Beatles - Notes On... (Pollack)

Soundscapes — Journal on Media Culture
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/interview.shtml,
retrieved from www.soundscapes.info (ISSN 1567-7745) on Saturday, September 19, 2009.
volume 2
"I was nervously waiting ..."
february 2000
An interview with Alan W. Pollack
by Ian Hammond
On the 31st of May 1989 Alan W. Pollack published the first

installment of his famous Notes on ... the Beatles' songs on
the Internet, a musicological analysis of "We Can Work It
Out". He did work it out. In February 2000 he finally
completed his analyses of the full Beatles' catalog with his
discussion of "Her Majesty". Here, interviewed by Ian
Hammond, Pollack looks back on ten years and just over
eight months of Beatles' studies.
1 How did the series start?
The confluence of a number of factors triggered the first installment of the "Notes on ..." series over the Memorial Day
weekend of May 1989:
• Rediscovery of the Beatles albums on CD, after not having been giving them much thought for a period of
some twenty years. The experience was equal parts nostalgic — who and where was I when I first heard this
music? — and mind-expanding — in terms of noticing many levels of sophisticated detail and form that I
hadn't noticed before.
• The suggestion and proof-by-existence that the Beatles were a worthy subject of "formal scholarship"
provided by the examples of Lewisohn's Recording Sessions book current at the time, and the best of what
could be found then in the newsgroup rec.music.beatles (r.m.b.); the postings of saki, Jim Kendall, and
Doug Sulpy, in particular.
• The slow realization that even the most scholarly treatments of the wealth of Beatle bootleg material to-date
were focused almost entirely on issues of discography and provenance, while largely missing out on the
profound musicological significance of the material in terms of the light it shed on the Beatles'
compositional processes.
• Inspiration and opportunity to "publish" in serial form provided by the relatively new-fangled medium of a
Usenet newsgroup dedicated to the Beatles.
• A mid-life crisis-driven fire in the belly to do "something," some how, some way, with my training and
experience in music theory, which at the time was on a streak of more than ten years worth of virtually
complete un-utilization.
2 When did you decide to do all the songs?
The possibility of doing all the songs, or at least an open-ended series covering "many" of them, was under
consideration from the very first article. I was nervously waiting to see how the first Notes would go down. No one in
r.m.b. had ever touched the music on my level of detail. And historically, guys like Wilfrid Mellers had put quite the
kibosh on mating musicology with the Beatles. It wasn't so much a matter of whether or not to do the full series, per
se; rather deciding whether or not pushing each article to the Internet as it was completed would be a good idea or not,
all things considered.
3 How long did you think the series would take?
I could have been done in as little as about two years if I were working full time in musical academia or just plain
filthy rich like Mr. McCartney, Senior. My actual pace in the beginning was very close to one article per week, which
would have come out to about four years for a series of about two hundred articles.
When did you work out that it would take a lot longer?
Real life, meaning a full time job in the software industry, two young children, and a spouse with her own career, made
it impossible for me to sustain the initial pace. On some irregular but not infrequent basis I found myself sometimes
going a month or longer without working on the project at all.
Somewhere about the second or third year in, when I started to take my desire and intention to do the whole thing more
seriously, it was time for a reality check; taking the average elapsed time per article to-date and extrapolating outward
for the rest of the series. That calculation came out to be much longer than even the ten years, eight months that it
eventually has taken.
Following a period of panic and frustration whose duration I'm reluctant to document, I surprised myself by eventually
achieving what Holden Caulfield's English teacher, Mr. Antonlini, described as the maturity to live humbly by a cause.
I started enjoying what I was doing much more the moment that I ceased to care (as much) about when the job would
be finished.
4 As you noted, you changed your approach after about 28 pieces. Why was that?
In the first 28 pieces I was insisting on working from a unique angle or point of departure for each song. This became a
difficult burden to sustain over the long run, especially if I was going to cover every song, some of which (a
surprisingly few, actually) would not bear such an individualized approach. I eventually resorted to a template,
inspired by Unix man pages, to facilitate the process of starting each new article, and to insure more consistent
coverage of each song. The first 28 ironically contained more sidebar-like depth in some areas, but contained many
blind spots in others.
Which were the tougher nuts to crack?

Any song that contained one or more of the following anomalies:
• A form that could not be easily pigeonholed into the standard pop designs.
• Chord progressions that relied on voice leading rather than root movement.
• Uneven phrase lengths or meter changes.
Which was the toughest chord sequence to decode?

If I have to pick just one, it's the Intro to "If I Fell".
5 What were your biggest "Aha" experiences?
At the high level, I was amazed very early on at how often you'd find examples of the three "anomalistic" categories in
even the very early songs. People in general have tended to underrate the first half of the catalog in this respect. I don't
know how to quantify "biggest." I like to think the series provided a fairly regular stream of "aha" experiences of
whatever size. Personally, I would get an enormous rush sometimes out of relatively microscopic discoveries. Some
examples:
• The successive shortening of the phrase lengths in the "Day Tripper" bridge.
• Unraveling the two part counterpoint in the "Thank You Girl" bridge to discover a type of canon effect.
• Discovering how Ringo drops the ultra syncopated drumming pattern for the second half of "Ticket To
Ride".
What were your worst mistakes?
Treating "Drive My Car" as if the home key were G. No contest. You, Ian, might rightfully choose my article on
"Revolution 9" for categorically dismissing the possibility of its containing the level of detailed compositional control
you've suggested in your own essay on the track. [1] On the other hand, I'm still not 100% sure I agree with you
there :-)
6 Having now submitted all the songs to a more or less orthogonal treatment, how well did you find that the 'school'
tools fitted the task?
In my humble opinion, the overall success of the series rests on the extent to which my tool set for the project is a not-
too-doctrinaire personal synthesis of a number of music theory "schools," further adapted to the particular challenges
of the material under study. The downside of this approach is that it allows my work to potentially "fall between two
stools;" i.e. my lay readership finds the tech talk inscrutable such as it is, while my academic colleagues resent that this
same tech talk is not cast in terms of a more rigorous and easily identifiable doctrine.
Where, if anywhere, did you find the standard tools most wanting?
Using ASCII text to approximate musical examples that would have been much easier to grok using staff notation.
What would you do differently if you started over?
I'd learn enough about playing the guitar to understand its basic techniques. I've got enough keyboard technique to
appreciate how difficult it would be to fully understand the piano music of, say, Chopin or Debussy, without that
knowledge. So I'm sensitive to the likelihood that I've missed some important guitar-related stuff when it comes to the
Beatles.
7 You've posted "Notes On" articles to r.m.b.m. (and r.m.b. earlier on I guess) for close to a decade. The response to the
articles must have been a reflection of the make-up of the group. Do you have a view on how the group has changed in
composition over that period?
Evolution of response to the series has been curiously orthogonal to changes in the newsgroups themselves.
Response to the series has very gradually but steadily grown over the years. Availability of the full series on the Web
has helped this. I've always had a steady (but thankfully small minority) of negative responses ranging from the gently
teasing ("You don't get out much, do you?") to the disturbingly nasty ("Dude, you are one of the most pretentious
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/wcwio.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "We Can Work It Out"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #1.2 (WCWIO.2)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Verse | Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Outro (with complete ending)
CD: "Past Masters", Volume 2, Track 2 (Parlophone CDP 90044-2)
Recorded: 20th, 29th October 1965, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 3rd December 1965 (Double A Single / "Day Tripper")
US-release: 6th December 1965 (Double A Single / "Day Tripper")
1 General Points of Interest
Style and Form
We begin our studies of the Beatles' songs with an example chosen on purpose roughly from the middle of the catalog; it's having
been released as one side of a double A single together with "Day Tripper" on the same day as the "Rubber Soul" album.
We'll discover that "We Can Work It Out" is a deceptively simple example of just how innovative the Boys could be within the
framework of what on the surface is just a 2:10 pop single from what we would later knowingly look back on as a prime nodal point
of their songwriting career.
The form is one of the small number of standard pop song models. Let's call it the "double bridge with single verse intervening."
Over the long run it's one that the Beatles would use often, though I suspect the lack of an intro and inclusion of a complete ending
are somewhat unusual variations on the model; at least in terms of pop music in general, if not the Beatles themselves
A close cousin of this form is the variation where two verses intervene between the bridges, the second of which is often an
instrumental solo. In both cases, the doubling up of the verses before the first bridge and the single verse trailing the second bridge
works very well. If you omit the repeat at the beginning you feel rushed into the bridge. If you double up at the end, the whole thing
starts to drag.
Unique lyrics are provided here for the first three of the four verses; the fourth is an identical repeat of the third. Even so, two of
the three variations cleverly use a common framework of "Try to see / while you see" for their first and third lines.
Melody and Harmony
The melody of the song is "appoggiatura" intensive; (i.e. this is a technical term defined as follows: "a 'leaning note', normally one
step above the main note. It usually creates a dissonance in the harmony and resolves by step on to the main note on the following
weak beat." — Grove Dictionary, quoted without permission). Combined with rhythmic syncopation and a tendency to hammer
away on the same note for several syllables at a time, these leaning tones give the song a persuasively insistent edge.
A couple of highlighted lyric fragments to show where these babies are:

Think of what I'm SAY-ING
WE CAN work it out.

WE CAN work it OU-UT.
... and there's no ti-i-i-i--ime for

fussing and FIGHT-ING my friend
The choice of keys and chord progressions here is straightforward compared to many another Beatles song; no tricky chromatic
progressions (e.g. "Help!" intro) nor remote modulations (e.g. "You're Going To Lose That Girl" mid-section). The verses are in D
major and the bridge is in b minor, the "relative minor" of D; pretty standard.
The opening phrase relies on the modal flat-VII chord (C-Major) in order to establish the home key instead of the "V" (A-Major)
chord. The latter doesn't make an appearance until the very end of the verse section.
The verse and refrain have different harmonic shapes. The verse is open ended in that it proceeds from the tonic eventually to the
dominant chord which ultimately wants resolution: I -» flat-VII -» I -» IV -» V. When it flows into the refrain, it's with a "deceptive
cadence" (technical term used to describe the situation where you get a different chord than you expected) to the b-minor (vi). It's
this hanging dominant chord which requires the brief outro to tie things up neatly.
The bridge has an harmonic shape completely closed off but in its contrasting key. This closed-ness is part of why the return to
the original key seems somewhat abrupt; of course the rhythm (see below) plays a part in that too.
Arrangement
The basic backing consists of acoustic rhythm guitar, bass guitar, drums and tambourine, onto which are superimposed a part for
harmonium and the vocals.
The appoggiatura motif is followed through on the backing track. On the incomplete non-vocal take 1 you can hear a lot of
leaning tones in the top line of the rhythm guitar. It even carries through to the final melodic riff of the outro.
Perhaps the best example (and also one of the highlights of the entire song) is in the bridge where the harmonium sustains the
note B-natural through a change of chord from b-minor, to G-Major (where it belongs) and continues to hold it through the shift
down to F#-Major before letting it fall finally to A#. Again, the take 2 we're privileged to have with the forward-mixed harmonium
really underscores it.
For the verses Paul sings a double (triple?) tracked solo lead. In the bridges he's joined in parallel thirds by John.
2 Section-by-Section Walkthrough
Verse
Here's where things really get interesting! Compared to other songs (e.g. "Can't Buy Me Love") where the phrases are all four-
measures long and come in sixteen-measure sections of four-times-four, this song does some fancy things.
The verses are indeed sixteen measures long but are divided into three phrases in a 6+6+4 AAB pattern. This lends them a bit of a
free-verse quality in spite of the underlying steady 4/4 rhythm.
------------------------ 2X --------------------------
|D |- 9 -» 8|- |- 9 |C 3 -» 2|D |
D: I flat-VII I
|G 9 -» 8|D |G 9 -» 8|A |
IV I IV V
[Figure 1.1]
The melodic leaning tones add several harmonic dissonances I've notated above. The most interesting one is the way the
appoggiatura ninth (E) in measure 4 is not allowed to resolve until the next measure where its resolution note (D) has now become a
dissonance over the new chord change.
A precious Beatles "detail" moment: in the lone middle verse, they throw in a syncopated dotted rhythm into the final measure of
the second iteration of the first phrase above. It's the only place in the song where it happens. In consequence, you wind up feeling as
if they're winking at you when, in the same measure of the final verse, they blithely play even quarter notes with a casual vengeance.
Bridge
The bridge indeed contains only four-measure phrases but these are organized into a twelve-measure section of three-times-four
which is repeated to make the overall bridge length twenty-four measures:
|b |- |- |- |
D: vi
b: i
|G |- 6 -» 5|F# 4 -» |- 3 |
VI V
|b 4 -» 3|- |- |- |
i
D: vi
[Figure 1.2]
The asymmetry of the this three line bridge is effectively underscored by the shift to the "3/4 oom-pah-pah" rhythm in the third
phrase. This rhythmic shift is interesting in that it is done without changing the tempo. The length of a measure remains the same
except it is suddenly filled for one phrase with three beats instead of four; a sort of time warp. When the verse returns after this it
sounds faster but isn't really! Another characteristic detail: the way in which the slow triplets are articulated by tambourine and
harmonium only; no drums, because the latter would be overkill.
This type of slow triplet is something we'll discover to be a favorite of John's over the long run. They tend to connote a kind of
rhetorical emphasis not at all dissimilar from Macca's hammered leaning tones. A good precedent setting example of slow triplets
that the Beatles surely would have been familiar with is the in final refrain of Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day".
Again there is harmonic dissonance created by melodic leaning tones which I've notated.
Outro
The outro is a four-measure extension of the final verse:
|D |G 6/4 |D 5/3 |- |
I (IV?) I
[Figure 1.3]
The cadence sounds plagal, with the G chord in the second measure sounding like G-Major in the second ("6/4") inversion. You'll
get used to me asking you to think of that G chord as neighbor tone motion in the upper voices, rather than a true root chord change.
This brief little outro makes for an ingeniously unifying effect. The tune, chords, and backing texture feel on the one hand as
though derived from the verse, but the slow triplets are clearly an allusion to the bridge.
The finished track does a neat fade down on the final chord. The unprocessed, rough take 2 mix betrays a long-sustained and
ultimately frayed end.
3 Some Final Thoughts
A-a-a-nyway, there's still more one could say but I think I've overdone it here plenty for one day; is there anyone I haven't
alienated? :-).
Warning: this can (and most certainly will) become part of a series if you don't watch out.
Regards,
Alan (022000#1.2)
Revision History
053189 1.0 Original release
021300 1.1 Expand and adapt to series template
022000 1.2 Patch first section to more accurately describe form
Add comment re: verse lyrics
Copyright © 2000 by Alan W. Pollack. All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced, retransmitted, redistributed and
otherwise propagated at will, provided that this notice remains intact and in place.
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ssss.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "She Said She Said"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #12.1 (SSSS.1)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: B-flat (Mixolydian Major)

Meter: 4/4 but disrupted in the Bridge
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Bridge | Verse | Outro (fade-out)
CD: "Revolver", Track 7 (Parlophone CDP7 46441-2)
Recorded: 21th June 1966, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 5th August 1966 (LP "Revolver")
US-release: 8th August 1966 (LP "Revolver")
Style and Form
How about from "Good Day Sunshine" we back up one track and do the final one on Side A. Okay?
Although the most conspicuous feature of "She Said She Said" is the metrical high jinks of the bridge, this song also provides us
with object lessons about two other general compositional topics: how to experiment without things falling apart, and the special
characteristics of modal harmony.
Experimentation! Among other things, this song teaches us yet another of the composer's trade secrets: whenever you are pushing
one parameter of your musical grammar to the max, hold at least some if not all of the other parameters steady lest your meaning
become obscured by sensory overload, or your composition come apart as though from centrifugal force. This principle potentially
operates on many different levels to the extent that the "parameters" involved may include as diverse elements as form, rhythm,
texture, harmony, even lyrics.
In our current song, I believe this principle is illustrated on the high level by the choice of form, and on a more detailed level in
the way the arrangement pits rhythm and meter against each other. The issue of rhythm and meter will be covered as we go through
the music itself, but I want to discuss the formal issue here.
In spite of the fact that "She Said She Said" flaunts inscrutably psychedelic lyrics, heavy limiting applied to virtually every
instrument as well as the voice track, and of course, that wobbly meter, it also sports a positively buttoned down, classic form; i.e. the
two-bridge model with a single verse intervening.
While this may seem obvious, it's a point worthy of emphasis: no matter how experimental they were in other aspects of
composition, The Beatles with very rare exception, clung to such classic forms in their songs; it is as though they needed these forms
as a bedrock on which to anchor their experiments lest they fall apart.
The usage of asymmetric, acyclic (albeit clearly articulated) forms are rare enough in their output that their identification and
examination as a group would itself make an interesting study. Start with "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"" and "You Never Give Me
Your Money" and see how many more you can find!
Going even further, I'm tempted to argue that it is no coincidence that the even fewer cases where they abandoned articulated form
entirely, (e.g. "Revolution #9", "What's the New Mary Jane") have turned out to be among their least popular work over the long run.
All this is not intended as a criticism; I mention it to acknowledge that for all their glibly touted breaking of barriers, the Boys
were really neo-classicists at heart.
The lyrics create the relatively common form of ABCC; i.e. new lyrics for the first three verses, with the third's set of lyrics
repeated the fourth and final time around.
All the sections begin with the tune right on the downbeat.
Melody and Harmony
The tune is hypnotically anchored within the tight range of a fifth, from B-flat up to F. The only relief from this constriction is in
the downward direction for the culmination of the verse section. The hard melodic ceiling, far from inducing boredom, uncannily
suggests the not entirely unpleasant sensation you derive from repetitiously stoned conversation at a noisy party where you can
barely hear the sound of your own voice.
Modal Harmony! The harmonic vocabulary of "She Said She Said" is purely from the Mixolydian mode; this mode being the
scale with the Major bottom half, and a whole step instead of a half-step at the very top — think of it as the white note scale starting
on G.
The key of the song is ostensibly B-flat but the key signature features an A-flat instead of an A-natural. This means that the key
signature, scale, and chord selection of Mixolydian B-flat is identical to that of E-flat Major. It's worth noting that this phenomenon
is somewhat analogous to the relative Major/Minor relationship. However, in this particular case, the scalar coincidence leads in turn
to several distinctive harmonic characteristics:
• The naturally occurring "v" chord in the Mixolydian mode is minor and does not make for an effective V-I cadence. As a
result ...
• The burden for establishing the key in this mode falls on the sub-dominant IV chord and the pseudo-dominant flat-VII
chord; in our modal B-flat key, these are the E-flat and A-flat chords respectively. Although these chords can be used
individually in apposition to the tonic I chord, they are often used together, as in the ubiquitous "Hey Jude" progression:
B-flat A-flat E-flat B-flat
B-flat: I flat-VII IV I
[Figure 12.1]
By the way, I've been often tempted to label that A-flat chord a "IV-of-IV" when used in this context. I was gratified to recently learn
that Beatles musicologist Walt Everett coined the term "double plagal" to refer to this.
• The common pitch content between the tonic and the key of the IV chord makes it very easy in Mixolydian mode to effect
a pivot modulation to that key. In fact, this key of the IV is actually capable of being established more firmly than the tonic
(I) itself because of the following paradox: the I chord makes a stronger V-of-IV cadence with IV than does the naturally
occurring minor v chord with the I.
• Finally, I would re-emphasize the "modal purity" of our current song. There are many other Beatles songs with a strong
Mixolydian flavor to them which nonetheless contain a fair amount of the regular Major mode added to the mixture; for
examples take a look a "A Hard Day's Night" where the "pure" Mixolydian spell is first broken in the fourth line of the
verse ("I find the things that you do ...") by the appearance of a V chord. Here in "She Said She Said" the only detail that
comes even close to breaking out of the modal mold is the bent blue third in the vocal and lead guitar riff that ends each
verse.
Leaving modality aside, the harmony of this song is also distinguished by its frugality. There are only four different chords used
throughout, one of which doesn't even make an appearance until the climax of the bridge (on the word "boy") but I'm getting ahead
of myself.
Arrangement
The backing track arrangement is relatively homogenized for the Beatles, with a kind of heavy limiting applied to everything
including the drums that makes the track sound as if recorded surrealistically too close up. Almost subliminally far in the background
of this soupy mix you find the organ, barely noticeable but for that fleeting tickling sensation you get on the high end of your ears.
The vocal arrangement is for John, alone, double tracked throughout; often in parallel thirds for interior phrases, but generally in
unison for the opening and closing phrases of each section.
Intro
The intro is only three measures played out on the B-flat "I" chord of the home key. It introduces with elegant efficiency both the
mocking-bird lead guitar riffing and the fancy-footwork drumming that so heavily contribute to the overall flavor of the song.
Verse
The verse section is ten measures long, built out of an eight-measure verse plus a petit instrumental reprise of the last two
measures. The phrases are all short and make a pattern of ABB'C. The harmonic shape is closed at both ends:
-------------- 3X ---------------
|B-flat A-flat |E-flat |
B-flat: I flat-VII IV
-------------- 2X ---------------
|B-flat A-flat |E-flat B-flat |
I flat-VII IV I
[Figure 12.2]
Measures 7 and 8 (on the words "making me feel like my trousers are torn" as they are found a rough and rare home demo of the
song ) feature strong syncopation, and are given an immediate instrumental reprise. The syncopation is all the stronger for coming
after three identical repeats of an unsyncopated, almost stodgy harmonic rhythm. Notice, in fact, how the fancy drumwork in the
second half of the measures containing only the E-flat chord helps counteract this stodginess and effectively pushes the music
forward; a Ringo signature going all the way back to "I Saw Her Standing There". The bassline, on a more subtle level, is also used
to push things along here.
Other tasty details:
• An additional source of rhythmic turbulence is to be found in measures 3 and 5 where we have slow triplets (3 notes
against two beats) in the voice part; the same trick as in the bridge of "We Can Work It Out".
• The drum part in the two measure reprise following the verse neatly reinforces the syncopations without fancy
figuration; a good example of avoiding foolish consistency.
• The lead guitar part antiphonally imitates the voice part in measures 3, 5, and the two-measure reprise.
Bridge
If the gory details are too daunting at first sight, here's a high-level view of this bridge:
The f-minor chord is introduced for the first time in the song at what is possibly the moment of climax, and is used to help make a
pivot modulation to E-flat, the key of the IV.
The meter may be erratic but it's not without its own pattern. This little chart indicates the succession of measures and the number
of beats in each:
She said "you don't understand what I said". I said [ 4 + 4 ]
"No, no, no, you're wrong. When I was a boy, [ 3 + 3 + 3 ]
Everything was right. [ 6 + 3 ]
Everything was right." [ 6 + 3 ]
[Figure 12.3]
Our great illustration of the principle of keeping some musical parameters steady when maxing out on others is two-fold: rather
than "fight" the changing meter (at risk of obscuring it), both the harmonic rhythm and the drumming are slavishly at the meter's
service. The chords change on every measure boundary, and the drumming (and the bass as well) forgo fancy syncopation for strictly
even eighth-note marking of the beat.
One detail you might quibble with me on are the measures shown as being six beats instead of two measures, each with three
beats. I've chosen to go with six beats because of where the chord changes are, and because I hear the those six beats accented by the
voice part as though they are broken into 4+2, not 3+3; i.e. I hear the words accented as "everything", not "everything."
Without further ado, here are those gory details! Without music paper, this will be a bit awkward to map out, but let's go for it.
This is the notational convention used below:
• Each group of lines enclosed within dashed lines below represents one measure of music.
• The number in the left margin indicates the number of beats in the measure.
• The beats in the measure are marked out in the top line of the group.
• The lyrics are laid out across the measure in the second line of the group.
• The chords are labeled in the third line of the group.
• The "Roman Numerals" for the chords are labeled in the bottom line of the group.
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4
4 She said "you don't under-
B-flat A-flat
B-flat: I flat-VII
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4
4 stand what I said." I said
B-flat
B-flat: I
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3
3 "No, no, no you're
A-flat
B-flat: flat-VII
---------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3
3 wrong. When I was a
B-flat
B-flat: I
---------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3
3 Boy - -
f
B-flat: v
E-flat: ii ** point of pivot
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6
6 - - - everything was
B-flat
E-flat: V
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3
3 right.
E-flat
E-flat: I
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3 4 5 6
6 - - - everything was
B-flat
E-flat: V
--------------------------------------------------------
1 2 3
3 right.
E-flat
E-flat: I
B-flat: IV ** point of pivot back
--------------------------------------------------------
[Figure 12.4]
Outro
Two details worthy of attention in the outro:
• The canonic imitation in the split voice parts is a novel development of the idea originally presented by the lead guitar in
the verse.
• The sudden release of all syncopation is a final, rhythmic coup de grace, coming as it does at the end of two full minutes
during which we're constantly bombarded by either syncopation, or a fickle meter. The tempo remains the same, but those
evenly-pounded-out eighth notes in the fade out give me a strong feeling of acceleration; as though driving into a free skid
on ice.
Anyone else out there struck by the underlying, albeit unlikely, similarities between "She Said She Said" and "Good Day
Sunshine"? Consider it: each has metric changes, an unusually restricted harmonic vocabulary, and cascading vocals in the coda.
With all that we read about the "friendly" competition between John and Paul, it makes me wonder if they would possibly set
themselves an abstract musical problem statement or recipe, then go off and develop their own personalized solutions to it.
Granted, this might be a totally fantastical notion, but nonetheless, the two songs compared in this instance are about as
quintessentially typical of each songwriter as any you could find!
Regards,
Alan (080600#12.1)
Revision History
080600 12.1 Revise, expand and adapt to series template
Copyright © 2000 by Alan W. Pollack. All Rights Reserved . This article may be reproduced, retransmitted, redistributed
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url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/yngmym.shtml,
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Notes on "You Never Give Me Your Money"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #13.1 (YNGMYM.1)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key:a minor / C Major / A Major

Meter:4/4
Form:Part X | Part Y | Part Z (fade-out)
CD:"Abbey Road", Track 9 (Parlophone CDP7 46446-2)
Recorded:6th May, Olympic Sound Studios; 1st July, Abbey Road 2;
15th July, Abbey Road 3; 30th, 31st July, Abbey Road 2;
5th August 1969, Abbey Road 3
UK-release: 26th September 1969 ("Abbey Road")
US-release: 1st October 1969 ("Abbey Road")
Style and Form
Taking a cue from the emphasis in my last note (re: "She Said She Said") on the undeniable primacy of classic song forms within
the Beatles songbook, let's look this time at "You Never Give Me Your Money" at the other end of the formal spectrum; along with
"... Warm Gun", being one of the extremely rare examples in the canon where the Beatles opt for "teleological medley" in place of
any more traditional periodic / cyclical form.
"You Never Give Me Your Money" is built from three different sections that are nominally compatible, but virtually unrelated to
each other. As with all but the final section of "... Warm Gun", you find that while each of the sections here suggests the potential for
complete development into a song that can stand on its own, each is presented for now in a fragmentary manner where they rely
heavily on the immediate repetition of a single idea to establish any sense of formal autonomy.
On the one hand that makes it easy for the listener to grasp the articulation of the larger form, but it begs the question of how any
feeling of unity is brought to bear on such independent diversity. We'll examine each section in turn and come back later to this
question.
Each of the three parts has its own rhyme scheme, though none of them is quite large enough, formally, to get into literal repeats
of whole sections of words. By the same token, the latter halves of parts Y and Z both feature immediate, multiple repetition of the
same line.
All three parts lyrically start off after the downbeat, providing a foil for the children's counting rhyme of the song's outro which
very much starts right on it.
Melody and Harmony
The relative autonomy of what we'll respectively call the X, Y, and Z sections of the song is reflected in both the melodic and
harmonic raw materials and design.
Melodically:
• Part X clearly has an A minor triad for its backbone, underlying what on the surface look like two downward gestures, the
second of which is balanced by a final upward jump.
• The first half of Part Y almost mechanically follows a sequence of "third-down and step-up" units down a full octave. The
second half commences with less mechanical, but still more downward, motion that is balanced out at the end by the high
placed appoggiatura implied in the choral vocals.
• Part Z is clearly the jumpiest of the three sections in the melody department.
Harmonically, each section is distinguished by a different home key (a minor, C Major, and A Major, respectively), plus the
following unique characteristics:
• Part X runs through the diatonic circle of fifths.

• The first half of Part Y is rich in secondary dominants. The second half iterates on the double plagal cadence.
• Part Z conspicuously uses a larger amount of chromatic harmony than either X or Y, including a flourishing fanfare of
diminished seventh chords, as well as the multiple cross-relation inducing progression of V-of-V to flat-III.
Arrangement
The arrangement also underscores the XYZ high-level design both in terms of a different ensemble sound for each section, as well
as a pronounced tendency to selectively retouch and remix at the detailed level; the latter being a signature of the Beatles work in all
of the later albums:
• Part X opens with solo piano and lead guitar judiciously applied for emphasis; note the unusually sloppy way in which
resonance of the guitar is allowed to hang over the continuation of the piano part. The first verse has Paul doing single
track lead vocal, adding an overdub at the unison in the same location as the guitar points of emphasis. The second verse
adds bass and light drum work with Paul now singing in two- or three-part harmony with himself, and a bit of extra fuzzy
reverb applied to the very end of the vocal.
• The different ensemble for the first half of Part Y, dominated by heavy drumming, boogie woogie tack piano, and Paul's
lead vocal single tracked is already evident in the pickup measure to this section. The second half of Part Y features
(synthesized?) chimes, lighter drum work, and choral vocals for what sounds like the group of Paul, John, and George.
• Part Z restores heaviness to all parts including piano, rhythm guitar, bass, piano, drums and a double-tracked lead guitar,
and double-tracked lead vocal. The final section provides another opportunity for three-part harmonizing vocals, with
Moog-synthesized sounds-of-nature effects that commence in the outro and are allowed to bridge the gap to the following
track, "Sun King".
Part X: You Never Give Me Your Money
This section is built out of three repetitions of the same eight-measure phrase; first an unusually long instrumental introduction
(it's unusual to give away the entire verse section like this in an instrumental intro), followed by two verses of song.
The harmony of this eight-measure phrase is a full, albeit diatonic, circle of fifths:
|a7 |d9 -» 8 |G7 |C4 -» 3 |
a: i iv VII III
|F |b-dim E |a |- |
VI ii V I
[Figure 13.1]
This progression creates an ambivalent impression of being at once both placid and forward moving. The placidity comes from
the slow and (except for measure 6) even harmonic rhythm. The movement derives from the "transitive verb"-like quality of chord
progressions that move in fifths. The dynamic quality is heightened on the one hand by the appearance of every chord in root
position, but softened at the same time by the fact that the chords all appear "au naturel." In other words, the effect could be either
further softened by use of some chords in inversions, or further heightened by turning some of the chords into "V-of" chords; try out
the alternative of using a D-Major chord in measure 2 and a C dominant seventh chord in measure 4.
This phrase also contains a liberal measure of functional dissonance which also helps push it forward; many of the chords contain
sevenths or other appoggiaturas on the down beats.
Rhythmically, this phrase makes early use of the syncopated accent on the eighth note that falls between the second and third beat
of the measure. This is a sufficiently garden-variety device for music of this period and genre, but it's worth singling out here
because, as will see, its recurrent appearance in several otherwise unrelated sections of this song becomes a subtle source of
alliterative unity. In part X, this syncopation appears in the melody in measures 2 and 8, and it also shows up in the harmonic rhythm
in measure 6.
The twenty-four measures of section X ends with a simple pivot modulation to the key of C, leading directly into section Y. This
is done by moving to a G-Major chord in the final measure of the section.
Part Y: Out of College Money Spent
This new section is cleanly set-off from the preceding by a new texture as well as a change of key. The tempo is the same as
before, but the quickening of the harmonic rhythm to two chords per measure, plus the boogie woogie background beat make it all
seem faster. Also note how this section also has the distinction of itself dividing into two contrasting subsections similar to what you
have in "Hey Jude".
The first subsection (call it 'YA' — "Out of college money spent ...") is built out of two repeats of this four bar phrase:
|C E |a C7 |F G |C - |
C: I V-of-vi vi V-of-IV IV V I
[Figure 13.2]
There's no full circle of fifths this time, but it's still heavy on the verb-like root progressions of a fifth. If anything, the harmony is
harder driving in this phrase because of the frequent use of secondary dominants.
The second subsection (call it 'YB' - "But oh that magic feeling ...") brings a return of the "twixt 2 & 3" syncopation and a
harmonic switch from C Major to C Mixolydian. The section is built out of an unusual five repeats of a three-measure phrase, the
harmony of which is none other than our old friend, the modal double plagal cadence (speaking of "Hey Jude").
|B-flat |F |C |
C: flat-VII IV I
(IV-of-IV?)
[Figure 13.3]
The sudden return to a harmonic rhythm of one chord change per measure creates a strong initial sensation of putting on the
brakes. However this feeling is modified to one of gradually rising expectations by the prime number of repeats of a phrase whose
length is also asymmetrical.
As an aside, I actually hear an alliterative connection between this phrase and the reappearance of the same chord progression in,
of all places, "Polythene Pam". Total coincidence??
At any rate, this segues right into section Z.
Part Z: One Sweet Dream
Like section X, this section begins with an extended instrumental introduction that is partially built out of the material that will
appear in the upcoming verse. Like section Y, this section also subdivides into two contrasting subsections.
The first subsection (call it 'ZA') contains an eight-measure introduction followed by an unusual seven-and-a-half-measure verse.
The introduction is one of the most interesting phrases in the entire song. The first four measures are in a chromatically inflected
C major; the use of the D Major and E-flat chords being slightly unusual and uncannily foreshadowing the same chords being used
again at the end of ""The End":
|C |D |E-flat G |
C: I V-of-V flat-III V
[Figure 13.4]
But it's measures 5 through 8 in which the harmonic stops are pulled way out. The "architectural" function of this phrase is simple
enough: to modulate back to A. However, the gambit employed to do this is a truly extraordinary choice for the genre. These four
measures are built on a cycle of minor thirds in which both the bass line and the upper melody outline a sequence of diminished
seventh chords. This device is something that you'll find all over the place in a piece like "Rhapsody in Blue", though Gershwin
himself could be said to be ripping it off from the likes of Liszt. I believe its use here is unique in the work of The Beatles; what
prompted Macca to think of it is beyond me.
Diminished seventh chords have several interesting properties, discussion of which is way outside the scope of these articles. For
now, the most salient thing to note is how they symmetrically divide an octave on the one hand, yet do this by hitting notes which are
not part of the scale of the octave being subdivided. This creates two perceptible harmonic effects:
• a clangorous series of chromatic cross relations, and
• a temporary, free-fall sense of not quite being in any specific key.
Check it out!
C# E G Bb-B-B#-- C#
Bb- C#- E- G-
Upper G- Bb- C#- E-
voice: |E- |G- |Bb- |C#- |
Bassline:|C- |Eb- |Gb- |A- |
A C Eb Gb-G-G#-- A
[Figure 13.5]
At any rate, the above passage leads right into a short verse of seven and a half measures which subdivides into one phrase of six
measures, (the first four of which are a direct transposition of the introduction), followed by a fragmentary repeat which breaks down
after only one and a half measures, and leads directly into the next section:
|A |B |
A: I V-of-V
|C E |A |
flat-III V I
|d |- |
iv
|A |B** ||C
I V-of-V flat-III
[Figure 13.6]
[** = half measure]
Note how the sustaining of the minor iv chord in measures 5 and 6 suddenly puts the breaks on just when momentum is gathering;
the 2&3 syncopation also makes a dramatic re-appearance in these two measures.
To be more accurate, from the point of view of the lyrics, this phrase actually continues into the first two measures of the next
section creating a nice formalistic elision.
The final subsection (call it 'ZB') is musically built out of the following two-measure phrase, repeated fourteen times into the
fade-out. Macca rules vocally in the first four iterations, with a children's counting rhyme introduced, seemingly non-sequitur like,
for the rest of them:
Chords: |C G |A |
Bassline: C B A
A: flat-III flat-VII I
[Figure 13.7]
The first four repeats of this phrase accompany the final lyrics of the verse started in the previous section. The remaining ten
repeats first accompany the enigmatic "One two three four five six seven" chorus, and finally fade out with the implication of a jam
session that might go on forever; if you've heard the early-mix outtake of this referenced below you'll know what I mean about
forever :-).
The by-now-familiar syncopated rhythm shows up in both measures of this phrase, though in yet another classic illustration of
"avoidance of foolish consistency", the harmonic rhythm underscores the syncopation only in the first measure.
And then, we have "down with the lights, up with the synthesized crickets, and bring on the 'Sun King'."
It's worth your tracking down an unedited, early mix of this song missing all of the vocal overdubs (other than Paul's single track
lead) and some of the instrumental retouching, as well as documenting what really happened in the studio during and after the fade-
out of the official version.
This uncropped outtake shows the initial four iterations of section ZB followed by an instrumental jam session of twenty(!)
iterations of it, further followed by an apparently spontaneous launch into "At the Hop" which goes on for close to another minute
stopping eventually with a complete ending.
Additionally, there is the rough mix of this song from the July 30, 1969 first piecing together of the complete medley. The
unofficial releases available of this have terrible sound quality, but it's worth hearing to discover an ending of the song in which the
counting rhyme starts off during the last of Macca's first four iterations of ZB, with a fade-out that is complete by the end of the
eighth next iteration, and a solitary sustained organ note in place of the sound effects.
So how does all of this hang together? Granted, there is the monetary leitmotif running through the lyrics of all three sections,
though I've always interpreted the "money" of the X section more metaphorically, as descriptive on a relationship in which neither
side is ever genuine when the chips are down.
On strictly musical grounds, in the context of a genre in which you expect to see some patterned alternation of verses and breaks,
the form of this song is a seeming jumble, a medley at best:
X Y
|-------------------|-------------------|
X-intro -» X1 -» X2 YA1 -» YA2/YB1 to 5
Z
|--------------------------------|
ZA-intro -» ZA1/ZB1 to 4,5 to 14
[Figure 13.8]
But obviously, we're dealing with more than a mishmash. The form may not be "standard" but there are at least two unifying
elements at work (in addition to the recurrent syncopation discussed earlier):
1. The harmonic plan for the three sections is a straightforward arch. In fact, in this light, the chord progression of section ZB
appears to be a summing up of the harmonic plan in a nutshell:
X Y Z
a minor C Major A Major
[Figure 13.9]
2. The song presents its own alternative notion of repetition in place of a more standard form. Even though none of the sections of
this song make a "return" performance once the music has moved on to another section, there are several sections that consist of a
short phrase repeated immediately several times. It's unusual but I believe it works.
On a higher level, I'd argue that the this lack of an internal "reprise" within this song itself is what makes the reprise of section 'X'
inside of "Carry That Weight" so satisfying, along with the more subtle inter-song resonance with "Polythene Pam and "The End".
Regards,
Alan (082300#13.1)
See also: The "Abbey Road" Medley
Revision History
082300 13.1 Revise, expand and adapt to series template
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ygthyla.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #18.1 (YGTHYLA.1)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G (Mixolydian) Major

Meter: 3/4
For": Intro | Verse | Verse' | Refrain |
| Verse | Verse' | Refrain |
| Verse / Solo (with complete ending)
CD: "Help!", Track 3 (Parlophone CDP7 46439-2)
Recorded: 18th February 1965, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 6th August 1965 (LP "Help!")
US-release: 13th August 1965 (LP "Help!")
Style and Form
From the upbeat self confidence of "Thank You Girl" and "Any Time At All" we move this time to the other end of the emotional
spectrum with "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away", a song that further exemplifies some of John's signature style traits as much
as it breaks some new ground for its time.
The form is a cross between the two-bridge pop song and the verse / refrain alternating folk ballad, with a central unit of two
verses plus a refrain repeated twice, preceded by a scanty intro and followed, quite unusually, by an instrumental verse that wraps the
whole thing up. The verse pairs are internally differentiated between a "primary" version and a slightly modified variant that leads
more smoothly into the refrain.
I find it intriguing that many people hear the influence of Dylan in this song. Beyond John's vocal style and the lyrics, I wonder if
part of this reaction is based on the use of this form; think of how many of Zimmy's own ballads save the harmonica solo for after
the final verse!
And this is our first encounter with a ternary time signature. I'm parsing this as an up tempo 3/4 both for simplicity and because
John himself counts it out that way on the outtake of the song included on Anthology 2. But one could just as easily transcribe it as a
moderate 6/8 with two of my 3/4 measures to one of the 6/8 measures.
Perhaps the following will come as no surprise to those resident teenagers out there who make a religion out of knowing such
details, but a search through the Beatles' songbook reveals John to be the most partial of the four toward songs written with at least
an entire section in a ternary meter. Of course, songs in such time signatures comprise only a small fraction of the total canon, but I
thought it was interesting to note to whom the lion's share of these belonged:
John: • "This Boy";

• "Baby's In Black";
• "Yes It Is";
• "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" (our song du jour!);
• "Norwegian Wood";
• "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds" (verse);
• "Being For The Benefit Of Mister Kite" (instrumental break);
• "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" (parts 2 and 3);
• "Yer Blues";
• "I Want You (She's So Heavy)";
• "Dig A Pony.
Paul: • "She's Leaving Home";
• "Oh! Darling".
George: • "Long, Long, Long";
• "I Me Mine".
Given George's small "market share" of the official canon, it's significant that in this category, he comes in tied with Paul.
The four sung verses all contain different lyrics which adds to the ballad (versus pop) side of the equation.
All the sections rhythmically start right on the downbeat, a gesture that resonates with the depressed affect of the song's mood, in
the sense that it somehow takes more energy to come in before or after the beat.
The refrain and final phrase of the primary verse section both feature unusual phrase lengths of six measures.
Melody and Harmony
The broad melodic range and large leaps of the refrain contrast dramatically with what might be called the claustrophobic
narrowness of the verse. The refrain opens with the jump of an octave downward and covers an overall range of eleven notes. The
primary verse contains no larger interval than a minor third and covers a range of only five notes; the secondary verse, a range of
seven notes.
The short downbeat melismas, as found for example on the word "on" in the phrase "can't go on," are a veritable Lennon / Beatles'
trademark. Compare this example with "Any Time At All" and "Eight Days A Week".
It's tempting to attribute what I describe as John's penchant for harmonic frugality as more a reflection of a limited vocabulary
than a conscious element of style. But while the latter may be a slight exaggeration, the former would be grossly unfair; granted,
much of his output — both early and late — is heavily blues based or influenced, but at the very least, during the "Sgt. Pepper" and
"White Album" period, we have several examples, such as "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am The Walrus" which are quite
imaginative in chord choices and progression.
But at any rate, with our current selection, we have yet another song built exclusively out of four chords; in order of appearance,
you have G, D, C, and F. The key is G Major, so grammatically, in addition to the standard I, V, and IV, we also have the modal
sounding "flat-VII" chord.
The use of such a limited harmonic palette contributes to the extremely closed tonal shape of the song. There are no excursions or
modulations away from the home key. Luckily, as a matter of avoiding a stultifying sense of stasis, each of the two phrases of the
verse section respectively opens up to either the IV or V chord which at least help "motivate" the refrain, and similarly, the two
phrases in the refrain section each end on V that neatly leads back around into the next verse.
In contrast to the "modal purity" of "She Said She Said", I describe the harmonic style of "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"
as "almost modal" because of the use here of the Major V chord together with the flat-VII. In "She Said She Said" we saw how the
modal spell is kept unbroken by using the minor v chord.
One spicy by-product of this almost purely modal style is the repeated cross-relation exposed by the juxtaposition of the F-sharps
in the D chord with the F-naturals in the F chord. This could have been easily "avoided" by substituting the C-Major IV chord for
flat-VII in every place it is preceded by V, but try it out as an alternative and note how very much more ordinary (albeit bluesy) it
sounds compared to what John decides to go with.
The Rise of the flat-VII Chord
The flat-VII chord turns out to be a Beatles' favorite over the long run, and though you can find a small but constant scattering of
examples of it in the earlier albums, it seems to get a major boost in popularity on the "Help!" album.
Look back, you'll be amazed to note that flat-VII appears for the first time on the "Please Please Me" album in "P.S. I Love You"
and the cover, "Taste Of Honey". "With The Beatles" has "Don't Bother Me" (hey, George!) and "All My Loving". "A Hard Day's
Night" has the title track,"A Hard Day's Night, "When I Get Home", and "I'll Be Back".
On the "Help!" album, you find that in addition to the title track, "Help!", the next four Lennon and McCartney songs on side
one all contain this special chord; i.e. "The Night Before", our current song, "Another Girl", and "You're Going To Lose That Etc.".
Does this perhaps give you the feeling that the composer(s) were having a field day playing with a new harmonic "toy" so to speak?
An exhaustive exploration of where the Beatles got the flat-VII chord from and the different ways in which they used it would
require searching through one or both of the following:
• Any song covered by the Beatles that has the chord.
• Any song from the pre-Beatle era pop song repertoire correlated with music the Beatles would have been familiar with
even if they didn't include it in their repertoire.
This is way more than I can deal with at the moment but I'll leave it here as another good sample thesis topic. Any takers?
Arrangement
The arrangement of this song is notable on two grounds: the almost exclusive use of acoustic instruments (sorry, Mark L., but
this boy-o hears an electric Hoffner), and the first (!) use of a hired studio musician to supply a part played on "exotic" instruments;
i.e. alto and tenor flutes. At risk of belaboring the obvious, this latter tactic became a major clue to the new direction of the boys for
many albums to come.
The backing track is predominated by acoustic rhythm guitars, bass guitar, soft brush work on drums plus additional sparse
percussion, and John's single tracked vocal.
By the same token there are the typical orchestrated details:
• Verse 1: No additional percussion.

