beatles' deceptive cadences a total of four times (0:25, 0:43, 1:15, 1:47), each iteration using the same lyrics and chords. A Bb C D P. S. I love you, you, you, you. V bVI bVII I Deceptive cadences, as their name implies, are deceiving by nature. But this particular deceptive cadence draws further attention to itself by proceeding from V to bVI - a strikingly foreign chord in D major. In a textbook example of a deceptive cadence, the insertion of this bVI extends the phrase (from what would have been 8 bars to 10) and delays the eventual resolution to I. [7] "Do You Want to Know a Secret" uses the five iterations of the same deceptive cadence: 0:38, 1:05, 1:43, 1:47, 1:51 - the first three of which come at the end of each verse; the last two coming in quick succession as part of the song's coda, which fades out as the cadence repeats. F#m B7 A B7 C#m Say the words you long to hear: I'm in love with you. ii V7 IV V7 vi This deceptive cadence also extends the phrase and delays tonic by two measures. [19] "Not a Second Time" uses a total of three deceptive cadences (0:41, 1:01, 1:47), the first and last of which are to identical lyrics sung by Lennon . . . Am Bm D7 Em You hurt me then, You're back again, No no no, Not a second time. ii iii V7 vi . . . while the middle cadence is during the solo, which employs the same melody and chords as the outer deceptive cadences, just played by a piano instead of sung by Lennon. In all three instances, the deceptive cadences replace resolution to tonic (rather than delay resolution to tonic, as was the case with "P. S. I Love You" and "Do You Want to Know a Secret".) [36] "When I Get Home" is the jackpot for Beatles songs that use deceptive cadences. With a total of nine iterations of four unique progressions, it uses more deceptive cadences than any other Beatles tune. The first (the most frequent with four occurring at 0:12, 0:42, 1:13, and 1:47) appears near the conclusion of each chorus with identical lyrics and chords each time. D7 G7 Am I got a whole lot of things to tell her when I get home II7 V7 vi The next-most-frequent, with three instances occurring at 0:31, 1:01, and 1:51, appears near the end of each verse, with identical chords but different lyrics each time. C F7 G7 A I've got a whole lot of things I've got to say to her. Woah-oh-oh-ah I've got a girl who's waiting home for me tonight. Woah-oh-oh-ah. I've got no business being here with you this way. Woah-oh-oh-ah. I IV7 V7 VI These deceptive cadences vary slightly from the previous examples (from the same song) because while they both feature G7 (V7) chords followed by chords based on A, the former uses A minor while the latter uses A major. The last two instances are both unique in the song. At 1:32, near the end of the Middle 8: F G7 Am till I walk out that door again. IV V7 vi The final deceptive cadence, occurring at 2:02, is identical to those four occurring at 0:12, 0:42, 1:13, and 1:47 except for the final chord, which is major instead of minor. In this way, this cadence may be viewed as a combination of the previously heard deceptive cadences, with the purpose to propelling the song to its conclusion. D7 G7 A I got a whole lot of things to tell her when I get home II7 V7 VI In all nine instances of deceptive cadences in "When I Get Home", the deceptive cadence expands the phrase and delays the resolution of tonic. [131] "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da" uses just one deceptive cadence (2:58) but it's also one of the more obvious in the Beatles repertoire because by the time we hear the deceptive cadence, we have already heard it as an authentic cadence (V to I) 3 times (0:42, 1:16, 2:07). In explicit and definitive terms, then, this deceptive cadence serves to prolong the phrase and delay the resolution to tonic. Bb Dm/F Gm7 Bb F7 Gm Ob-la-di Ob-la-da Life goes on bra, La la how the life goes on. I iii/5 vi7 I V7 vi In [145] "I Will", all four deceptive cadences are saved for the end of the song. The final verse substitutes vi for I three times (1:11, 1:15, and 1:20), prolonging the phrase and delaying tonic resolution - but not before the really attention-grabbing deceptive cadence at 1:25, which pulls the same stunt (V to bVI) McCartney used way back in "P. S. I Love You". Bb C7 Dm Bb F (Fdim Gm C7 Db7) Sing it loud so I can hear you Make it easy to be near you For the things you do endear you to me and you know I will IV V7 vi IV I i* ii V7 bVI [172] "Octopus's Garden", just like "I Will", saves both of its deceptive cadences for the coda (2:34, and 2:39). A B C#m A B C#m In an octopus's garden with you. In an octopus's garden with you. IV V vi IV V vi Both of these deceptive cadences prolong the final verse, propelling the son to its conclusion, and delay resolution of tonic. OBSERVATIONS & CONCLUSIONS:
1963: 2 ([7] "Do You Want to Know a Secret", [19] "Not a Second Time") 1964: 1 ([36] "When I Get Home") 1965: 0 1966: 0 1967: 0 1968: 2 ([131] "Ob-La-Di Ob-La-Da", [145] "I Will") 1969: 1 ([172] "Octopus's Garden") |
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