FLIP SIDE BEATLES: presentations, books, musical analysis
  • Beatles Minute
  • Pop Goes the Theory
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Blogs
    • Beatles Blog
    • Pop Music Blog
    • Star Wars Blog
    • Origami Blog
    • Shakespeare Blog
  • Contact

An Analysis of “Stairway to Heaven”, Part 5: Verses 3 & 4

3/1/2018

0 Comments

 
Verse 3, like verse 2, contains two phrases. Those phrases are identical except that the latter is extended by a single measure (five bars long instead of four). Both reprise the (a) melody from the first and second verses, but with new (d) harmonies.

2:40-3:31   (B) Verse 3 (9 measures)
   2:40   (a & d)   |C G |a |C G |a |   “There's a feeling...”
   2:52   (a & d')   |C G |a |C G |a |C G |   “In my thoughts...”

This third verse cannot be called a new section because it brings back an old melody. But it also cannot be called an old section, either, because the chords are new. So it's half new, half old. This is a technique known as organic development because the music grows out of what came before, just like a seed sprouts and flowers. I analyzed the organic development of 'Good Times Bad Times' earlier. This is the same technique, but on a much grander scale.

While Verse 3 is the first time those (d) harmonies are used, they will be heard again six more times (two each in verses 4, 5, and 6):
   3:31   (d)   Verse 4
   3:42   (d')   Verse 4
   4:20   (d)   Verse 5
   4:31   (d')   Verse 5
   5:08   (d)   Verse 6
   5:19   (d')   Verse 6

 Verse 4 is identical to verse 3, just with different lyrics.

3:31-3:55   (B) Verse 4 (9 measures)
   3:31   (a & d)   |C G |a |C G |a |   “And it's whispered...”
   3:42   (a & d')   |C G |a |C G |a |C G |   “And a new day...”
0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Aaron Krerowicz, pop music scholar

    An informal but highly analytic study of popular music.

    Archives

    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018

    Categories

    All
    AABA Form
    Alanis Morissette
    Ariana Grande
    Asymmetric Rhymes
    Augmented Sixths
    Bass Line
    Beatles
    Beck's Bolero
    Billy Joel
    Black Dog
    Bluegrass
    Bolero
    Bon Jovi
    Brian Hebert
    Bring It On Home
    Cheap Trick
    Chordal Accretion
    Christopher Doll
    Country
    Dazed And Confused
    Functional Harmony
    George Harrison
    Good Times Bad Times
    Half-diminished Sevenths
    Harmony
    Have A Cigar
    Here Comes The Sun
    Hexatonic Pole
    Houses Of The Holy (song)
    Howlin Wolf
    How Many More Times
    How Many More Years
    Interview
    James Jamerson
    Jeff Beck
    Jimmie Rodgers
    Jimmy Nash
    Jimmy Ruffin
    Kiss
    Led Zeppelin (album)
    Led Zeppelin (band)
    Led Zeppelin II (album)
    Led Zeppelin III (album)
    Led Zeppelin IV (album)
    Linkin Park
    Los Lonely Boys
    Lou Reed
    Luke Bryan
    Madonna
    Mandocello
    Metallica
    Meteora
    Meter
    Milli Vanilli
    Mode Mixture
    Modulation
    Muddy Waters
    Multifunctional Harmony
    Muse
    Neapolitan Chord
    Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
    Organic Development
    Out On The Tiles
    Physical Graffiti
    Picardy Third
    Pink Floyd
    Pivot Chord
    Plagiarism
    Rhythmic Displacement
    Rock N Roll Animal
    Secondary Diminished
    Shapes Of Things
    Smokestack Lightning
    Something
    Sour Girl
    Stairway To Heaven
    Steve Marriott
    Stone Temple Pilots
    Structure
    Sweet Jane
    The Hunter
    The Small Faces
    The T-Bones
    Tom Waits
    Tragedy
    Welcome To The Machine
    What Becoems Of The Brokenhearted
    When The Levee Breaks
    Whole Lotta Love
    Willie Dixon
    Wish You Were Here

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Beatles Minute
  • Pop Goes the Theory
  • Calendar
    • Upcoming Events
    • Past Events
    • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Blogs
    • Beatles Blog
    • Pop Music Blog
    • Star Wars Blog
    • Origami Blog
    • Shakespeare Blog
  • Contact