• Verse' 1: Add tambourine on the downbeat of even-numbered measures.
• Refrain 1: Continue with the tambourine and adds maracas playing three-in-the-bar.
• Verse 2: Keep the tambourine this time.
• Verse' 2: Same as before.
• Refrain 2: Ditto.
• Verse 3: Keep all percussion and add pair of flutes doubling each other at the octave.
The outtake on Anthology 2 is enjoyable but reveals little more about the composition and recording. To be sure, you get to hear
an alternate vocal with slightly different scanning of the lyrics, plus the final verse minus the flute overdubs. But I'll wager these are
overshadowed for most listeners by the characteristic snippet of "Paul broke a glass" teasing studio chatter that precedes the music.
Intro
The intro is just two measures of the I chord, which establish the home key, meter, and backing texture.
Verse
The primary verse is an unusual eighteen measures long. It has a phrasing pattern of ABAB' (4 + 4 + 4 + 6) in which B' is a
rhetorically extended version of the original B phrase:
|G |D |F |G |
G: I V flat-VII I
|C |- |F |C |
IV flat-VII IV
|G |D |F |G |
I V flat-VII I
|C |- |F |C |
IV flat-VII IV
|D |- |
V
[Figure 18.1]
The harmonic shape of each couplet is open, first to IV and then to V. The harmonic rhythm is one chord change per measure
except for the final phrase where it creates a slow / fast / slow-again pattern.
Verse'
The only difference between the secondary verse form and its primary counterpart is the addition of two measures at the end to
further extend the final V chord, this time over a descending line in the bass. The latter adds a sense of both closure to the verse pair
and one of inevitability with respect to the upcoming bridge.
Verse' then weighs in at twenty measures long with its ABAB' pattern stretched out to 4 + 4 + 4 + 8. The latter more closely
matches my experience of this section than parsing it as though it were five phrases of four measures each.
Refrain
The refrain is twelve measures long with a phrasing pattern of AA (6 + 6):

------------------------ 2X -------------------------
|G |- |C |- |D |- |
I IV V
4 -» 3 -» 2 -» 3
[Figure 18.2]
Again, the harmonic shape is completely open. And the slower harmonic rhythm creates a free-verse leisurely feeling that nicely
resonates with the final phrase of the verses.
That turn around the F# of the D chord in the final two measures is a relatively garden-variety harmonic effect that for some
reason you do not find often in the Beatles' songbook.
Final Verse (Outro)
The final verse is an instrumental based on the primary verse with the last measures modified to provide an harmonically closed
ending; one created by a double plagal cadence, no less:
|C |- |F |C |G |- |
IV flat-VII IV I
[Figure 18.3]
Even the usage of a plain old transverse flute would have seemed unusual at this stage of their career. The usage of the over-sized
alto and tenor flutes, the likes of which are considered pretty exotic even within the realm of the concert or studio ensemble, is rather
extraordinary. Those lower-pitched flutes have actually been around since at least the turn of the 20th century. The alto flute, for
example, makes a conspicuous appearances in Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" and works by Debussy and Ravel. In our own times, it is
popular on TV and movie soundtracks (e.g. the "Mission Impossible" theme) but still remains a specialty item used for the purpose
of creating special atmosphere.
The solo itself is an improvisation closely modeled on the tune, though the way it's ended off on the fifth degree of the scale is
distinctively unusual.
Though you know I generally don't get too involved with the words, being pretty much a meat-and-potato chords-and-form sort of
fellow, I can't quite ignore what seem to me to be the strange aspects of this song's lyrics.
We tend to take for granted our biographical knowledge about how that young rebel who was suspended by Headmaster Pobjoy
for throwing a blackboard out of a classroom window actually was someone with an insecure, and vulnerable soft core. For every
song like "You Can't Do That", there is also one like "Misery". Whenever you find him talking about striking back, if you just wait a
minute, you'll also hear him focused only on the heartache that motivates it.
But I do believe that "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is unique even in this context. Here we find our hero immobilized
to the point where vengeance is the least thing on his mind because it hurts so badly that he can't even stand to be around other
people; an even greater emotional crash than "I'll Cry Instead", for example. In spite of this, we are privy to his state — as though we
could read his mind or his private journal — and it is from this unusual sense of intimacy that I believe the song derives much of its
impact. It's interesting to note how such a similar song in tone as "Yes It Is" was recorded in the same week!
But there is a delightful, almost Dylanesque ellipticality to these lyrics as well. The phrase "if she's gone" is intriguingly
ambiguous. What does the "if" mean here? Is the hero merely rehearsing in advance his fear of the possibility of her leaving in the
future, or does it more likely convey the real-time immediacy of his just now being hit with the news of her leaving, and he's and
talking out loud trying to digest what it means.
Similarly, the line "how could she say to me love will find a way" is very difficult; it's the sort of comment you expect someone to
make when s/he's trying to keep a relationship going no matter what, against all odds and obstacles, not when one is ramping down
or breaking off. But then again, maybe our hero is himself perplexed and hurt by this very difficulty. For when love somehow cannot
find a way, when such a thing is just not possible, is there ever any middle ground left to which such a relationship can move?
Regards,
Alan (112300#18.1)
Revision History
112300 18.1 Correct, revise, expand and adapt to series template.

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/triple.shtml,
alan w.
An introduction to notes on John's Triple Crown: "Strawberry Fields Forever", "A Day In The
pollack's
Life", and "I Am The Walrus"
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #23.1 (TRIPLE.1)

by Alan W. Pollack
In honor of the twentieth anniversary of John Lennon's tragic, untimely death, I'm re-posting a revision of this article originally
published ten years ago on the same date.
I'd like to explore three of his greatest songs as a group because they so well characterize a songwriting sub-genre which is one of
John's unique innovations and which remains a special part of his legacy.
Among the several new musical directions explored by The Beatles from mid-career onward, none was more astonishing at the
time, nor is still so compelling today, as their emerging preoccupation with the existential joy, wonder, and sorrowful angst of self-
discovery, childhood memory, and post-adolescent adjustment to the realities of the human condition. Paul and George also worked
with these themes, but I would argue that this is an area in which John was both the most daringly original and successful of the
three.
My own admittedly clumsy one-sentence characterization in the previous paragraph aside, the texts of John's songs on these
heavy themes are most beautiful in their intriguing, ineffably elliptical poetry, and musically, they are written and arranged in a style
unimaginably far removed from the guitars-and-drums young-love songs of just a few years earlier. Granted, they're not everyone's
favorites, but there is no escaping their great originality.
There are arguably more than just three songs that fall into this category, but the ones I've chosen for this article are perhaps the
most ambitiously successful and perennially popular of the bunch. And though there is some thematic and musical overlap among
them, each of these three illuminate different facets of John's achievement. Eventually, I will treat each of the songs in turn to a
detailed, individualized analysis. For now, I'd like to start with an examination of some global aspects of the Beatles' mid-career
growth as a group, the better to place in perspective John's personal contribution. Later on, following a bit of a digression to consider
other cases in music history where popular and classical genres have crossed over each other, we'll come back to compare and
contrast these three specific songs with each other.
A Special Season
The year which runs from November 1966 to the same time in 1967 is a particularly special nodal point in the musical
development of The Beatles. It is a period which begins with the first studio take of "Strawberry Fields Forever" on 11/24/1966,
ends on 11/24/1967 with the UK release of the "Hello Goodbye" / "I Am The Walrus" single, and is roughly bisected by the release
on 6/1/1967 of the "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" album which concludes with "A Day In The Life".
A number of themes and techniques which appear with gathering momentum on the "Rubber Soul" and "Revolver" albums — as
well as on the several singles of that era — can be seen to converge and blossom fully forth during this musical season of 1966/'67.
In hindsight, one notes the social commentary of songs like "Nowhere Man", "Paperback Writer", "Taxman", and "Eleanor Rigby";
and the re-learning of how to cope with this world after seeing drug-induced visions of other universes in "She Said She Said" and
"Tomorrow Never Knows".
The extreme sharpness of this convergence can be seen in the topical agenda of the "Sgt Pepper" tracklist in which there is a
relative dearth of love songs and a conversely large number of tracks which deal with the social and experiential. Yet at the same
time, this hot-house intensity turns out to be one which could not be sustained for long or even successfully developed much further.
On the other side of this nodal point, one finds both an over-ripening temporary decline characterized by the critical flop —
relatively speaking — of "Magical Mystery Tour" and an almost neatly symmetrical divergence into still new directions, some of
which seem to be driven by a self-conscious desire to get back to prime roots.
For the most part, the increasing number of straight-out rock songs, love ballads, and nostalgic evocations of earlier pop styles on
the last several Beatles albums would appear as a retreat from the heady experimentation of "Sgt Pepper" era; John, at a later date
would actually look back on it with some disdain and regret. Nonetheless, several elements from 1966/'67 actually can actually be
seen to survive into 1968 - 1970, albeit with some transformation. In particular, John's social/experiential interests are seen to mature
into a genuine concern about the state of the world order; a concern at first suffused with sometimes bitter sarcasm, and yet one
which would persist with increasing fervor and clarity of vision in his solo work after the group disbanded.
Curious Precedents
In addition to the extremely serious subtext of the lyrics, our three songs here also manifest a compositional complexity and a
borrowing from several non-pop/rock musical styles including both classical and avant garde. The curious thing is that the history of
Western music is replete with such crossovers between so-called popular and more seriously "artsy" genres, though over the long
run, these have been typified by the stylized co-opting of a native pop form or style by the classical side of the house.
Way the heck back in the Middle Ages and Renaissance, for example, it was customary, even expected for a composer to weave
or embed a popular folk tune into one or more parts of a choral Mass. Similarly, much of the thematic and motivic essence of 18th
century Classical and 19th century Romantic music has demonstrable roots in European folk and popular music; in fact, during the
late 19th and early 20th centuries, you even find a movement of "Nationalistic" composers such as Dvořák, Grieg, and Bartók on the
one hand doing this self-consciously in order to give world-class exposure to their respective treasured ethnic heritages, and
"Futuristic" composers such as Mahler and Ives — how strange to see those two in the same bed — conjuring up the vulgarity of a
music hall ambience for special shock effect in the manner of a Duchamp "readymade."
In the area of dance music, there are even more concrete examples of this phenomenon. The most obvious ones here might be the
Minuet of the Baroque dance suite and classical symphony, or the Grande Valse of the 19th century, both of which were direct
evolutions of what had been, just one generation earlier, party music by which to boogie. The crucial point here though — and one
which will link us back up with the Beatles — is that even at the time that these earlier crossovers took place, the change in the
perception of these forms or styles by their audiences was immediately transformed; i.e., nobody in Bach's lifetime would have
gotten up to dance during the last movement of the Brandenburg First Concerto, nor in Chopin's time to swirl around the salon in
time to the Minute Waltz.
The interesting thing about these classical-cum-serious dance forms is that at least some obvious phatic essence of the time, place,
and vitality of the dance rhythm itself still exists in the music, no matter how rarified the serious transposition by the composer. To
stay with our two examples, you can imagine the powdered wigs and brocaded jackets when you hear those Bach minuets, or the
flowing ball gowns and the heavily crystalled chandeliers upon listening to Chopin, but even so, there is something so compellingly
deeper than that in the substance of the music that to get up and dance would seem somehow a trivialization of the music.
Viewed in this light, it almost seems like berating the obvious to point out how our three Beatles songs under consideration here,
in spite of their (strictly speaking) quite danceable rhythm tracks, don't feel quite right to be danced to either. Rather, they seem to be
more appropriately intended to be listened to; carefully, thoughtfully, repeatedly.
What makes the phenomenon of the Beatles' so unique in spite of the historical parallel is that in the past, a crossover composer
from the classical side would likely be doing so in full pre-meditation to prove a point, make history, or align himself with a larger
movement. With the Beatles, we are dealing instead with some lucky fellows who had both the talent and all manner of wherewithal
to just go off and do there own thing (man) unencumbered by up-front grandiose notions of where they were headed. Their overall
development can be viewed as a scenario in which successive rounds of eclectic stylistic elements and techniques were to be
superimposed on top of a relatively unvarying rock substrate; the ultimate effect being not so much a crossing over from pop to
"serious", as blurring of the distinction between the two.
The Beatles in General, John in Particular
To the extent that all three of the primary songwriting Beatles wrote some songs in the social/experiential mode, it is especially
interesting to contrast John's personal approach and outlook with that of the others. What I can predict will emerge, hopefully
without arbitrary "bashing" of the other two, is John's especial strength in this area.
A parenthetical note: although Ringo's handful of songs deserves some mention in an absolutely complete treatment of the works
of The Beatles, I think we can safely conclude with no slight intended toward the lad, that Ringo qua composer did not participate
directly in the heady self-exploration which preoccupied the other three, and as a result, his output does not figure here.)
By now, we've all become so used to thinking of the Boys as separate artists with individual styles. Even at the time it was
happening, we knew this from the White album onward, and with greater hindsight, we now even trace it easily back to the earliest
of days and albums. It almost requires some conscious effort to step back from the details in order to recognize the obvious yet
uncanny parallels among the three of them in terms of macro-trends, themes, and techniques. Ironically though, even this exercise
only serves in the end to highlight their differences.
On the verbal side, Paul's more serious, non-love songs seem to tend toward the journalistic, contemplative portraits of "Eleanor
Rigby" and "The Fool On The Hill". He speaks in the subjective tone of introspection with relative infrequency, and when he does so,
he's typically optimistic about the future, as in such examples as "Fixing A Hole", "Getting Better", and "Hey Jude"; significantly, in
the latter two songs, improvement is clearly attributed to the presence of a significant other.
George has a different but just as clear lyric pattern, tending to speak in the first person either exhortingly as in "Within You
Without You" and "The Inner Light" or complainingly as in "It's All Too Much" and "Only A Northern Song". For George,
improvement of some kind is possible if you are willing or capable of some sort of spiritual awakening.
John, true to form going as far back as "Help!" and "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" takes the significant emotional and
artistic risk of speaking most consistently in the first person with an open willingness to expose his vulnerability to pain and
confusion. Our three songs here are notable in their total lack of love interest, advice, or explicit editorial point of view.
On the musical side, Paul is probably the leader in the area of bringing guest instrumental soloists into the Beatles' sessions
whether it's the string ensembles in "Yesterday", "Eleanor Rigby", and "She's Leaving Home", or the French horn in "For No One",
or the Bach trumpet in "Penny Lane" just to mention a few examples among many. Paul's other main avenue of compositional
experimentation is in the masquerade-like stylized evocation and spoof of exotic and antique musical idioms.
George's most obviously significant and reasonably successful experiment is in the integration into the pop/rock idiom of classical
Indian instrumentation, melodic style and phrasing. Note however that some will find fault in the extent to which this integration is a
straightforward incorporation the foreign musical elements not fully digested. "Blue Jay Way" for example remains a curiosity in the
way the Indian-like drone harmony and arabesque melodic motives are retained even in the absence of specifically Indian
instrumentation or "transcendental" subject in the lyrics.
John's musically experimental legacy is primarily in the MacLuhan-esque exploitation for its own sake of the indigenous quirks of
the recording medium. Paul and George too were involved in all manner of tinkering in the studio with flanging, vari-speed, tape
loops and whatnot, but I believe John is the one who made the really big gestures in this department. Our three songs, in fact, may be
among the best examples of this though the roots of it go back as far as "Yellow Submarine" and "Tomorrow Never Knows". And of
course, it is John, after all, who in spite of all later retreat to good old rock 'n' roll would persist with offerings like "Revolution #9"
and "What's The New Mary Jane".
As a relatively intuitive composer, John also made consistently effective use throughout his career of uneven phrase lengths,
cross-cut switches between different meters, and unusual harmonic twists; the latter especially ironic in light of his conspicuous
harmonic frugality in the early days. Paul is also consistently imaginative in the novel use of modal harmony and unusual
modulations — take a look, for example at as early as song as "Things We Said Today" — but I don't think you find anything in
Paul's work that flirts with tonal ambiguity in the extreme way that something like "I Am The Walrus" does.
The Ties That Bind
We'll find that in almost every measurable category, "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "I Am The Walrus" are closer cousins to
each other than "A Day In The Life" is to either of them, but I still think they all make a nicely complementary threesome.
On the lyrical level, all three are certainly examples par-excellence of what I have dubbed the social/experiential genre. "A Day In
The Life" leans slightly more in the direction of social comment, while the other two — especially "I Am The Walrus" — are
much more inscrutable and Zen-like. There's much more that can be said on this point, but it's getting high time that we finally faced
the music itself.
All three are songs intended to be listened to in recording rather than in live performance. You could make concert adaptations of
each of them if you cared to, but something of their essence would get lost in the translation. And yet, paradoxically, the fact that
there is a Beatles-esque rhythm track of the familiar drums, bass, guitar, and/or piano at the root of all three songs is not be under-
emphasized; nor should we ignore the fact these songs all have clear, even traditional, song forms at their backbones. As I pointed
out in an earlier article on "She Said She Said", it is only in John's later experiments such as "Revolution #9" that these formalistic
values are abandoned, and for the most part, this retention here of the classic form in the midst of an otherwise extremely
experimental milieu is of significance. The paradox can be vividly savored by listening to the commonly available outtakes of each
of these three songs which prove just how much of the essence of the finished product does and does not survive the elimination of
all the special effects.
But getting back to the recording techniques, each one of these songs in some obvious way or another does things with sound that
you simply cannot do at all — or easily so, at any rate — in real time without recourse to extensive editing and other post-processing
of pre-recorded sources. In "Strawberry Fields Forever", there is the joining of two takes differing in mood and ensemble, each of
which had already been subjected to heavy post- processing to begin with, plus the reverse fade which includes a very strange
doppler-like sound effect. "A Day In The Life" commences with a cross-fade from the preceding "Sgt Pepper" reprise track, and
features a seemingly very large orchestra which appears intermittently out of nowhere. A couple of additional details include the
vestigial echoes of Mal Evans' counting from 1 to 24, the alarm clock, and the orchestration and extended fade of the final chord. "I
Am The Walrus" would appear to be the most heavily layered of the three, containing significant, complex parts for orchestra,
chorus, radio program, and other sound effects all on top of a basic rhythm track and vocal which themselves have been heavily
flanged.
The employment of the orchestra is not only a common denominator of the three songs, but in each instance, the exact role of this
auxiliary ensemble in the plot and arrangement of the song is quite far removed from the lush, wallpaper of sound you might find on
the backing tracks elsewhere; e.g., the Phil Spector scores which appear on the "Let It Be" album. In "Strawberry Fields Forever",
the orchestra appears suddenly in the second half of the song in a heavy yet exceedingly jumpy pseudo-classical texture which works
at cross-currents with the more flowing beat established in the take which comprises the first half of the finished song. In "A Day In
The Life", it is used quite sparingly to great effect at the end of the two verse sections in a sweeping crescendo up a scale of
indeterminate pitches. Very cleverly, it is also used to help effect the transition from the end of the bridge back to the return of the
verse, and this additional appearance keeps the use of it in those crescendi from sounding too contrived and isolated. In "I Am The
Walrus", the orchestra (and choral) part is a complex overlay on the basic rhythm track in which exaggerated gestures are employed
to almost comically highlight or underscore various details in imagery of the words and music.
On a more subtle level, each of these three songs contains examples of harmony or phrasing that is adventurous to an extreme not
often seen in the music of The Beatles, in spite of their career-long penchant for novel chord choices. Very briefly for now,
"Strawberry Fields Forever" makes repeated use of both uneven phrase lengths, a brief switch into ternary meter, and chord
progressions sufficiently unusual to make the tonality of the song periodically ambiguous; all these devices provide an evocative
backdrop for the message of the words. "A Day In The Life", though much more straightforward, still presents an ambiguous
alternation between the related keys of G Major and both the Major and minor modes of e; i.e., the verses are in G, but both the
bridge and the ending of the song are in E. Even in the verses, the very first line of the song — "I read the news today, oh boy" —
starts off in neutral-to-optimistic G Major but quickly wilts away to the more wistful e minor; again, a subtle underscoring of the
words. "I Am The Walrus" is the least tonally stable of the three. Most of the song is ostensibly in the key of A Major, but the
introduction starts off on B, and there is so much step-wise movement in most of the chord progressions that a clear sense of key is
never really well established. The ending, with its infinitely step-wise descending chord progression and a top voice which is step-
wise ascending has always conjured up in my mind visions of an limitlessly expanding universe, or perhaps, "consciousness" is
more appropriate.
I'd Love To Turn You On
Finally (!) I'll admit that I've always had a "thing" for these three songs; beyond a point, even I won't try to hide it behind a
smokescreen of bourgeois musicological cliches; well, not entirely.
I can still remember where and when I heard each of them for the first time; "Strawberry Fields Forever", driving my parents car
to school during my first semester of college; "A Day In The Life" at a reverential gathering of special friends one relaxed Friday
evening after spring semester final exams for a first listen to the "Sgt Pepper" album; and "I Am The Walrus", the following fall
semester, again on the way to school, this time for a harmony 103 class after which I tried with limited success to convey my
muckle-mouthed excitement over this new music to the professor. These old-fart reminiscences in their particulars aside, the point is
that these songs were equal parts catalyst and accompaniment for deep cultural and societal changes when they first appeared; the
fact that this was coincident with a rite-of-passage-like time in my personal life increased their resonance for me by what seemed a
thousand-fold.
Ultimately, what's most amazing is that this music continues to fascinate me (maybe "us"?) on levels far beyond those of mere
nostalgia for Youth. Not everything from that period which turned me on at the time has fared so well, you know; some things retain
only nostalgic interest now, and others even come back to embarrass me into acknowledging the sophomoric and fickle nature of my
passion at that tender and impressionable age.
In the meanwhile, in spite of whatever supposed wisdom and maturity I may have earned over the intervening more-than-thirty
years, John's three songs continue to teach, encourage, and challenge me.
Perhaps what I'm trying to say in tribute to John about the scope and power of not just these three songs but about his artistic
legacy as a whole is most succinctly put by the following quote from a most unlikely source (Waugh's "Brideshead Revisited", p.
79):
The zest, the generous affections, the illusions, the despair,

all the traditional attributes of Youth ... come and go with us through life;
again and again in riper years we experience, under a new stimulus,
what we thought had been finally left behind, the authentic impulse to action,
the renewal of power and its concentration on a new object;
again and again a new truth is revealed to us
in whose light all our previous knowledge must be rearranged.
These things are a part of life itself.
Regards,
Alan (120800#23.1)
Revision History
102995 105.0 Strawberry Fields Forever
052696 117.0 A Day In The Life
112596 121.0 I Am The Walrus
120800 23.1 Edit and adapt to series template.

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/twst.shtml,

alan w.
Notes on "Things We Said Today"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #24.1 (TWST.1)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: a minor / A Major

Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Outro (fade-out)
CD: "A Hard Day's Night", Track 10 (Parlophone CDP7 46437-2)
Recorded: 2nd June 1964, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 19th July 1964 (B Single / "A Hard Day's Night")
US-release: 20th July 1964 (LP "Something New")
Style and Form
"Things We Said Today" is one of the earliest and best-ever examples of the innovative Harmony stunts which The Beatles were
capable of, being uninhibited as they were by any schoolbook knowledge of the so-called rules. On the lyrical side here, there's a
correspondingly precocious ambiguity over the exact scenario in which the song, on the surface just a plain old love ballad, takes
place.
The one thing that does seem fairly clear is that it's about the imperturbable constancy of true love in the face of logistical
challenge, or perhaps more precisely, the fear of challenge. As you might expect, one of the most exciting discoveries to be made
in an analysis of such a song is the way in which the details of the music assist the words in the evocation of an otherwise difficult to
verbalize complex of emotions.
Our friend Macca, in an interview clip from the "Put It There" video, suggests that he chose to revive this song for the 1989/1990
tour because it "says something nice, ... it's a simple song, ... easy to play." What do you think? Is it that he doesn't give himself
enough credit, or perhaps, are we hearing just a small note of false modesty?
The form is the standard two-bridge model with a single verse intervening. In context it achieves a delicate balance between the
rambling and the forthright. The inclusion of two bridges is in the interest of conjuring a somewhat relaxed mood. But the omission
of an instrumental solo section, which would have probably appeared either in place of the third verse or as an additional verse
section preceding the second bridge, keeps the proceedings from becoming too relaxed. After all, we need to keep focused with
some urgency on the fact that the protagonist has a lot that he must say right now lest this moment pass.
The lyrics of the four verses contain a refrain-like final couplet based on the title phrase, and they create a pattern of ABCC. The
AB verses feature a characteristic "I / we" swap, and they, along with the two bridges, rhythmically begin right on the downbeat. The
CC verses are each more tightly integrated with the bridges that precede them so that they rhythmically begin well ahead of the
downbeat, with the phrase "and that's enough;" the downbeat falling in this case on the final syllable.
Melody and Harmony
The song is primarily in the modal-sounding "natural" minor key of a; you'll note how in the verse sections, the minor v7 (e-min7)
chord with no G# is used in place of the more tonally functional Major one (with the G#, of course.) In contrast, the start of the
bridge sections features a shift to the parallel Major key of A, a trick reminiscent of what we saw in "I'll Be Back".
The liberal inclusion of the relatively foreign note of B-flat throughout the song adds even more spice to both the melody and
harmony.
Melodically, this B-flat in the context of a minor is suggestive of the exotic Phrygian mode; think of it as the white note scale
starting on E. Try the following little exercise if you doubt what I mean about the piquant effect created by this mode: first play the
melodic fragment of A --» B --» A over a sustained a-minor chord and then alternate it with A --» B-flat --» A over that same chord.
Although this phrase never appears explicitly in the top-voice melody of "Things We Said Today", its alternating presence is
definitely there throughout the song, hidden in the inner voices of the chord changes.
On the harmonic side, a B-flat chord is used in both the verse and bridge as part of a gambit in which what has started off as an
aggressive excursion away from the home key is abruptly aborted with a return to that very same firm, secure home base. The B-flat
chord in any mode of A is the unusual "flat-II" or "Neapolitan" chord (so-called because of its overly frequent use in 17th century
opera of said venue), and what makes its use especially far out in a Beatles song is the fact that they resolve it directly to the I chord
rather than via the V chord as is more customary in classical usage. Note how the Boys were so pleased with themselves over this
that they recycled the exact same magic trick in "You're Going To Lose That Girl".
A Scarcity Of Songs In Minor Keys
As a sort of sidebar digression, it is worth noting how "Things We Said Today" is one of the very few early Beatles songs to be so
fully grounded in the minor mode. Through July 1964, they had recorded 51 songs for official release — 15 covers, 1 by Harrison,
the remainder by Lennon and McCartney — the great majority of which are clearly in Major keys.
While there is a sizeable group of songs which arguably contain some greater or less degree of minor "flavoring", when you get
strict about it ("you'll have to be strict, Paul ..."), you find only 7 songs that are distinctively and pervasively minor:
• the cover, "Taste of Honey", our surprise entry;

• George's "Don't Bother Me";
• "Not A Second Time";
• "And I Love Her";
• our own sweet "Things We Said Today";
• "When I Get Home";
• "I'll Be Back".
A truly uncanny consistency is the fact the last 5 songs in the list above all make conspicuous use of the trick of switching back
and forth between Major / minor phrase or section endings. As I've asked before in other contexts, is this style or mannerism?
The songs that contain only hints of the minor mode are also interesting. I'd say there are at least dozen or more of them in our
sample study, but you might find more or less of them yourself depending on how picky or sensitive you are to this sort of thing.
These "hints" are actually the result of a couple of different compositional techniques used frequently by the Beatles. For now, just
some bullet descriptions with a few examples for further study:
• Heavy use of bluesy cross-relations in a minor vocal part against Major chords in the accompaniment; e.g. "Can't Buy Me
Love", "You Can't Do That", and "Money".
• Emphasis on the I --» vi progression; e.g. "It Won't Be Long", "All I've Got To Do", and "From Me To You".
• Use of the flat-sixth degree of the scale either melodically (e.g. "Do You Want To Know A Secret") or as part of the minor
iv chord (e.g. "She Loves You", and "I Call Your Name").
Beyond a point it becomes difficult to draw the clear line between what I'm labeling as "pervasively" minor songs and those in the
"just a hint of the minor mode" category. For example, you might say that "Not A Second Time" and "All I've Got To Do" more
properly belong in the same class since they both are based on the I and vi chords. But the critical distinction for me between these
two songs rests on the ordering of the I and vi chords.
"Not A Second Time" is characterized by I moving to vi. "All I've Got To Do" is the other way around; it moves from vi to I.
To my ears the chord that is the "destination" or "target" has a tendency to assert itself. Hard to know for sure if this is a valid
distinction rather than a rationalized inconsistency.
Arrangement
The vocal arrangement of "Things We Said Today" is neatly organized around the novelty of using only Paul throughout.
The first verse is primarily single tracked with two exceptions: the third phrase (as in every verse) has Paul harmonizing in
parallel thirds with himself, and the second half of the last phrase of this verse — on the words "Things we said today" — suddenly
shifts to double tracking.
The remaining verses and both bridge sections are consistently double-tracked in unison with a few similar exceptions as above:
the third phrase of each verse uses the same parallel thirds as in the first verse — each voice of which is single tracked — and the
second half of the last phrase — again, on the title phrase — has Paul harmonizing with himself in rather early-Beatles-sounding
open fourths. Just as a teaser, this same harmonization appears still one place else, at the end of the second phrase of the final verse;
yet again, we encounter the aesthetic of avoiding rote consistency.
By the way, this track is at least one example where the real stereo mix which may be found on the American vinyl pressing,
"Something New", provides more easily discernable detail than the mono CD version of "A Hard Day's Night". In stereo, the
overdubbed second vocal is separated very far to the right.
Intro
We have just a brief two measures in which the backing texture of the verse is established. The even strumming and stroking of
acoustic guitar and drums sets a predominantly tranquil mood, yet two details belie it, keeping you braced for possibly tenser times
ahead.
First off, the opening sixteenth-note rhythmic fanfare (di-di-dum) calls you to attention with a bigger, more ominous bang than
you'd think you might need given the supposedly gentle nature of the song to come.
Secondly, in the syncopated electric guitar part, the chords are stressed on the half beat in between beats 3 and 4 of the measure.
On the official recording of this song, the a minor chord is the only one used in this intro, whereas on the "Beeb" recording of July
1964, you hear them changing to e-minor seventh on the offbeat.
Verse
The verse is a standard sixteen measures long, and contains four phrases of even length. Three of these phrases — the first,
second, and fourth — are musically very similar. Harmonically too, they are quite static featuring in every measure either the lone a-
minor chord, or with a change to e-minor seventh on the offbeat. While you'd expect to find a strict pattern as to which measures
sustain the chord versus changing it, a close look reveals some internal inconsistencies throughout the official version, as well as
between the official and the "Beeb" version cited above.
It is, of course, in the third phrase of this section — "Some day when I'm lonely ..." — that the mood noticeably darkens, largely
as a result of a momentary tonal ambiguity. It's clear right at the beginning of this phrase that the music is suddenly headed away
from the home key, but the future course is kept uncertain. By the time we reach the B-flat chord in the last measure, it is uncertain
to our ears whether we might soon stabilize in the new key of F, or perhaps keep moving along the circle of fifths to the even more
remote E-flat chord. And yet, at this moment of most extreme tension, the B-flat chord resolves surprisingly-yet-comfortingly back
into the home key. I notate it below as though a modulation to F is the "correct" answer, but I think my prose description above is
more faithful to one's internal experience:
m.9
|C |C9/7 |F |B-flat |a
a: III flat-II i
F: V I IV
[Figure 24.1]
Details such as the broad arpeggios in the electric guitar on the downbeat of each measure and the free-form way in which the
words are scanned over the underlying rhythm in slow triplets and syncopation, not to mention the harmonized pseudo-duet also help
set off this third phrase from the other three.
Verse Variations
The first verse is the only one that is followed immediately by another verse and as a result, it includes a one-measure "reprise" of
the intro including the little rhythmic fanfare. Similarly, the final verse connects directly into the outro which also is just a reprise of
the material heard at the outset.
Verses two and three connect to bridge sections and feature a surprise ending on A Major instead of the minor chord you'd
otherwise expect. It's worth noting how in these verses which adjoin the bridges, the "noisier" texture of the bridge-proper (see
below) begins right in the final measure of the verse itself.
Bridge
The bridge sections provide sudden contrast in virtually every category: the harmony shifts entirely and optimistically to the
Major mode, the percussion gets much noisier including the addition a tambourine, and the bass line features a different rhythmic
and melodic pattern. More to the point, the gambit of harmonic excursion and sudden return which we saw in the verses is now even
further developed.
These bridges are each eight measures long and contain two phrases of even length. There is melodic parallelism between the two
phrases which is made bitter sweetly ironic by a difference in their harmony. The melody too is difficultly chromatic and adds to the
emotional intensity of the section; in addition to the usual chords, I've chosen to notate below what I consider to be the structural
backbone of this melody:
Melody: |C# |D |D# |D-natural |
Chords: |A |D |B |E7 |
A: I IV V of V V7
|C# |D |D# |D-natural ||C-natural

|A |D |B |B-flat ||a
I IV V of V flat-II i
[Figure 24.2]
Harmonically, the first phrase is "functional" in a relatively traditional way, although you'd sooner expect the D# in top voice of
measure 3 to resolve upward to E rather than downward, as it does to D. And though the D fits quite logically on top of the E7 chord
upon which it finds itself, the melodic descent conveys some small sense of emotional deflation, especially as it follows the first
three measures of rising, happy-Major-mode expectations.
It's in the second phrase, where this same melodic backbone is suspended over an extremely unexpected substitution of the B-flat
chord for the E7 that the sun chillingly goes in for a brief moment; especially when this half-stepwise descent continues in a second
surprise move to the a-minor chord for the start of the following verse. As with the verse above, labeling the B-flat chord a flat-II
maybe doesn't even fairly match your experience of the phrase. Perhaps, it's more like an unhinging sensation of harmonic free-fall,
which is brought to a merciful end by the sudden return to the home key.
Outro
As is common in songs of this period, the outro presents yet another reprise of the introductory material repeated into a fade-out.
It would almost be an anti-climax except for the ingeniously unifying stroke of adding in the tambourine part from the bridge section.
In spite of the fact that the steady reliability of the a minor backing riff extends as far as you can see to the horizon, this ending also
suggests that little pangs of anxiety will also remain a permanent part of the tour.
3
Some Final Thoughts
Future Fear
Without the clues from the music itself, you might mistake this song for one of a time-honored and slightly hackneyed genre:
sentimental words of parting between lovers overhead at a railway platform or baggage carousel. But I think it's a tad more
complicated.
For one thing, the notion of a parting is mentioned only once, and even then, in hypothetical terms only. Even the rest of the
lyrics, which on the surface can easily be read as sweet, simple, besotted gratitude for a love that is requited can easily be re-
interpreted as containing more than just a suggestion of head-shaking skepticism and concern about the viability of love's lasting till
the end of time; especially "if" one is so far away. This is what I mean about how the hot flashes of uncertainty in the music help
elucidate the text.
But the ultimately "nice" message of the song is to be found in the repeating line which ends each verse, in which all fear is
revealed to be an illusion. The transcendence of the background accompaniment and the ease with which the steady carrier frequency
of the a minor key may be accessed again in spite of momentary free-falls and loss of contact vividly underscore the meaning of the
words: that in spite of the potential-yet-inevitable strains upon it, be they tangible impediments or the one of times passing, love can
and will persist, oftentimes though it has little more to sustain it than the memory of things we said today.
Regards,
Alan (010501#24.1)
Revision History
010591 24.0 Original release. H.B. Fran G&K.
010501 24.1 Adapt to series template.

