Formal structure of [181] "Sun King":
          Introduction (Section A)   0:00-0:14
          Section A (instrumental)    0:14-0:52
          Trans.                                         0:52-0:58
          Section B                                   0:58-1:24
          Section A' (+ vocals)            1:49-2:26

Comments: Once again, the structural analyses of the "Abbey Road Medley" are very different from previous analyses because of the unique structure of the medley as a whole. However, unlike some of the other medley songs, "Sun King" does contain very clear formal articulations. With that in mind, I've chosen to neglect the standard nomenclature of verse, chorus, middle 8, et cetera, and simply use letters (Section A, Section B), which seems better suited to this song specifically. This provides a very nice, clean ternary form: A B A'.

The two A sections are practically identical except for the addition of the vocals (the tempo during A' is also a little faster, and the endings are a bit different since they lead to different places).

The B section - despite not being a true verse - uses the "third quarter verse structure" that the Beatles used rather frequently in their earlier years ([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", [75] "You Won't See Me", [172] "Octopus's Garden", and [174] "Her Majesty"). In this case, the first, second, and fourth quarters all use the lyrics "Here comes the sun king", while the third quarter uses the lyrics "Everybody's laughing, everybody's happy". The chords are different, too, but consideration of that will have to wait until my harmonic analysis of this track.

[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: