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Formal structure of [63] "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)"
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:16* E major Verse 1 0:16-0:32 E major Middle 8 0:32-0:48 E minor Verse 2 0:48-1:04 E major Break 1:04-1:20 E major Middle 8 1:20-1:36 E minor Verse 3 1:36-1:53 E major Coda (verse) 1:53-2:05 E major Comments: Another two-part intro (along with [6b] "A Taste Of Honey", [11] "Thank You Girl", [17] "Little Child", [14b] "Roll Over Beethoven", [24] "You Can't Do That", and [31b] "Matchbox", [37] "Baby's in Black", [38b] "Mr. Moonlight", [45] "I Feel Fine", [46e] "Honey Don't", [47] "Ticket to Ride", and [62] "Run For Your Life") in which a single instrument - in this case guitar - is heard briefly before the rest of the instruments join in to create the backing track over which the lead vocals will be added at the start of the first verse. The song is in E major, but the Middle 8s switch from E major to E minor - a shift between the parallel major and minor, reminiscent of [33] "I'll Be Back" and [35] "Things We Said Today".
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Formal structure of [61] "Wait":
Verse 1 0:00-0:12 F# minor Chorus 0:12-0:21 A major Verse 2 0:21-0:33 F# minor Chorus 0:33-0:41 A major Middle 8 0:41-0:57 A major Verse 3 0:57-1:08 F# minor Chorus 1:08-1:17 A major Middle 8 1:17-1:32 A major Verse 4 1:32-1:44 F# minor Chorus 1:44-1:53 A major Verse 5 1:53-2:03 F# minor Coda (verse) 2:03-2:13* F# minor Comments: No intro - starts right up with the verse (just like [15] "All My Loving", [19] "Not a Second Time", [29b] "Long Tall Sally", [42] "No Reply", [46b] "Everybody's Trying to Be My Baby", and [58] "I'm Down"). Coda is an extension of the verse. The formal structure of "Wait" is often delineated through tonality. The verses are all in F# minor, while the choruses and middle 8s are all in the relative major, A. [25] "And I Love Her" uses similar tonal dialogue between the relative major and minor, and [33] "I'll Be Back" and [35] "Things We Said Today" between the parallel major and minor. Formal structure of [35] "Things We Said Today"
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:04 A minor Verse 1 0:04-0:33 A minor (with a touch of C) Verse 2 0:33-0:59 A minor (with a touch of C) Middle 8 0:59-1:15 A major Verse 3 1:15-1:41 A minor (with a touch of C) Middle 8 1:41-1:57 A major Verse 4 1:57-2:23 A minor (with a touch of C) Coda 2:23-2:34 A minor Comments: "Things We Said Today" employs a very similar verse structure as [31] "A Hard Day's Night". The verse may be split into four parts: You say you will love me if I have to go. You'll be thinking of me, somehow I will know. Someday when I'm lonely, wishing you weren't so far away, Then I will remember things we said today. The only difference between the first and second parts is the lyrics. But then with the third segment, the chords change and vocal harmony is added before reverting to the characteristics of the first two segments for the final part. Like [34] "Any Time At All", "Things We Said Today" plays between A major and A minor. It is no coincidence that these two were recorded consecutively. Formal structure of [33] "I'll Be Back"
Intro (verse) 0:00-0:05 A Major Verse 1 0:05-0:27 A minor (with Picardy third) Middle 8 #1 0:27-0:40* A (major or minor) Verse 2 0:40-1:03 A minor (with Picardy third) Middle 8 #2 1:03-1:21* A (major or minor) Verse 3 1:21-1:46 A minor (with Picardy third) Middle 8 #1 1:46-1:58 A (major or minor) Verse 4 1:58-2:05* A minor (with Picardy third) Coda (verse) 2:05-2:21 A (major or minor) Comments: "I'll Be Back" marks the first Beatles recording in several categories: First, there are two distinct Middle 8s, the second of which is slightly longer, but both of which end with the same music. Second, the structure is perfectly palindromic (the same forwards as it is backwards), with the second Middle 8 serving as the centerpiece. The title even suggests the composer's knowledge of this fact on some level - "I'll Be Back" could refer to the structure of a rondo, where a particular theme or melody reappears several times. In this case, the song may be seen as a nine-part rondo (or a seven-part rondo with an intro and coda). Third, there is an interesting tonal play between A major and A minor (which will appear in later songs, such as [136] "While My Guitar Gently Weeps). The intro is in A major, but the first verse is in A minor (but it ends in major with a Picardy third). All three Middle 8s explore other chords, but never to the extent of rivaling A as tonic. The coda, which fades out, alternates A major and A minor, offering no more weight either over the other. Although tonal ambiguity is not a trademark of Beatles music, the album A Hard Day's Night features two songs that are tonally ambiguous: "I'll Be Back" and [25] "And I Lover Her". In addition, although less substantial and not unique, Verse 4 is abbreviated to prepare for the coda. Also, "I'll Be Back" features an interesting use of triplets - something I plan on blogging about in the future. Formal structure of [28] "If I Fell''
Intro (independent) 0:00-0:18 Verse 1 0:18-0:40 Verse 2 0:40-1:02 Middle 8 1:02-1:13 Verse 3 1:13-1:35 Middle 8 1:35-1:46 Verse 4 1:46-2:09 Coda (verse) 2:09-2:18 Comments: One of the most developed and harmonically unusual introductions (it's in Eb minor while the rest of the song is in D major), but ultimately a very straight-forward macro-scale formal structure. Verses 3 and 4 share identical lyrics. This installment of my index of Beatles song structures will feature a new element to the analysis: tonality. The Beatles grew progressively more sophisticated in terms of tonality and tonal relations. In their first two albums, not a single song ever changes key. But beginning with "And I Love Her" on A Hard Day's Night, that changes. And since these changes in tonality often coincide with formal design, all of my structural analyses from now on will consider tonality where applicable.
Formal and tonal structure of [25] "And I Love Her": Intro (verse) 0:00-0:09 C# minor Verse 1 0:09-0:30 C# minor Verse 2 0:30-0:50 C# minor Middle 8 0:50-1:08 C# minor Verse 3 1:08-1:29 C# minor Solo 1:29-1:50 D minor Verse 1:50- 2:11 D minor Coda (verse) 2:11-2:28 D minor* Comments: "And I Love Her" is the first Beatles recording to feature any sort of key change (the technical term is modulation). This happens right at the solo section, at 1:29, from C# minor up a half step to D minor - a modulation I've heard called the "shoehorn modulation", the "truck driver's modulation", and the "Barry Manilow modulation". It has sine become a cliche to jack up the tonality in the final chorus of a song. (Paul would use it again on [90] "Good Day Sunshine".) Although the key change sounds very natural, I have never been able to figure out why it's there. What purpose does it serve? Why right before the solo? I'm not sure. The song ends with a D major chord - a Picardy Third, in which a composition in a minor key concludes on the parallel major. |
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