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/wmggw.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "While My Guitar Gently Weeps"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #25.1 (WMGGW.1)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: a minor / A Major

Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge | Verse |
| Verse (solo) | Bridge | Verse | Outro (fade-out)
CD: "White Album", Disc 1, Track 7 (Parlophone CDS7 46443-8)
Recorded: 25th July, 16th August,
3rd, 5th-6th September 1968, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 22nd November 1968 (LP "White Album")
US-release: 25th November 1968 (LP "White Album")
Style
Two very different versions exist of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." One, the official release on the White Album, is loud,
heavy, wailing, and arranged in successively recorded thick layers of sound. The other version, take 1, available for years in bootleg
and finally released officially on "Anthology 3", is very much the opposite in tone; introspectively quiet and quite simply arranged,
essentially for solo voice and acoustic guitar, with just a hint of harmonium toward the end.
And yet, one might say that the expressive core of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is to be found more deeply embedded in the
musical elements which are in common between the two versions than it is to be found among the details of their contrasting
arrangements, no matter how interesting it may be to explore and compare their details.
Within the melody, chord progressions, and formal phrasing of the song we discover a thoroughly sad lament in which there is
ironic tension on at least two levels: first, the contrast between the ploddingly slow tempo and continually restless progression of
chords; second, the predominance of downward-moving gestures which conjure a mood of pessimism, despite the intermittent
appearance of upward gestures that you would half-expect to lighten things up a bit.
While the emphasis in this article will be on the so-called common musical elements, we will also take a close look, along the
way, at the difference between the two versions.
In between these two extremes, by the way, was yet another arrangement which has not been released officially or otherwise.
From Lewisohn's commentary it sounds rather similar to the official version would appear to have been scrapped as a matter of its
having become overdeveloped with too many overdubs and manipulations of tape speed.
Crying, Waiting, Hoping ... For A New Blue Moon
It may be fashionable sport these days to pick on the supposed Quiet One for being rather noisily complaining in his song lyrics,
but it's a game with some basis in fact; whether the topic be lost love, the materialistic blindness of society, or even late-arriving
friends, the Beatle George would always let us know his opinion of others.
Even so, there is an unmistakable shift toward happier songs from him, or at least ones with a more positive world outlook,
starting from around the time of the White Album. With the exception of "Only A Northern Song" and "I Me Mine", there is a clear
trend, starting on the third side of "The Beatles" with "Long, Long, Long", that carries on through the remainder of the Beatles canon
with such upbeat tunes as "Old Brown Shoe", "Something", "Here Comes The Sun", and "For You Blue". The biographical and
spiritual parallels to this musical transformation of George during the last phase of his tenure with the Beatles are fascinating but
unfortunately also outside the scope of this already long article.
Amazingly, before the appearance of "Long, Long, Long", there was virtually nothing among George's songwriting credits that
might be called cheery, optimistic, or fanciful. Even when the topic is one of transcendental enlightenment, as in "Within You
Without You", the underlying tone is one of peroration rather than encouragement.
Seen in this light, "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" sits on a cusp between two eras. It is more or less the last of a chain of songs
similar in tone and attitude. Perhaps closest in spirit is "Think For Yourself", though the rancor of that earlier song from "Rubber
Soul", which would appear to be personally directed at an individual, is replaced here in the later song by sad regret that is targeted
more diffusely and ambiguously.
Form
The form of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" is deceptively familiar, representing on one hand the two bridge model with two
verses intervening, one of which is an instrumental. On the other hand, the double verse we've come to expect at the beginning of
Beatles songs is conspicuous here by virtue of its absence.
This latter move is likely warranted by the slow tempo, the unusual length of the intro and outro, and the internal structure of the
verse section itself, as we'll see shortly when we pull it apart below.
Aside from the refrain-like frequent reprise of the title phrase, the lyrics of every section are more or less different. The use here
of different lyrics in each bridge, instead of the more familiar verbatim repeat, is particularly unusual. Even the final verse, which
starts off with the same line as the first verse, presents some new/different material before it is done.
The odd lines of the verse rhythmically commence with a pickup to the downbeat. The even lines of the verse as well as all the
lines of the bridge begin on the second beat following the downbeat; the latter effect becoming a subtle signature of the piece.
There are a couple of differences between the official version and the outtake worth noting at the macro level. The outtake
features all new words in the final verse whereas the official version presents a clever variation of the first verse in this spot. Also,
the outtake is in the key of g minor while the official version is in a. Both of these keys force George to sing the bridge section in a
breathy, partly falsetto tenor, an effect that he must have liked very much because he chose to go with the higher of the two keys for
the official version. In spite of any strain on his voice, it's actually an effect he's sought after throughout his career; songs running all
the way from "Don't Bother Me" to "Heading For The Light" all keep him singing for long sections in a range that is several notes
above middle C.
Melody and Harmony
This is yet another one of those Beatles songs in which alternation of parallel minor and Major modes is used as a structural
element. Compare with "I'll Be Back" or "Fool On The Hill".
The melodic content is shapely and far ranging. The verse stays within the natural minor mode while the bridge shifts to the
diatonic parallel Major mode.
Many, but far from all, of the chords from both minor and Major modes of the home key are used. No more exotic chords appear
though the slowly descending bass line against a static chord in the odd lines of the verse, and the hint of a modulation to c# in the
bridge bear some interest.
The use of harmony is a key element in the song's evocation of a mood that is paradoxically slow and measured, restless and
fretful.
A somber, languid processional is suggested, on the one hand, by slow harmonic rhythm and moderate tempo; nowhere in the
song do the chords change more frequently than once a measure, and in a number of places, the rate of change is even less frequent.
On the other hand, this static, plodding tendency is more than amply balanced out by the way in which the chord progressions
themselves always seem to be going somewhere, yet never truly find rest for long. From the home key of a minor there are
excursions toward the relative Major key of C, the parallel Major key of A, and even the comparatively remote key of c# minor, yet
none of these keys are strongly established, with the music always moving on — "like a bird that flew" — almost as soon as it has
touched down.
Arrangement
The arrangement is a pretty thick, heavily layered affair typical of the period in which it was produced, yet demonstrates overall
careful organization, some of which must have been superimposed later rather than sooner in the process. We'll track it section by
section.
By the way, how they ever kept Eric Clapton's guest appearance on lead guitar any kind of secret is beyond me by the way. Ask
yourself when it was you first suspected it, no less had it confirmed.
Intro
The introduction is an unusually long one of eight measures in which the entire first half of the verse is presented instrumentally.
This length sets an expansive tone for the song at the outset and the ending of this phrase on V nicely motivates the verse that
follows. Note that the intro to the outtake, though also eight measures long, does not use the exact same chord progression; instead of
ending on V, the VII chord of measure 6 is simply resolved to the "i" chord which fills both measures 7 and 8.
The arrangement of the Intro is attention grabbing, starting right off with the seemingly stray "hey up!", but also containing two
details of greater substance, neither of which curiously lasts much beyond the intro itself. We have a simple yet effective precis of
what will emerge as the melody of the verse played percussively on the piano, and syncopated cymbal slashes on the syncopated
offbeat between 2 and 3, which sound as though recorded backward though they likely were just deftly damped by hand. Strangely,
the piano never reappears with equivalent prominence in the remainder of the song, and the cymbal slashes continue, but only
through the first eight measures of the first verse before the percussion switches over to a different texture for the rest of the song.
Of course Clapton makes his own dramatic entrance in measure 7 of this intro with an obbligato-like riff, the likes of which not
only repeat leitmotif-like throughout the song, but the melodic style of which, heavy on arpeggio outlines, appoggiaturas, neighbor
tones, and evenly played eighth notes, serves as the basis of his incredible solo in the middle section.
There are two other instrumental details that are employed throughout the song and become emblematic elements of its sonority:
the very heavy bass that often sounds as though more than one string has been plucked, and the Wilbury-like use of a steely-
sounding acoustic guitar in an otherwise exceedingly electric, hard rock texture.
Verse
All the verses in "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" are a square sixteen measures built from four phrases of even length.
Internally, the form of this verse is more precisely that of a double couplet; i.e. AB-AB':
Chords: |a |- |- |F |
Bassline: A G F# F-natural
a: i VI
|a |G |D |E |
i VII IV V
|a |- |- |F |
i VI
|a |G |C |E ||A
i V-of-III III V I
[Figure 25.1]
I believe it is this repeat-like structure within the verse itself is what discourages the use of two full verses in a row. In the case of
the guitar solo verse, note by the way, how the structure of Clapton's solo blurs the distinct articulation of the double couplet.
The couplet structure is articulated by both words and music. Lyrically we have the pattern in every verse of an alternation
between lines which begin with "while" and "still". Musically too, there's clear parallelism between phrases 1/3 and 2/4.
The first and third phrases prominently feature a descending bass line whose downward gesture permeates the song by virtue of
its constant repetition. This is nicely balanced out by the symmetrical arch shape of the vocal melody.
The partially chromatic bass line moves against an a-minor chord which is sustained for three measures above it. From a guitar
player's perspective, this makes for what look like different chords in every measure, but analytically it's all one harmonic "event"
and the novel sonorities of measures 2 and 3 are byproducts of the contrapuntal motion of the bass. Similarly, the chord in measures
4 and 8 may appear on paper as though it's a d-minor chord that quickly changes to F-Major, but the more proper analysis is to call it
F-Major with a melodic appoggiatura of D -» C on the downbeat; "proper" to the extent that the analysis matches one's experience of
the music.
Both couplets in this verse are harmonically open ended on the V chord, yet there is a subtle difference created by the simple use
of a different chord in the penultimate measure of each couplet — i.e. measures 7 and 15 respectively. In the first couplet, the
approach to the E chord at the end by way of G and D chords is one of what you might describe as continual motion. In the second
couplet, the resolution of the G chord to C — instead of D — creates a articulative break in the motion because the dominant-tonic
relationship of the G and C chords creates a definite albeit short-lived sense of having arrived somewhere new.
But we're not yet finished with harmonic motion in this verse even though we're already at measure 15; there are still two small
surprises to come in short order. When the E chord appears in measure 16 you think to yourself, "oh well, so much for a modulation
to C, it's straight back to the home key of a minor now." Yet when the bridge begins, we're given not a minor, but rather the parallel
Major key of A. It's not so much a big surprise per se, but it is sufficient to add to that sense of restlessness; "hey George, either sit
still, or let's really go somewhere, harmonically, for a change!"
The first eight measures of the first verse feature George singing by himself but double-tracked. The second eight measures
present a different vocal arrangement, one that persists for most of the rest of the song: in the third phrase, George sings the melody
part while Paul sings in harmony with him in parallel thirds unusually placed above the melody. The fourth refrain-like phrase
reverts to just George. Although George does have the melody in that third phrase and Paul sounds as though mixed less prominently
than George, I can't help but wonder if Paul might have been trying to horn-in or upstage poor old Hari in his own song by singing
the upper part.
In the backing part, we find Clapton interjecting his brief comments in the final two measures of each couplet. Starting in the
second couplet of this verse (m.9, ff.) the cymbal slashes are abandoned in favor of bass and snare drum work plus a "dum-ditty-
dum" sort of quiet tapping on what sounds like a wood block, mixed far to the left.
This second verse is built on the same musical structure as the first one. The primary difference aside from the new words is in the
way the vocal duet introduced in phrase three of the first verse is now repeated in both phrase 1 and 3 of this one.
Bridge
Harmonically, the bridge further adds to the paradoxical mood of expansiveness with its sixteen-measure length, and the
restlessness with its chord progression. Structurally, it is a verbatim repetition of the following eight-measure phrase:
|A |c# |f# |c# |
A: I iii iii
c#: I iv I
|b |- |E |- |
ii V
[Figure 25.2]
Just like the ending of the verse, no sooner have we arrived with some sense of decisiveness in A Major then we appear to be off
yet again; this time apparently for the comparatively remote environs of c-sharp minor. But the establishment of this key, as with
both C Major and A Major before it, is not only short-lived, but also weakly established via its IV chord instead of with a stronger I
-» V -» I cadence.
As with any good bridge section, this one provides both sharp contrast to the surrounding verses as well as further development of
the essential thematic mood of the song. Overall, this bridge provides some well needed upward gestures as well as an opening up of
the melodic and harmonic space. In keeping with the rest of the song though, this initial feeling of new energy is quickly dissipated
by section's end with a sad descending which is reminiscent of that of the verse.
Melodically, the bridge starts off with a dramatic swing upward. The melody of the verse had been constrained to the small
melodic range of A to E — actually, E and G just below the A also make brief embellishing appearances though they are not a key
part of the action. The first part of the bridge extends the range all the way up to G#, though in keeping with the inevitably sad nature
of the piece, the melodic range of the second half of the bridge tends back downward to where it overlaps with that of the verse.
In parallel to the melody, there is a lifting of the harmonic root motion at the beginning of each bridge phrase that suggests a
momentary flash of optimism but it quickly fades in the stepwise-downward motion of the c# -» b chords which follow, and the
eventual faltering of the harmonic rhythm in the remainder of the phrase, suggestive of a loss of energy as well as hope.
Note how the official version tries to counterbalance this suggestion of lost vigor at the end of each phrase by a scale-wise
pumping up based on the V chord that makes the music drive forward into the next phrase. By contrast and with greater pathos, the
outtake version leaves this wilting gesture more simply exposed.
The arrangement of the bridge features George singing double-tracked by himself again, without the help of Paul. The drumming
in this section is slightly different yet again from what preceded it.
Just as with the successive verses, the second bridge is musically identical to the first one but for the use of different lyrics and
minor tweaks to the backing track. Also note the subtle addition in this section of a clanging sound on the offbeat in the percussion;
what could it possibly be, finger cymbals miked very closely ?
Note how cleverly the relationship between the "why" and "how" of the two bridges seems to parallel the "while" and "still" of the
verses.
Guitar Solo Verse
Even without the all the flanging and bent notes, this would still be one gem of a guitar solo. I'll resist the temptation to supply a
complete transcription of it for now but will at least sketch it out.
Above all, it is an extraordinarily melodic, even vocal sounding solo in which the 16 measures are treated not as a couplet, but
rather are broken up into two slow, deep and contrasting phrases of eight measures each. The solo achieves some unity with the rest
of the song by virtue of Clapton's starting off with a retracing of the melodic outline of George's sung melody, as well as the fact the
style of guitar figuration used in the solo had already been consistently presented in obbligato licks starting as early as the
introduction.
While the vocal melody of the verse presented a full arch shape in the space of only eight measures, Clapton spreads the arch of
his solo out over most of the full sixteen measures of the section. He works his way up a full octave in measures 1 - 8, suspensefully
sustains the high note in measures 9 and 10, ambles slowly back down the octave in measures 10 - 14, and then, with breathtaking
surprise in the final two measures, passes delicately below the low end of the octave and very quickly finishes up with a flourish that
takes him all the way back up the octave to end on his earlier high note as the second bridge begins.
The high A of this guitar solo is not only the single highest melodic note of the entire song, but on some subliminal level it
provides ultimate resolution of the high g# left hanging in the bridge section. Even more significantly, the ending of this solo is very
much the climax of the song because it is the single moment in the song where a positive, upward gesture has the last word and
appears to stick; at least for a moment. Whatever follows this section more or less provides ballast and an emotional unwinding from
this high point.
Outro
The last verse presents still more fiddling with the words and arrangement. Though the official version essentially repeats the
lyrics of the first verse, the third line is unusually truncated. In the vocal part, Paul's accompaniment of George at a third above is
now extended even to include the fourth phrase.
In keeping with both the spirit and scale of the song to this point, we are given an unusually long outro consisting of almost two
full iterations of the verse section; close to 32 measures of instrumental music into a fade-out that is accompanied by moaning, both
vocal and Claptonesque.
In equally consistent contrast, the outtake makes a small musical change in the final verse so that its final two measures make a
neat I -» V -» I cadence into a comparatively brief eight-measure outro with a complete ending that is followed on the original studio
tape by a candid snippet of George asking to have it played back. This outtake was unfortunately tampered with, originally for the
"Sessions" project, to have a fade-out ending based on the I and flat-VII chords. It's this latter version that appears on "Anthology 3",
but the original is worth seeking.
Incidentally, for those who like to follow this sort of detail, there is what sounds to me like a glitch near the very end of the
official version. In the last repetition of the verse section — at which point we're pretty well into the fade-out — it appears as though
Paul and the rest of the group are out of step, chord-wise in both measures 7 and 15. To give all concerned the benefit of the doubt,
it's hard to tell if it's a mistake outright, or more a matter of Paul's suddenly trying out a new improvisatory trick with the bass line
based on his assumption that the finished track would be fully faded out by this point.
Having paid insufficient attention to the words, I've been walking around for years thinking that this song is obviously about a
love that George has lost or given up because he has grown apart from her on some spiritual, intellectual level; as if it were his
version of John's "And Your Bird Can Sing", or even perhaps a Harrisonian adaptation of Dylan's "Don't Think Twice It's not
(sic! :-)) Alright." But then I finally noticed the enigmatic use of the word "all" and for the first time realized that this song has as
much in common with "Within You Without You" as it does with "Think For Yourself".
Alas, poor George cries for us all, but more's the pity that his insight here is one that enervates him to a walking-in-circles
inability to act rather than infusing him with the energy to do something about it. It's rather comforting to know that in retrospect, it
would be only a relatively short time after "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" that this same Mr. Harrison would be capable of finding
some joyful inspiration for "Here Comes The Sun" in the clear light of the backyard belonging to the same Mr. Clapton.
Returning to our two different arrangements, you might say that, to the extent that tears come to reflect a broad spectrum of
moods, both versions are on some level a legitimate rendering of the words to our song. For some, the official version may seem a bit
maudlin, while for others, the outtake will be lacking in production values. In the final result, whichever you prefer is likely to be a
matter of your own sweet taste.
Regards,
Alan (011401#25.1)
Revision History
011401 25.1 Adapt to series template.

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ishst.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I Saw Her Standing There"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #26.2 (ISHST.2)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Verse (solo) | Bridge |
CD: "Please Please Me", Track 1 (Parlophone CDP7 46435-2)
UK-release: 22nd March 1963 (LP "Please Please Me")
US-release: 22nd July 1963 (LP "Introducing The Beatles")
Style
In contrast with the post-skiffle beat of songs like "Love Me Do" and "Misery", or even "From Me To You" and "Thank You Girl",
"I Saw Her Standing There" is one of the Boys' first fast, hard rockers. It was probably the most blazingly original song they had yet
written at the time of its recording. Appropriately and auspiciously, they chose to crown it with the lead-off spot on their first album.
More importantly for our purposes here, the words, music, and arrangement of this song are replete with the touches and
techniques that in retrospect define the early "sound" of the group, making it a prime choice for our detailed study.
Words
The lyrics of the four verses create a formal pattern of ABCA. The lyrics of the two bridges are a typical rote repeat of each other.
The first three verses and bridge section narrate a deceptively simple boy-meets-girl tale in the first person to which the pulsating
music lends a definitely hot connotation, in spite of the lack of any explicit passion in the words. Many other songs exist that
describe this discovering of one's special love across a crowded room or at a dance, but "I Saw Her Standing There" is a very far cry
indeed from the likes of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Some Enchanted Evening" or Bernstein's "Maria"; as absurd as this association
of titles sounds at first, you cannot deny the uncanny parallels among their respective scenarios.
We also have early examples here of a type of wordplay that would be looked back upon as a Beatles trademark; i.e. the
successive use of "How", "She", and "I" at the beginning of the third line of each verse, and the alternation between "when" and
"since" at the beginning of the final line of each verse. This device was sufficiently clever to trip up the composers themselves,
primarily John. Not only are several of the outtakes riddled by word collisions, but a couple of such mishaps actually managed to
creep into the official version; listen to "when / since" at the end of the third verse, or John's hesitation with "since" in the last verse.
Form
The form is a fully cranked out two bridge model with two verses intervening, the latter of which is for guitar solo, thus making
for comparatively long running time of 2:52.
Every section of the song starts off rhythmically with a pickup before the downbeat. This starts as early as the introductory bass
note that falls between the word "four" and the first measure. It all goes to enhance a general feeling of urgency already projected by
other aspects of the music.
Please Don't Be Long
The song evokes such a pleasurably exuberant mood that I don't believe anyone these days ever finds it to drag or to be too long
in its full form; if anything, the outstretched symmetry is one of its best features. Interestingly though, if you bother to study the long
line of live versions of the song performed for broadcast or in concert, you'll discover that at some point, they felt compelled to
shorten it up by about 25 seconds, down to around two and half minutes, by dropping the second bridge right out of the arrangement.
There do not seem to be any written or recorded clues that shed any light on the motivation for this change, but one might surmise
that the shorter version on tour conformed more closely to the mass-media model of the "two minute" hit song. Or perhaps, to the
extent that the Boys themselves were starting to think of "I Saw Her Standing There" as one of their oldies, the shorter version
allowed them to get it over with more quickly and onto the newer stuff which they would have found more interesting. Compare this,
for example, to the extremely truncated version of "Twist And Shout" with which they opened the set list on the tour of early 1965.
With one notable exception, all extant recordings of the song up through a 6/17/1963 appearance on the Beeb were the long
arrangement. Starting the following month — again, in a performance from the Beeb — they began to play the short version
exclusively for the remainder of the song's lifecycle.
One specific performance of the short version seems as if it is out of sequence, because it is also surprisingly the earliest
preserved performance of the song to come after the recording of the official version; a Saturday Club date at the Beeb on March 16,
1963, aired a full week before the album actually hit the store shelves, as we can confirm from listening to Brian Matthews' chat with
the Boys between songs. It remains a mystery to me that they would have been experimenting with this alternate version so soon
after the album track had been cut. For one thing, there is no evidence from the February session tapes that a short version was ever
considered for the OV itself. Secondly, it seems strange how after this March date, they resumed with the playing of the longer
version until later the same spring.
On some level, the longer version must have continued to be thought of as the "real" arrangement. At least, that's how I interpret
the fact that it's the way that Macca played it on his 1989/'90 tour.
From our various Beatlegs we learn that the recording history of "The One After 909" went through a similar series of
modifications. As both Quarrymen and as Beatles of the Get Back era, they played it in a long form with two bridges. However, as
early Beatles they performed it in a shorter form by omitting the second bridge — not only the identical change as we find here in "I
Saw Her Standing There", but uncannily during the same time period; remember, that the early Beatles session for "909" was —
should be no surprise! — in March 1963.
Refer to a two-part study of mine published in volume 1 of "The 910" (1991) for a more detailed analysis of close to two dozen
live recordings of "I Saw Her Standing There" along with all the studio outtakes of the song available unofficially at the time.
Melody and Harmony
The tune covers a broad range and consists of an interesting mix of stepwise motion with dramatic long jumps.
The song is, and always has been, played in the key of E Major; Paul still did it this way on his '89 tour. It must have been a
particularly playable key for them in terms of vocal range and chord choices, because they used it so frequently in their early string
of original compositions. A non-exhaustive list of examples includes "Please Please Me", "Do You Want To Know A Secret",
"There's A Place", "It Won't Be Long", and "All My Loving". Talk about being "tuned to a natural E!"
Though not strictly a blues song, there is nonetheless, a strong bluesy flavor here created by the almost exclusive reliance on the I-
IV-V chords, the slow harmonic rhythm with its infrequent chord changes, and the many blue notes in the vocal line that pit melodic
notes from the minor mode against the Major chords in the accompaniment; i.e. the tune has a relatively large number of G and D
naturals in it for a song in the key of four sharps. Only one truly unusual chord is used in the song, C-Major, and it appears with
strategic effectiveness right at the climax of each verse where the voices go into their falsetto "wooh".
Arrangement
Throughout, there's a delightful tension embedded in the song from the way that the slowness of the chord changes contrasts with
the hard driving activity of the rhythm track and the frequent long jumps in the voice parts. There are several more specific
trademark sources of excitement in the arrangement to which the entire group contributes:
• Paul's boogie-woogie bass line outlines the chords in a perpetual motion of eighth notes.
• Ringo's elaborately syncopated drum fills typically appear in the space between phrases or sections.
• The backing work on rhythm and lead guitars works in fine synergy with the bass and drum parts. George's little obbligato
riffs which fill the space between phrases sound a little more tentative than necessary, but you'd miss them if they weren't
there. When you work your way through the many later concert and broadcast versions of this song, you find that over
time, George does in fact come out of his shell a bit, and plays these fills with greater confidence and elaboration.
• The appearance of a full-length improvisatory guitar solo is notable to the extent that instrumental solos of any kind are
relatively uncommon on the early singles and albums; the few that do appear tend more toward light-handed
embellishment of the main tune — viz. "Love Me Do" or "From Me To You". Granted, there are those who will argue that
George's performance here sounds a tad too stiff and pre-arranged to have been made up in real time, but the point is, it's
intended to sound as though improvised.
• The tight vocal harmonies of Paul and John, which we will look at below in detail, feature a type of counterpoint that is
conspicuously unlike the simpler parallel thirds or sixths of acts like the Everly Brothers. Even the falsetto used here
seems so bracingly different from what was to be heard from other contemporaneous groups who made a habit of it, such
as The Beach Boys or The Four Seasons. If you can sight-read John's parts from my notation below, I recommend you try
singing them along with the record for a good time.
• The handclaps and the screaming used for background punctuation are unessential yet nevertheless characteristic.
As always, however, it is only in a thorough walkthrough of the entire song that all the details can be fully appreciated.
Intro
The intro is a simple four measures of vamping on the tonic chord of E, but the count-in, the eighth note pickup in the bass, and
the generally rhythmic texture of the accompaniment all help to set, from the very outset, the energetic tone of what is to follow.
Verse
The verse is in a standard structure of sixteen measures with four phrases of equal length:
m.1
|E |- |A |E |
E: I IV I
m.5
|- |- |B |- |
V
m.9
|E |- |A |a |
I ** IV iv6/3
m.13
|E |B |E |- |
I V I
[Figure 26.1]
[** bass players will want to note that Paul often but not always makes sure that E chord in measure 10 is supported by G# in the
bass that allows the bass line to melodically move stepwise to the A of the following measure. He also always sustains a C in the
bass line of measure 12 though the rhythm guitar plays an a-minor triad above it.]
As often happens, the harmony plays an important role in the articulation of the dramatic shape of such a verse: the first phrase
expositorily establishes the key, the second phrase reinforces this sense of key with its open ending on V, the third builds towards a
climax with its ending on the C chord, and the fourth phrase finally resolves all accumulated tension with its straightforward re-
establishment of the home key.
The chord in measure 12 sounds very much like the C-Major, flat-VI chord, but closer listening proves it to be an a-minor chord
placed in its first (aka 6/3) inversion by the C-natural in the bass line. Harmonically it's an example of "the minor iv chord appearing
in a major key." The movement of the bass line for the second chord is an unusual ploy and, along with the falsetto "wooh" in the
vocal of that measure, heightens the impact of the C# versus C-natural cross-relation between the chords. It's a delightfully groin-
tightening and ambiguous momentary spike of intensity; leaving it up to us listeners to decide whether the protagonist's tension is
one of approach / avoidance or more simply the joy of confident anticipation.
The vocal parts also help to bring the dramatic structure of the music into relief. Paul sings the first eight measures solo and is
joined by John for the remainder of the verse in a bit of two part harmony that is most unusual and tangy. In the counterpoint
transcribed below, note the number of open fourths and fifths, some of which follow in parallel (measure 11), and the large number
of G-naturals in either voice which make for "class 1" cross-relations with the G-sharps in the E major harmony below:
m.9
Paul: |B C# D# |E F# G | F# E |
John: |G# G# A |B B C# | B A |
So how could I dance with another,
m.12
Paul: | E E E |E D |B G | E
John: | C C C |B G** |F# G | E
whoo, when I saw her standing there
[Figure 26.2]
[** After many listenings, I'm still not 100% certain whether John intends to be singing G or G# in measure 13; it sounds different
from one repetition of the phrase to the next. Sometimes, I even suspect he's intentionally shooting for the blue note that lies in
between the two, but other times, I worry he was just waffling a bit.]
Paul's octave jump upward in measure 12 is an extraordinary effect, and note how its motivation is anticipated by the earlier leap
downward of almost the same magnitude at the beginning of the second phrase — measure 5, on the words "the way she looked."
The song contains five iterations of this verse section and other than the words, there is very little variation among them. The most
significant difference is in the guitar solo section where interestingly, the chord progression is altered in two places; i.e. measure 3
sustains the E chord instead of moving to A, and in measure 12, the A chord from the previous measure is sustained instead of
moving to the unusual a-minor chord. I don't think this is random at all; if you try to imagine the solo played over the chord
progression from the other verses, you'll find that the two places that were changed here sound somehow stilted or over-emphasized
without the underscoring rhythmic emphasis of the words and vocal parts.
A smaller variation worth noting is the way that at the end of the two verses which each precede a bridge section, the bass line in
the final measure contains downward scale which nicely leads us straight into the next section.
Bridge
In spite of their drama, the verse sections have an harmonic shape which is closed overall and bound to the home key. The manner
in which this bridge section seems to be centered around the IV chord provides both a refreshing change of outlook as well as a
platform from which to set up the return to the home key when the next verse comes around.
As with two of its close cousins, "Love Me Do" and "Please Please Me", we have another bridge here with phrases of unequal
length here. The section is ten measures long, and my ears scan it into three phrases; i.e. two + two + six:
... heart went boom As I
|A |- ||
IV
crossed that room And I

|A |- ||
IV
held her hand in mine --

|A |- |B |
IV V
-- -- -- -- --
|- |A |- ||
IV
[Figure 26.3]
The totally static harmony of the first six measures, and the triple repetition of the same melodic phrase builds a suspenseful sense
of expectation which is fulfilled by the elongated continuation of the third phrase.
You're so used to hearing it as written that it's hard to imagine it being any other way, but if you can snap out of that mind-set for
just a moment, you'll notice that it would have been more obvious — read: less original and effective — to restrain the bridge to the
more standard length of eight measures and simply end on the V chord. What we have instead, creates an almost paradoxical effect
— the decision to resolve the V chord deceptively to IV for two full measures on the way to its "real" destination of I is a delaying
tactic that, on the one hand, reduces some of the tension built up to that point of the bridge. However, four other factors create an
even stronger cross-current of increasing tension at the same time:
• the lengthening of the phrase by two measures,

• the jump to the falsetto high notes with its concomitant crescendo,
• the gutsy support work from the rhythm section,
• and Paul's dramatic, syncopated lead-in to the following verse with "Well, we ..."
The key contribution of the vocal parts to the strong impact of this bridge is not to be underestimated. In contrast with the verse,
we have John and Paul singing together throughout this bridge, with John employing a favorite device of theirs; sustaining during
measures 1 - 6, the single note of 'A' against Paul singing the actual melody part above him. However, the real master stroke of this
section is in the use of falsetto within the final four measures. The following is what the composite vocal parts of measure 5 - 10 look
like:
m.5
E|G F# |E E |
A|A A |A A |
I held her hand in
m.7 B -------------------- C#---------------

|F# ---------|------------|E ----------|------A--G--|---E--
|B | | | |
mine ------------------------------------- Well we danced
[Figure 26.4]
If you listen very carefully though, you'll discover that the top line is not sung by one person alone, but is the byproduct of John's
jumping over Paul by an octave in measure 7. The following blow-by-blow narrative of is perhaps less clear than it would appear to
you if I had music paper on which to transcribe it, but this is the best I can do with words alone: Paul actually sustains the F# at the
beginning of measure 7 all the way through measure 8, and then moves down to E natural for measures 9 and the beginning of 10,
before picking up the melody again for the beginning of the following verse. John, who has been singing just A natural beneath him
the whole time moves up in parallel fifths with Paul to B at the beginning of measure 7 and in the second beat of the measure jumps a
dizzying octave to the high B, and it is he who sustains that impossible high note all the way through to the C# in measure 9. The
ultimate clue for this is that on some of the outtakes, the high C# is sustained long enough that it overlaps with Paul's starting the
next verse. Check it out!
Stepping back from the details, it's worth noting how, on a structural level, the use here of both falsetto and an octave jump add
unity to the overall composition by their subconscious association with the earlier appearances of both techniques.
Outro
The triple repetition of the final phrase of the last verse is relatively conventional for the genre we're dealing with. The first two
repetitions are identical both melodically and harmonically, and are built on a simple I -» V -» I chord progression.
The final repetition, while melodically the same as the previous two, provides a small harmonic modification; i.e. a IV chord gets
interpolated between the V and the final I chord. This is the same trick we saw at the end of the bridge, and its reappearance here
helps put the brakes on for the conclusion of the piece, as well as providing yet another subtle touch of unification.
For you harmony freaks that like to keep track of every little Beatles trademark, we also have a classically free-dissonant chord at
the very end; E-Major with at least F# and possible C# as well tacked on for spice.
3
Some Final Thoughts
I've made a habit in these Notes of spending a moment or two at the end in consideration of what hidden meanings might be
embedded in the lyrics. But I'll tell you, if you need me to sort this one out for you, then you're really in trouble :-).
For a rare change, we have no romantic or emotional complications; no angst, no pangs, not even the slightest amount of self-
doubt; this time, — to paraphrase Richard Price's "The Wanderers" — it's more like some "hip ditty bop noise" to remind us in
perpetuity of the "nowness and coolness of being seventeen and hip;" of falling for the first time in what you think just might be Real
Love.
Granted, there is more often than not, an eventually bitter and disappointing side to this experience, but I believe that the song
isn't so much whitewashing over this truth, as much as emphasizing that the sweeter part of it is worth taking with you for the rest of
your life.
Surely, you do know what I mean?

Regards,
Alan (012801#26.2)
Revision History
051091 26.0 Original release.
012001 26.1 Adapt to series template. HB JMP.
012801 26.2 Correct the flat-VI reference to minor iv6/3.
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/awp-b.shtml,
volume 1
january 1999
Notes on ... Series 29 - 64
Beatlemania (1962 - 1964)
by Alan W. Pollack
At the end of 1962 the Beatles released their first single Love Me Do / P.S. I Love You. It was followed shortly in January 1963 by
their second one Please Please Me / Ask Me Why. Then, in April From Me To You / Thank You Girl appeared. The same month saw
their first album: Please Please Me. It was followed in August by the single She Loves You / I'll Get You. Next in November the
public could buy both the single I Want To Hold Your Hand / This Boy and the album With The Beatles. It started the Beatlemania,
that reigned high in 1964. That year the group released the single Can't Buy Me Love / You Can't Do That in February, followed in
June by the EP Long Tall Sally with the original I Call Your Name and three cover songs. One month later, in July, already the single
A Hard Day's Night / Things We Said Today and the album A Hard Day's Night were available to the public. In November of the
same year the single I Feel Fine / She's A Woman and the album Beatles For Sale were released. All in all this output totals to eight
singles, one EP and four albums, of which the songs are analyzed here by Alan W. Pollack.
029 Misery (1991; 2001) 8
030 P.S. I Love You (1991; 2001) 2

031 There's A Place (1991; 2001) 5
032 Do You Want To Know A Secret (1991; 2001) 7
033 Ask Me Why (1991; 2001) 4
034 I'll Get You (1991; 2001) 13
035 Cover Songs on 'Please Please Me' (1991) 9b,

9d,
9c,
9e,
6b, 9f
036 All I've Got To Do (1991) 18
037 Don't Bother Me (1991) 20
038 Little Child (1991) 17
039 Hold Me Tight (1991) 9
040 I Wanna Be Your Man (1991) 16
041 Not A Second Time (1991) 19
042 Cover Songs on 'With The Beatles' (1991) 13e,

13f,
14b,
13b,
13d,
13c
043 I Want To Hold Your Hand (1991) 21
044 This Boy (1991) 22
045 Can't Buy Me Love (1992) 23
046 You Can't Do That (1992) 24
047 I Call Your Name (1992) 30
048 Cover Songs on 'Long Tall Sally' (1992) 29b,

32b,
31b
049 A Hard Day's Night (1992) 31
050 If I Fell (1992) 28
051 I'm Happy Just To Dance With You (1992) 29
052 Tell Me Why (1992) 27
053 I'll Cry Instead (1992) 32
054 When I Get Home (1992) 36
055 I Feel Fine (1992) 45
056 She's A Woman (1992) 44
057 I'm A Loser (1992) 38
058 Notes on the 'Notes on ...' Series (1993)
059 Baby's In Black (1992) 37
060 I'll Follow The Sun (1992) 46
061 Every Little Thing (1992) 39
062 I Don't Want To Spoil The Party (1992) 40
063 What You're Doing (1992) 41
064 Cover Songs on 'Beatles For Sale' (1992) 46c,

38b,
44b,
46d,
46e,
46b
Copyright © 1989-2001 by Alan W. Pollack. All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced, retransmitted, redistributed and
In case you want to quote these pages, please refer to the original sources. So for Pollack's remarks on "Free As A Bird" refer to:
Pollack, Alan W. (1995), Notes on "Free As A Bird". Notes on ... Series no. 194, 1995. The 'Official' rec.music.beatles Home Page
(http://www.recmusicbeatles.com).
Conversion to HTML by Ed Chen, Mike Markowski, Bruce Dumes, and Maurizio Codogno. Indexed and adapted for Soundscapes
by Ger Tillekens.
The numbers in the last column refer to the second, updated edition of Ian MacDonald's book: Revolution in the Head. The Beatles'
Records and the Sixties. London: Random House (Pimlico), 1997.

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/tap.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "There's A Place"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #31.1 (TAP.1)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse (variant) | Bridge |
US-release: 22nd July 1963 (LP "Introducing The Beatles")
Style and Form
The music of this song is paradoxically quite tense in spite of the self-assured message of the words, and this likely motivates the
choice of a relatively short form.
There are two different hook phrases here that uncannily reflect the two sides of the tense/self-assured paradox mentioned above.
The first is the wailing instrumental motif (D# - - - - - E - D# - C#) presented by the harmonica right at the beginning. The other is
the affirmative figure (B - D# - E) which resurfaces in a number of places as the melodic setting for the title phrase of the lyrics.
Also on the reassurance side of the equation is the dramatic dotted figure in the bass and rhythm guitar (boom-b'-boom, «rest»)
which reiterates in the background of most of the song and is largely responsible for giving the song its characteristic bounce.
Notably, this leitmotif is not found consistently in the early outtakes and its later addition is a good example of how The Boys
learned how to revise their work in real time for the better.
The form is unusually small with just a single bridge.
The lyrics of the three verses create a pattern of ABA. The verses begin rhythmically with a pickup to the downbeat. The bridge,
by contrast, attacks after the downbeat.
The modification of the second verse to effect a smoother transition into the bridge is an unusual formal touch, though by no
means unique; see "I Should Have Known Better" for another example.
We also have those familiar slow triplets in a number of places: the second half of the verse — "and there's no time" — and
almost, but not quite, in the bridge. The outtakes prove that they originally planned to present the opening hook this way too, but
proved to be some combination of difficult and undesirable.
Melody and Harmony
The verse tune is characterized by short, declarative phrases that are punctuated by rests of a couple beats each. The bridge tune
features a distinctive call-and-answer pattern.
The hard-hitting, unique sonority of the E-Major seventh chord is one of the essential characteristics of the song and, on the
surface, is the prime motivator of musical tension.
On a more subtle harmonic level, the song also projects a groping, insecure sense of tonal footing. It's clearly in E Major on the
one hand, yet as we'll see below, both the verse and bridge sections have their share of frustrated V chords and fitful modulations.
Arrangement
In many respects, this is a "typical" Beatles arrangement of the period with several of the familiar ingredients: harmonica hook,
pungent two-part vocal harmonies, drum fills, and melodic bass part.
The guitar parts are sparser than usual, leaving some chords implied by melody, bass line and context, instead of being made
explicit by full-voiced strumming.
As usual, the vocal parts are more intricately worked out than first meets the eye. Paul takes the lead for most of the verse sections
with John singing in harmony below him. At the end of the first and third verses, Paul suddenly drops out leaving John briefly
exposed by himself on lead, and at the end of the middle variant verse, John sings lead with a vocalese backing by Paul and George.
The bridge section alternates between solo John and John and Paul in unison.
Also, don't miss out on those trill-like ornaments John sensually tacks onto the end of his phrases in the verse.
By the way, that opening B-natural bass pickup "on 'four'" sure does remind me of "Please Please Me" :-)
Intro
The intro has an odd length of five measures by virtue of the unusually elongated vocal pickup phrase at the end of it:
"There,-- there's a place ..."
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 ~~~~~ 4 1
|E7 |A |E7 |A | B |
E: I IV I IV V
[Figure 31.1]
The intense mood of the song is immediately established by that dissonant Major seventh chord right on the first downbeat, nicely
enhanced by the bent note ('D.'#) in the second iteration of the harmonica phrase.
Verse
The verse has an unusual total length of fifteen measures. It's actually built out of regular sorts of four-measure phrases until near
the end where the odd length is created, as in the intro, by the stretched out pickup to the next phrase:
m.1
|E |A |E |A |
E: I IV I IV
m.5
|E |c# |B |- |
I vi V
m.9
|g# |A |E7 |A f# |
iii IV I IV
c#: vi iv
"I ------ think of you..."

m.13 3 4 1 2 3 ~~~~~ 4 1
|c# |- |- B ||
E: V
c#: i
[Figure 31.2]
Note how the first eight measures have a classical "open" shape, ending on the V chord. Yet, the remainder of the section, instead
of routinely closing it back up, proceeds to tonally meander.
In greater detail: the home key is established in the first phrase via the relatively weak "plagal" cadence of I -» IV. The next
phrase opens up widely with those two full measures on the V chord, yet this juicy dominant is left dangling unresolved as the music
veers fitfully toward g# minor at the beginning of the final phrase. This excursion is itself short-lived and the verse ultimately settles
down in what would appear to be a modulation to the key of the relative minor, c#. But after all this, the next verse reverts directly
right back to the home key.
I hear the entirety of measure 8 as the V chord, though if you listen carefully, Paul plays the notes G# -» A -» B during the slow
triplet in that measure as though he were trying to do something like the "iii -» IV -» V" chord cliche we saw in "Please Please Me",
measure 4.
The single most compositionally clever detail in the entire song is the way that the wailing harmonica hook phrase is worked into
John's backing vocal part in measures 9 - 12. Part of the magical effect in those measures is the way that Paul and John's vocal parts
climax twice on a tasty fourth that is resolves with their respective parts moving in contrary motion:
Paul: G# -» A
John: D# E-D# -» C#
[Figure 31.3]
And note, finally, how the harmonica hook reappears on cue in measure 13.
Verse Variant
The first eight measures of this section are identical to those of the first verse. The music then continues with the following
straightforward four measure phrase that reiterates the earlier open ending on V:
"Like I love only you ..."
|A |- |B |- |
IV V
[Figure 31.4]
True to form and purpose, note how when we move onto the bridge, this V chord is frustrated, yet again, by another deceptive
cadence to vi!
Bridge
The bridge is an unusual ten measures long, though basically built out of two identical repetitions of the same four-measure
phrase. The asymmetrical length is created — just as in the intro and first verse — by the reappearance of the by now familiar
elongated vocal pickup for the next verse section:
--------------- 2X ----------------
|c# |F# |E |G# ||c# |- B |
c#: i V i E: V
B: ii V IV -» ?
(modulation abandoned)
[Figure 31.5]
The sometimes-restless sense of tonal direction seen in the verse is further developed here to the extreme that each successive
chord keeps us guessing as to where we're ultimately headed.
Though we start off in the relative minor key of c#, the section continues at first as though a pivot modulation to the key of V (B
Major) were in the offing. Even the awkward appearance of the E chord in the third measure could "work" as part of this modulation,
being "heard" as the IV of the new key, but only if the B chord itself would follow it; try it out yourself, see how nicely it works —
c# -» F# -» E -» B.
It is the sudden appearance of the G#-Major chord which abruptly cuts off that modulation in-progress, and briskly pulls the
music right back to the key of c#. Part of me is tempted to chalk this seeming inelegance up to inexperience on their parts, though I
cannot escape the thought that the groping, casting-about feeling conjured by it is germane to the spirit of the song.
Outro
The final verse is identical to the first one though one measure shorter in duration.
Directly, in the second half of measure 14, we move into an outro in which both the vocal and instrumental hooks are presented
antiphonally in strict alternation into a fade-out ending; a vivid, concrete presentation of what I've alluded to as the underlying
paradox of the song.
We have here yet another of those songs in which John apparently soft and insecure emotional core would seem to musically belie
his tough, or at least more self-assured lyrics. This listener, for one, would feel much better convinced by what's professed here as an
unshakable belief in this special "place," if the story had been set in straightforward, simple chord progressions and even phrases; on
this level, even a dire ditty like "Misery"'s got a more relaxed phatic subtext :-).
The song is also typically and prophetically John-like for its off-center point of view. The expressed facility to escape inside of
himself in order to commune with object of his love is strange enough for starters. But even more provoking is the way in which the
anxiety factor of the music combined with the escapism of the lyrics suggests that, in spite of the second person pronoun phrasing of
those same lyrics, the protagonist is not so much talking to his love, as he is ruminating to himself at a distance from her, and in
solitude.
Regards,
Alan (031101#31.1)
Revision History
032001 31.1 Add pass-two observations and copy edit
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/dywtkas.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Do You Want To Know A Secret"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #32.1 (DYWTKAS.1)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Bridge | Verse |
| Outro (fade-out)
US-release: 22nd March 1963 (LP "Introducing The Beatles")
Style and Form
The intro is slow, the verse long, and the bridge short. The form is compact, the less popular single bridge model, and the overall
duration of the song brief, as well; a likely consequence of the large amount of repetitious rhetoric built into the verse section.
No exaggeration, the lyrics here, which are identical through all three verses, may nose out even "Love Me Do" for skimpiness,
though the use of different material in both the intro and the bridge makes up some of the deficit.
The song fairly overflows with a number of leitmotifs all built out of chromatic scale fragments of three or four notes; the rising
lead guitar riff at the end of the intro, a descending portion of the verse melody — on the "woah" that precedes the word "closer" —
and in the recurrent little descending chord stream that appears in the second half of almost all the odd-numbered measures of the
verse.
Singing in the intro begins after the downbeat. In the verses, it is introduced with a long guitar pickup before the beat, an effect
that is carried through the rest of the verse melody. For contrast, the bridge attacks the sung material right on the beat.
Melody and Harmony
The tune contains mostly scale-wise movement punctuated by a dramatic falsetto leap upward near the end of the verse before
ending it off with a descending chromatic scale fragment
The song is quite securely in E Major in spite of a firm modulation to the axis of A Major/f# minor during the bridge. Allusions to
the parallel minor key of e in both intro and verse provide a touch of pathos as well as harmonic variety.
The single most unusual chord in the song is the "flat-II", found here in both the intro and the verse; we've seen this one before in
"Things We Said Today" and "You're Going To Lose That Girl".
Arrangement
The song leaves a lasting impression of having been enwrapped in a haze of gentle reverberation even though it was not literally
nor entirely recorded that way.
George gets the first of his few chances to take the lead vocal in a Lennon- McCartney tune. The composers themselves show up
vocally in the form of an old-fashioned "doo-wop"-like backing starting in the second verse. One rare outtake has them singing the
backing vocal even in the first verse, the latter being a clear violation of what would emerge as a Beatles layering trademark; which
is why they probably dropped that for the official recording.
Like the piano in-lays of "Misery", the overdubbed tapping of drum sticks in the bridge is a musically small touch that is
historically notable because of the trend in recording/arranging practice it signals.
Intro
The intro is not merely "adagio", but entirely "ad libitum"; my delineation below of where the 4/4 measure boundaries are is
purely a guess:
|e |a e |
e: i iv i
|G |F B |
III flat-II V
[Figure 32.1]
The shift from e minor to E Major which occurs between intro and first verse is exceedingly smooth because of the "parallel"
relationship between the two keys, but if you recall the first time you ever heard this song, it still has the power to surprise.
Though emotionally and compositionally simplistic on one level, that minor- to-Major transition still effectively conveys the
angst-cum-epiphanistic- joy "we" all go through in the unique moment of timidly expressing a burgeoning fondness.
Verse
This verse has an unusual length of fourteen measures and is designed as a couplet of two uneven phrases that share a common
beginning:
"Listen ..."
-------------- 2x ---------------
m.1/3
|E g# g |f# B7 |
E: I ii V
m.5
|E g# g |f# F |
I ii flat-II
"Closer ..."
-------------- 2x ---------------
m.7/9
|E g# g |f# B7 |
I ii V
m.11
|A |B |
IV V
m.13
|c# |f# B |
vi ii V
[Figure 32.2]
The first phrase is six measures and would seem to run harmonically in circles if it were not for its surprise ending in which we
find yet another application of the chromatic chord stream cliche. Note how the F chord is unusually placed on top of the note C in
the bass; as though Paul were uncomfortable with a certain awkwardness about the chord progression and trying to paper it over a
bit.
The second phrase is eight measures and though it too starts off running in the same tight circle, its harmonic rhythm broadens out
into a deceptive cadence on vi before cycling back again to V.
The melody of this verse is just as repetitious as the chord changes, and the falsetto flip in the last measure finally and satisfyingly
opens up the previously constricted pitch range.
The chord stream of g#-minor -» g-minor -» f# is more coloristic than "functional"; the ear comprehends the structural harmonic
progression as though from E in the first measure to f# in the second. The other chord stream in measure 6 - 7 is actually more
structurally significant than the previous one in that one hears the F-Major chord as a surrogate Dominant with respect to the E (I)
chord which opens the second phrase. Note how the melodic use of C-natural at this juncture creates an allusion to the minor mode
of e.
The rhythm is in a shuffling beat throughout until the final four measures where it's suddenly interrupted by syncopation (m. 11 -
12), which then moderates to a pulsating bass drum beat before settling back to the shuffle.
George's pronunciation of the word "ear" — especially in the first and third verses — offers us what 'Simon Marshal' would
someday describe as "the old adenoidal glottal stop for our benefit."
Bridge
This is one of the shortest bridges we've ever seen; only six measures long, and built, just like the verse, out of two phrases
unequal in length yet sharing the same opening content:
-------------- 2x ---------------
m.1/3
|A f# |c# b |
f#: III i v iv
E: IV
m.5
|f# |B |
f#: i
E: ii V
[Figure 32.3]
The harmonic transition into this section from the V chord on B, which ends the previous verse, is somewhat abrupt though by no
means rude; the pivot for the modulation is not obvious to the ear, but at least it is a common chord to both keys involved.
The pivot back to the home key is much smoother. It's a rather superb example of just how so-called pivot modulations work for
those who have trouble grasping the concept: note how when the f# chord is followed by the B-Major one, the ear retroactively
reinterprets it as the ii chord of the original home key of E.
In the arrangement, the do-dahs are given a break in deference to George's solo vocal. And Paul, having played up to this point a
nicely elaborate bass line, gets a little carried away in this section and winds up making a mistake on the first c# chord, by playing a
B-natural which clashes with the chord above it.
Outro
The deceptive cadence near the end of the verse is leveraged and recycled for the inevitable three-repeat coda.
The song fades very rapidly and the outtake with the doo-dahs in the first verse reveals that at least one studio performance of the
song, if not the official version, actually ended, barely a few seconds after our fade, with a complete ending on an added-sixth chord.
That added sixth so nicely summarizes the song that it's especially unfortunate they chose to mask it out. Looking back over the
full length of the piece, one notes how much the sonority of the added-sixth resonates within it; e.g. the repeated appoggiatura of C#
-» B on the words "listen" and "secret" in the verse, and the large number of deceptive cadences in which you so strongly anticipate
the next chord to be E, yet it turns out to be (surprise!) c# instead. To the extent that this added-sixth has the incidental sound of the I
(E) and vi (c#) superimposed upon each other, it makes for an effective harmonic double-entendre.
By the way, Paul makes yet another mistake in the bass line of this section, analogous to the one in the bridge.
The aesthetic of sentimental shy puppy love and gauzy soft focus is not one to which the Boys were often drawn over the long
run; Sweet and Cuddly Moptops notwithstanding, it didn't suit them as a group. Even here, they manage to rescue this one from
drowning in its own cliches only by means of an abundance of interesting details and a modicum of sincerity.
Ironically, it's the more subtle aesthetic of repetition here, which you would be tempted to denigrate offhand as a matter of lazy
craft, which provides one of the major sources of emotional realism and "sincerity" to the song. I'd bet, for example, that anyone out
there who relates to the pre-confessional anxiety of the intro will also vouch for the corresponding post-declaration euphoria in
which all they wanted, even needed, to do was repeat the same words of love like a mantra, endlessly without stopping.
Regards,
Alan (032101#32.1)
Revision History
032101 32.1 Add pass-two observations and copy edit
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/covers2.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on the cover songs on the "With The Beatles" album
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42 (COVERS2)
by Alan W. Pollack
• "Till There Was You"

• "Please Mister Postman"
• "Roll Over Beethoven"
• "You Really Got A Hold On Me"
• "Devil In Her Heart"
• "Money (That's What I Want)"
General Points of Interest
Both the "Please Please Me" and "With The Beatles" albums contain six cover songs and eight originals. While there are some
parallels between the covers on both albums, there are equally interesting differences as well.
The parallels:
• Both sets of covers contain examples of types of material that the group could or at least would not write for themselves at
this stage of their career. The connections between "Taste of Honey" versus "Till There Was You" (soppy love ballads),
"Boys" versus "Roll Over Beethoven" (jumping little records with every section a twelve-bar blues frame), "Anna" versus
"You Really Got A Hold On Me" (heavy soulful ballads), and "Twist and Shout" versus "Money" (raving screamers) are
fairly obvious.
• Given the decidedly male image of the group, both sets of covers contain a surprisingly strong showing of material first
popularized by so-called Girl Groups; three out of six on the first album, and two out of six on the second.
• Although the Boys would seem in some respects to rather slavishly copy the original versions of the songs in both sets of
covers, they almost always, by the same token, appear to include their own subtle stylistic touches. This appears with
increasing liberty on the second album, where for example three of the covers whose originals feature a fade-out ending
are given a complete one by the Beatles.
The differences:
• Overall, the set of covers on "With The Beatles" is more heavily weighted toward driving R&B. Either that or perhaps it is
in sympathetic vibration, as it were, with the heavier set of originals on this album that one hears the covers this way.
Though a highly subjective call, I dare say that "With The Beatles" packs a harder punch as an album than does "Please
Please Me" partly because of the type of covers it contains.
• Less subjective is the fact that the "With The Beatles" covers represent, in part, an older layer of the Beatles' repertoire
than the ones on "Please Please Me". Of the six covers on "With The Beatles" two ("Till There Was You" and "Money") go
back at least as far as the Decca audition, and "Roll Over Beethoven" goes back even further. According to Lewisohn,
there was even a time when the proto-Beatles played "Roll Over Beethoven" with John singing lead! The "Please Please
Me" covers, in contrast, were mostly recent hits at the time the Beatles recorded them; only "Baby It's You" predates the
1962 season which immediately preceded the recording of "Please Please Me".
Now get ready for a song-by-song walk-through.
alan w.
Notes on "Till There Was You"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42a (COVERS2a)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: F Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse (guitar solo) | Bridge | Verse |
| Outro (complete ending)
CD: "With The Beatles", Track 6 (Parlophone CDP7 46436-2)
Composer: Meredith Willson
Influential
version: Peggy Lee (1961)
Recorded: 18th, 30th July 1963, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 22nd November 1963 (LP "With The Beatles")
US-release: 20th January 1964 (LP "Meet The Beatles")
The Beatles' acoustic arrangement with its Latin beat and bongos is certainly a far cry from the smoothly flowing schmaltz of the
original version heard in "The Music Man" Broadway show. Perhaps this bouncier treatment was inspired by Peggy Lee
(unfortunately this is the one original cover version I did not have on hand for this article), or perhaps, they took their own cue for it
from the likes of "P.S. I Love You" and "Ask Me Why".
A couple of details betray the Beatles' own fingerprints; e.g. the flat-VI chord (D-flat Major) in the coda and the final F-Major
chord with the added Major seventh are definitely not part of the original. Despite this, the musical essence of this song, with its
chromatic winding that pervades both vocal melody and bassline (and which indirectly affects the choice and progression of chords)
is something quite off the Beatles' track.
No matter how much you think he deserves to be ragged on for playing it apparently from such rote practice, George's acoustic
solo work on this track is tastefully conceived and executed with great nuance. Granted, it's simultaneously both impressive and
depressing to hear the identical solo, note for note just about, on the Decca tape.
alan w.
Notes on "Please Mister Postman"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42b (COVERS2b)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Refrain | Verse | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Refrain |
| Refrain (fade-out)
Composer: Dobbin / Garrett / Garman / Brianbert
Influential
version: The Marvelettes (1961)
Recorded: 30th July 1963, Abbey Road 2
US-release: 10th April 1964 (LP "The Beatles' Second Album")
Every section of this song is based on the same I -» vi -» IV -» V chord progression, one of the most popular clichés of early
Rock and Roll, yet one which for some reason the Beatles generally eschewed.
The monotony of the harmonic plan tends to blur somewhat the distinction between what is "refrain" and "verse", but it should be
noted how the former utilizes dramatic antiphonal counterpoint between the backing and lead vocals, while the latter features the
lead up front with the backers softly oooh-ing. One of the other covers here features similarly conspicuous antiphony (see "Devil In
Her Heart") and this sort of device would eventually become a major trademark of the Beatles' original work; think of the likes of
"You Can't Do That" and "You're Going To Lose That Girl". In "Postman" the vocal antiphony starts, bang!, right in the intro, and I
for one can't avoid hearing a direct resonance between those opening shouts of "Wait!" and the Boys own "Help!"
John is double tracked while the Marvelettes' lead is not. Otherwise the arrangement of both versions is essentially the same,
allowing of course for the large change of key required to accommodate the different vocal ranges of the two groups.
Incidentally, you'll find that there is some confusion over the authorship of this song if you compare various sources. Current CD
pressings of "With The Beatles" credit the team listed above. However the older LP copies of the "Second Album" list just "Holland"
and this is supported by the Parlophone company-memo originally defining the running order for "With The Beatles" as reproduced
in Lewisohn's "Recording Sessions." Note though that Lewisohn's "Live" book lists it as "Holland / Bateman / Gordy." Does
anybody out there know what I sense must be an interesting story behind this?
alan w.
Notes on "Roll Over Beethoven"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42c (COVERS2c)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4
------ 3X ------
Form: Intro | Verse / Refrain| Bridge |
------ 2x ------
| Guitar Solo | Verse / Refrain|
| Refrain (complete ending)
Composer: Chuck Berry
Influential
version: Chuck Berry (1956)
As with many other, if not quite literally all, of Chuck Berry's songs, every section of this one is in the twelve-bar blues form —
eight of them all in a row! I only call the fourth section a bridge ("Well if you feel it") because of the subtle change in the melody
and back-beat.
There's a minor variation here on the standard blues formula in the way that the chord progression of the last four measures of the
twelve-bar pattern is played as IV -» V -» I instead of V -» IV -» I. This is actually much easier to hear on the Beatles' version than
the original, though I believe they both play it the same way.
Formalistically, each twelve-bar section is internally sub-divided so that the first eight measures provide verse-like exposition,
and the final four measures deliver a refrain-like hook. Note how the text of the hook/refrain itself is varied from section to section.
Also, note the subtle way in which formal plan here contrasts from of that of "Money" below.
The lyric is wordy to an extreme bordering on the "talkin' blues" style, and is quite wryly irreverent. Seen in this perspective,
Chuck's performance scans the words against the beat more freely than does George, in a way that anticipates the style of Dylan in
some respects.
The original features a drumming style that is less splashy than the Beatles' cover while the Beatles double track the lead vocal
and add their hand-claps to the rhythm track. But these are small details and otherwise, the Beatles just about rip the whole thing off
from Chuck right down to the opening riff and "middle twelve" break.
alan w.
Notes on "You Really Got A Hold On Me"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42d (COVERS2d)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Refrain | Verse | Refrain |
| Closing | Bridge / Re-Intro | Verse |
| Refrain | Closing | Refrain |
Composer: William Robinson
Influential
version: (Smokey Robinson and) The Miracles (1962)
Recorded: 18th July, 17th October 1963, Abbey Road 2
There's an unusually complex form at play in this song; note, that I define my terms used above as follows:
• Verse — "I don't like you ..."

• Refrain — "You really got a hold on me ..."
• Closing — "I love you and all I want you do ..."
• Bridge / Re-Intro — instrumental followed by "Tighter!"
The vocal arrangement is equally complex with the relationship between the lead and backers frequently alternating between trio,
solo, and some antiphonal singing.
Harmonically, the song features an emphasis on the I -» vi progression that is rather Beatles-like in an coincidentally ironic way.
Smokey does it in the higher key of C with (just like Chuck) a different scanning of the words. The original arrangement also
features saxes and notably, a fade-out ending. John has the good sense here to sing it single tracked, but while his performance has
an obvious intensely raw sincerity to it, Smokey's own smoothness is rather hard to beat.
alan w.
Notes on "Devil In Her Heart"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42e (COVERS2e)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
-------- 3X -----
Form: Intro | Refrain / Verse | Refrain |
Composer: Richard B. Drapkin
Influential
version: The Donays (1962)
The lyrics and arrangement of this song present an argument between the backers who warn the lead of his lover's cruel
dishonesty, and the lead who point-by-point protests their sad prophecies as false and refuses to be swayed by their counsel; it's a
regular little Greek Chorus Drama in miniature.
The form of the song though is surprisingly flat in spite of the dramatic scenario, with a mechanical succession of refrain and
verse pairs. Defining my terms again:
• Refrain — "She's got a devil in her heart ..." — I'll still peg these sections as refrains in spite of the fact that the lyrics
which follow the hook line keep changing in each reiteration.
• Verse — "He'll never hurt me or desert me ..."
Both formal sections of the song have a convergent harmonic shape, which is unusual. The refrains start off with ii -» V -» I
(shades of "Don't Let Me Down") and the verses start off with the IV -» iv -» I (Major IV to minor iv) cliché.
The transfer of this song from a female to male group obviously necessitated changing the words a bit as well as a transposition of
key (the Donays did it in E). The original has a large-ish sounding band behind it and a fade-out ending. The Beatles include
maracas, and not only make the ending a complete one, but adorn it with one of their beloved Major ninth/seventh chords on I.
alan w.
Notes on "Money (That's What I Want)"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #42f (COVERS2f)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
------ 3X -------
Form: Intro | Verse / Refrain | Break |
| Verse / Refrain | Refrain |
| One Last Refrain (complete ending)
Composer: Janie Bradford / Berry Gordy
Influential
version: Barret Strong (1959)
Recorded: 18th, 30th July 1963, Abbey Road 2
This is yet another song in which (virtually) every section is in twelve-bar blues form, but it bears an interesting comparison with
"Roll Over Beethoven". Here, the twelve-bar frame is divided so that only four measures are verse-like exposition with the remaining
eight devoted to a raving refrain. The proportions in "Roll Over Beethoven" are a reversed eight-to-four. And the difference is more
than just a mathematical curiosity to the extent that the longer refrain section in "Money" is as much a factor in making it a
"screamer" of a song as is the performance of the lead singer. If you're looking for other examples with which to test this theory, look
back to the first album where you find the verse of "Chains" which corresponds to the "Roll Over Beethoven" 8 + 4 pattern as well as
"Boys" which matches the 4 + 8 pattern of "Money".
One additional parallel between "Money" and "Roll Over Beethoven" is the way they both have final sections in which the hook-
phrase takes over the lyrics completely.
The Beatles' cover presents the intro and solo as an eight-measure compression of the twelve-bar frame. The original keeps both
those sections at the full twelve bar count. Note however that the original has only two instead of three verse/refrain pairs before the
break.
The vocal line of this is very bluesy with lots of juxtaposed Major/minor thirds and flat sevenths and the arrangement yet again
features a large amount of antiphonal singing. The Beatles throw a hard edged piano in the mix and of course John's blistering vocal
now single tracked. The use of the E Major key nicely supports Tony Barrow's suggestion that you can flip the disk over for a
second play from the beginning since the first track, "It Won't Be Long", is also in E.
The selection of this particularly raving number for the final track of the album and the modification of it to include a big-finish
complete ending sounds to me like they were striving hard to repeat the immense success of "Twist And Shout" on the first album,
and I'd dare say they come pretty darn close. If you want to get picky here, perhaps you might deduct a few points either because the
spin-off of the earlier "Twist And Shout" triumph is a bit too obvious or because the message of the lyrics is kind of crass and rough,
for all its tongue-in-cheek posturing, in a way which doesn't entirely become the image of the group at this point with their collarless
suits and little boots. If I don't watch it, though, I'm going to starting sound too much like Eppie.
Regards,
Alan (121791#42)
Copyright © 1991 by Alan W. Pollack. All Rights Reserved. This article may be reproduced, retransmitted, redistributed
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/awp-c.shtml,
volume 1
january 1999
Becoming artists (1965 - 1966)
by Alan W. Pollack
In the middle of the sixties rock musicians began to see themselves as artists. The Beatles stood at the front of this movement,
treating their music as an artistic expression of their emotions and a serious reflection of their feelings. The Beatles already departed
from their image as teenage stars with their first single of the year 1965 Ticket To Ride / Yes It Is, which appeared in April. This
tendency became stronger in their summer single Help! / I'm Down, released in July, and the sound tracks on on the album with the
same name, released in August. December saw the album Rubber Soul and the single Day Tripper / We Can Work It Out. The Beatles
started late in 1966. In July they released the single Paperback Writer / Rain. One month later, in August, the album Revolver
followed step. As Pollack shows in his analyses the development of the group in these years is ruled by a growing independency from
their musical roots.
065 Ticket To Ride (1992) 47
066 Yes It Is (1992) 50
067 Tell Me What You See (1992) 54
068 You Like Me Too Much (1992) 52
069 I'm Down (1992) 58

070 The Night Before (1992) 51
071 I Need You (1992) 49
072 Another Girl (1992) 48
073 It's Only Love (1993) 60
074 I've Just Seen A Face (1993) 57
075 Yesterday (1993) 59
076 Cover Songs on 'Help!' and 'Beatles VI' (1993) 60b, 56c, 56b
077 Drive My Car (1993; 2001) 64
078 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (1993) 63
079 Nowhere Man (1993) 69
080 Think For Yourself (1993) 73
081 The Word (1993) 74
082 Michelle (1993) 71
083 What Goes On (1993) 72
084 Girl (1993) 76
085 I'm Looking Through You (1993) 70
086 In My Life (1993) 67
087 Wait (1993) 61
088 If I Needed Someone (1993) 66
089 Run For Your Life (1993) 62
090 Frequently Asked Questions About the 'Notes on...' Series (1993)
091 'Paperback Writer' and 'Rain' (1993) 80, 81
092 Taxman (1994) 84
093 Eleanor Rigby (1994) 86
094 I'm Only Sleeping (1994) 85
095 Love You To (1994) 79
096 Here, There, and Everywhere (1994) 91
097 Yellow Submarine (1994) 88
098 And Your Bird Can Sing (1995) 83
099 For No One (1995) 87
100 Doctor Robert (1995) 82
101 I Want To Tell You (1995) 89
102 Got To Get You Into My Life (1995) 78
103 Tomorrow Never Knows (1995) 77
by Ger Tillekens.
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ttr.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Ticket To Ride"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #65 (TTR)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Bridge | Verse | Bridge |
UK-release: 9th April 1965 (A Single / "Yes It Is")
US-release: 19th April 1965 (A Single / "Yes It Is")
Style and Form
After the folksy originals and nostalgic covers of the "Beatles For Sale" album, "Ticket To Ride" brings with it a measure of tight
toughness that is most welcome to those wondering wether this erstwhile sharp edge of the group's attitude and style had fled
following the "Hard Day's Night" album.
The form is an ordinary two-bridge model with only one verse in the middle and no instrumental section. The special kicks here
are to be found in the arrangement, especially in its exploitation of texture, rhythm, and harmonic dissonance.
Melody and Harmony
Although the tune does not make a primarily bluesy impression, both the flat seventh and minor third scale degrees do bear some
melodic emphasis in the verse and bridge, respectively.
Five of the seven chords that naturally occur in the home key as well as the flat-VII chord are used. No other more exotic chords
show up nor is there any hint of modulation. This relatively bland harmonic diet is spiced up by the liberal use of free melodic
dissonance and a certain suspense factor created by the exceedingly slow harmonic rhythm.
In the dissonance department, Major ninths and seconds appear as though a leitmotif. Not only is there an unusual number of
ninth chords in the song, but the bare interval is also found within the opening ostinato figure as well as in the repetitious vocal line
which takes the song out at the end.
Arrangement
The ostinato figure played by the solo twelve-string guitar at the outset provides a great deal of unity to the song. As we've seen in
other ostinato-driven songs of the Beatles, these recurring, motorized little figures seem to create the illusion of being there in the
backing track more of the time than is actually so. For example, if the figure is apparent at both the beginning and end of a section, as
long as there is something of sufficient interest to divert your attention in the middle, you will subconsciously "assume" that the
figure has continued all the while, even though if you double check carefully you'll find that this is not so!
The ostinato used here's not as distinctively melodic as the ostinati in either "What You're Doing" or "Day Tripper", but it does
have a wrenchingly syncopated rhythm which carries all the way through to the characteristic back-beat of the intro and first two
verses:
» » »
Rhythmic Emphasis: 1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
Ostinato: A E C#A B E
» » »
[Figure 65.1]
As a foil to all this, the tambourine is relegated to simply marking off the second and fourth beats of virtually every measure in
every verse.
The vocal arrangement is fussier than we've seen in a while, with three alternating textures used in the verse, alone. The first half
of the first phrase is sung by John, solo and single-tracked. Paul joins him above on funky counterpoint for the remainder of this
phrase into the first half of the next one, and then leaves John exposed solo at the phrase's end. John then sings the third phrase
double tracked with Paul joining him for a final touch of counterpoint at the end of the fourth phrase.
Intro
The intro consists of a four-fold presentation of the ostinato figure over the I chord. The ensemble joins the solo guitar with a slow
dramatic drum roll just before the downbeat of measure 3:
|A |- |- |- |
[Figure 65.2]
The parallel between this and "You Can't Do That" or "Day Tripper" is noteworthy. The accentuation here by the drumming of
the syncopated rhythm inherent in the guitar ostinato is especially gripping and literally pulls you into the music.
Say, is that a small touch of organ or harmonium used as a wash behind the solo guitar opening? If so, does it continue
throughout, just buried in the mix? Or perhaps, does it drop out quickly once the rest of the ensemble gets going?
Verse
The verse is sixteen measures long and built out of four phrases equal in length. The section more logically splits right down the
middle, with the first half providing an eight-measure expository section that harmonically opens up to the V chord, and the second
eight measures providing a refrain-like ending which veers back toward the I:
|A |- |- |- |
A: I
|A |- |b |E |
I ii V
|f# |D |f# |G |
vi IV vi flat-VII
|f# |E |A |- |
vi V I
[Figure 65.3]
The tune has an unusually high amount of rhythmic syncopation against the underlying beat (on "four-and") as well as melodic
dissonance against the underlying chords. I'll leave the majority of such details as an exercise for the reader though two examples
here are noteworthy. First off, the melodic sustaining of the pitch E over the b-minor chord in measure 7, on the second syllable of
the word "away". Even better is the climactic event over the G-Major chord in measure 12, with John singing the pitches F# -» E -»
C# on the stretched out word "ri-i-de", none of which is consonant with the chord below it.
The three-way alternating pivot off the vi (f#) chord is one of the more novel harmonic gambits we've ever seen the Beatles pull;
first to the IV, then to the flat-VII, and ultimately to the V, which under the circumstances is the most comfortingly "functional" of
the three choices. It kind of reminds of the feeling one has in a chess game where you think you've been check-mated, but in a half-
panic, on considering your several brute-force logical alternatives, you eventually discover with some relief that there is still at least
one legal move available to you with which to continue the game.
The vocal counterpoint at the beginning of the second phrase not only features their trademark parallel, open fourths, but Paul's
initial stress on the pitch B provides a development of the added-ninth flavor we've described as inherent in the opening ostinato
figure. Also note how John's initial stress on G-natural here adds a subtle, partly hidden touch of the blues (I'm also very partial to
the little rapid-fire sixteenth note run with which John ends the phrase):
Paul: B B A G A A
John: G G E D E EDC#
[Figure 65.4]
Bridge
The bridge is eight measures long and built out of a parallel-style repeat of the same four-measure phrase:
|D |- |- |E |
IV V
[Figure 65.5]
Bridge-ly contrast is provided by virtually every compositional parameter:
• The vocal arrangement shifts to straight-away parallel thirds except for a couple of stray eighth notes in which John is left
exposed solo for a split second (check out the second syllable of the word "goodbye").
• The rhythm section, including the tambourine, shifts away from wrenching syncopation to a pattern of relatively even-
handed eighth notes in which the off-beat (on "two" and "four") pattern, first heard from the tambourine in verses, now
prevails in the drums.
• The harmony, even though it features no kind of modulation, does manage to stay entirely away from the I chord, the
section ending firmly on the way back towards it.
A new guitar riff is used at the very end of the section to lead back into the next verse. Its melodic and rhythmic gesture are
reminiscent, albeit not slavishly so, of the opening lick. The F# that marks the apex of this new figure makes for yet another added
ninth chord here.
Verse Variants
This song has a higher than average number of small twists applied to the arrangement of its later verse sections. As spontaneous
as these details sound to us, I rather suspect that at least some of them were planned quite in advance.
Here, in the third verse, John adds the word "yeah" to the end of the second line (in addition to the one that repeatedly appears at
the end of the first line), and he prefaces the third line with an "Oh" (or is it an "Aw"?); the latter variation being repeated in the
fourth verse as well.
Ringo provides an evenly beaten sixteenth note pattern as a fill between the second and third lines of the third verse in place of the
plain roll he uses elsewhere in the song. In the final verse he plays in this spot no roll nor fill, but only a single whack on "four!".
One particular variant feature rises above the status of mere detail to assume structural, and perhaps subtextual significance. The
hard syncopations mentioned above which so pungently characterize this song are actually found to be very much subdued starting
right after the second verse. Granted, we already noted that the bridge itself dispenses with the syncopation as a matter of contrast.
But look ahead — in both of the final verses, Ringo's drumming sticks with the more evenly played eighth note patterns introduced
in the bridge instead of returning to the wrenchingly syncopated pattern; this, in spite of the fact that the guitar ostinato (from which
his syncopated patterns were derived in the first place) does continue to make its own appearance. This could hardly have been
accidental and I find myself pondering its motivation — did they discover that the wrenching rhythm when carried all the way
through was simply too much of a good thing, or is there some subtle poetry embedded in this change drumming?
Outro
The question of what manner of poetry may be conveyed by a change of beat is further sharpened by what happens in this outro
where the syncopation is loosened even further than it was for the bridge.
This time, the effect is one of a sudden, free-wheeling, accelerating release of all tension. John would later use a similar effect at
the end of "She Said She Said".
Also here at the very end, the final vocal lick, which is otherwise double-tracked in unison, splits out for an instant to include one
last example of a Major second sonority.
"Ticket To Ride" was recorded after more than a two-month hiatus (from 27th November, 1964 up to 15th February, 1965) in the
Beatles' attendance at Abbey Road. One gets used to the song's having been tucked away on the "Help!" album as the last song on
"Side 1", but in truth, it was the first song recorded after the "Beatles For Sale" album was released, and it appeared as the A-side of
a single several months before the film was released.
Once you get the chronology straight in your mind, it's hard to listen to the song without feeling as though you've crossed a
frontier. Lewisohn himself comments on this, though his perspective is entirely on the recording process changes that kicked in at
this point in time; i.e. the practice of perfecting the rhythm and backing track first before adding everything else on later as overdubs.
I'm thinking more of style, though whatever compositional innovations are to be found in this song are not without their own
irony to the extent that they represent at least as much a return to erstwhile values as much as they do a forward evolution. Yeah, this
one looks at least as far ahead as "Day Tripper", but it equally so picks right up where "A Hard Day's Night" left off, followed as it
was by the anomalistic "Beatles For Sale" album.
Regards,
Alan (082592#65)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iny.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I Need You"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #71 (INY)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
| Bridge | Verse | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 15th, 16th February 1965, Abbey Road 2
US-release: 13th August 1965 (LP "Help!")
Style and Form
We have another intriguing stylistic mix here, this time from George. The pop-rock core is augmented by a folksy undercurrent
that manifests itself most strongly in the haunting pseudo-modality of the tune.
The choice of form is the shorter two-bridge model where the bridges are separated by only one section.
George's proclivity for blurring somewhat the division between verse and bridge sections by the phrasing of the lyrics shows up
again here though in not as pronounced a form as the one observed in "You Like Me Too Much".
Melody and Harmony
A relatively large number of chords is used (seven!), though there is nothing more exotic in this entire bundle than a V-of-V.
George's taste for weakly transitive chord progressions is reflected here in both the holding back of the V chord for as late as the
bridge, and his reliance in the verse on IV -» I and the even more indirect stepwise choice of ii -» I to establish the sense of home
key.
George uses an effective trick of his mates in keeping the melodic pitch content and style of the verse and bridge sections
distinctively different. Whether or not you're willing to accept this notion as operable on even a subconscious level, you can't deny
how striking is the de facto evidence of this effect.
The verse derives a folksy modalism from the manner in which its melody is restricted to a pentatonic scale (A - B - C# - E - F#)
with the solitary exception of one note that is a flat-seventh (G-natural), not strictly speaking part of the scale for the home key; look
out for it at the very end of the second phrase. This tune is also made distinctive by its large number of appoggiaturas, several of
which leave dissonant, non-harmonic tones hanging at vocal phrase endings; see below.
Just as the V chord is held back until the bridge, so does the non-pentatonic fourth scale degree suddenly make a featured
appearance in the tune of that section. In the second half of this bridge we also find a very non-folksy chromatic shifting amongst D-
natural -» D# -» D-natural that is reminiscent to the trick we saw Paul play just last time out in "The Night Before".
Arrangement
The backing track has a nicely balanced, airy texture of acoustic rhythm guitar mixed with a part for electric pedal tone guitar in
which the latter instrument sounds almost like a keyboard.
The vocal track is pure Middle Period Beatles almost as though it were a recipe-pattern done up "by the numbers": the composer
double-tracked on the lead and the two others (with very rare exception, such as "Carry That Weight" where you can hear him right
through the heavy mix, Ringo didn't "do" backing vocals) providing an instrumental-like backwash of "Ahhhs" in second half of
verse and bridge.
Those mockingbird pedal tone fills at the phrase endings become a leitmotif for the song. As we'll see below, in a couple of
instances where the vocal phrases end up on an unresolved dissonance, these guitar fills actually are necessary to tie up what would
otherwise be a disconcerting loose end.
Intro
The intro is a mere two measures worth of vamping on the I chord, but in it are quickly introduced both the basic instrumental
texture of the entire song as well as the melodic two-part turn 'round C# (C# -» B, D -» C#) which recurs as a motif in all the verse
sections which follow.
Verse
The verse is an unusual fourteen measures in length made up of four phrases which create a classic AA'BC pattern. The last
phrase is half the length of the other three and this asymmetry lends a subtle feeling of poetic, free-verse to the whole:
----------------------------- 2X ------------------------------
|A |D |A |- |
A: I IV I
|f# |c# |f# |b |

vi iii vi ii
|A |- |
I
[Figure 71.1]
The pedal tone guitar turn around C# heard in the intro (or a slight variation on it) reappears at the end of the three of the four
phrases of this verse, overlapping in each case with the last two notes of the vocal line in each case.
In the first two of these phrases the vocal line binds off unusually with an appoggiatura that creates an unresolved dissonance
against the chord below it. If you've ever been nearly so depressed, yourself, to the point that you no longer have the energy or
motivation to quite finish your sentences before they trail off a few words or so before their proper ending, then you'll likely relate to
the poetic effect created by these dissonant, tentative phrase endings.
In the first and second phrases, you have C# -» B and A -» G respectively sung against an A-Major chord. Without the D -» C#
resolution offered by the second half of the guitar turn which follows, you'd be left hanging in each of these cases as though waiting
for a shoe to drop. Try imagining this scenario out in your mind.
Bridge
The bridge is nine measures long and its two unequal phrases present an elongated free verse effect that is the exact opposite to
the similar truncated effect seen in the verse:
|D |E |A |- |
IV V I
|D |E |B |E |- |
IV V V-of-V V
[Figure 71.2]
To the extent that this bridge section provides any contrast to the surrounding verses it is because the home key is established here
with more forceful clarity than anywhere else in the song; note the use in this section of both V and V-of-V. We're actually much
more used to the opposite effect: of the home key having been established to an almost monotonous fault over the course of the first
couple of verses, and the bridge providing contrast by making a brief excursion away from it.
And ever true to the by-the-numbers recipe for contrasting bridge sections you'll note the addition of a cowbell to the percussion
track for just this section.
Outro
The eight-measure coda is developed as an extension to the final verse, and it kicks in right where the truncated fourth phrase of
the verse section is usually to be found:
|A |- |f# |- |D |- |A |- |
I vi IV I
[Figure 71.3]
Harmonically, the coda is built out of the I -» vi -» IV cliché minus the expected V chord, but the omission of the latter chord is
very much in keeping in this instance with the rest of the song.
The vocal line at this late stage of the song turns around and plays the same mockingbird game as did the pedal tone guitar earlier
on. Here, the vocal line repeats three times the same exact melodic phrase of three notes (A -» B -» C#) over each chord change. The
effect is especially striking where the ending on C# creates a Major seventh dissonance against the D-Major chord; the resolution to
which, as always, is provided ultimately by the now familiar D -» C# of the guitar part.
We find George at his absolutely most vulnerable in this song. Granted, he had appeared pretty crashed out way back in "Don't
Bother Me", but with the net result of his being unable to speak directly to his erstwhile love, or anyone else for that matter. In "You
Like Me Too Much", on the other hand, he not only seemed sufficiently recovered to address The Girl directly, but he even
swaggered a bit before her with his gentle chiding. And in the likes of "Think For Yourself" would come just around the next corner,
he would raise the emotional ante from mere negativity all the way to disdain and ridicule.
Viewed from this perspective, "I Need You" scores uniquely for its bitter-sweetly mixed tone of plaintive, terminal desperation.
Regards,
Alan (120792#71)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ijsaf.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I've Just Seen A Face"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #74 (IJSAF)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4 (2/2, or "cut time", may be more accurate)
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Verse (solo) | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Refrain | Outro
US-release: 6th December 1965 (LP "Rubber Soul")
Style and Form
Aside from the delightfully unplugged arrangement, and a greater than ever amount of attention paid to compositional detail, this
song manifests a button-busting sense of energy that is timeless and most compelling.
The form is reasonably clear in some sense, but it's also unusually complicated and would appear to have absorbed the influence
of several styles. The two verses in a row near the beginning are pure pop-rock. The strict alternation of verse and refrain in the
second half is rather folksy. The triple refrain as an outro is reminiscent of the R&B rave-up. And the whole thing is lead off by an
extraordinary intro that is not so easily pigeon-holed.
Melody and Harmony
Only four chords are used but this very limited number of them are cleverly deployed so as to alternately suggest two different
styles: the pop-rock cliché of I -» vi -» IV -» V in the verses, and the bluesy V -» IV -» I in the refrains.
Melodically we find several trademarks yet again: the noodling around within a tight pitch range during the verses, with the
headroom freed up somewhat during the refrain. The tune is also shot through with Paul's much favored appoggiaturas; I'll spot you
"face" and "place" in the opening phrase, but you've got to find the rest of them on by yourself — have you no natural resources of
yer own? :-)
Arrangement
The instrumental texture is most strongly characterized by the folksy sound of several crisply recorded acoustic guitars. And yet,
the use of (what sound like to me as) jazzy wire brushes in place of the usual wood sticks for the drum kit, not to mention
overdubbed maracas (in the refrains and guitar solo) create subliminal free associations with other styles.
Paul is closely single tracked for a change on the lead vocal, the more intimately for us to feel the slight quiver in his voice.
During the refrains, he provides his own contrapuntal backing part in the same nasally affected C&W voice used to back Ringo in
"Act Naturally".
Intro
This fully instrumental introduction is unusually long and musically involved. On the one hand, it features an oscillating motif in
slow triplets that never shows up again for the remainder of the piece. And yet, the long scalar bassline whose full octave span
stretches out over the complete length of the intro has embedded within its ending the ubiquitous "La-da-da da'n'da" hook phrase (i.e.
D -» C# -» B -» A -» G# -» A).
The slow triplet pulse creates a deceptive sense of tempo. When the verse finally kicks in with its four-square beat that is
sustained for the remainder of the song you have a gear-shifting feeling of acceleration as though the tempo had changed. But this is
entirely an illusion, anticipating what would show up later, even more forcefully, in "We Can Work It Out". If you count the
measures in "two half" time instead of the twice-as-fast 4/4 you'll more easily grasp the extent to which the underlying tempo is
constant.
The illusion of acceleration is abetted by the phrasing. The intro has an unusual ten-measure length and is built out of three
phrases, the last one of which is foreshortened and thus "hastens" the arrival of the first verse. In any event, this feeling of speed is
one that is particularly effective in the song's album-opening context of the 'American' "Rubber Soul" line-up where you feel drawn
straight into the entire LP by it, not just the first song.
Harmonically, the song opens subtly away from the home key but quickly converges upon it. Even though the bassline line starts
off, unaccompanied, with the pitch of the home key, the first chord is f#-minor and until you reach the end of this section the sense of
harmonic grounding is quite suspended; similar to, though not quite as intense as, the opening of "Help!".
In order to better elucidate the truly fine detail of this intro, I've included in the schematic below a précis of both the bassline and
top voice along with the usual harmonic information. In the latter department note the unusual sonority created in measures 6 and 7
by the "non-harmonic" passing tones, and the handling of the E chord in measures 9 and 10 with an appoggiatura instead of the root
note in the bass:
Top-most line: |F# |A |C# |F# |
Chords: |f# |- |- |- |
Bassline: A G# |F# |- |- |- E |
A Major: vi
Top-most line: |D |E |F# |- |

Chords: |D |- 9/6/4|- 7 |- |
Bassline: |D |- |- |- C# |
IV
|verse ---»
Top-most line: |E |D |C#
Chords: |E 6/4|- susp |A
Bassline: |B |A G# |A
V I
[Figure 74.1]
Verse
The verse is blues-influenced to the extent that its form is twelve measures long, consists of three phrases, and its harmonic
rhythm is mostly slow throughout. Note, though, that the chord progression used is distinctly pop:
|A |- |- |- |
A: I
|f# |- |- |- ||
vi
|D |- |E |A ||
IV V I
[Figure 74.2]
The first two phrases are virtually identically, tune-wise, though they sound different simply because of the chord change, not to
mention the unfolding lyrics.
The bassline motif of the intro is continued here albeit abbreviated in length. In measures 3 - 5 the tune marches down the scale in
parallel tenths with the bass, but note how the same basic idea idea in measures 7 - 9 makes for parallel fifths!
Refrain
The refrain is eight measures long and parses into a couplet of two short phrases that are balanced out by one longer one (AAB):
|E |- |D |- |A |D |A |- |
A: V IV I IV I
[Figure 74.3]
The chord progression and the unique appearance within the song of a melodic minor third (on the first syllable of the word
"calling") give this section a slightly more bluesy feel than the rest of what surrounds it.
Solo
The solo is an almost slavish replicate of the tune, but one that is cleverly transformed in character by the "countrified",
rhythmically flat rendering of it.
The slight departure from the tune in the final three measures (the guitar melodically harmonizing a third below where the tune
itself should be) is a most welcome variations, especially as it is followed by that 'bon mot' flourish one octave up right at the end.
Outro
The use of a triple repeat to signal the approaching end of a song is quite a well-worn Beatles' trademark. We're used to seeing
this trick used on the scale of a "petit reprise" of a phrase no longer than two to four measures in length. The repeat here of an entire
eight bar chorus is rather unprecedented.
There's an unusual and shameless bit of "stumbling" word painting in the final repeat where Paul throws in that extra "oh!" and
sounds literally as though falling; but it works quite nicely.
The last refrain runs out into a little instrumental reprise that is redolent with associations to what we had heard earlier on in the
song. Primarily, we have a snippet of the last part of the intro which adds a bookend formal symmetry and allows the song to be
ultimately summarized by its "La-da-da da'n'da" hook phrase. But even that final strummed guitar chord seems to resonate with what
I had described as the 'bon mot' ending of the solo section.
By this point they had been freely borrowing and blending various stylistic elements of pop, rock, folk, blues, and still other styles
for quite a while. Still, this otherwise sweetly simple "folk rock" song really pushes the envelope in terms of the sheer number of
diverse styles juggled simultaneously as well as the effortlessly seamless manner in which they are fused.
In the final result though, if resonance has any thing to do with why you find this song enduring, I'll bet it's not so much in
scholarly terms of style, but rather in those not so easily verbalized ones of your own experience. If you are, let's say, of the type
who, when romantically enthused (you should only be so lucky!), tends to start talking rapidly, getting all inarticulate and muckle
mouthed about it in the bargain, then you're likely to find Paul's patter-song-like syllabic delivery of the words of this song, up to and
including his momentary retreats into scat phonemes, rather apropos, maybe even truly inspired.
Regards,
Alan (010593#73)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/nm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Nowhere Man"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #79 (NM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse (guitar solo) |
| Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Bridge |
CD: "Rubber Soul", Track 4 (Parlophone CDP7 46440-2)
CD: "Yellow Submarine Songtrack", Track 14 (EMI 5 21481-2)
Recorded: 21st, 22nd October 1965, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 3rd December 1965 (LP "Rubber Soul")
US-release: 21st February 1966 (A Single / "What Goes On")
Style and Form
"Nowhere Man" remains a pioneering landmark example of what, within less than a year or so of its release, would be labeled as
the "folk rock" sub-genre. Aside from the topical relevance of its lyrical theme, and in spite of the electric arrangement and pop-ish
choice of chords, an ingenuously simple tune and non-syncopated beat help create a subtle fusion of styles.
The form of this song is unusually long with its three bridges and a double verse in between the first two of them. In all our
studies to date I don't believe we've yet seen another example with a third repeat of the bridge.
Melody and Harmony
Superficially, the melodic material of the song is straight away in the Major mode. However, one's interest in the tune is piqued
on a more subtle level by a combination of the large number of appoggiaturas, the pseudo pentatonic nature of the bridge, and the
prominent role given to the flat sixth scale degree (C-natural) in the backing vocals.
The flat sixth also bears some influence on the harmony, "forcing", as it were, the appearance of one of John's much favored
minor iv chords in the context of a Major key.
A relatively small number of chords are used throughout, most of them being simple choices to boot. Aside from the minor iv
chord already mentioned, the other point of harmonic interest here is found in the unusual iii -» IV progression; uncannily, the last
time we had seen it used was in (no coincidence) a song by the same composer called "I Feel Fine" (And I do :-)).
Arrangement
The instrumental texture is thick with the sound of electric guitars in a way that is rather anticipatory if not actually influenced by
The Byrds or even The Wilburys :-) Paul provides an almost hyperactively arpeggiated marching bassline. And Ringo's drumwork
remains uncharacteristically undifferentiated throughout.
It is the vocals however which truly stand out in this arrangement, making it one of their more ambitious though relatively
uncelebrated forays into three-part singing. The "a capella" opening itself is unprecedented (though I wonder if I'm the only one who
finds that when instruments come in at the fifth measure the singers sound retrospectively as though they had been slightly off key).
Also note how the chorale-like style of the verses is modified in the bridges to a solo-plus-two-backers-doing-"lalas" (reminiscent
of "You Won't See Me"). In the current song, this switch nicely supports the change in the lyrics at the point from speaking in the
third person to a direct address of the title's typological anti-hero.
Verse
The verse is only eight measures long and is made up of three phrases, the last one of which is equal in length to the sum of the
first two:
------ #1 ----- ------ #2 ------
|E |B |A |E |
E: I V IV I
------------- #3 --------------
|A |a |E |- |
IV iv I
[Figure 79.1]
The melody of this verse makes for an ironic contrast with the hook phrase of "Norwegian Wood" that we looked at so closely last
time. Although both tunes share the downward traversal of an octave as their common backbone, the manner in which the octave is
filled out here is both melodically and rhythmically much plainer than the other song; even a bit simpleminded by comparison. Also
worth considering is that the octave run in "Norwegian Wood" is based on the fifth scale degree whereas in our current song it is
based on the tonic first degree of the scale.
I would suggest that it is this certain blandness in the tune itself which allows our hook-thirsty attention to be diverted to the little
guitar riff which trails every verse section. This riff also happens to traverse a downward octave (one based on the fifth scale degree)
and its rhythmic syncopation and fanfare like arpeggiation nicely contrasts with the tune and at the same time resonates with the
bassline.
The guitar solo verse further develops the characteristics of this little riff and concludes with a surprising gesture in which a
sudden deep descent all the way down to the low, open E string is capped off by a ringing, harmonic high E.
Because of the F# in the melody on the downbeat of measure 5, there is a part of me that might want to parse the chord in that
measure as a ii6/5 instead of IV with an added sixth. It's moot to the extent that both such chords function synonymously as
subdominants.
Bridge
The bridge is also eight measures in length and breaks down into a phrasing pattern similar to the verse, except that the first two
short phrases here are identical, and even the longer third phrase is merely an extension of the material heard in the first two:
------------- 2X --------------
Tune: |B C# |E F# G# B |
Chords: |g# |A |
iii IV
Tune: |B B |E D# C# B |
Chords: |g# |A |
iii IV
Tune: |C# B G# B |- |
Chords: |- |B |
V
[Figure 79.2]
Appropriate bridge-like contrast is provided by a number of factors. The melodic shape of this section is arch-like for a change,
and harmonically, the start of this section away from I with a big finish on V that sets up the verse which follows.
The sustaining of the A chord through measure 7 provides a subtly slow syncopation to the harmonic rhythm. To my ears, the
bassline of the first bridge is played differently than the other two, creating some confusion as to whether the chord in measures 6 - 7
is actually A or f#, but both other bridges make a clear case for A.
A comparatively large amount of dissonance between melody and chords is created in this bridge by a tendency in the tune to
dwell on melodic notes which more properly belong to the chord that either precedes or follows the current one. This melodic effect
is so pronounced that it combines with the already mentioned syncopation in the harmonic rhythm to create the illusion of a
dissonant 4-3 suspension in the backing voices at the end of this section, whereas no such suspension actually exists!
Outro
The outro contains a Beatles-trademark triple repeat of the verse's final phrase. The guitar hook, as might be expected, is given the
absolutely last word.
Paul vocally upstages the others in this coda, crying out loudly with the melodic flat 6th placed high in his range.
Even if the lyrics here aren't quite the likes of Dylan (or even Barry McGuire :-)), it's worth recalling, at the risk of sounding like
it's a case of damning with faint praise, that the mere fact of the Beatles essaying something this outspoken at this juncture of their
career was historically remarkable.
For myself, there is a slightly uncomfortable preachiness about these lyrics that one tends to associate more with George than
John. Even one of the more clever tag lines — "isn't he a bit like you and me" — which in theory ought to have blunted some of the
exhortatory tone with it's well-needed dose of self-inclusive deprecation, still strikes me as a bit forced and awkward.
The title epithet, though, is, no question, still unabashedly worth the entire price of admission. If necessary, you can give it to me,
straight on the shoulder; or anywhere else for that matter.
4 I Should've Known Better
I wrote: "Nowhere Man" remains a pioneering landmark example of what, within less than a year or so of its release, would be
labeled as the "folk rock" sub-genre." Whoops! I should've known better ... I've already received a couple of letters in response
pointing out that I've been discovered with my chronological pants down, so to speak.
Dylan's electric-set-induced fiasco at the Newport Folk Festival, indeed, was during the summer of 1965. I'm doubly embarrassed
to admit that I was one of his early fans that was rather disappointed in him at the time; oy! Such phenomena as the cover of his "Mr.
Tambourine Man" by the Byrds were to follow very shortly if they did not acutely appear in parallel with the release of "Bringing It
All Back Home". Therefore, in truth I should alter the stance of my Note to acknowledge that while "Nowhere Man" remains an
unusual stylistic venture for the Beatles per se, by itself it did not so much define the folk rock style of its time as much as stylize it.
Flame away, anyway!!

Regards,
Alan (033093#79)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ilty.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I'm Looking Through You"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #85 (ILTY)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A-flat Major (strange, huh !?)
Meter: 4/4
Recorded: 24th October, 6th, 10th, 11th November 1965, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
We've got yet another fine example here of the Beatles' own unique folk rock style; this one jazzed up a bit by a faintest touch of
the blues.
Kinetic energy abounds from more than just the beat. For one thing, Paul scans the lyrics in a manner that is inconsistently off-
center from the otherwise four-square phrasing of the music; an effect more pleasing than it would sound from my verbal description
of it :-)
But even more so, the phraseology of both verse and bridge features a rhetoric suggestive of cumulatively established momentum.
The image comes to mind of "run and jump, now return to the starting point you so you may run and jump again, only this time much
farther." Resonance between the latter strictly musical phenomenon and any correlative emotional or passionate experience of yours
are guaranteed to raise a smile.
The form, for a change, is the very standard model with two bridge and only one verse intervening.
Melody and Harmony
A-flat Major is an unusual key choice for the Beatles. It works out nicely in terms of the track sequencing on the album; making a
smooth inbound transition from the three-flat key signature of "Girl", and setting up a pace-setting outbound shift of a half-step
upward to the A (natural) Major key of "In My Life". Nevertheless, I'd be surprised if Paul originally conceived of the song in this
key, and rather suspect that it was composed in the "easier" key of G and adjusted upward, perhaps by capo, in the studio.
Paul's typically generous application of expressive melodic appoggiaturas helps liven up an otherwise straightforward set of chord
choices. Just the same, the tune remains essentially within the diatonically pure realm of the Major mode. The only exceptions are
the bluesy minor thirds used at the climax of each verse, and the equally bluesy minor sevenths which appear in the little riffs that
trail those climaxes.
The chord progressions are also relatively simple yet the song does feature the same sophisticated tendency of the predominant
Major key to "wilt" downward into the relative minor that we've seen in before "Yesterday" and elsewhere.
"4-3" Suspensions appear in both the verse and bridge and this provides a source of subliminal unity within the song. The
suspension in the bridge is quite dramatic, coinciding with the big build up at the end of the section ("... disappearing over night").
The verse suspensions are tucked away more quietly and unfold more quickly at the end of each of the first two phrases.
Arrangement
Paul's lead vocal is double tracked the whole way through except for the outro, where the switch over to single tracking adds a
surprising last minute sense of increased intimacy and immediacy. John joins in for a relatively limited spot of backing on third
phrase of each verse.
The instrumental texture is dominated by the sound of acoustic guitar and electric bass. In place of the usual drum kit, percussion
sounds in this song are limited to thigh slaps (or are they all hand claps?) and a tambourine. As is so typical of the Beatles, the
tambourine part is more carefully planned out in a pattern than you might ever notice unless you pay careful attention to it as a
listener; i.e. it is shaken on the off-beats of the trailing ends of the verses, and during the bridges and outro. It is never played
during the four sung phrases of the verses except for one stray shake in the midst of the third verse; surely that must be a mistake.
Lewisohn et al acknowledge perplexity over Ringo's being credited on the album jacket with playing organ on this track as though
there were no such evidence of it to be heard. Nonsense — the bluesy riffs which trail each verse are clearly punctuated ("one-two")
by chords played on an organ in the first two beats of the measure.
The electric lead guitar in this song seems to play the role of a shy lurker, commenting on the main action in a rather tentative,
interjectory way; it doesn't even play a single note until the midst of the second verse! I am intrigued by the question of whether
those fills at the end of each verse involve the guitar at all or whether the licks as well as the punctuating chords are provided on the
organ by Ringo.
There is a "recording anomaly" I've not yet seen on anyone else's list in the double tracking of the first bridge, at the phrase "love
has a nasty etc." — a nasty splice is what it sounds like to me.
Intro
The instrumental intro features a staggered entrance of the players:
----- 3X -------
|A-flat |E-flat |A-flat D-flat |
A-flat: I6/4 V I IV
[Figure 85.1]
The opening I -» V chord progression has the I chord in the so-called second, or "6/4" inversion. This particular usage, the
textbooks teach us, cause the listener to parse the first chord not so much as a I chord per se, but more so as dual-appoggiatura
embellishment of the V chord to which it is adjoined. In slightly plainer terms, this means you tend to hear this opening less as a full-
fledged I-to-V root progression, and more so as a V chord with simultaneous "6-5" and "4-3" suspensions placed upon it.
Given the combination of the latter "effect" with the relatively widespread airplay given to "4-3" suspensions within the rest of the
song I wonder if, indeed, the infamous "false start" on the American edition of the "Rubber Soul" album was really a mistake or
something done intentionally, in order to, right at the outset, call attention to itself.
Verse
This verse provides a rare analytical conundrum; indeed, where is the downbeat of each phrase located? There are at least two
ways of parsing it, either one of which has pros and cons. I've opted, after much vacillation on the matter, to present it below as
though the downbeat is just before the first word of each line:
(rest) I'm looking|through etc. ...
--------------------------- 2X ----------------------------
|A-flat D-flat |b-flat |f |E-flat |
A-flat: I IV ii7 vi V4 --» 3
|f |b-flat |A-flat D-flat |E-flat |

vi ii6 --» 5 I IV V
|A-flat D-flat |b-flat |D-flat |A-flat D-flat |

I IV ii7 IV I IV
(with flat-7 !)
---- 2X ------
|A-flat D-flat |
I IV
[Figure 85.2]
The above analytical perspective clearly outlines the poetical/metric structure of the section as AABA' plus a vamping connector
in the manner of the intro, and it places the starting point of each phrase on expectable harmonic footings. One "side effect" of this
view (if you really do hear it this way!) is the kind of meta-syncopation implied toward the second measure of each phrase, the
nature of which is awkward albeit interesting. Another is the equally interesting/awkward elision of the last sung phrase with the
connector.
Alternatively, you can parse what I've called the first measure of each phrase as a pickup, shifting the beginning of each phrase
one measure forward from how it is parsed above. This view "eliminates" the meta-syncopation problem of the first view but it
throws the starting points of all phrases on unusual chord choices and makes the elision of the last sung phrase feel even more
awkward.
The harmonic rhythm here is unusually flexible compared to what we've seen of the Beatles in this department over the long run.
In addition, the deceptive cadence toward vi (the relative minor!) at the start of the third phrase is treat and a fine example of
monotony-avoidance.
Every time the progression of I -» IV -» ii appears, Paul provides the same bass lick which makes nice downward counterpoint to
the melodic rise which it accompanies. Once you know it's there it provides both a subliminal hook to the song as well as something
to "look forward to"; analogous to some habitual move your lover makes, of which, you somehow (somehow!! :-)) never grow tired:
Words: I'm looking |through you |
Tune: (rest) C D-flat F |A-flat F |
Bassline: |A-flat D-flat C |B-flat |
Chords: |A-flat D-flat |b-flat |
A-flat: I IV ii
[Figure 85.3]
The A phrase of the tune has a pleasing arch shape which would chafe eventually were it not for the master stroke with which it
finally breaks through the glass ceiling in the final phrase; break on through to the other side, so to speak.
Bridge
The bridge in this case provides typical contrast, if for no other reason, by virtue of its straightforward phraseology of 4 + 4, AA':
|D-flat |- |A-flat |- |
IV I
|D-flat |- |E-flat |-
IV V4 -----------» 3
[Figure 85.4]
Other sources of contrast include the off-center harmonic emphasis on IV, the slower steadier harmonic rhythm, and the Really
Big Climax on V.
Outro
The outro is built atop the same I -» IV vamping heard in both the intro and trailing connector of the verse. Here it repeats forever
into the sunset with Macca now single tracked and getting a tad silly with the words.
To our great fortune take 1 of "I'm Looking Through You" is widely available on bootleg. We've got reason to expect it to appear
some day in official release should the ill-fated "Sessions" album ever see the legitimate light of day, though even then, the
unblended, unedited, and unfaded version of this outtake which appeared on the likes of "Ultra Rare Trax" will forever remain the
one to seek out.
As we saw with the take 1 outtake of "Norwegian Wood", this early version is instructive to the extent to which it both resembles
and differs from the so-called Official Release. You can tell right off that this is no rough or tentative demo rehearsal from the fussy
care with which the arrangement is worked out, not to mention the precious phoneme-level sound bites captured on the start/stop
rough edge of the source tape of Paul giving last minute directives to his mates.
Amazingly, for all its differences, the first take is amazingly similar to the official version in its vocal arrangement. But what of
those other differences?
Superficially speaking, the tempo is slower, and the folksy feeling is made even stronger by virtue of not only more hand claps
and thigh slaps, but also (of all things) the inclusion of maracas!!
More substantively speaking, the first version features something which, in comparison with the most effective bridge of the
official version, falls a bit flat on its face: a twelve-bar frame for the interjectory lead guitar which otherwise does not appear
anywhere else in the first take, coupled to a reprise of the last half of the verse.
I'll close with the following two observations which fall along the spectrum somewhere in between the truly minute and the big-
picture variations: (a) the first take does not feature the descending bass riff in the verses; but (b) it is, by the way, in the key of G!
Regards,
Alan (072593#85)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iml.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "In My Life"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #86 (IML)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge |
| half-intro | Verse | Bridge |
| Verse (instrumental) | Bridge |
| Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 18th, 22nd October 1965, Abbey Road 2
1
Style and Form
In spite of the Baroque keyboard solo of the original, or the schmaltzy-cum-folksy arrangement cooked up by Joshua Rifkin for
Judy Collins' cover if it, the "style" of this song remains tantalizingly indeterminate.
The form contains a folk ballad-like rote alternation of sections, though the use of a bridge rather than a refrain, coupled with the
inconsistent deployment of the motif heard in the intro as a "spacer" between sections, blurs most of whatever specifically folk-style
associations you might otherwise derive from the it (the form) per se.
Above all, the song creates a delicate and delicious balance between heart baring intimacy of the first order and a vaguely
subordinate and reticent unease. The closest I can pinpoint the latter is to something not quite straightforward about some of the
chord progressions and the way in which the tune runs roughshod over them. In the final result, this "unease" is something that, as a
long term listener, I feel more strongly than I can discern with any precision. But if I am at all on the right track, it is as though
whatever confidence is shared within the confines of this song is done so at no small cause of pain, as though it were happening
compulsively on some level, in spite of the author's will.
Melody and Harmony
The rising interval of a sixth provides a melodically hopeful and pervasive subtext to the song, appearing as it does in all sections:
e.g. the very start of the intro, and the very end of both the verse and the bridge.
The tune remains almost rigidly pentatonic until the bridge where the fourth scale degree (D) is introduced for the first time in the
tune on the word "lovers". The seventh scale degree (G#) appears nowhere in the song, melodically, other than as the last note of the
introductory guitar riff.
The melody incurs an unusually large amount of free dissonance against the chords of the accompaniment from its large number
of appoggiaturas, "escapes", and gratuitous sevenths and ninths. The pervasiveness of this melodic style lends a puzzling attitudinal
touch of I'm-so-tired laziness or enervation, at least, that runs at cross-currents to the otherwise earnest theme of the song.
The choice of chords for the song is relatively simple though the verse features John's much favored minor iv chord motivated by
the chromatic descent of an implied inner voice. The bridge features some increased complication in the choice of chords and their
progression.
Outside of the so-called "spacer" motif, the harmony of this song strongly avoids the type of clear key definition and closure one
associates with straightforward V -» I cadences. Note how the V chord doesn't even show up in the bridge, and its one appearance in
the verse is followed "deceptively" (that's a technical term, son) by vi (that's a chord, not the Unix text editor). I pick up on this as yet
another source of curious indirectness and reticence.
Arrangement
The stereo image places the basic backing texture of electric guitar, electric bass, and percussion off toward the left, with the
voices and, later, the piano off to the right.
John sings the lead double tracked with Paul providing a Beatles-trademarked duet of free counterpoint on the odd numbered
phrases, with John left by himself for the even numbered ones. As much as I always prefer John in single track mode (and feel that
this song, above many others, would particularly lend itself to such an immediate delivery), the transition between the duet and a
single tracked solo would likely have been too stark.
As is not at all unusual in other arrangements of theirs from this period, it is the percussion section which helps articulate the
form. For the intro and verses, the drumming features an understated syncopated pattern that is punctuated by quickly damped
cymbals. For the bridges, the beat shifts to something close to four in the bar, and the dry damped sound of the verses is traded in for
the bright ringing sounds of a tambourine and drum sticks tapping lightly on cymbals' edge.
George Martin's much celebrated solo on electric piano was played for the recording an octave lower, and half as slow as it
sounds on the finished track. I would bet that the motivation for this was as much to distort the attack/decay timbre of the instrument
to make it sound more like a harpsichord as it was to help project a sensation of almost un-natural speed in the performance; the solo
turns out to be not that difficult to perform in tempo — even the running scale at the end.
Intro
The four-measure intro establishes the home key while introducing the melodic upward sixth and setting a measured pace by
virtue of its slow harmonic rhythm:
------------- 2X --------------
|A |E |
A: I V
[Figure 86.1]
The two-measure motif from which this intro is built recurs throughout the song as a unifying device; repeated here in the intro, a
single reprise just before the second verse, and in extended repetition for the outro. The AA inner form of intro itself presages the
parallel kind of structure that is to be found in both the verses and bridges which follow below.
Verse
The verse is eight measures long and is structured as an AA couplet based on the following four-measure phrase:
----------------------------- 2X ------------------------------
|A E |f# A7 |D d |A |
A: I V vi V-of-IV IV iv I
[Figure 86.2]
Melodic "dissonance" abounds: in the first measure there's the B -» A ("9-8") appoggiatura on the downbeat (on the word "pla-
ces") and the escape from the neighbor tone C# (on the first syllable of "remember"); measure 2 starts with a "free" seventh on its
downbeat (on the second syllable of "remember"); and measure 3 starts off with a B -» A ("6-5") embellished appoggiatura (on the
drawn out word "life").
There is an unusual syncopated boomy noise in the second half of the measure 2, right after the A7 chord is reached. I imagine
that it's either the result of a collision between an A played by the bass with a G-natural played just below the A on a low string of
the rhythm guitar; or else it may be one of those strange double stops of Paul's.
Bridge
The bridge is also eight measures long and is structured as a pseudo AA' couplet:
|f# |D |G |A |
A: vi IV flat-VII I
(or V-of-flat-VII)
|f# |B |d |A |
vi V-of-V iv I
[Figure 86.3]
The melody of the two phrases may almost be the same, save for the exceedingly subtle change in the rhythmic execution of the
upward "flip of a sixth" at the end, but the harmony of the second phrase is very different.
Granted, both phrases make a similar harmonic gesture, starting away from the home key yet converging back toward it via
different routes that are comparably indirect. Rather it is in the specific chord choices and progressions that each phrase asserts
something unique. In the first phrase the appearance of flat-VII comes as an especial surprise against the backdrop of the pentatonic
verse. The second phrase provides a triple whammy: the thwarting of V-of-V when it is not followed by V (a favorite Beatles'
device of long standing), the F#/F-natural cross-relation created by the minor iv chord, and the straight faced irony that the tune is
essentially the same between the two phrases.
Still more melodic dissonance abounds. In particular, we have the C# -» B appoggiatura on the downbeat of measures 2 and 5. In
the former case (on the word "moments") this creates a "7-6" double dissonance (!!), and in the late (on the word "living") we have
more of a garden variety "9-8" resolution.
Outro
The outro is creatively structured as one iteration of the intro / spacer phrase, plus a last petit reprise of the last phrase of the
bridge, plus one last iteration of the spacer, this time modified to provide the complete ending.
The extended nature of this outro, especially in its poignant use of the minor iv chord is strangely anticipatory in a subdued way
of the likes of the much later "Happiness Is A Warm Etc".
I have it on good authority that I'm not alone in my personal experience of, having heard it for the first time as an romantically
earnest if yet adenoidally awkward teen, walking around for many years thereafter "searching" (cross-reference to "Anna") for the
significant other to whom I could in all sincerity and good conscience dedicate this song. And by "dedicate" I don't necessarily mean
having Scott Muni or Bruce Morrow blab it all over the AM air waves; a discreet e-mail will do just nicely, thank you.
What is it, I wonder, that makes such a song so ultra special if not sacred to the collective consciousness? People often talk about
the elliptical nature of John's text as they mine for potentially relevant autobiographical underpinnings. But, again, I wonder if there
isn't something just a bit circular or at least reflexive about this mining for meaning.
Is it possible that the vague references and ellipses of this song, beyond their being pregnant per se with whatever embedded or
hidden meaning, also serve equally to invite and encourage the listener to respond personally, and autobiographically, indeed?
Regards,
Alan (082293#86)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/noteson.shtml,
alan w.
Frequently Asked Questions about the Notes on ... Series
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #90 / # 58 (NOTESON)
by Alan W. Pollack
(also known as ... Notes on the Notes on ... Series)
Table of Contents
1. Why bother? An abstract of the series

2. When did the series start and what's your game plan?
3. Why made you decide to do this?
4. What is your background?
5. Are you going to do a book?
6. What's the best way to get in touch with you?
1. Why bother? An abstract of the series
Just about everyone I know who likes/enjoys/is-crazy-about the music of the Beatles knows, without my having to tell them a
damned thing, how "great" their music is. It's not anything that needs "proving" or "explanation".
However, there are a number of dimensions to the music of the Beatles that are more easily described, traced, and quantified. I
dare say that any element of musical composition that can be described with reasonable objectivity and consistency from one
example to the next allows one to discover at an often surprising level of detail stylistic preoccupations, predilections and patterns in
the thought processes of the composers. Over the long run, this allows one to describe with a not unreasonable amount of precision
the nature of trends and the evolution of style.
The concepts, vocabulary, and method used in the "Notes on" analyses of Beatles' songs will be familiar to anyone who has ever
taken a substantive course in music theory. I may sometimes be unintentionally inaccurate, but overall, I'm hardly making it up as I
go along :-) In fact, such a detailed examination of the work of those who one admires also happens to be a centuries-old, time-
honored way in which to learn how to compose music.
I can appreciate how to the uninitiated, the very language in which the discussion takes place appears on the surface to be self-
importantly erudite, perhaps even fatuous, but the technical words used do have commonly accepted meanings, and some kind of
objective set of descriptive tools are critically necessary in such an analytical exercise lest the whole thing degenerate into a delirious
indulgence in fanciful metaphors; just like this last sentence :-)
I don't believe that the validity of the exercise is necessarily invalidated by the fact that the composers may have not been capable
of reading music, or that they couldn't describe in precise terms exactly what they thought they were doing in their compositions. No
doubt, I would imagine "even" Mozart might have ridiculed those of his contemporaries who sought to analyze his work. But that
doesn't necessarily invalidate such an inquiry. Granted, if the artist asks me to not look at his/her work in a certain way, I may be on
one level rudely disobeying that artists preference by what I'm doing, but it does not mean that my taking a certain view of their work
is by definition, wrong or meaningless. And here, I promised myself beforehand to not get defensive :-)
2. When did the series start and what's your game plan?
The series started in May 1989 with a short note on "We Can Work It Out". To date there have been around 160 installments,
varying in frequency of appearance in a manner directly inverse to the pace of my combined family and professional life.
During the first 28 installments, the songs were chosen in random order (basically special favorites), and I would structure the
outline of each article around the unique attributes of the respective songs.
At that point, in order to establish a working vocabulary and set of concepts for the articles, many of the earlier ones have side-bar
like tutorials or tangential points about the Beatles' songbook overall. As a result, the articles steadily grew in length, some of them
near the end becoming quite long. Since issue 29 (July 1991), I adopted an organizational template for the Notes, and also decided
to go back to the beginning of the songbook and work my way patiently through in chronological order instead of skipping around.
The template provides a kind of consistency which allows me to keep the individual articles shorter for the most part, while
enforcing upon me a certain rigorous breadth in the coverage of each song. Ironically, some of the much longer articles from the first
half do not always cover some of the topics now included in the template. For that reason, I ought to at some point, revise and extend
the older articles in keeping with the template style, but for now, in order to keep moving, I'm skipping over titles already covered
earlier when I get up to their place on the list.
My hope is to eventually complete the full cycle of the songs "officially" recorded by the Beatles. Then we'll figure out what to do
next :-)
3. Why made you decide to do this?
Doing the series was a way of indulging two very big hot buttons: re-emerging Beatlemania on the threshold of middle age, and
an ingrained hunger for playing the part of the ol' professor. Beyond that, it all started as a kind of double-dare from 'saki'.
4. What is your background?
For those who may have wondered from time to time just who the 'flip' I think I am in writing this series ("temper, temper"):
AWP has a PhD in music theory and composition (University of Pennsylvania, '77), and has taught these same subjects on the
college level. For reasons too personal and boringly complicated to go into here, he's been working in the field of software
engineering since 1978.
5. Are you going to do a book?
Yes, it is one of the my fondest wishes to publish the completed set of Notes in the form of a Book. This will, of course, take a
while, and I'm hardly thinking of quitting my day job in the meanwhile. I'm more than happy to share the work with The Net as it
emerges, but I will humbly ask you all for your courtesy in honoring my copyright of the material.
6. What's the best way to get in touch with you?
awp@world.std.com is my e-mail address at a currently stylish public Unix site in Brookline Mass. I generally keep my work email
address and other personal contact points unlisted on the net.
Regards,
Alan (120193#90) (053192#58)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/pw_and_r.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Paperback Writer" and "Rain"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #91 (PW_AND_R)

by Alan W. Pollack
• "Paperback Writer"
• "Rain"
1 Introduction
This double-A single marks one of the most significant nodal points in the compositional and recording development of the
Beatles. After the just-in-time for Christmas release of "Rubber Soul" the Beatles took a four month break from the studio. They
went straight to work on what was to become the "Revolver" album in early April 1966, and the two songs on this single, released in
June (two months ahead of the album) were recorded just a couple weeks into the new sessions.
The subject matter, musical style, and recording technique of both "Paperback Writer" and "Rain" make them as qualitatively
different from what we heard on the album which preceded them as they presage the album which was yet to follow. The release of
"Penny Lane" / "Strawberry Fields Forever" as an antecedent to the "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" LP is the other major
single of theirs to have this level of potent prescience in terms of an album in progress.
The other important angle to a study of this pair of songs is the extreme to which they bear comparison and contrast with each
other. Each of these songs reflects so clearly its respective composer, and yet at the same time, there are similarities galore which
reflect not only cross-influence, but I suspect, a subtle element of competitive looking over each other's shoulders. We've explored
this notion several times before in this series, most notably in connection with "All My Loving" / "It Won't Be Long" and "She Said
She Said" / "Good Day Sunshine".
So what are the similarities in this case?
• Key — both songs "sound" in the key of G, even though the backing track for "Rain" was recorded at a faster tempo and
higher key, and slowed down during the mixing phase to playback differently.
• Post-processed special effects — As Lewisohn puts it in his "Recording Sessions" (p. 74): "Both were chock full of all the
"Revolver" technical advancements: limiters, compressors, jangle boxes, Leslie speakers, ADT." More specifically,
"Paperback Writer" has the tape echo at the end of the alternate verse sections, and "Rain", in addition to the modified tape
speed, includes the much talked about played-backwards vocal in its outro.
• Wall-of-sound texture — Even without the special effects, both songs have a noticeably denser, punchier texture than
virtually anything else done by the group up until this point, largely the result of the standout drumming, berserk, and
heavily over-dubbed vocal harmony on both cuts.
• Drone-like harmony — Neither song is literally built on a pedal point, though both of them use very few chords, and
contain sustained passages over the I chord that lend a static feeling to the harmony overall. At other times, the Beatles
could delightfully take you by surprise with a novel chord progression, but in this case they seem to be transfixed by an
aesthetic of stasis.
• Subject matter — Neither is a love song. "Nowhere Man" was the only other time, to date, where they had tried anything
like this, but from this point forward, this tendency to comment on things social or experiential would become
increasingly pronounced.
And then again, there are those yin-yang/John-versus-Paul points of contrast between the two songs, and what's particularly
delicious about some of these is that they are embedded within factors that would otherwise seem at a superficial level to be common
denominators rather than points of departure:
• Tempo — This pair of songs constitute what might be among the fastest and slowest ever songs done by the Beatles to-
date. In the case of "Paperback Writer", listen to how fast the "one-two-three-etc." count-in is on the pair of bootlegs that
are in the public domain (I use the latter term loosely :-)), and the fact that take 1 of the backing track breaks down
because, as George notes on the tape, it keeps getting faster. In the case of "Rain", John's ultra-slow harmonic rhythm and
his scanning of the words (see the bullet on 'Prosody') manage to project an almost catatonically measured pace in spite of
all furious activity in the textural foreground.
• Perspective on the respective subject matter — Paul's essay is a gritty, journalistic slice of life on the sleazy side, starting
off in the first person and cleverly shifting 'round to a self- referential third-person focus as the book is described. Indeed,
you must see the photograph of Paul's manuscript for the lyrics, not only written out literally in the form of a letter
(opening — Dear Sir [or Madam]), but signed by one "Ian Iachimoe". Talk about vague references or hard trivia
questions; who's 'e, eh?? :-) John, true to his own form, turns in an elliptical tirade in the third person about what "they" do
when the metaphorical 'rain' comes; inscrutable on the surface but pregnant with deeply embedded meaning.
• Modality of the home key — "Paperback Writer" is quite Mixolydian. For example, the tune places great emphasis on
the melodic flat seventh, and the harmony includes I, ii, and IV but not V; if you check the bootleg take 1 you can
actually hear them playing V in the intro and refrain sections but in the final mix it's deftly mixed out! "Rain", on the other
hand, though it is harmonically much more clearly in the Major mode (check out the I, IV, and V chord vocabulary),
manages to convey a modal feel by virtue of its pseudo-pentatonic melody (note how the lead vocal contains no second or
seventh scale degree — i.e. no A's or F's), and the open-fifth drone-like harmonies of its refrain sections.
• Prosody of the verbal delivery — "Prosody" is a technical term describing the manner in which words are rhythmically
declaimed together with accompanying music. In contrast, say, to the almost deadly four-square delivery heard in a song
like "Yellow Submarine", "Paperback Writer" provides as good an example as you'll ever find of syllables pleasurably
ricocheting off an underlying beat. "Rain", in contrast, is performed in style in which the words seem to be intoxicatedly,
and/or counter-intuitively fighting against the beat. The "Master" (if not outright "inventor") of this technique circa 1966
was Bob Dylan. To the extent that it would become a very Lennonesque trademark as well from this point on is, to me,
evidence of a to-date uncharted, overlooked subtle point of Dylan's influence on the Beatles.
And on that note, let us move on, finally, to our closer look at each of these songs in turn in a song-by-song walk-through.
alan w.
Notes on "Paperback Writer"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #91a (PW_AND_Ra)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse' | Refrain (intro) |
| Verse | Verse' | Refrain (intro) | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 13th, 14th April 1966, Abbey Road 3
UK-release: 10th June 1966 (Double-A Single / "Rain")
US-release: 30th May 1966 (Double-A Single / "Rain")
Style and Form
This song is definitely in the top tier of Beatles' hardest rocking cuts. In addition to the fast tempo and gutsy backing track, the
melodic flat seventh of the Mixolydian mode and the twelve-measure verse lengths add a touch of the Blues.
The form is made curious by virtue of the "a capella" opening (see "Nowhere Man"), the doubling up of the verses, and the
recurrence of that unusual intro as a sort of refrain section.
I've commented elsewhere about how, whenever you have a song that starts off with a vocal pickup, the unedited studio tape
must have on it some amount of pre-take cueing of the starting pitch for the singers. Take 2 of this song provides a perfect proof of
this, where you can here them, just before the actual count-in singing the word "Paperback ..." in a nervously tentative stage whisper.
Melody and Harmony
The tune has the bouncing rhythm and limited melodic contour of a patter song, or even "talkin' blues", though just the same, it
does manage to fill out the full octave in a rather clever way.
Harmony is used quite frugally to static effect. To the extent that the V chord is suppressed from appearing throughout, the sense
of home key is left to establish itself via the relatively weak plagal cadence of the IV chord, and a kind of drone-like, manifest
insistence of the I chord.
Arrangement
The vocal parts are worked out and varied to an unusual extent. George and John's backing vocals play off of Paul's double-
tracked lead vocal, sometimes antiphonally (the intro), sometimes in accompaniment (Frère Jacques), and yet at other times in chorus
(the hook line at the end of each verse).
Alas, the vocal parts don't sound quite as well rehearsed as they are ambitious. After repeated close listenings to the
recording you can't help notice the often ragged ensemble cutoffs at phrase endings or entrances.
The fancy vocal parts are just about upstaged by the much discussed Motown-like punchy bass part and the syncopated lead
guitar riff. For that matter, you can't overlook Ringo's between-the-sections drum fills here. Though they were an trademark of the
Early Beatles sound, they kind of disappear for the most part during "Rubber Soul", yet make a welcome return on both sides of this
single, and on many other "Revolver" cuts as well.
Intro
The intro is eight measures long:

|A capella vocals---------------||Guitar riff-------------------|
|C |G |a |- ||G |- |- |- |
G: IV I ii I
[Figure 91.1]
The first half is set for pseudo-"a capella" voices in a pattern of cascading antiphony that is something off the beaten path for
these guys. The large number of overdubs makes it sound as though many more than just three people were singing; a modest
anticipation of what would surface much later in the likes of "Because".
In the second half we suddenly are faced with almost the entire instrumental backing ensemble executing a double-barreled
iteration of a really knockout ostinato riff for lead guitar and bass drum; one that I'd say is easily way up in there the same class with
the one from "Day Tripper" in terms of both its distinctive melodic contour and craggy syncopations that extend over one and a half
of the ostinato's two-measure length.
The outtakes reveal two subtle points about this intro:
• The finished recording is mixed to sound as though the intro were performed "ad libitum", but the outtakes prove that it is
very much done in tempo. Take 2 contains both a count-in and a metronomic tapping out of the beat on what sounds like
a cymbal, not only through the entire first half of the intro but in every other "refrain" where the "a capella" vocal section
is repeated. Darn clever how this tapping track is so neatly mixed out of the final version.
• The harmony of the "a capella" section sounds on the finished recording as I've diagrammed it above: just I, IV, and ii. In
take 1, though, you can clearly hear a skeletal backing track (placed there, I assume, to provide sotto voce support for the
singers at the vocal overdub stage) which shows that they originally intended to have a V chord in the fourth measure.
Once you know it's there in the outtake, you start noticing how on the final version it's there as well, but somehow was
mixed way down but not quite out, deftly, every time the phrase is repeated; there must be some pretty fast fingers on
those faders.
The bass/guitar riff strikes with tremendous power when it is heard for the first time. The preceding "a capella" section, in spite of
its being in the same fast tempo as what follows it, conveys, from its four-square and slow rhythmic pattern, a sense of pent-up
potential energy that is mercifully unleashed when the riff kicks in.
The bass drumming that backs the lead guitar riff is so sharp that when the bass guitar finally enters at the tail end of this intro
with a pickup to the intro you think for a second that maybe you're hearing an overdubbed second bass part; but it's not so.
Verse
The twelve measure length of this verse is phrased (AAB) like a blues frame even though the harmony doesn't fit the classic
pattern:
--------------- 2X ----------------
|G |C |G |- |
G: I IV6/4 I
|C |- |G |- |
IV I
[Figure 91.2]
The C chord in measures 2 and 6 is elusive, indeed. For starters, the bassline gives a pedal tone-like stress to the note G
throughout the first eight measures, placing the C chord in the extremely weak 6/4 (also known as "second") inversion. Secondarily,
the melody stresses the note D during measures 2 and 6, creating a sense of the C and G chords being superimposed over one
another.
The second verse of each pair ends with that startling and unprecedented tape echo effect in measure 12. You'd think that the
singers held their notes all the way through the end of the measure, and that the special effect consists of distortion being applied to
what they had sung in real time. Surprisingly, take 2 demonstrates that the vocalists actually had cut off sharply at the end of measure
11 — meaning that the measure's worth of echo was deftly spliced on as an extension of the original vocal.
George and John have a bit of fun in the second pair of verses, sneaking in a counter-melody backing part based on the nursery
tune "Frère Jacques". In the second of the two verses, they step their vocals up a notch in pitch, thereby creating a subtle feeling at
that point of intensification.
Refrain
This is, in each case, virtually a note-for-note reprise of the intro. The recurring sudden change of pace between this section and
the frantic bustle of the surrounding lends to the song an overall wrenching subtext.
Outro
The outro is based on a variation of the antiphonal vocal of the intro. In the intro the 'answerer' had rhythmically imitated the
"caller". Here, the answering part is modified to a more rejoinder-like snappy double time. This new pattern is repeated completely
four times into a fade-out with all sound failing just after the start of the fifth iteration.
During the guitar riff half of the refrain that precedes this outro we find an example of the small rough edges they obviously
thought weren't worth sanding off because no one would ever notice them. In this case, we hear a throat being cleared and someone
(I believe it's George) making sure he has the right pitch he'll need to sing at the start of the outro; in falsetto, no less!
Okay; next!!
alan w.
Notes on "Rain"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #91b (PW_AND_Rb)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Refrain | Verse | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 14th April 1966, Abbey Road 3; 16th April 1966, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 10th June 1966 (Double-A Single / "Paperback Writer")
US-release: 30th May 1966 (Double-A Single / "Paperback Writer")
Style and Form
For all of its musical and technical innovation, it's a bit ironic to note how standard is the form and harmonic content of this song.
Though no sitars or other ethnic "world music" instruments are used here, the style of the song very much connotes the style of
classical Indian music by virtue of the droning harmony and the, at times florid tune.
Melody and Harmony
As far back as "Love Me Do" (amazingly), John and Paul had stumbled onto a novel use of spicy little trills and languorously
stretched out melismas that, along with sung open and parallel fifths, is truly one of the more subtle trademarks of their early
"sound". Here, what is essentially the identical technique is pushed beyond the routine envelope to create an entirely new and
exotically "foreign" effect.
Aside from ornamentation, the tune is structurally organized in a very "Indian" manner; with the approximate two halves of the
melodic octave each isolated to its own respective section of the song; the verse stays carefully within low G up to E, while the
refrain deals with the upper end of the octave, from the high G down to middle C.
The harmonic budget is frugal to the extreme of creating, what I can only assume is, an intentionally static effect. You'd expect
the use of I -» IV -» V throughout this song to create a much more non-modally inflected sense of G Major as the home key than
was the case in "Paperback Writer". It's intriguing, though, to contemplate how the even more widespread use in "Rain" of
superimposed chords and the ornamentalized melody manage to over-ride the sense of clear Major mode and suggest something
Modally tangy in flavor, even though the "letter" of the musical text does not support this notion!
Arrangement
Both vocal and instrumental tracks on this song were subjected to speed changes in between original recording and mixdown for
mastering, and this detail accounts for, as much as any other factor, the psychedelic, surreal quality that surrounds the whole of it.
Lewisohn (ibid.) tells us that the backing track was performed in fast tempo (and, implicitly, in a higher key than G), so that it
could be slowed down on playback to what we have on the final recording; thus altering not only the pitch but the 'textural' sound of
the ensemble. The vocals (at least John's lead) were manipulated in the opposite direction (though Lewisohn inadvertently tries to
confuse us on this point); in other words, John sang for the recording in a slower tempo and lower key, so that on faster playback his
"Mickey Mouse" vocal not only presents him uncharacteristically beyond his normal upper range, but also with an eerily hyperactive
vibrato in his throat.
John's double-tracked lead vocal is accompanied by George and Paul in the verses, and by John Himself in the refrains. The
backers starts in the second verse, where they either echo and comment on what the lead sings or else they "emboss" what he sings
by harmonizing right along with him.
Ringo has a veritable field day on the drums and cymbals throughout. Also, even on this relatively "progressive" track, they take
the time to bother with one of their so typically fussy tambourine parts; on all four beats in the intro, on alternate even-numbered
beats in the first pair of verses and the refrains, and shaken on every eighth note of the measure in verses three and four.
Intro
We have here as attention-grabbing an opening in its own way as is the "a capella" vocal opening of "Paperback Writer"; a ra-ta-
tat half-measure's fanfare of solo snare drums, followed by four measures of the drone-like guitar vamping on the I chord (equally
reminiscent of both tamboura and pipes) that pervades the piece.
The lower reaches of the arrangement definitely sounds as though there are some kind of open fifths at play; whether they are
sounded entirely by the bass guitar, or are a composite of bass and lead guitar is not easy to ascertain given the level of distortion
applied to the finished track.
Verse
The verse is an asymmetrically phrased nine measures in length; parsed as 5 (actually 3 + 2) + 4:

|G |C D |G |
G: I IV V I
|C D |G |
IV V I
|C |- |G |- |
IV I
[Figure 91.3]
Uneven phrase lengths are another good example of an off-beat compositional technique that had been a manifest part of the
Beatles' arsenal from the very beginning, and yet, it is used here in the (shall we call it) Late-Middle-Period to very different effect
than it had been back in the days of "Love Me Do", "P.S. I Love You", and the like.
Toward the end of the second verse there's quite a blooper. It's hard to unravel what was the respective cause and effect of it, but
it sounds like between John's behind-the-beat delivery of the words and a hesitating screw up of the bass part by Paul right where the
chord is supposed to change back to G in measure 8, they manage to add a dizzying excess pair of beats or so and still keep going. I
suspect that this was unplanned but kept in the final version anyway because of its serendipitously appropriate off-kilter effect in
context.
Measures 6 - 7 feature an implied superimposition of G over the C chord similar to that seen in "Paperback Writer".
Near the beginning of the third verse (around 1:20 into the track) there is what sounds like a faintly sounded "cueing beep". Was
this supposed to be a half-hearted anticipation of the similar effect near the mid-point of "Tomorrow Never Knows" (you know, the
thing that sounds like 'at the tone the time is ..."), or is this some kind of subtle clue that this song actually dates from the
Twickenham "Get Back" sessions of January 1969? (just kidding!)
Refrain
The refrain is twelve measures, and is built out of a repetition of the same (again, non four-square) six-measure phrase:
--------------------- 2X ----------------------
|G |- |C |- |G |- |
I IV6/4 I
[Figure 91.4]
This section conveys a sense of ecstatic slowing down even though the tempo here is the same as it was for the verses. This effect
is created by the change of beat for the first four measures from its erstwhile bounce to something more plodding and regular,
combined with the suddenly with the slower harmonic rhythm of the section and the yawningly stretched out vocals. At the end of
this section, the illusion of speed change is spun in the opposite direction by the way in which you feel an acceleration when the
bouncier beat resumes in the final two measures.
The time warp effect is pushed still one step further in the second refrain by the addition of slow triplets to the bassline in the first
four measures. Yet again one more example of a technique we've seen in so many earlier Beatles' songs, that is recycled here to a
different, more strange effect than usual. Looked at from the opposite perspective, you might say that while a song like "Rain" makes
you "know" we're not in Kansas any longer, it still does seem like the Boys sure wanted to take along a lot of their same old clothing
for the big trip.
We have the same "elusive" kind of C6/4 chord in this refrain as we saw in "Paperback Writer". This time, also it is superimposed
over open fifth G-Major drone in the lower parts.
Outro
The outro commences with what seems at first like an ad-libitum "general pause" and a short passage for drums and bass guitar. If
you count along carefully you discover though that the entire thing is quite in tempo, and exactly three measures long.
What follows at this point is the unprecedented (and in retrospect, historically significant) trailing vocal of John's, dubbed over
the backing track by playing a tape of his earlier vocal in reverse. The actual splicing and mixing in of this special effect was done
very smoothly, especially by the standards of 1966 technology. No pops, no clicks, no sudden change of ambiance, etc.
If you have any doubt about the technique used here, you can either spin your turntable backwards, or transcribe the trailing vocal
part and sing it yourself in reverse. The only suspicious thought I have concerns the sustained sung note C which occurs fairly well
into the fade-out, and which, for the life of me, I cannot find the counterpart of in the original "forward" vocal.
As ground-breaking as this single was, it somehow didn't turn out to be so record-breaking on the charts. Don't get me wrong; by
the standards of mere mortals, the single did just fine in terms of chart position and copies sold. But by the standards of
Beatlemania, it didn't come close to some of the really big hits. Wha' happened!? Were these two songs, at the time, perhaps a bit
too original, or could it have been the opposite — were we all becoming a bit blasé where the Beatles were concerned?
I can only speak for myself, and indeed, I'll be the first one to admit my own experiences may not be typical; ... but I know they're
mine :-) A warning though — unbridled soppy nostalgia runs rampant in the next couple paragraphs. You may want to turn back
now.
The first time I heard "Paperback Writer" was from a jukebox in the Seagull Coffee Shop, on Brighton Beach Avenue (under the
El, and not far from the boardwalk), sitting with a group of extended friends at a couple of tables pushed together, all of us
wallowing in the euphoria of a terminal case of High School Senior-itis; and this new song by the Beatles was our soundtrack that
late spring afternoon . It's strange how after all these years I can still remember pausing for a moment to acknowledge it with a head
nodding "oh well, will you listen to that!", but then also quickly diving back into the conversation that had been interrupted. Funny
how I can't remember a thing about the contents of that conversation, yet I do remember the music; vividly!
Within two months, things changed radically. I remember coming home from my stint as music counselor at a "sleep away"
camp, flipping on the newfangled "stereo" receiver I had been given as a graduation present by my parents, tuning in the radically
new upscale FM rock station (Scott Muni on WNEW, no fooling) and hearing for the first time the Boys' really new double-A
side; "Yellow Submarine" / "Eleanor Rigby". By this time, no one was blasé about it any more, or in the least.
But at this, all excess reminiscence aside, I'm getting way ahead of our story :-)
Regards,
Alan (122293#91)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ios.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I'm Only Sleeping"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #94 (IOS)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: e-flat minor

Meter: 4/4
----- 2X -------
Form: Verse / Refrain | Bridge |
| Verse (half Guitar Solo) / Refrain |
| Bridge | Verse / Refrain | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 27th, 29th April, 5th May 1966, Abbey Road 3;
6th May 1966, Abbey Road 2
US-release: 20th June 1966 (LP "Yesterday ... And Today")
Style and Form
This song is mastered in the extremely unlikely key of e-flat minor; no doubt a side effect of the extent to which the original tapes
of both the backing track and vocals were manipulated on playback; in opposite directions, no less — an effect familiar to us from
"Rain".
I half-wonder if the placement of this track directly following the e minor tonality of "Eleanor Rigby" was done intentionally, to
highlight the half-step downward in key. But at any rate, I'm going to discuss it below in terms of e minor, simply in order maintain
some semblance of orthographic legibility. If you don't think it makes a difference, try sight-reading, some time, the sections of the
"Well-Tempered Clavier" written in e-flat (or even better, d#) minor :-)
We have an interesting formalistic elision here in the way that the bridge melds so seamlessly with the verse that follows it that
the next verse at first sounds like the ending the bridge rather than the start of something else; and in retrospect, the bridge, per se,
seems like only a fragment of something. This example, by the way, bears intriguing comparison with "She's A Woman", of all
things; do check it out.
Melody and Harmony
The tune features a patter-song-like hammering away on the tonic note of the scale, though the verse still manages to lazily spread
out over the span of a full octave. The brief bridge section features a couple of bent notes which lend a touch of the blues.
Compared to the several drone-like songs we've looked at most recently, this one has a larger number of chords in it than we've
seen in quite a while, though none of them are particularly exotic choices.
The most curious harmonic feature of the song is the use of a chord stream (i.e. step-wise root movement of chords) in the refrain,
the likes of which we haven't seen since the very early days of "Ask Me Why", "Do You Want to Know a Secret", and "P.S. I Love
You".
Arrangement
What must have started out on the source tape as a backing track of relatively straightforward instrumentation was slowed down a
bit to add that certain grainy/chunkiness on playback. Similarly, the speeding up of John's vocal on playback makes him sound
tremulous and eerie; the latter effect being further intensified by the manner in which the automatic-double-tracking is split out onto
the two stereo channels for only some of the phrases; compare this with "The Word".
The backwards-mastered guitar licks are a special effect that have nicely weathered the march of time losing none of their
popularity nor their ability to transfix, though the background story regarding how George carefully practiced his guitar bits so that
they would sound fine when mastered backwards after being played forwards is, by our own contemporary standards of digital
control, rather quaint. True to their, by now, well-established penchant for layered arrangements, the application of the reversed
guitar bits first starts in the second verse.
The backing vocals add their own little touch of surrealism to the proceedings. Their echoing of the last line of each verse and
"oodle-i-doo" falsetto harmonies of the refrain have something of an Andrews Sisters/fourties kind of unsettling resonance. Only
Paul's bluesy counterpoint in the bridge sounds a bit more familiar in context of the Beatles.
Paul uses walking-bass passing notes in two critical places here, thus providing a subtle effect of unification: at the end of the
verse, he fills out the space between the C and a chord with a melodic B, and similarly, near the end of the short bridge, he fills out
the space between the a and F chords with a G. Granted, these are exceedingly small touches, but if you "know" this song and like it
well, I'd bet you've noticed them even if you haven't done so consciously. Or put it this way — try and imagine hearing the song
without them!
Verse
The verse is a surprisingly odd nine measures in length, in spite of its obvious AA' phrasing:
|e |a |G C |G B |
e: i iv III VI III V
--- 2X!! ---

|e |a |G C |- a |
i iv III VI iv
[Figure 94.1]
Both phrases are harmonically open but in different ways. The first one ends on V, nicely begging a reprise. The second one
rhetorically adds that one extra measure, and then ends on VI -» iv, thus begging for something "different" from what was heard
previously.
In the always relevant department of Foolish Consistency Avoidance, we have the verse with the guitar solo filling out only the
five measures of the A' section. Actually, the "real" aesthetic lesson being taught in this instance is not so much one about non-
consistency, as much as it is a one regarding the Conservation of Special Effects.
Refrain
The chord stream of this refrain, not to mention the prominence of that juicy C-Major seventh, is a prime source of what gives this
song its overall jazzy feeling.
The section is a somewhat unusual length of six measures, and its internal phrasing is remote from anything in the nature of a
balanced binary form. Rather, we have a one-measure's worth of tune that chases its tail several times within a narrow range before
petering out entirely before the end of the fifth measure:
|G |a |b |a |
III iv v iv
|C7 | ||e |- |
VI i
[Figure 94.2]
The refrains that precede each of the two bridges are extended by an additional two measures of a time-stopping vamp on the i
chord. The second one of these extended refrains (i.e. the following the guitar solo) includes some muted, errant talking in the
background, followed by a strange foghorn-like electronic sound during the e-minor vamp.
The refrain is harmonically quite elliptical. Its opening measures convey intimations of a shift toward the key of G (the so-called
Relative Major of e minor), though nothing approaching the finality of a complete modulation is in the offing. For that matter, the
manner in which the home key of e is confirmed at section's end is also done without clear or complete cadence.
Bridge
No matter how you parse this section, it somehow seems to fall out as incomplete or fragmentary. Even if you add in what I call
the two-measure vamp at the end of the refrains into this section, I believe there is no escape from hearing, at first, what turns out to
be the first phrase of the next verse as though it were the second phrase of this bridge:
|d |E |a |F |
e: vii
a: iv V i VI
[Figure 94.3]
As with the refrain, we have yet another tentative harmonic foray, this time toward the key of a minor. The formal elision between
this bridge and following verse is somewhat disguised the way that this modulation fools you into hearing the first two measures of
the next verse as still being in a minor, with the pivot back to e first coming near the end of the first phrase, as follows:
|e |a |G C |G B |
a: iv i VII III VII
e: III V
[Figure 94.4]
Outro
As an "outro", per se, this one is rather unusual in both form and substance. At the end of the final refrain, where previously we
have had the C-Major seventh / e-minor bass arpeggio, this time the backing abruptly, even awkwardly, just stops, leaving the
backwards lead guitar to "noodle" all alone into a fade-out.
This song belongs to a special category of Beatles' songs in which "content" plays a secondary role to "gesture". I define
"content", in this context, as the relative level of special care and quality lavished on the basic musical elements of tune, chord, and
form; and "gesture" as a focus on the bedazzling and disorienting overall effect to be achieved by the incongruous combination of
familiar yet disparate stylistic clichés that are not usually found under the same roof, plus the overlay upon one or more of these
elements of surreal special recording studio effects.
That the Beatles were great innovators of new styles synthesized from among the elements of disparate influences is widely
celebrated. But the kind of gesture we're dealing with here, where one or more cultural ready-made is exploited for its very
hackneyed recognizability is an achievement of a slightly different nature. In this particular instance, we have a strange montage of
the boozy/jazzy ride-beat, the patter song tune, the cooing backing vocals, combined with that lead-guitar that is distorted on
playback.
The amazing thing is to ponder not only how much this peculiar type of parody would flower in the Post-Pepper-Period, but the
extent to which you'll note how its roots were embedded deep, all along, if only you look back with an eye toward discerning them.
It wasn't only there in the music, either! What better example of a surreal montage made of found pop-cultural-objects can you
think of in the realm of album cover art than the pseudo-photographic black-and-white job done by Klaus Voorman for our
"Revolver"?
Regards,
Alan (032094#94)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/lyt.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Love You To"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #95 (LYT)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: c minor ("Dorian" mode)

Meter: 4/4
------ 2X -------
Form: Intro | Verse / Refrain | Sitar Solo |
| Verse / Refrain | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 11th April 1966, Abbey Road 2;
13th April 1966, Abbey Road 3
Style and Form
One of the most curious side-bars on the history of music in the late sixties has to be the apparently sudden flash point of interest
in, and influence of, the so-called Classical Music of India. The Beatles, George in particular, were prime catalysts of this faddish
phenomenon, and a song like our "Love You To" can hardly be talked about without some consideration of the historical context.
At the time it seemed like many people who, just the week before had never seen a sitar or heard of Ravi Shankar, were running
out, overnight, to buy what we nowadays call "world music" recordings, tickets to rug concerts, and even authentic instruments.
Eventually (if not in very short order) this was, alas, for most folks, an even more short-lived fad and greater source of retrospective
disappointment than Nehru suits. But it was hot while it lasted.
No one should have been surprised. Indian music, for a number of reasons, is a not so easily-acquired taste for Western ears as it
may appear on the surface. Sure, the externals are pleasing and psychedelically seductive enough and all that, but the lack of
harmonic movement can quickly bore, and the melodic focus on freely improvised detail-within-a-subtle-framework calls for a
trained ear.
Hell, I did a year of graduate study of this music (back in 1972-1973) and worked hard in order to learning how to appreciate it,
but it demanded both difficult cognitive "study" as well as an aesthetic soulful "stretch". The music is not only built out of unfamiliar
techniques, but is also reflective of a different world outlook — think about the extent to which harmony in Western music implies
"teleological movement or progress", and, by contrast, the extent to which detailed elaboration over a drone conjures a so-very-
different mood of quiet contemplation of the world without-and-within. It's a chutzpah for the Westerner to expect to confront this
stuff without sincere and patient preparation.
"Love You To" was so novel when it first appeared that it was "cool" practically by default. After all, how many of us at the time
even had a clue what to make of it, or to what it could or should be compared? The song's openly Indian flavor goes far beyond the
superficialities of an added sitar and some static, droney harmony, which, by the time "Revolver" was released, had already been
exploited by not just the Beatles but other groups, as well; look, for example, at the Stones' "Paint It Black".
Here, in "Love You To", we find a genuinely Indian-styled usage of mode, melody, rhythm and instrumentation. Even the form,
which otherwise maintains a "neo-classical" boxy rock form preserves the Indian convention of an out-of-tempo improvised slow
intro.
Melody and Harmony
The "ragas" from which the melodic material of Indian music is drawn go conceptually beyond the simpler concept of scale or
mode to include characteristic riffs, and division of the scale into two regions. And in the melodic department, this song proves to be
quite authentic; the mode is (to lapse into Western terminology) quite Dorian, the riffs both recurrent and tending to appear in either
one half of the scale or the other.
The harmony is simply a drone with occasional implied oscillations toward the flat-VII chord. The Major/minor modality of the
home key is left ambiguous by the open-fifth quality of the drone, in spite of the fact that the sitar part features the minor third quite
prominently.
Arrangement
Though there may be more involvement of the Beatles, "themselves", on this track than, say, "Eleanor Rigby", it hardly seems to
matter, though, does it? Yes, indeed, Ringo adds a tambourine in the second verse, and it might actually be John or Paul adding that
fuzztone-like electronic embellishment of the flat-VII chord, but that's about it. Paul supposedly contributed a backing vocal but that
was mixed out of the final track. The overall effect of the arrangement is one of George having imported a group of real-thing studio
musicians directly from Bombay; pre-echoes of "The Inner Light".
Two comments about this song in Lewisohn's "Recording Session" cry out for rebuttal:
• In the first place, he blithely asserts, from the fact that no studio sitar player appears credited on the album, that it just
might be George playing the ornate solo part. I don't think so. Frankly, there is no way I can imagine that George at the
time of this recording could have had one tenth of the chops required for this performance. Goodness, Lewisohn himself
recants this blooper in "Chronicles".
• His other mistake has to do with his unchallenging quote of one of the studio musicians as having been asked by George
to play the rhythm track in "Ravi Shankar style, sixteen beats" (i.e. straight four in the bar). Even if Lewisohn did hear
this on the studio tape, he should have sufficient musical awareness of what is actually played on the tape to question this.
Indeed, you only need to tap (or try to tap) your foot along with this number to note just how tricky the meter is; with
occasional three-beat measures thrown in among the otherwise, ahem, 4/4 texture.
2
Section-by-Section Walkthrough
Intro
This intro features a slow, drawn-out exploration of the basic melodic motifs of what is to follow that is stylistically genuine and
effective. Damn it, the opening scale glissandos, the tentative noodling, and that lone F#, no matter how exotic an impression they
may make, are unfortunately out of place, but what can you do.
Though performed in a manner that suggests completely free improvisation, the intro is easily parsed into a number of
subsections:
• Two repeats of the eleven note downward C Major scale; C -» G, an octave and half below.
• Fragmentary attempts at establishing a tune; following that C-» F# -» G red herring of a start, the lower half of the C
Dorian scale is exposed by way of a motif which goes: C -» D -» E-flat -» D-» C -» B-flat (slow slide) -» C.
• The C Dorian motif evolves but shortly breaks off and segues into ... - ... the "a tempo" main song; of which, we'll chalk
up two measures of four-in-the-bar vamping to the end of this section.
Verse
This section is ten measures long and breaks up into eight measures of verse, proper, followed by a two-measure lead-in to the
refrain. The verse itself parses into an AAA' pattern which fills 2 + 2 + 4 bars. However, two subtle details belie what would
otherwise be a simple enough structure for your mind to grok:
The melody, which up through the first six measures almost plods along in equal quarter note values, breaks into neatly
syncopated melisma (e.g. on the word "me") that temporarily weakens your sense of where the downbeat is located. Unless you tap it
out carefully, you might never notice that the melisma ends on the weak fourth beat of measure eight, literally, one beat ahead of the
sitar hook. Notice, too, how the drop out of the drum part in measures 7 and 8 serves to heighten the effect.
The first of the two-measure lead-in to the refrain is in 3/4 time! The identical hook phrase appears a couple measures within the
refrain where it fills a regular 4/4 bar, so you'd almost never notice this irregularity in the lead-in; but try counting in fours out loud
and see what happens :-)
The tune has a nice melodic arch shape, though in relation to the tonic note, it is centered on the high-center-of-gravity fifth
degree of the scale.
Refrain
The refrain is six measures long and features a call-and-response exchange between George and the sitarist.
The fourth of the six measures is in 3/4 time, and just as in the verse, this one-beat-short measure is filled by the same sitar hook.
Sitar Solo
This is very much the high point of the song. The sitar solo is both melodically and rhythmically ornate, as well as exotically
"authentic".
The meter feels even less predictable here than it does in the verse or refrain. Part of me suspects that the solo section is
"supposed to be" modeled on the same metric pattern, or at least the same total number of beats as the verse + refrain. Nevertheless, I
find that even after determinedly repeated listenings, I am unable to clearly discern in this solo section the expected pattern of 4/4
measures punctuated by the occasional one in 3/4, heard earlier on. The total number of beats don't match either. One's attempt to get
to the bottom of this is made still more difficult by the teasing way in which the sitar line is rhythmically declaimed in "irrational"
(e.g. seven-against-four) groupings over the steady underlying beat.
Outro
The outro sort of picks up where the solo section left off, with a sense of growing rhythmic abandon that continues right into the
fade-out, suggesting that in the studio, this bit of jamming could have gone on for quite a while.
It's a bit too easy for us at this distance of time to underestimate just how much personal courage this coming out of the closet as
an impassioned devotee of Indian music required of George. Alas, this fragile first offering is not entirely successful, and over the
long run, I dare imagine that George himself must have felt at some point that he had steered himself into a cul-de-sac.
In my humble opinion, "Love You To" has two primary weaknesses which I cannot avoid seeing no matter how much I honestly
enjoy the song:
• The limited extent to which the East/West musical elements are blended — there's an oil-and-water kind of separate
awkwardness here borne of naïveté and inexperience rather than craft. George was smart enough to rely on well-trained
studio help to lend an air of authenticity to the proceedings. Indeed, this song is never more successful when it is at its
most authentic, but the flip side of this is that the value added by these outsiders rather upstages whatever it is that George
himself has to offer.
• The fatal negativity of the typically Harrisonian lyrics — the classical Indian tradition is lyrically drenched in Song-of-
Song-like allegories of religious yearning and ecstasy cast in imagery that is at once both transcendentally mysterious and
exquisitely sensual and erotic. George's embittered pout over dead-old-men and people who'll screw you in the ground
smacks way too much of "Positively 4th Street" for the cross-cultural context.
George would persist for another two years or so following this song to offer both similarly "genuine" Indian efforts (e.g. "Within
You Without You" and "The Inner Light"), as well as attempts at Indian-Western fusion (e.g. "Blue Jay Way" and "It's All Too
Much"). As we eventually examine all those songs in this series, I predict a remarkable paradox will emerge: the genuinely Indian
stuff is so pungently inflected that it's nigh impossible for the Westerner to do it "right" without appearing affected; yet at the other
extreme, it's when the Westerner tries to be most creatively original and fusionistic about it, that he comes across at his most stilted.
In this sense, it gives me a great sense of relief to know that George could move on in the end to the likes of "Something" and
"Here Comes the Sun". But don't get me wrong — George drove that car as far as he could before abandoning it "somewhere out
West", and for that he deserves more than a patronizing token amount of credit.
Regards,
Alan (081494#95)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/htae.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Here, There, And Everywhere"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #96 (HTAE)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Bridge |
Recorded: 14th, 16th, 17th June 1966, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This song is remarkable for its bitter-sweet tune, clever harmonic scheme, and understated arrangement. It is a landmark triumph
of the soft rock genre. No kidding.
It opens with one of those (relatively rare-for-the-Beatles) ad-lib introductions, but the form is otherwise the classic two-bridge
model, with only one verse intervening and no instrumental break.
The lyrics make a rather John-like structural use of the title words.
Melody and Harmony
The tune uses a wide variety of rhythmic values to convey an impression of the naturally spoken word. It also manages to
maintain a nicely fluid melodic feeling through its mix of stepwise motion, long leaps, rhetorical dwellings on a single note, and
some triadic outlines.
The home key of the song is G Major, but both its relative minor (e), as well as the parallel minor (g) and its relative Major (B-
flat) make important appearances. Both Paul and John were fond of these types of key schemes, and there are many songs we've
looked at that use one or more of these tricks. This is a particularly rare example in which all of them are used in the same song.
Granted, in the formal context of the two-to-three minute song, there is relatively little room for the full-fledged modulations you'll
find in larger forms, but this in no way precludes a more furtive and no less restless exploration of alternate tonal centers.
The opening measures of the verse make use of a jazzy chord stream of the sort that harkens all the way back to early numbers
like "Ask Me Why" and "P.S. I Love You".
Arrangement
The arrangement subscribes to the aesthetic of "less-is-more", with restrained yet carefully placed details in all departments. This
accomplishment is made to seem ironic and all the more impressive given the extent to which Lewisohn reports they fussed over the
arrangement in the overdub stage. Even without access to the bootlegs of so-called Monitor Mixes, you can get a feel for this by
simply listening to each of the stereo tracks on the official release one at a time.
Paul's lead vocal was recorded on the low and slow side in order to make it sound higher and much whispier on playback. Both
this lead vocal and the lead guitar licks of the bridge are selectively double-tracked. You'll note places in which the second track
either drops out or provides a harmonization with the primary track. Enjoy discovering these for yourself!
The backing vocals provide their much talked about, deceptively simple block harmonies on the phoneme, "ooooh". The slight
changes they make in their articulation of the chord changes in measures 5 and 6 of the verses make these backing vocals sound
somewhat instrumental. And in the instrumental area we have a subtle patterning of the guitar chords, and a bunch of just-right
gentle touches in just the right places from Ringo. Did you ever notice, by the way, the addition of finger snaps in the final verse and
the outro?
Intro
The intro gives away, in its first two chords, the secret of what will soon unfold as the songs characterizing harmonic restlessness.
The B-flat chord provides a pleasantly surprising cross relation against the B-natural of the preceding G-Major chord, and also
foreshadows the later flirtation with this "relative Major of the parallel minor" that will appear in the bridges:
|G |B-flat |a |D |
G: I flat-III ii V
[Figure 96.1]
There's an interesting comparison to be made between this intro and the one from the much earlier "Do You Want To Know A
Secret".
Verse
The verse is a fairly traditional eight measures long, though its phraseology contains some subtle internal patterning. The overall
structure is 2 + 2 + 4, AAB, but the B section is itself subdivided into its own AAB, though the durations are halved down to 1 + 1 +
2.
The harmonic structure of the verse opens up to V after flirting in the second half with the relative minor, e. According the
"stricter" theorists who argue that the home key isn't officially established until both I and V have been exposed, this verse doesn't
establish G Major until its very ending:
|G | C |G | C |
G: I IV I IV
e: VI
|f# B |f# B |e a |C D |
ii* V ii* V i
G: vi ii IV V
[Figure 96.2]
The chord on f# in measures 5 and 6 (indicated by *) is a so-called "half-diminished" seventh; i.e. the triad itself is diminished (F#
- A - C) but the seventh (E) is minor. I "grep" in vain, through all the preceding notes in this series, to find another use in a Beatles'
song of this somewhat jazzy chord type.
Bridge
The bridge is six measures long, strictly speaking, but the phrasing of the melody and words elides right into the start of the next
verse based on a repetition of the second part of the first phrase, and this obscures your perception of where the actual section
boundary is:
|B-flat g |c D |g |c D |
B-flat: I vi ii
g: iv V i iv V
[Figure 96.3]
Stepping into B-flat at the beginning of this section is, indeed, a "deceptive cadence", and feels at first as though a fourth
dimension opens up. The slip into g minor delivers a melancholy twinge, yet the deceptive cadence back into the parallel Major at
the start of the next verse is akin to the feeling you get on a day when the sun comes out in late afternoon, just when you've resigned
yourself to the day being a cloudy one. Paul evidently was proud of this trick, as he would play it over again, almost identically in the
"Two Of Us".
Outro
The outro is built on top of the first half of the verse section, but this last time Paul provides a different melody for it, one that is
set to the words of the title. This special effect lends a sense of closure and summarization to this outro. We've seen something very
similar to this in "Michelle", even though the latter song ends with a fade-out.
The outro finishes off the song harmonically on a "plagal" cadence; i.e. I -» IV -» I. Don't underestimate the extent to which the
absence of the V chord at this juncture allows the music to end on a more laid-back note than it would with the V chord. Try the
alternative out in your head if you don't believe me.
It seems like the number of resonances spotted in this song to other McCartney efforts means this one is either unusually pregnant
with resonances, or else we've been writing this series too long :-)
In any event, I save my favorite free association, this time, for last. Now, this song is characterized by the following gesture that
opens each verse: a declarative word, followed by a pause, and then rhythmically active ascent in the tune, as in — "Here (pause)
making each day of the year ..."
An informal page-through of the collected lyrics of Mr. McCartney reveals the following list of other examples of the same, or at
least similar, gesture. Granted, the grammar of all of these is not the same, nor is the melodic contour of the consequent phrase, but
still, I think these are interesting, and some of them are unmistakable:
• Listen (pause) do you want to know a secret

• Eleanor Rigby (pause) picks up the rice
• Day after day (pause) alone on a hill
• Hey Jude (pause) don't make it bad
• Hold me tight (pause) tell me I'm the only one
• Honey Pie (pause) you are making me crazy
• The long and winding road (pause) that leads to your door
• Michelle (pause) ma belle
• Oh darling (pause) please believe me
• Try to see it my way (pause) do I have to keep on talking
• Look (pause) what you're doing
• When I call you up (pause) your line's engaged
• Yesterday (pause) all my troubles seemed so far away
Regards,
Alan (112894#96)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/aybcs.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "And Your Bird Can Sing"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #98 (AYBCS)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse (guitar solo) | Bridge | Verse |
| Verse (guitar solo) | Outro (with complete ending)
US-release: 20th June 1966 (LP "Yesterday ... And Today")
Style and Form
This song may be most notable for its setting of an elegantly Classical/Baroque leitmotif in context of a proto-grunge and noisy
guitar mix but there's more to it than that.
That opening riff would feel intrinsically Baroque just by virtue of its perpetual-motion-in-even-eighth-notes and its embellished
scale-wise melodic content. But the gesture is further intensified by Paul's occasionally walking bassline, and most of all, by the way
that the riff is cyclically repeated in the manner of a concerto grosso's ritornello or a da capo aria's obbligato.
The form, though essentially a two-bridge model with only one verse separating the bridges, includes a repeat of the entire guitar
solo verse section right before the outro.
The lyrics are wordier than usual. Even though the title phrase repeats in every verse, and the bridges have their own refrain,
every section opens differently, and this accentuates the ("... and while I'm at it, let me tell you another thing ...") ranting feel of the
overall production.
Melody and Harmony
The home key is a sunny E Major jazzed up by those pentatonic touches so characteristic of John. In the tune, I'm thinking of the
motif that goes with the phrase, "but you don't get me." In the guitar hook, look to the last measure of the intro. In context of the
otherwise Baroque nature of this hook, that syncopated lick at the end is ironic sounding.
The other device much favored by John to be found here is the chromatically descending bassline in the bridge. Yes, Paul liked to
use it too, but our current example reminds me most of "I'll Be Back".
Arrangement
Lewisohn is surprisingly silent on the question of how the backing instrumental for this song was put together, leaving us to
puzzle over, in particular, how many over-dubbed guitars participate in the lead part, which in the bridge sounds like at least two,
to me; the final scale sounds like parallel sixths or tenths, which I imagine would be difficult to execute so cleanly, and legato, on a
single ax.
John's lead vocal sounds like it is artificially double-tracked; the two results cleanly mixed left and right as single track vocals. I
don't think it's possible to get "real" double tracking this tightly synched, and besides, the type of mix we have here provides a unique
effect of its own.
We find the usual extra amount of production values lavished on the details; this, in spite of the intentionally "dirty" sound quality
— actually, the latter might be ironically described as very much one of those carefully sweated details :-) Others include:
• the use of backing vocals for bold/italic emphasis, and the break in this pattern for the final verse where they accompany
the entire first phrase;
• the guitar lick between the first two verses, and its lick-like arpeggios during the bridges;
• the careful patterns played by the auxiliary percussion such as tambourine in the verse and (yes, again) hand claps in the
bridge;
• ... and speaking of that final verse, there's John's vulnerable striving to add a little trill on the phrase "get me" way out on
the edge of his range.
You never really become conscious of this stuff unless you obsessively go after it, but someone did go out of their way to put it
there, and, after all, an exceedingly tedious neighbor of mine once cornered me to let me know that it is just this lonesome, solitary
discovery of such things at wee hours of the night in the bowels of the library's stacks that makes "Scholarship" the exciting
profession that it is; and be forewarned, he told me :-)
The rhythmic pulse of the backing track is curiously clunky, with the syncopation coming primarily from the guitar lick and
vocals in the foreground.
Intro
The intro is four measures long and utilizes a single chord, over which we hear the guitar riff for the first time.
Following the basic principle of not shooting your whole wad straight out of the box, they give us only what turns out to be the
first half of the solo; saving the climactic second half for later.
Verse
The verse is eight measures long and has a 4 + 4 AB phrase structure that is articulated, in part, by a difference in harmonic
rhythm between the phrases:
|E |- |- |- |f# |A |E |- |
E: I ii IV I
[Figure 98.1]
The harmonic shape of this section is "closed" (opens and closes on the I chord). The home key is established here by the plagal
IV chord, with the dominant V saved for the bridge.
In order to fill out the full eight measures of the verse, the guitar solo sections extend the lick used in the outro with a dramatic
down-and-back-up-again scale passage.
Note carefully how the harmony for the guitar solo verses replaces the IV chord of measure 6 with a V chord. It's not just that
IV clashes with the melodic content of the solo; I think it's also a matter of wanting the solo to convey the stronger sense of climax
provided by V.
Bridge
Harmonically, the bridge fakes us out for a moment, as though it were going to modulate to the key of g# minor. Ironically, the
downward chromatic scale leisurely played out over the first four measures of this section takes us straight back to the home key.
This scenario, in which initial resolve to move elsewhere is belied by the inertia to stay at home, is uncannily in synch with the
song's subtext; see "Final Comments" below.
Chords: |g# | |- |- |E |f# |- |B |
Bass: |G# |G-nat |F# |F-nat |E
E: iii I ii V
[Figure 98.2]
Outro
The outro is crafted out of a ready-steady-go repetition of the obbligato's opening. The coup de grace here is the surprise ending
on an A-Major IV chord, in the 6/4 (also known as "second") inversion, no less!
The very next song on the album, "For No One", also ends inconclusively, though it chooses to end on V instead of IV. In the
case of "For No One", you can at least rationalize that the V chord ending fits smoothly within the overall flow of the song, where
each refrain leads back to a verse by virtue of that V chord. The IV6/4 ending here, though, is generally a much less common ending
than V, and in context of the rest of this song, it seems an unprecedented surprise. This, like the abandoned modulation of the bridge,
is another one of these details of the song's "internal design" that resonates with the songs inner meanings.
Shall I stay within the comfort of where I am, or do I have the guts do go where I should be? (Do I dare eat a peach? :-)) And
which choice is the "right" one? Going out on a very personal limb here, for a change, I'm not sure that "And Your Bird Can Sing"
discloses its innermost secrets until you've both sat within the sanctum of your own living room making special plans with one
individual, only later to be cornered in the last booth of the Chinese restaurant by someone else to talk about new drapes for that
same living room.
Maureen Cleave's interview of John, published 4th March, 1966 in the London Evening Standard, achieved international notoriety
because of his "we're more popular than Jesus" remark. But the overall portrait it paints of the artist as he stands between "Rubber
Soul" and "Revolver" is rather incredible for the hints of inner conflict and sad ambivalence about materialistically excessive success
which peep their way through the haze in spite of, (or is that, because of), his stream of offhand, calculatedly outrageous sound
bites. "You see there's something else I'm going to do; something I must do — only I don't know what it is," indeed.
Today we call it Mid Life Crisis, and we expect it to happen around the age of 41, or the environs. Goodness ... John was a tender
25, and was capable of articulating the excruciatingly impossible to verbalize nature of it; and in music.
Regards,
Alan (010595#98)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iwtty.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I Want To Tell You"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #101 (IWTTY)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
Recorded: 2nd, 3rd June 1966, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This is very much a typical Hari-song; replete with a hard and high anxiety in the lyrics that is further manifested in the musical
fabric by dissonance, both harmonic and rhythmic. We're talking about serious illness of ease.
Harmonically, we have that persistent, somewhat mechanical (not to say irritating :-)) harping on the E-minor ninth chord in
the piano, and rhythmically, there's those slow triplets, especially in the opening bassline ostinato, which create lots of challenging
friction against the 4/4 back-beat. The lyrics, I hope, speak for themselves.
There's also a touch of the exotic, saved for the very end, where it is sung out by, what sounds to my ears like, Paulie, of all
people!
Melody and Harmony
The verse tune opens with a jumpy pentatonic pair of phrases, though the remainder of it, as well as the bridge tune, is balanced
out by completely step-wise motion.
The home key of the song is A Major throughout, established by a frugal budget of chords. However, the guitar ostinato that
pervades the song contains, embedded within it, what I always refer to as the "Hey Jude"-progression (I -» flat-VII -» IV -» I), and
this adds a modal flavor to the proceedings.
The other unusual harmonic feature is the off-center prominence given to chords that have the note B on the bottom.
Arrangement
The opening guitar riff is one of those all-time great ostinato patterns that sets the tone of the whole song right from the start. In
contrast to the outstretched melodic arch of the "Day Tripper"-figure, this one is much more of a "saw-tooth" pattern, in the style of
"Taxman". Note, here, the hard and reiterated floor on A, the repeated downward arpeggios in slow triplets, and the hard
syncopation which places the origin of the pattern just before the downbeat.
The rest of the ensemble tends to play in a contrastingly groovy beat in which beats "two" and "four" are syncopatedly
emphasized, and rapid triplets fill the spaces between phrases. The most interesting moments in the song are where this more
swinging beat is superimposed, rather uneasily, over the agitated slow triplets of the ostinato.
We have a double-tracked lead vocal backed for bold-italic emphasis on the even-numbered phrases of the verse; shades of the
syncopated beat on "two" and "four"!
And of course, they were seemingly never too busy to add those fussy little touches for the percussion section; check out the
rattlesnake maracas at the end of each verse, the patterning of the tambourine swats in the bridge, and the hand claps saved for the
final verse.
Intro
The last time I can recall a fade-in opening in a Beatles' song before this one goes all the way back to "Eight Days A Week",
though you could argue that the mock disorganized opening of "Taxman" is a "logical" fade-in of sorts.
You become conscious of the music in the midst of the ostinato figure played out on only low strings of the lead guitar. The intro
continues with three complete iterations of the ostinato, with other instruments making a staggered entrance: piano and drums come
in on the second repeat, followed by the maracas and bass guitar.
Verse
In spite of the steady 4/4 back-beat of this verse, your ears do not easily grok it for a couple of reasons; in particular, the unusual
eleven-measure length, and the manner in which the four vocal phrases, unequal in length, are rhetorically declaimed to neither start
or end necessarily at measure boundaries.
|A |- |- |- B |- |
A: I V-of-V
|E |- |- |- |A |- |
V I
[Figure 101.1]
And, as if that weren't enough, we also have the change of chord in the middle of measure 4; a move that is, in my humble
opinion, very sophisticated.
The sneak reprise of the ostinato to fill the space between verses is a classic unifying gesture.
Bridge
The bridge is eight measures long, and though it's much closer to four-square than the verse, (and well needed contrast to it by this
point of the song) here too, we have three short phrases rhetorically suspended over the measure lines.
Top: |B |C# B |B A |BA AG#|
Middle 2: |F# |F-nat |E |F# |
Middle 1: |D-nat |- |C# |D# |
Chords: |b-min |b-dim |A |B-Maj |
9 -» 8 9 -» 8
Top: |AG#F# |B A G# |B A A |- |
Middle 2: |- |F-nat |E |- |
Middle 1: |D-nat |- |C# D |C# |
Chords: |b-min |b-dim |A |- |
9-» 8
3-» 4 -» 3
[Figure 101.2]
Harmonically, this bridge is a bit of a fake-out, seeming at first to hint of a possible excursion away from the home key, but in the
end, all we get is a rather restless-yet-indecisive kind of chromatic leaning away from the A-Major chord and back to it; a feeling
quite resonant with the affect of the lyrics. It's not really appropriate to give a whole lot of different roman numerals to all those
different chords with B in the bassline; trust me, you will find a study of the creepy motion of the inner voices, as I've outlined them
above, well worth the effort. The non-obvious call I'd make here is to name the diminished chord in measures 2 and 6 a vii-
diminished (a surrogate for V), with the root on G#, in spite of the B on the bottom.
Note too, the way the "9-8" motif of the piano part from the verse is echoed, in part, by the number of "9-8" appoggiaturas in the
vocal part of this bridge. You might also say that the "3-4-3" figure at the end of the section is resonant with something implied in
the opening ostinato.
And if you feel the momentum beginning to sag toward the end of this section, dig how that sudden burst of rapid triplets at the
very end of the bridge helps to re-jump-start your momentum for the verse that follows.
Outro
The outro is a cross between a varied reprise of the into, and a one-two-three-go! style of fade-out ending.
When the final verse ends, we are treated to three iterations of the ostinato figure, alternating this time with a repeat of the closing
tag line by the full vocal forces. The last repeat features Paul bursting out into a surprisingly free Indian-flavored melisma
reminiscent, say, of the sitar solo in "Love You To". This might seem out of place, or at least gratuitous, if it were not for George's
having used as a motif throughout the song, that also very Indian-like slow melodic slide toward the end of the title phrase (on the
words, "tell you").
In spite of his well known covers of Beatles' songs, it's not often that I am struck by any similarities between Jimi Hendrix' work
and that of Our Boys. In this case, though, I find myself unavoidably free-associating from "I Want to Tell You" to Jimi's own
"Manic Depression". Yes, I do.
"I feel hung up and I don't know why" pushes the same buttons in me, for whatever elusive reasons, as "I know what I want but I
just don't know (how to go about getting it.") Of course, Jimi's song is a lot more hyper and "out" there, compared to George's. But
is it, though?
Regards,
Alan (032795#101)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/gtgyiml.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Got To Get You Into My Life"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #102 (GTGYIML)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 7th May 1966, Abbey Road 3;
8th, 11th April, 18th May, 17th June 1966, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
We have another wonderful example here of Macca reaching hard for Something, if not really, New, then something newly
synthesized out of everything he knew, could remember, and somehow find a way to fit into the mix. Go ahead — make fun of
him (and me too, while you're at it! :-)), but I challenge you to stylistically pigeon-hole this one: is it big-band "pop", neolyte blues,
modal contemporary rock, or what-not?
Formalistically the song is unusual for the manner in which the vamping and potentially self-perpetuating coda develops as an
outgrowth of an extra, extended repeat of the refrain just before the ending.
The arrangement conjures up visions of a big and brassy stage band, but true to the form of the rest of "Revolver", the recording
also connotes a touch of surreality in the way that the "silver saxophones" and "washed out horns" are recorded close up to the point
of scornful distortion. (Apologies to Zimmy, but my borrowing of imagery here is partly intended to get you thinking about unlikely
resonances between our song here and one "Blonde-on-Blonde" number which bears the distinction of sharing the same title with one
of the tracks on "Abbey Road"! Think about it ...)
Melody and Harmony
The tune of the verse is spikey with lots of wide jumps over a wide range. The tune of the bridge is very bluesy, and though the
vocal line is fragmentary, it elides seamlessly with the instrumental rejoinder that follows it; when you hum the song to yourself, you
wind up running it all together — the fancy technical term for this effect is a "hocket".
The harmony is equally changeable: static in the first half of the verse with jazzy superimpositions over a I-chord pedal; over a
walking chromatic bassline in the second half of the verse; and in the bridge, there's finally sufficient time for the plain old I -» IV -»
V.
Arrangement
On very close listening (especially, if you check out the individual stereo channels), the finished recording seems surprisingly
"dirty", with stray studio talk buried below the music near the beginning, and bleed-ins or some other kinds of ghostly remnants of
earlier tracks not quite entirely mixed out of the official version. This is a reminder, on the one hand, of the rather primitive pre-
digital techniques and equipment they had to deal with in the mid-sixties, but I'll also stand by my earlier comment that this crufty
audio quality is part of an intentional aesthetic here.
For all the heavy layering of overdubs and limiting, there's still always room for the ubiquitous double tracked lead vocal, and a
tambourine, of course! There's also that passion-drenched lead guitar part which is nicely saved as a surprise for so late in the song
that you don't really expect it.
The rhythmic pulse is fast, fast, fast; a regular Beethoven scherzo, if you will :-) The underlying 4/4 beat, itself, is quite more
rapid than a standard quarter-note-equals-120 march beat. But it is the steady, relentless triplets that fill out those beats, as well as the
frequency of syncopation that give the music its real thrust. Not only do we find a continuation here of the anticipate-the-downbeat
tactic used by George in the previous track, but at the end of the final phrase of each verse, we also have a melodic flip which does
hit the downbeat, but whose ultimate point of arrival places the accent on the second beat of the measure.
2
Intro
The four-bar intro is completely instrumental, vamping on the I chord, and including the "7-9-11-13" embellishment which
characterizes the verse section (see below).
This brief introductory section sets both the overall tone of the proceedings to come as well as the relatively static harmonic style.
Verse
The verse is a squared-off sixteen measures long, but its internal phraseology is broken down into patterns of phrases that are
different in length; i.e. | A | A | B B | C |
--------------------------- 2X ----------------------------
|G |- |- |- |
G: I
Harmony: |b |- |- |- |
Bassline: |B B-flat |A G# |B B-flat |A G# |
G: iii vii-/ iii vii-/
half-dim ii half-dim ii
Harmony: |C |a D |G |- |
Bassline: |C B |A D |G |- |
G: IV ii V I
[Figure 102.1]
The harmony of each of the A-B-C phrases is distinctive. The first two phrases establish the home key of G Major by a kind of
pedal-point insistence. Whether you call the chords in the second half of each of those phrases a "I 7-9-11-13" or you call it "I with
flat-VII and/or IV superimposed" it is still experientially the same thing.
The third phrase features a single sustained chord in the upper voices (b-minor) over a chromatically descending bassline. The last
note in this bass riff (G#) turns the chord into an implicit "half diminished seventh on G#", which points strongly toward a-minor, but
the resolution of this is put off until the middle of the following phrase.
The repeated chromatic descent from B is followed in the final phrase by a diatonic descent from C. The effect is akin to your
trying several times to anxiously scale a difficult, slippery mountain peak to finally succeed on the third try; sing this bassline to
yourself and you'll feel what I'm talking about here. This last phrase finally establishes the home key in harmonically unequivocal
terms.
Refrain
The refrain shifts to a modal and bluesy style with I -» IV -» V in the chord progression, B-flat/B-natural clashes between vocal
part and harmonies, and F-natural/F-sharp clashes between the instrumental obbligato and the chords.
The general tendency toward syncopation in the foreground is carried through to the background in this section by the way the C
chord is sustained through measures 2 and 3. This gambit forces the refrain to a slightly unusual extended length of six measures:
|G |C |- |D |
I IV V
|G |- |
I
[Figure 102.2]
When the refrain comes back for the second time, it is repeated immediately one additional time. This repeat is setup by an
additional two measures of vamping on the I chord; the latter, setup in turn, by the surprise appearance of the lead guitar starting in
measures 5 and 6 of the refrain immediately preceding.
Outro
The doubled second refrain leads directly into the outro which, in many respects is an extended reprise of the Intro with the
addition of a pseudo-improvisational vocal.
The outro goes on for over twelve measures on the I chord before the complete fade-out sets in, and is suggestive of a
spontaneous, ranting jam session that goes on long past where the recording fades to silence; and perhaps it will, in a concert, go on
for more than just a few minutes. In my humble opinion, the impossibly high spikes of the brass easily upstage Macca's screaming.
Here, given a tremendous demonstration of the less-is-more aesthetic in context of the two-to-three minute song medium, you can
contemplate this outro as an example of where the implication is as good, if not better, than the actuality of the real thing.
Paul apparently had a sweet spot for these extended outros, even if "Hey Jude" remains the only example of it to have made the
official canon. If you go for the so-called unofficial recordings, though, do take a look at the extended-jamming outtakes of "She's A
Woman", and "You Never Give Me Your Money".
"Got To Get You Into My Life" is the uncanny antithesis of the preceding "I Want To Tell You", in spite of many musical
elements in common between the two songs.
I talk a lot in this series about Paul and John seeming to not just compete, but to try and come up with their respectively personal
"solution" to the same compositional challenge; the irony being that they never come off so strongly as their individualized selves as
when they they engage in this directly competitive exercise.
Whether or not it was done with any pre-meditation, I consider this one a case of Paul and George having a go at it. Aside from
the fast triplets and predominating syncopation, the lyrics of both their songs describe similar contexts of anxious, desirous longing
for love from afar.
Granted, Paul's story here is at least one step up the romantic food chain from the one that George tells: Macca has at least made
direct unrebuffed contact with the other person. But still, the parallels are striking. And yet, one song is tied in knots while the other
is upbeat, determined, and jumping out of its skin.
Regards,
Alan (043095#102)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/tnk.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Tomorrow Never Knows"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #103 (TNK)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Mixolydian / C Dorian / C Major

Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Instrumental |
| Verse | Verse | Verse | Verse | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 6th, 7th April 1966, Abbey Road 3;
22nd April 1966, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
"Tomorrow Never Knows" is a veritable kitchen-sink mix of just about every trick in the Beatles' book to-date, including: an
Indian drone, modal tune, bluesy instrumental, tape loops, ADT, vocals played through revolving speakers, distortedly close-up
miking of instruments, and a psychedelically mystical "outlook." One of the amazing aspects of this song is the extent to which this
collage not merely hangs together, but pulls into such a powerfully focused, unified effect.
There are some uncanny parallels to be drawn between aspects of this track and gestures or techniques used elsewhere in the
avant garde world of so-called "Modern" twentieth century music. I bring this up not to suggest the Beatles were consciously
borrowing from, or being influenced by the specific works or composers in question (Heck, I'd be very surprised if they were even
aware of them, even if Paul did know how to drop the name of Stockhausen in an interview :-)) Rather, any such parallels for me
are all the more uncanny and ironic in the absence of direct knowledge.
The intro here is not so much a fade-in as it is a small variation of the typical staggered/layered intro. Similarly, the ending is not
so much a fade-out as it is a musical disintegration. You might find it interesting to compare the ending of "Tomorrow Never
Knows" with almost anything written during the sixties by one contemporary American composer, Elliott Carter, who explicitly
cultivated an aesthetic in his endings of a universe winding down and flying apart; complete with excerpts from classical poetry in
his liner notes to support his point of view.
Arrangement, Melody and Harmony

"Tomorrow Never Knows" is one of those unusual cases where the musical material per-se is rather inseparable from a
consideration of its arrangement. In spite of the thickly overdubbed texture, the fabric consists of discrete musical elements, each
with a distinct timbre as well as some unique configuration of melodic pitches or rhythm:
• The rhythmic backing of drums, bass, and tambourine remains steady and consistent throughout, with a hard syncopation
on "three-and".
• John's vocal is equal parts triadic bugle call and Mixolydian/bluesy lick with an emphasis on the flat seventh.
• The harmony is virtually a single C Major pedal point throughout, suggesting an extremely novel application of the
Indianesque drone. The only harmonic movement at all in the song is the implied vacillation toward flat-VII in the second
half of virtually every verse, colored in each case by what sounds like synthesized brass instruments; either French horns
or trombones.
• Two of the tape loops provide jagged ostinati figures based on on diatonic C Major scale material; one motif recurs over
and over again: C -» (down a seventh) D -» E -» F -» E -» (up a sixth) C. In some instances, this figure appears rapid, clear
and high pitched. On other cases, it appears slower, in mid-range, and as though polyphonically overdubbed with itself.
• Both halves of the instrumental feature bluesy emphasis on the melodic, flat seventh. The first includes Mixolydian-like
emphasis on the melodic Major third, while the lead-guitar-sounding second halve includes the really bluesy/Dorian
emphasis on the bent/minor melodic third.
• And, of course, the "seagull" tape loop has no determinate pitch content to speak of, though its contour is predominated by
saw-tooth descent, after reaching high.
Lewisohn's description of the sessions for this song emphasizes the free-wheeling creativity and real-time mixing of it. Yet, if you
bother to map it out, you discover how carefully orchestrated it is after all in terms of which discrete elements appear in which
sections, and in which sequence.
Intro
The intro is six measures long, built out of two measures each of:
• a fading-in, pulsating tamboura drone on the pitch, C;

• the hard-rock rhythm track;
• and the first appearance of the "seagull" tape loop.
On one level, it's nothing more than yet another layered Beatles' intro, but the pace at which the elements are introduced, and the
unexpected nature of two out of the three of them makes it extraordinarily disorienting.
Verse
The verse is a straightforward eight measures long and is repeated, mantra-like, over and over and over, a total of seven times,
exclusive of the intro, outro, and solo sections:
|C |- |- |- |
C: I
|B-flat |- |C |- |
flat-VII I
[Figure 103.1]
The melody is a rather a simplistic bugle call through its first half; providing yet another archetypal demonstration of the principle
of keeping at least one compositional factor simple when you decide to complicate other factors to the extreme. Also, notice the
Lennon-cum-Holly-esque slow triplets in the opening phrase ("turn off your mind ..").
Instrumental
The instrumental break fills sixteen measures, though its two halves are of unequal lengths; i.e. 6 + 10 measures, instead of the 8
+ 8 you'd expect.
The first eight-bar frame of the break does not have the flat-VII horns in measure 5 and 6, but the second eight-bar frame does.
You have to work hard at noticing this though because the 6 + 10 form of the solo parts throws off entirely your sense of where the
eight-bar dividing lines fall.
The Second Half
The principle of saving a little something in the way of a surprise for the second half is demonstrated here by:
• The "beep" tone in the midst of the first line of the verse which follows the break; reminiscent of the phone company or
radio station's hourly time check. I'm fairly well convinced that this is placed here exactly at the mid-point of the track
(1:28), in a Dada-esque gesture similar to Schönberg's "Mondfleck" number from "Pierrot Lunaire", in which he writes an
atonal fugue whose second half is the exact mirror image of it's first half; keep in mind, Schönberg did this in 1913!!
• On a more subtle level, the lead vocal is processed through revolving "Leslie speakers" starting in the second verse
following the break. Like the splice in "Strawberry Fields Forever" you could listen to this track for many years and never
notice this detail; yet read it once in Lewisohn, and you can never hear it any other way again.
Outro
The outro is an extension of the final verse with five iterations of last phrase.
The trailing seconds of the track paint an image of the world winding down and pulling apart, as it were, by centrifugal force; or,
if you will, like pinwheel slowing down sufficiently so that you can see beyond its blurred spinning image to the individual frames of
which that image is made.
As the smoke clears, a number of musical elements emerge that you'd never guess had been there all along; most notably, a
furiously flailing tack piano. I wonder, though — were these newly emerging elements really there all along, or is it a matter of a
deftly handled aural illusion? And, by the way — to the extent that the illusion works so well, you might say it doesn't really matter
if the piano was really there all along or not!
This track bears the ironic fate of being the first one recorded back in April 1966 for the new-album-in-progress, while in more
ways than one, it was destined from early on to be last track of the album.
On a rather immediate level, I've always enjoyed the way that the preceding song, "Got To Get You Into My Life" being in G with
an extended outro vamping on that chord, sets up "Tomorrow Never Knows"'s being in C as though the two songs together create a
decisive V -» I ending for the album. But there are issues that run much deeper.
For one thing, having this one already in the can before the stylistic breadth and running order of "Revolver" had much yet
crystallized gave them the strategically compositional advantage of knowing in advance the exact placement of the vanishing
perspective point for the entire album. Consider how the sequencing of the entire album works toward this song.
For another thing, there is so much inherent in this track which forces it to be in the final position. I'm reminded, in this
connection, of a wonderful essay embedded by Thomas Mann within his novel, "Dr. Faustus," in which he explains why Beethoven
intentionally cast his final piano sonata, Op. 111, in the unusual form of only two movements, the second of which is a slow
movement in theme and variations. Commenting on the relationship of Op. 111 to the entirety of the piano sonata as a genre, Mann
says that, "as a species, as traditional art-form; it itself was here at an end, brought to its end, it had fulfilled its destiny, reached its
goal, beyond which there was no going, it canceled and resolved itself, it took leave ..." [**] While it is an exaggeration to say that
the Rock Song genre was in any sense "finished off" by a single song like our "Tomorrow Never Knows", it is worth pondering the
extent to which a single track can be said to have raised the stakes, and taken the genre to some kind of crossroads from which it
would be a challenge to all, the Beatles themselves not excepted, to figure out where to proceed next.
[** the quote is on page 55, but I recommend to anyone interested in the intersection between literature and music criticism read
from the beginning of Chapter 8, on page 49.]
Granted, I doubt that I can muster any objective proof that the Beatles entertained any kind of conscious, pre-meditated thoughts
along these lines, but do also grant me the poetic justice of our reacting to it thusly. And if that doesn't work for you, imagine the
absurdity of hearing of "Tomorrow Never Knows" anywhere else in the track order; try, especially listening to it as either the first or
last track on side A and then listening to any other track afterwards. Or better yet, relax and enjoy it in place, just the way it is.
Regards,
Alan (052195#103)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/awp-d.shtml,
volume 1
january 1999
The studio years (1967 - 1968)
by Alan W. Pollack
In 1967 the Beatles withdrew in the recording studio. Because of this the years 1967 and 1968 have become known as their studio
years. The output was as psychedelic in content as impressive from a musical perspective. In February 1967 the group released the
single Penny Lane / Strawberry Fields Forever; followed in June by the album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Next in July
the public got the surprise of the single All You Need Is Love / Baby You're A Rich Man. Then in November the single Hello Goodbye
/ I'm The Walrus was released, which already in December was followed by the double EP Magical Mystery Tour. March 1968 saw
the single Lady Madonna / The Inner Light and the last days of August Hey Jude / Revolution. In July the cartoon movie Yellow
Submarine made its way into the theaters (the songs were released on album in January 1969). The lack of albums that year was filled
up in November with the White Album.
104 Penny Lane (1995) 95
105 Strawberry Fields Forever (1995) 93
106 Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (1995) 97
107 With A Little Help From My Friends (1995) 107
108 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (1995) 103
109 Getting Better (1995) 104
110 Fixing A Hole (1996) 99
111 She's Leaving Home (1996) 106
112 Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite (1996) 101
113 Within You Without You (1996) 105
114 When I'm Sixty-Four (1996) 94
115 Lovely Rita (1996) 102
116 Good Morning, Good Morning (1996) 98
117 'Reprise' and 'A Day In The Life' (1996) 108, 96
118 All You Need Is Love (1996) 114
119 Baby You're A Rich Man (1996) 110
120 Hello Goodbye (1996) 120
121 I Am The Walrus (1996) 116
122 Magical Mystery Tour (1996) 109
123 The Fool On The Hill (1996) 119
124 Flying (1996) 118
125 Blue Jay Way (1997) 117
126 Your Mother Should Know (1997) 115
127 Lady Madonna (1997) 122
128 The Inner Light (1997) 121
129 'Revolution' and 'Revolution 1' (1997) 132, 125
130 Back In The USSR (1997) 142
131 Dear Prudence (1997) 143
132 Glass Onion (1997) 144
133 Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (1997) 131
134 Wild Honey Pie (1997) 141
135 The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill (1997) 154
136 Happiness Is A Warm Gun (1997) 148
137 Martha My Dear (1997) 151
138 I'm So Tired (1997) 153
139 Blackbird (1997) 128
140 Piggies (1998) 147

141 Rocky Raccoon (1998) 140
142 Don't Pass Me By (1998) 126
143 Why Don't We Do It In The Road (1998) 155
144 I Will (1998) 145
145 Julia (1998) 156
146 Yer Blues (1998) 139
147 Mother Nature's Son (1998) 138
148 Everybody's Got Something To Hide Except For Me And My Monkey (1998) 129
149 Sexy Sadie (1998) 135
150 Helter Skelter (1998) 134
151 Long, Long, Long (1998) 152
152 Honey Pie (1998) 149
153 Savoy Truffle (1998) 150
154 Cry Baby Cry (1998) 133
155 Revolution #9 (1998) 127
156 Good Night (1998) 130
157 Only A Northern Song (1998) 100
158 All Together Now (1998) 111
159 Hey Bulldog (1998) 124
160 It's All Too Much (1998) 113
by Ger Tillekens.
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/pl.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Penny Lane"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #104 (PL)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: B Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Verse | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Verse (solo) | Refrain |
| Verse | Verse | Refrain |
| Refrain / Outro (with complete ending)
CD: "Magical Mystery Tour", Track 9 (Parlophone CDP7 48062-2)
Recorded: 29th, 30th December 1966,
4th-6th, 9th January 1967, Abbey Road 2;
10th, 12th January 1967, Abbey Road 3;
17 January 1967, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 17th February 1967
(Double-A Single / "Strawberry Fields Forever")
US-release: 13th February 1967
(Double-A Single / "Strawberry Fields Forever")
Style and Form
On a bad day, Paul's keen interest in trying out diverse musical styles could produce a kind of undigested whole-cloth parody that
you either have to love or simply cannot stand; e.g. "Honey Pie" or "Maxwell's Silver Hammer". On a good day, though, he could
demonstrate an extraordinary talent for melting several such styles so that the whole becomes something not just "greater than," but
somehow Different From and Elevated Above, the mere Sum of its Parts. And "Penny Lane", in my humble opinion, was the product
of a very good day.
It's more "classical" than "Got To Get You Into My Life" but maybe less so than "For No One"; more "popular" and "hard
rocking" than "Eleanor Rigby" but maybe less so than "Good Day Sunshine". Go and figure; I defy you to easily classify it!
The completely cyclical form is rather folk-like, though the transposition upward of the final refrain is quite reminiscent of the
late fifties / early sixties cliché of stepping up a half-step for the last chorus. The Beatles only other use of this latter gambit, to this
point of their career, is found as far back as "And I Love Her" (... and, gee, which one of them wrote that one? :-)).
The rhythmic pulse is march-like with an undercurrent of fast triplets and localized syncopations that emphasize, rather than
challenge, the rigidity of the four-in-the-bar meter.
Melody and Harmony
The melody and harmony are both extraordinarily flexible in a quiet, subtle sort of way. The overall modality of the song is
clearly Major, yet the verse has a deft touch of the parallel minor key, and the refrain is modally inflected by the melodic flat
seventh.
The setting of the refrain in the key of flat-VII, though, is the single most unusual feature — again, I challenge you, this time, to
find another example of it from anywhere! And structurally, it provides ironic motivation for the upward transposition of the final
refrain. The refrain is musically set off from the verse not only by this harmonic gambit, but by the additional technique of its being
placed on melodically higher ground than the verse.
Arrangement
The mix has a wall-of-sound thickness that is surprisingly more reminiscent of the Beach Boys' "Pet Sounds" aesthetic than it is
of Phil Spector; though thankfully, you'll have a much harder time here detecting the splices in the tape than you do in plotting the
progress of "Wouldn't It Be Nice" :-) Yes, there are brass, flutes, a piccolo, a bass fiddle, a fire bell, and voices mimicking sirens that
you can hear. There are also oboes (not to mention overdubbed keyboard parts) that you cannot hear!! At least, I cannot.
The final track also shows some of the tell-tale signs of having been recorded with the tape running slow, in order to sound faster
(not to mention "higher") on playback; the most noticeable to my ears being the unnaturally fast vibrato in Paul's voice.
The refrains feature an effect somewhere between true counterpoint and antiphonal obbligato in the way that the thread of the lead
vocal is picked up by either the backing vocals or trumpet solo.
The appearance of a so-called "Bach" (i.e. Baroque-era piccolo) trumpet in this Beatles' song is both uncanny and out of
character; to the extent that any similarity between the licks played here and the solo part of a certain "Brandenburg Concerto", said
by Macca to have inspired him, is (maybe by intention) both remote and ironic. Yes, it's obviously a period instrument, but casting
himself against type for a change, Mr. Martin coaxes out a solo that is not quite so classical evocative as the ones he had come up
with for such occasions as "In My Life" or "For No One".
Certainly, the layering of this solo is strictly according to the Beatles' book of style — see "For No One" for another example:
first off, save the strange instrument for a rhythmically unbound solo section in the middle, to be followed by more subtle
appearances as a single note in the first of the next pair of verses, and a slow-paced obbligato in the penultimate refrain; finally
capped off an another unbound lick (a nice reprise of the solo) in the final section.
Verse
The finished track has no formal "intro" to speak of, though, while Paulie comes in on "three-and", there is a one-eighth-note's
trace of the backing track starting right on "three", which suggests the possibility of a more extensive intro in the studio that was
deftly masked off; you see, outtakes potentially solve riddles just such as these, when we can get our hands on them!
The verse is a standard eight measures long and parses into an AA'B (2 + 2 + 4) structure.
The same stylistic blend that is so well manifested in the overall production shows up as well within the musical fabric. This verse
section starts off with a classically predictable walking bass cliché, but with a single surprisingly minor seventh chord on I in
measure three. The section continues onward in a Jazzy / French Impressionistic vein for several measures only to cadence with,
again, a classically inspired "4-3" progression:
m.1 2
Chords: |B |E c# F# |
Bassline: |B A# G# F# |E C# F# F#8 |
B: I IV ii V
m.3 4
Chords: |B |b7 |
Bassline: |B A# G# F# |B |
I ************************
m.5 6
Chords: |g# |G |
************************ flat-VI
m.7 8
Chords: |F# |- |
V4 - - - - - 3
[Figure 104.1]
The harmony of those measures I've highlighted above with a string of asterisks is extremely chromatic. We've seen many cases
along the way where "analysis by roman numeral" breaks down and you can only understand a certain progression as a matter of
persuasive voice leading. This particular example goes one step further in that the underlying chromatic progression is itself
embellished and stretched out.
Look at it this way — The overall progression is from I -» V by way of flat-VI chord, which is borrowed from the parallel minor.
Here is the unembellished-yet-chromatic progression (measures 3 up to 8); transposed up to C to make it easier reading
(please pardon my unsolved parallel octaves and fifths):
C - - - B -
G - - Ab G -
E - - Eb D -
C - - Ab G -
I flat-VI V
[Figure 104.2]
And here is the embellished progression. By lining them up one under the other I think it becomes easier to see how the voices of the
texture move out of synch, blurring or blunting the otherwise clear overall thrust of the progression:
C Bb C - - B
G - - Ab G
E Eb - - D
C - A Ab G
I flat-VI V
4 ---» 3
[Figure 104.3]
The implicit shift to the parallel minor, and the continued harping on it by the keyboard part lends an ominous tone to the song,
one that is curiously at cross-currents with the otherwise sunny lyrics.
The first verse of each pair has the "4-3" suspension over the F# chord repeated in its last two measures. The second verse of each
pair, the ones that are followed by a refrain, use the final two measures to make an unusual pivot to the key of the flat-VII, A Major:
|F# |E |
V4 - 3
A: VI#3 V
[Figure 104.4]
In this case, the F# chord is not indigenous to A Major, though the f#-minor chord is.
Refrain
The refrain is eight measures long, in a standard AA' (4 + 4) form, and features much simpler harmony than the verse:
|A |- |D |- |
A: I IV
|A |- |D |F# |
I IV
B: III V
[Figure 104.5]
The harmonic pivot back to the home key of the verses is based on the borrowing of a chord from the parallel minor. In this case,
the D-Major chord is indigenous to b minor, not Major.
Measures 2 and 6 of this section feature the I chord in its so-called "first" (or 6/3) inversion. In the realm of classical music, this
6/3 chord is an ordinary staple of the dialect. In terms of the Beatles' songs we've studied to date, it's appearance is sufficiently rare to
merit comment.
Outro
The "rare" alternate mix of this song with the one last trumpet lick at the very end proves that the less-is-more aesthetic of the
official mix without the trumpet is to be preferred.
The complete ending here kind of hits a wall and then ricochets. Paul's last "Penny Lane" vocal lick is executed in hard
syncopation against the final downbeat, and is followed by a suspenseful few seconds before the cymbal crescendo finishes up for
good.
"Penny Lane" is dominated, both in music and words, by a type of blue-skied charm that nicely sets a foil for the "Strawberry
Fields Forever" flip-side of the single, but in terms of "Penny Lane" per se, could easily over-do if not undo itself entirely. There are,
however, counter-balancing forces of what I might describe as "ambiguity" at work which help to pull it off successfully.
The music for example, contains scattered flecks of the ominous in both the harmony (which we've already discussed) as well as
the arrangement; my favorite example of which is the sustained low note on the bass fiddle in the penultimate verse. This bitter-
sweet undercurrent is left unexplained and effectively cuts what could otherwise leave an excessively sweet after taste.
The words, even more so, are put together in a way that elevates them above the superficial clip-art/cutsey quality of much of
their imagery. You can see this from a comparison of "Penny Lane" with "Eleanor Rigby". Both songs open up with disparate,
contrasting story elements. But, whereas in the earlier song, effective irony is conjured by Paul's going out of his way to interlock the
two stories at the end, in "Penny Lane" he allows whatever correspondences develop among the many more then two story elements
(barber, banker, fireman, pretty nurse, and The Rain, for starters) to appear as random and coincidental.
Indeed, the whole panorama is described in terms so non-judgemental and matter of fact, that the ultimate effect is quite
transcendent. No matter how much more realistic "Penny Lane" is in language and imagery, compared to "Strawberry Fields
Forever" you might say the two songs share this impressionistic, entirely subjective point of view.
Regards,
Alan (072395#104)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/sff.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Strawberry Fields Forever"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #105 (SFF)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: B-flat (more or less)

Meter: 4/4 (with occasional measures of 6/8)
Form: Intro | Refrain | Verse | Refrain | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Outro (with double fade-out)
Recorded: 24th, 28th, 29th November,
8th, 9th, 15th, 21th, 22nd December 1966, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 17th February 1967 (Double-A Single / "Penny Lane")
US-release: 13th February 1967 (Double-A Single / "Penny Lane")
1
Style and Form
This song is an undeniable landmark breakthrough, though with the exception of the midstream switch to a different backing track
and the double fade-out at the end, there is nothing on the technical side here that is quite literally so "new" as much as it is a matter
of several still-novel techniques being taken to new levels of complexity, intensity, and simultaneous exploitation and juxtaposition.
The use of tape-speed variations; up close miking; limiting; playing tapes backwards; the inclusion of instruments and
instrumental groups that are conspicuously non-rock in their primary association; strange chord progressions, and surprising
changes of meter — all these things have their precedents on "Revolver" or its related singles, but the irony is that they are
presented here in "Strawberry Fields Forever" in creative extensions such that you never feel as if the Beatles are merely repeating
themselves. Also, there's a kitchen-sink presentation of so many of these tricks in a single number that is, prior to "Strawberry Fields
Forever", quite unprecedented.
The evolution of the song, from home demos through the many studio takes that traverse three very different arrangements of it, is
a much discussed, fascinating story of its own which is somewhat outside the scope of this note. For those who are interested, see
my article in "The 910", volume 1, #2, the bulk of which I'll still stand behind with a few corrected errors in judgement, and
inclusion of new information made available since it was written.
For this context, suffice it to say, the official version of "Strawberry Fields Forever" was made by the splicing together of takes 7
and 26 at the 1:00 mark in the song, just as the second refrain commences with the phrase "I'm going to". This required slightly
increasing the speed of take 7 (recorded in the key of A) to the point where it sounds close to, but not quite exactly in, the key of B-
flat; compared with a tuning fork, the opening of the official version is not quite on pitch. Conversely, take 26 (recorded in the key of
B) was slowed down to sound in B-flat on playback. Just as Lewisohn reports, as the moment of the splice approached, it seems as
though the engineers added just the right amount of additional speed to bring take 7 up to sound precisely in B-flat.
Although one might argue from the perspective of textbook poetics that the song would sound more integrated if they had stuck
with one or the other arrangement throughout, I dare say that the shift in midstream from one version to the other adds a third
dimension of progressive fluidity to the music which would have otherwise been missing, and whose presence nicely underscores the
sense (or shall I say, nonsense) of the lyrics.
Melody and Harmony
The harmony vacillates between moments of relatively standard tonal clarity and those of strange ambiguity. In several places it
pulls back from seemingly inevitable cadences, and settles throughout for the less decisive IV -» I plagal cadence instead of the
standard V -» I. For my money, this harmonic idiom subtly sympathizes with the uncertain vacillation between "I think" and "I
know" in the lyrics.
The melodic material has a similar mix of the familiar with surprising chromatic touches as well as that dramatic rising octave
leap thrown in for good measure. The swordmandel licks add a touch of flat-seven modal flavor.
Arrangement
The first part of the song up through the beginning of the second refrain features mellotron, guitar, and drums. The second part
shifts to a heavy orchestra-like texture which sounds like a much larger ensemble than the four trumpets and three cellos actually
used. This group was superimposed onto a backing track of cymbals recorded to playback sounding backwards, guitar, swordmandel
(an exotic Indian instrument which looks like a table harp and sounds like a harpsichord), and several other instruments and effects,
much of which get lost in the background. John's vocal is heavily distorted throughout and is double tracked in the refrains.
The orchestral backing of the second half is more pseudo and surrealistically "classical" than authentically so, and its spasmodic
jumpiness works at effective cross-currents with the more flowing beat established in the first half of the song. While all of the
outtakes of "Strawberry Fields Forever" are worth your hearing at least once, the take 25 which features the orchestral backing by
itself is especially gripping for the intensity it conveys when heard in isolation from the vocal.
Intro
The seemingly harmless introduction is fraught with ambiguity. At what point can you tell from this intro what the home key is?
And how convincing is it when it arrives?
Chords: |F (a) |c A-dim |B-flat F |E-flat B-flat |
Bottom: |F E |Eb |D C |Bb |
B-flat: V ii vii-dim I V IV I
[Figure 105.1]
On paper, it doesn't look so far out, but do you hear the opening chord as V, especially when the a-minor chord is implied in the
second half of the measure? Similarly, toward the end of the phrase I hear the B-flat chord as IV of F and expect F to be the home
key only to be fooled by that sort of forced 6/4 -» 5/3 plagal cadence at the end. Note, by the way, how the final measure of the intro
contains an additional two beats!
And should you suspect this kind of sophistication to be a hallmark of John's work at this particular point of his career, I hasten to
point out how similar this intro is, harmonically, to the one found a couple years earlier in, of all songs, "Help!".
Refrain
The metrical phrasing of the refrain is made somewhat indeterminate by the interpolation at one point of a fore-shortened half-
measure, (on the words, "nothing to get"), and at another point of a single measure in 6/8 (on the words, "Strawberry Fields for ..."),
with the eighth-note pulse holding constant. There is also the fact that the vocal part starts up in the middle of the first measure,
giving a feel that the actual downbeat for the section is at the start of the second measure, (on the word "down"):
|B-flat |- |f |- |
B-flat: I v
** half **
** measure **
|D-dim |- |E-flat F |G |
vii-of-IV IV V V-of-ii
** 6/8 **
|E-flat |B-flat |
IV I
[Figure 105.2]
The refrain is the most tonally ambiguous and roundabout of the sections. The v chord of the home key is presented in the minor
mode, a diminished chord sets up an excursion toward either IV or ii, there's an unrequited second flirtation with ii, and ultimately, a
plagal cadence.
If you want to get really fussy about detailed differences among the several repeats of this refrain you'll note how in the first
refrain the diminished chord in the fifth measure is presented with G in the bass as a V9-of-ii, and the penultimate measure
interpolates a c-minor ii chord in between the E-flat and B-flat chords.
Verse
In contrast to the refrain, the verse section is a predictable eight measures long that you can parse into four even phrases. The
harmonic rhythm is also contrastingly faster in this section.
Harmonically, the verse opens on V and moves toward, but still we encounter the approach-avoidance tactic every time you think
the V chord will resolve to I. Note here, how the opening V "deceptively" resolves to vi, and the closing V moves to I only by
roundabout way of the IV chord:
|F |F7 f# dim |g |E-flat |
V vii-dim/vi vi IV
|E-flat F |B-flat g |E-flat F |E-flat B-flat |

IV V I vi IV V IV I
[Figure 105.3]
Outro
The novelty per se of the song's initial release of the fade back in and then out again is not to be under-estimated at the time of the
song's initial release.
This familiar outro can be heard to take shape in takes 25 and 26. Especially in take 26, you can easily trace the following
synopsis of events over the background of muttered screaming and percussion effects: fanfare-like phrases by the swordmandel and
mellotron, followed by something that sounds like a pulsating doppler effect panning across the stereo picture, followed by more
mellotron fanfares, followed by the infamous "cranberry sauce" remarks, and on take 25, you can hear John remark: "Allright, calm
down, Ringo." I believe that the fade effects of the official version were directly superimposed over what we hear on take 26.
One of my repeated points of emphasis in this series is how wherever you find the Beatles at their most seemingly experimental,
you almost always find them also at their most traditionally conservative. Here, in "Strawberry Fields Forever", underneath whatever
else is "far out" you find mostly a folk-ballad-like form with a late breaking tip of the hat to the pop song format.
On the folksy side, there is the opening with a refrain rather than a verse, and the strict alternation of refrains and verses with no
bridge or instrumental solo. Lyrically, all three verse sections have unique words: "Living is easy ...", "No-one, I think ...", and
"Always, no, sometimes ...". The late breaking pop song gesture is in the once-twice-three-times-you're-out repetition that elides the
final refrain with the outro.
In the realm of musical vocabulary just typically John Lennonesque, you have an uncanny number of slow triples in the lead
vocal, as well as the backing track.
What I'm trying to say is, yeah, the song is very far out in many ways, but in others, it's quite typical of its creator(s). This ain't no
"What's the New Mary Jane"; in my humble opinion, thank goodness :-)
Regards,
Alan (102995#105)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/litswd.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #108 (LITSWD)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major (but ...!)

Meter: 3/4 alternating with 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge | Refrain |
| Verse | Bridge | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain / Outro (fade-out)
CD: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band",
Track 3 (Parlophone CDP7 46442-2)
Recorded: 28th February, 1th, 2nd March 1967, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 1st June 1967 (LP "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band")
US-release: 2nd June 1967 (LP "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band")
Style and Form
"Lucy ..." is comparable in many respects to "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Strawberry Fields Forever". It is less subtle than
either of those two songs, but it also all the more outrageous and not the least bit less ingenious.
It's also the most explicitly drugs-oriented of the three; even the earlier precedents such as "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Dr.
Robert" sound tame in comparison. Don't ever forget that just because the title of the song matches the name of picture painted by
toddler Julian doesn't mean that the song isn't's about the so-called "dreaded" Lysergic Acid :-) Plasticene porters with looking
glass ties, indeed.
The music is certainly as mercurial and elusive as the imagery of the words, especially in terms of the constantly shifting key
structure and the rhythmic alternation of 3/4 and 4/4 meters. There's also that typically Beatlesque manipulation of form in the way
the bridge section is dropped for the final Verse sequence.
The use of drone-like harmony in the verse and rote repetition of a single phrase in the refrain lends an appropriate eyes-pinned
hypnotic feeling to the piece.
Melody and Harmony
The melodic material is kept exceedingly simple in consideration of the combined metrical and harmonic challenges which
underlie it. Hum it to yourself and listen to what it sounds like independently of the accompaniment. I mean, there's not much there if
you take it out of context.
The song's three sections each have a distinct harmonic and melodic profile:
The verse is in the key of A and consists of a repeated chromatic filling out of the I chord. The tune just noodles around the five
notes that outline the A-Major triad.
The bridge starts off in the key of B-flat but finishes up in the key of G. This seemingly remote modulation belies a loose relation
between the two keys: G is the parallel Major of g minor, and the latter is the relative minor of B-flat. The tune here is almost
monotonously stuck on the note D.
In order to provide some well-needed ballast-like oases of predictability, the Refrain is in G and stays close to home with the old I
-» IV -» V progression. However, it also pivots on the D chord to get back to the key of A for the verses which follow it. The melody
this time consists of a plain downward scale.
Arrangement
Lewisohn says the opening ostinato lick is played on a special Hammond organ stop that sounds like a celeste. Fine; the end result
still sounds to my ears sounds like a harpsichord played back with as much seasick flutter as you'd get from my 35 year-old (and
counting) Wollensak reel-to-reel tape deck.
Paul's standout performance on bass is ample proof of how the magical collaborative abilities of Messrs. Lennon and McCartney
was extended well beyond the arbitrary task divisions of words-versus-music, or verses-versus- middle eights. I am especially
impressed by the amount of variation provided by the bass part:
• First verse: downbeats only ;

• First bridge: every beat, largely with repeated notes;
• First refrain: running eighth notes in Baroque fashion;
• Second verse: downbeats only, again;
• Second bridge: every beat, with more in the way of arpeggio outlines;
• Second refrain: running eighth notes, again;
• Third verse: more active and in a less regimented manner than previously;
• Outro: more running eighth notes, this time with arpeggios as well as melodic runs.
The vocal parts show similar attention to structured variation:
• Verses: John solo; at first with so little ADT that you can isolate a pristine single-track vocal by blocking out either of the
stereo channels. Final phrase is more truly double-tracked.
• Bridges: John solo; heavily echoed with mild ADT, and sounding like he's exhaling helium :-)
• First refrain: First phrase sounds like Paul solo but with ADT. Second phrase has John and Paul singing in unison. Third
phrase has them singing in parallel thirds; with Paul as usual "on top", so to speak.
• Second refrain: The parallel thirds start right in the first phrase.
• Outro: First phrase has John and Paul in unison, but the rest of the entire outro is in parallel thirds.
Other instrumental details of note include the way the lead guitar always doubles the lead vocal in the bridges, the prominence of
the organ during the outro, and the repeated, ultra close-up, yet sparing use of the tamboura drone; "is that you buzzin?"
Intro
The intro is a four measure presentation of the harpsichord ostinato which happens to contain within it the complete design of the
verse sections:
| E | E | E | DC# |
| A | A | A | A |
| A |G |F# |F-nat |
|E | | | |
[Figure 108.1]
It's very Baroque-like in the way it uses a single melodic line to suggest a complete four-part linear texture. Play it at parties and
amaze your friends :-) And let me encourage all of you to sharpen your listening skills by forcing yourself to transcribe such things
by dictation, rather than turning immediately to the sheet music!
Verse
The verse contains two long and roughly parallel vocal phrases that sit on top of a limping uneven quatrain of phrases in the
accompaniment; note the 4/5/4/6 phrasing of the backing track:
Melody: |C# C# C# |C# B A |C# B A |C# B A |
Bassline: |A |G |F# |F-nat |
Melody: |C# B A |C# - C# |E D C# |A |

Bassline: |E |G |F# |F-nat C F |
Melody: | |
Bassline: |C D |
Melody: |C# D E |C# B A |C# B A |C# B A |

Bassline: |E |G |F# |F-nat |
Melody: |C# B A |E D C# |A | |
Bassline: |E |G |F# A F |A F# A |
Melody: | | |
Bassline: |D D D |C C C |
[Figure 108.2]
The ostinato is allowed in to fill out the A-Major chord in the first and third phrases. In the second phrase, it ends with an implied
move to the flat-VI ("Peggy Sue") chord of F-Major. This gesture is stretched out in the fourth phrase where the bassline first
lingeringly spells out the D-Major chord (the V of G-Major — intimations of the Refrain yet to come!), before it chromatically
descends through d-minor to F-Major. This time, the F-Major chord is "given its head" to serve as a V chord to the B-flat key of the
Bridge which follows.
Bridge
The bridge "should be" sixteen measures long with four phrases. At least it starts off that way, but it is foreshortened at the
beginning of where the fourth phrase would be by a switch to 4/4, with the quarter note of the 3/4 measures being equal to an eighth
note of the new meter.
|D |- |- |- |- |- |- B-f |lat |
|B-flat |- |C |- |F |- |B-flat |- |
B-flat: I V-of-V V I
|D |- |- |- C B |A - - - |
|C |- |G |- |D 2 3 4 |
V-of-V
G: IV I V
[Figure 108.3]
The tune of this section rides roughshod over the chords with the repeated note, D, creating a freely (i.e. "gratuitous") dissonant
ninth chord on C and a thirteenth chord on F. The effect is one of I'm-So-Tired (and can't be bothered) enervation; as if the singer
didn't have the energy or motivation to nudge the tune to move along more in lock step with the chords.
Refrain
The refrain is a spirited albeit deliberately paced rock march whose energy level contrasts nicely with the other sections. The
section is an unusual seven measures long with the opening phrase repeated three times, followed by a one-measure transition back
to the next verse:
------------- 3X --------------
|G C |D |
G: I IV V
||Verse
|D ||A 2 3|
G: V
A: IV I
[Figure 108.4]
Outro
The outro grows directly out of the final refrain, turning it into an eight measure section in which the meter is kept constant and
the A-Major chord, which earlier had signaled a return to the key of A, now is left hanging an unresolved V-of-V; certainly not the
first or last example of this particular chord left hanging.
------------ 3X ---------------
|G C |D |- |A |
G: I IV V V-of-V
[Figure 108.5]
The fade-out starts relatively early and is done gradually, becoming complete about half way through the third iteration.
This song maintains a subtle and paradoxical hold on the forces of foundation-level deep (throated) structure in spite of the way it
appears on the surface to be caught up entirely in those equally opposing forces of free-wheeling and unbound consciousness. In my
analyses I don't usually indulge in the music theory equivalent of Chomskian linguistics, but in this case the evidence seems just too
compelling.
Cutting right to the chase ..., I think the harmonic structure of the overall song is characterized by the following Moebius Strip of
a chord progression:
|A |F |B-flat |(C) |G |D |A |
A: I flat-VI IV I
Bb: V I
G: flat-III (IV) I V
[Figure 108.6]
Most salient in this scheme is the repeated motif of root harmonic motion by a third (rather than along the cycle of fifths), creating
in each case a tangy cross relation; i.e. the move from A to F pits F# with F-natural, and the move from B-flat to G pits B-flat with
B-natural.
What really sparks my imagination here is the way in which this same motif of motion in thirds is carried through in the melodic
material. For example, in the verse you have triadic outlining (C# -» A, C# -» E), and in the bridge you have that slide from D -» B-
flat (on the two syllables of "away"). For that matter, you can also point to those parallel thirds harmonizing the refrain!
And yes, I'll grant you that John was an essentially intuitive composer working entirely without awareness aforehand of such
precious internal details. But that doesn't mean the effect is not implanted in the music. Attribute it to, or blame it on, George Martin,
if you will.
I leave you with one final detail in the song that, intuition aside, convinces me that what I'm describing is no random accident:
Did you ever notice how, in the transition from verse to bridge, the bassline outlines a D-Major triad (| F# - A - F# | A - F# - A | D ...
|) and immediately following, the so-called harpsichord part mimics the bass's melodic oscillation over a minor third using notes
chosen for the extent to which they emphasize the cross relation between F# and F-natural; | E - C# - E | F-natural - D - F |.
Go check it out — in the second verse/bridge combination they execute it more sloppily than the first time around, but it's there both
times, no question. No coincidence.
Regards,
Alan (122495#108)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/litswd.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #108 (LITSWD)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major (but ...!)

Meter: 3/4 alternating with 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge | Refrain |
| Verse | Bridge | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain / Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 28th February, 1th, 2nd March 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
"Lucy ..." is comparable in many respects to "Tomorrow Never Knows" and "Strawberry Fields Forever". It is less subtle than
either of those two songs, but it also all the more outrageous and not the least bit less ingenious.
It's also the most explicitly drugs-oriented of the three; even the earlier precedents such as "I'm Only Sleeping" and "Dr.
Robert" sound tame in comparison. Don't ever forget that just because the title of the song matches the name of picture painted by
toddler Julian doesn't mean that the song isn't's about the so-called "dreaded" Lysergic Acid :-) Plasticene porters with looking
glass ties, indeed.
The music is certainly as mercurial and elusive as the imagery of the words, especially in terms of the constantly shifting key
structure and the rhythmic alternation of 3/4 and 4/4 meters. There's also that typically Beatlesque manipulation of form in the way
the bridge section is dropped for the final Verse sequence.
The use of drone-like harmony in the verse and rote repetition of a single phrase in the refrain lends an appropriate eyes-pinned
hypnotic feeling to the piece.
Melody and Harmony

The melodic material is kept exceedingly simple in consideration of the combined metrical and harmonic challenges which
underlie it. Hum it to yourself and listen to what it sounds like independently of the accompaniment. I mean, there's not much there if
you take it out of context.
The song's three sections each have a distinct harmonic and melodic profile:
The verse is in the key of A and consists of a repeated chromatic filling out of the I chord. The tune just noodles around the five
notes that outline the A-Major triad.
The bridge starts off in the key of B-flat but finishes up in the key of G. This seemingly remote modulation belies a loose relation
between the two keys: G is the parallel Major of g minor, and the latter is the relative minor of B-flat. The tune here is almost
monotonously stuck on the note D.
In order to provide some well-needed ballast-like oases of predictability, the Refrain is in G and stays close to home with the old I
-» IV -» V progression. However, it also pivots on the D chord to get back to the key of A for the verses which follow it. The melody
this time consists of a plain downward scale.
Arrangement
Lewisohn says the opening ostinato lick is played on a special Hammond organ stop that sounds like a celeste. Fine; the end result
still sounds to my ears sounds like a harpsichord played back with as much seasick flutter as you'd get from my 35 year-old (and
counting) Wollensak reel-to-reel tape deck.
Paul's standout performance on bass is ample proof of how the magical collaborative abilities of Messrs. Lennon and McCartney
was extended well beyond the arbitrary task divisions of words-versus-music, or verses-versus- middle eights. I am especially
impressed by the amount of variation provided by the bass part:
• First verse: downbeats only ;

• First bridge: every beat, largely with repeated notes;
• First refrain: running eighth notes in Baroque fashion;
• Second verse: downbeats only, again;
• Second bridge: every beat, with more in the way of arpeggio outlines;
• Second refrain: running eighth notes, again;
• Third verse: more active and in a less regimented manner than previously;
• Outro: more running eighth notes, this time with arpeggios as well as melodic runs.
The vocal parts show similar attention to structured variation:
• Verses: John solo; at first with so little ADT that you can isolate a pristine single-track vocal by blocking out either of the
stereo channels. Final phrase is more truly double-tracked.
• Bridges: John solo; heavily echoed with mild ADT, and sounding like he's exhaling helium :-)
• First refrain: First phrase sounds like Paul solo but with ADT. Second phrase has John and Paul singing in unison. Third
phrase has them singing in parallel thirds; with Paul as usual "on top", so to speak.
• Second refrain: The parallel thirds start right in the first phrase.
• Outro: First phrase has John and Paul in unison, but the rest of the entire outro is in parallel thirds.
Other instrumental details of note include the way the lead guitar always doubles the lead vocal in the bridges, the prominence of
the organ during the outro, and the repeated, ultra close-up, yet sparing use of the tamboura drone; "is that you buzzin?"
Intro
The intro is a four measure presentation of the harpsichord ostinato which happens to contain within it the complete design of the
verse sections:
| E | E | E | DC# |
| A | A | A | A |
| A |G |F# |F-nat |
|E | | | |
[Figure 108.1]
It's very Baroque-like in the way it uses a single melodic line to suggest a complete four-part linear texture. Play it at parties and
amaze your friends :-) And let me encourage all of you to sharpen your listening skills by forcing yourself to transcribe such things
by dictation, rather than turning immediately to the sheet music!
Verse
The verse contains two long and roughly parallel vocal phrases that sit on top of a limping uneven quatrain of phrases in the
accompaniment; note the 4/5/4/6 phrasing of the backing track:
Melody: |C# C# C# |C# B A |C# B A |C# B A |
Bassline: |A |G |F# |F-nat |
Melody: |C# B A |C# - C# |E D C# |A |

Bassline: |E |G |F# |F-nat C F |
Melody: | |
Bassline: |C D |
Melody: |C# D E |C# B A |C# B A |C# B A |

Bassline: |E |G |F# |F-nat |
Melody: |C# B A |E D C# |A | |
Bassline: |E |G |F# A F |A F# A |
Melody: | | |
Bassline: |D D D |C C C |
[Figure 108.2]
The ostinato is allowed in to fill out the A-Major chord in the first and third phrases. In the second phrase, it ends with an implied
move to the flat-VI ("Peggy Sue") chord of F-Major. This gesture is stretched out in the fourth phrase where the bassline first
lingeringly spells out the D-Major chord (the V of G-Major — intimations of the Refrain yet to come!), before it chromatically
descends through d-minor to F-Major. This time, the F-Major chord is "given its head" to serve as a V chord to the B-flat key of the
Bridge which follows.
Bridge
The bridge "should be" sixteen measures long with four phrases. At least it starts off that way, but it is foreshortened at the
beginning of where the fourth phrase would be by a switch to 4/4, with the quarter note of the 3/4 measures being equal to an eighth
note of the new meter.
|D |- |- |- |- |- |- B-f |lat |
|B-flat |- |C |- |F |- |B-flat |- |
B-flat: I V-of-V V I
|D |- |- |- C B |A - - - |
|C |- |G |- |D 2 3 4 |
V-of-V
G: IV I V
[Figure 108.3]
The tune of this section rides roughshod over the chords with the repeated note, D, creating a freely (i.e. "gratuitous") dissonant
ninth chord on C and a thirteenth chord on F. The effect is one of I'm-So-Tired (and can't be bothered) enervation; as if the singer
didn't have the energy or motivation to nudge the tune to move along more in lock step with the chords.
Refrain
The refrain is a spirited albeit deliberately paced rock march whose energy level contrasts nicely with the other sections. The
section is an unusual seven measures long with the opening phrase repeated three times, followed by a one-measure transition back
to the next verse:
------------- 3X --------------
|G C |D |
G: I IV V
||Verse
|D ||A 2 3|
G: V
A: IV I
[Figure 108.4]
Outro
The outro grows directly out of the final refrain, turning it into an eight measure section in which the meter is kept constant and
the A-Major chord, which earlier had signaled a return to the key of A, now is left hanging an unresolved V-of-V; certainly not the
first or last example of this particular chord left hanging.
------------ 3X ---------------
|G C |D |- |A |
G: I IV V V-of-V
[Figure 108.5]
The fade-out starts relatively early and is done gradually, becoming complete about half way through the third iteration.
This song maintains a subtle and paradoxical hold on the forces of foundation-level deep (throated) structure in spite of the way it
appears on the surface to be caught up entirely in those equally opposing forces of free-wheeling and unbound consciousness. In my
analyses I don't usually indulge in the music theory equivalent of Chomskian linguistics, but in this case the evidence seems just too
compelling.
Cutting right to the chase ..., I think the harmonic structure of the overall song is characterized by the following Moebius Strip of
a chord progression:
|A |F |B-flat |(C) |G |D |A |
A: I flat-VI IV I
Bb: V I
G: flat-III (IV) I V
[Figure 108.6]
Most salient in this scheme is the repeated motif of root harmonic motion by a third (rather than along the cycle of fifths), creating
in each case a tangy cross relation; i.e. the move from A to F pits F# with F-natural, and the move from B-flat to G pits B-flat with
B-natural.
What really sparks my imagination here is the way in which this same motif of motion in thirds is carried through in the melodic
material. For example, in the verse you have triadic outlining (C# -» A, C# -» E), and in the bridge you have that slide from D -» B-
flat (on the two syllables of "away"). For that matter, you can also point to those parallel thirds harmonizing the refrain!
And yes, I'll grant you that John was an essentially intuitive composer working entirely without awareness aforehand of such
precious internal details. But that doesn't mean the effect is not implanted in the music. Attribute it to, or blame it on, George Martin,
if you will.
I leave you with one final detail in the song that, intuition aside, convinces me that what I'm describing is no random accident:
Did you ever notice how, in the transition from verse to bridge, the bassline outlines a D-Major triad (| F# - A - F# | A - F# - A | D ...
|) and immediately following, the so-called harpsichord part mimics the bass's melodic oscillation over a minor third using notes
chosen for the extent to which they emphasize the cross relation between F# and F-natural; | E - C# - E | F-natural - D - F |.
Go check it out — in the second verse/bridge combination they execute it more sloppily than the first time around, but it's there both
times, no question. No coincidence.
Regards,
Alan (122495#108)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/gb.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Getting Better"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #109 (GB)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Bridge |
| Verse | Refrain | Bridge | Outro
Recorded: 9th, 10th, 21st, 23rd March 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
In accord with the compositional advisory re: balancing contrasts, it is most fitting for abstract "Lucy ..." to be followed by the
more representational "Getting Better" with its simple harmonic structure, steady beat, and mischievously clear message of hope.
The musical focus here is on the elaborately detailed arrangement and the conjuring of a particular Pop/Jazz/Rock aesthetic fusion
that was a McCartney specialty; the latter characterized by long phrases on pedal points and the stylized instrumentation and
recording.
The whole thing reminds me of "Got To Get You Into My Life" not just for the rave-up, vamping mood and long phrases, but also
for the slightly elusive form. I've chosen to parse it as though the first refrain is "slightly lacking" and the other refrains are followed
by a bridge. You could just as easily parse it with the bridge as an extension of the refrains, and labeling the first one as "extremely
lacking". The point is that the usually clear formal dividing lines are blurry here, and not easily defined definitively.
Melody and Harmony
The home key of the song is clearly C Major, though it can be described as having its center of gravity leaning heavily toward the
V chord, based on the large amount of air time given to G.
Both the tune and the chord choices are "pan-diatonic"; a fancy way of saying that no notes appear anywhere in the song that are
not native to the home key, and that they are all considered consonant amongst each other.
Paul's improvisational bassline borders on the hyperactive and makes an accurate transcription of the detailed harmony very
difficult. Indeed, recording of the bassline this prominently is reminiscent of "Paperback Writer" and might be categorized as one
of the musical leitmotifs of the entire "Sgt. Pepper" album; at least "Side 1".
Though I generally do not shy away from digging down to that level of detail, in this case I'm going to restrict my analysis to the
bigger picture. I'd rather move on to looking at other songs than obsess on this one :-) Besides, any time you have a sustained note in
the bass part, it doesn't really matter what chords you play above it, to the extent that the bass note itself creates a transcending
"envelope" of its own that sustains your attention.
In this song, for example, while you can spend hours trying to decipher exactly which chords are played over the G pedal tone of
the verse, I don't think you'd argue against the notion that the entire verse is "parsed" in your mind as an elaborate V chord.
Arrangement
Though the final mix is very thick in terms of layered dubs, the musical texture is curiously spare with the bassline, percussion,
vocals, tamboura, and a repeated chiming of piano and guitar on the G octave predominating. Yes, there are other instruments on the
backing track, but they are restricted to a low profile.
They must have had much fun working out the details of this arrangement. Even if they were making it up as they were going
along, the end result shows great attention to detailed patterning. Let's trace it by department:
Vocals:
The Beatles were renowned for their antiphonal and block choral use of backing vocals which appear throughout their songbook
with regularity if not equal frequency. Here, they go to town:
• Intro: Chorus.
• First verse: This one contains the most complicated arrangement. In the first two lines, you have Paul solo with
John/George antiphonally extending his comments in the same first person (as opposed to answering him in the third
person.) For the next two lines, the backing vocals answer only with ahh/ohh phonemes (sounding very much like the
chief Blue Meany), and on the final word, "rules," they echo Paul with "fools" [?] and throw in a final "wooh!" for good
measure. And note how sharply all the backing parts are syncopated.
• First refrain: Paul leads, but the backers join him with a parroting of the word "better" at a rhythmically strange location
("rhymes with station"), and continue on with a quip that belies the unmuddied sentiment expressed by the lead.
• Second verse: The delicious complexity of the first verse is traded off this time for what sounds like Paul accompanying
himself in parallel thirds. On the one hand, I miss the effect of the first verse, but I guess it would lose more than it would
gain by a repeat. Do think that one over, Dimm.
• Second refrain: Same as before.
• First bridge: Chorus followed by a moment of staggered three-part counterpoint.
• Third verse: Same as before.
• Third refrain: Same as before.
• Second bridge: Same as before.
• Outro: Same as in the bridges.
Percussion:
• Intro: Standard drum kit first enters in the second half.

• First verse: Cymbal slashes on the syncopated half-beat before four.
• First refrain: Drums playing four-in-the-bar.
• Second verse: Cymbals as in Verse 1, with hand claps on two.
• Second refrain: Four-in-the-bar.
• First bridge: Four-in-the-bar.
• Third verse: Indian "tabla" drums appear, and the hand claps this time are on four. Late in the section, the cymbals
resume their erstwhile slashing on three-and; dig the "ka-chunk" effect created by the cymbals and hand claps appearing
one eighth note apart. Note here, too, the heavy overlay of buzzing tamboura.
• Third refrain: Four in the bar again, though the Indian drums hang in there.
• Second bridge: Four in the bar again, though the Indian drums hang in there.
• Outro: Layering applied in reverse — eventually only the Indian drums are left.
Chiming G Octave:
• Intro: Yes.
• First verse: No.
• First refrain: Yes.
• Second verse: No.
• Second refrain: Yes.
• First bridge: Yes.
• Third verse: No.
• Third refrain: Yes.
• Second bridge: Yes.
• Outro: Yes.
In other words, this chiming is ubiquitous as long as you're not in one of the verses.
By the way ... once it was pointed out to me by the lyrical transcription found in "Things We Said Today" [**], I too noticed the
muffled "four-five-six" counting in the intro, but I honestly don't know what to make of it. While it sounds much more genuine than
the fake "Taxman" count in, it makes no sense in terms of the number of measures on the recording. Perhaps, this suggests that there
is something at the very beginning of the master tape that has been edited out of the official mix.
[** Campbell, Colin, and Allan Murphy (1980), Things We Said Today. The Complete Lyrics and a Concordance to the Beatles'
Songs, 1962-1970. Ann Arbor: Pierian Press, 1980.]
Intro
The intro is just four prescient measures long. The first two consist of just the chiming sonority that will yet characterize the song,
and the final two give us a foretaste of the choral refrain to come.
The implied harmony of this intro as a IV -» I plagal cadence, with a gratuitous, jazzy ninth applied to the F chord, a result of the
G octave that is sustained for all four measures:
|F |- |C |F |
C: IV I IV
[Figure 109.1]
Verse
The verse is eight measures and breaks into four short phrases of equal length. As I said up top, we could spend a lot of time
transcribing the exact vertical sonorities one hears in these eight measures, but it's healthy, sometimes, for the Gestalt-grasping part
of your mind to acknowledge that this entire verse is "experienced" as a V chord.
Shades of something out of John's "Rain", the final verse has an extra measure added between the two phrases; very strange.
Refrain
Paul's bassline does indeed make it difficult to precisely parse the chords of this section. This is my take on it, but I'll be the first
to admit that the bassline does not necessarily support my root progression:
----------------------- 2X ------------------------
|C |d |e |F (G) |
C: I ii iii IV (V)
[Figure 109.2]
Suffice it to say that the refrain is eight measures long and consists of an almost literal repeat of the same four-measure phrase
that, no matter how you precisely parse the chords, is a harmonically simple phrase that helps establish the home key.
Bridge
The bridge is more of an extension of the refrain that it is a section in its own right. It is ten measures long, and after its opening
two measures of almost Beethoven-like cadence, it proceeds with two repeats of a four measure phrase that is very similar to the
refrain:
|F G F G |F G F G |
C: IV V IV V IV V IV V
----------------------- 2X ------------------------
|C |d |e |F |
I ii iii IV
[Figure 109.3]
Outro
The outro is an unusual "recombinative" reprise of material heard earlier in both bridge and intro:
||chimes only with tabla ....
|F G F G |F G F G |C | | | |
C: IV V IV V IV V IV V I (implied V?)
[Figure 109.4]
The last chord sounded is I, but the repeat of the G octave into the fade-out implies an indefinite harmonic ending on V rather
than I. This ambiguity is nicely exploited by the intro to the next track; but more on that next time.
At risk of appearing to damn with faint praise, this song is by no means a "bad" one, but on its very own, it surely shines on less
brightly than any of the three songs that precede it on the A side of "Sgt. Pepper".
This is not necessarily a deficit, and this "shining less brightly" is not at all a matter of "can't win them all" as much as it is one of
the need, in pacing a continuous album side, of wanting to be able to relax the tension between accumulative peaks without allowing
the pot to grow so cold that the overall continuity is lost.
As such a role player, "Getting Better" admirably fulfills its mission.
Regards, Alan (123195#109)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/fah.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Fixing A Hole"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #110 (FAH)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: F (Dorian minor and Major)

Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Verse (guitar solo) | Bridge |
Recorded: 9th February 1967, Regent Sound Studio;
21th Febuary 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This song has a split stylistic personality: the verse is a Gershwinesque jazz/blues hybrid, while the bridge is more of a torch-song
pop march.
The form, on the other hand, is one of the standard two-bridge models; this one belonging to the sub-category which has two
middle verses, the second of which is an instrumental solo.
Melody and Harmony
Both the melody and harmony of the verse are cast in a variety of f minor (the flat third) that is tinged by both the blues (the flat
seventh), and the Dorian mode (the raised sixth). The verse harmony is also characterized by a descending chromatic line in a middle
voice. The bridge, in contrast, opts for the harmonically clean cut Major mode.
In many other notes, we've talked about the dramatic sentimentality of the minor iv chord when used in a Major key. In this
song, the unusual mode conjured up in the verse sections creates the reverse harmonic scenario: i.e. a Major IV chord in a minor
home key, the effect of which is, to my ears, one of casual, hard-boiled urbanity.
The melodic contours of the verse and bridge are as complementary to each other as is their harmonic profiles. The verse covers a
complete octave plus a third (from F up to A-flat) with a rather sensual mixture of steps and skips. The bridge restricts itself to only a
fifth (C to G), consists of repeated hammering on a subset of those five notes, and though placed high in the range, still tops out a
half-step lower than the verse. That high A-flat of the verse (pushed even further in the final verse to a B-flat -» A-flat appoggiatura)
remains the melodic high point of the entire song.
This song, by the way, resonates uncannily with "Lucy ..." of all songs, for the way its signature descending chromatic line is
exposed blatantly in the intro, and the way its bridge so sharply contrasts with its verse; more subtle "competition" 'tween Messrs.
Lennon and McCartney, I wonder!
Arrangement
The backing track is dominated by the unusual appearance of a "rhythm harpsichord" part, still more of McCartney's hyperactive
basswork, and obbligato-like commentary from the lead guitar. I am particularly fond of the way George scans the majority of his
big solo at a syncopated cross current to the back beat.
As we've seen with some of Paul's other songs on this album, the vocal arrangement here again is elaborate:
• First verse: Paul, solo, with double tracking only at the end where it gets high.
• Second verse: Ditto, though this second time around he sounds hoarse.
• First bridge: Paul, now double tracked. Note, too how the drumming is modified for the bridges. The guitar comes in at the
end of the first phrase and stays in all the way through to the downbeat of the next section.
• Third verse: Like before, only this time he doubles the guitar lick when it appears.
• Fourth verse: Guitar solo, with Paul's doubling of the lick at the end of the previous section overlapping at the beginning.
• Second bridge: Add backing voices for the first time: cooing thirds in the first half, and scatting "dit dit" for the second.
• Fifth verse: Backing voices stay in through to the end. Again, Paul continues to double the lead guitar lick.
• Outro: Paul fully double tracked, improvising on the original tune.
Intro
The intro consists of a brief harpsichord solo followed by some riding on the hi-hat cymbals, and seems to be a strange two-and-a-
half measures long:
- 2 beats -
Chords: |F C-aug |F9 B-flat 9|- |
Top: |C |- |- |
Middle: |A G# |Ab |- |
Middle: |F E |Eb D |- |
F: I V5+ i7- IV
[Figure 110.1]
You might want to notate my G# in the second chord as an A-flat because it is sustained as an A-flat for the remainder of the
phrase. However, I'll stick with my enharmonic notation of G# to the extent that I hear that second chord as a V with a raised fifth; in
which case, its correct spelling is with G#, not A-flat.
Verse
The verse is eight measures long and derives from the chord progression of the intro, with its rapid shift from F Major to f minor;
shades of "Michelle", written in the same key, no less. The whole section parses as one long six-measure phrase with a trailing two-
measure obbligato:
Chords: |F C |f | | |
Top: |F C C C C D |F Eb C C Bb |C F F Ab |Bb C C C Eb|
Middle: |A G# |Ab |- |-
Middle: |F E |Eb D |Eb |D |
F/f: I V5+ i i7- IV6/4 [?]
Chords: |f |Bb |f |Bb |

Top: |F Ab |F | | |
f: i IV i IV
[Figure 110.2]
I hear the chord in measure 4 as some kind of Major IV chord, though the placement of F in the bassline and the melodic
emphasis given to the non-harmonic tone of C sure push the envelope.
Bridge
The bridge is also eight measures long, but the feel of it is entirely different from the verse, what with the shift to Major mode, the
faster harmonic rhythm, and the different drumming:
|F C |F C |F C |F |
F: I V I V I V I
|C G |C G |C G |C |
V V-of-V V V-of-V V V-of-V V
[Figure 110.3]
And don't you gotta love Macca for those trick rhymes like: "If I'm wrong I'm right where I belong"?
Outro
The outro is built on the plan of one-and-a-half verses, with the vocalist improvising nicely on the tune, and the fade-out well in
evidence before the end of the first eight measures.
The message of the words here is superficially similar to "Getting Better", but this song is the more complex, varied, and
ultimately more profound of the two.
In the previous song, something has already happened to the protagonist that makes him prospectively certain that from here on
in, it's going to be better. In our current song, though, the protagonist speaks from the very midst of proactively effecting a change in
his circumstances. Yes, in "Getting Better", he eventually gets around to telling us that he's changing his scene, but in "Fixing A
Hole" we catch him in action, so to speak, from the start; fixing a hole, filling the cracks, painting a room, taking the time ...
Even better, the shifting back and forth between the mixed-mode vague anxiety of the verses and the Major mode self-certainty of
the bridges resonates so truthfully with the experience of all of us who have ever been at one of life's crossroads. Especially that
ending — because no matter how sure of yourself and the upcoming change you may be in your better moments, the uncertainty of
change not yet completely implemented tends to dog you into the fade-out.
Regards,
Alan (010596#110)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/bftbomk.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #112 (BFTBOMK)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: e minor (by way of d and c minor)
Meter: 4/4 (first bridge in 3/4)
| Verse | Bridge (with complete ending)
Recorded: 17th February 1967, Abbey Road 2;
20th February 1967, Abbey Road 3;
28th, 29th, 31st March 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
"Mr. Kite..." has a visual vividness uncommon for the likes of words and music, what with its circus poster lyrics, the harmonium
that sounds like a calliope, and the bustle of those electronic tape loops.
The musical materials are unusual but are also frugally deployed to the extent that all the sections are built upon the same om-and-
about fourteen-measure long chord progression. I think this is motivated, if for no other reason, by the principle that if you're going
to go crazy in one department (in this case, the electronic noise overdubs), than you've got to keep the musical backbone clear and
firm in other departments.
Melody and Harmony
You might say that different parts of this song are respectively in the keys of d, c, and e minor, but I think it's a cop out to describe
the song as simply spanning three different keys and leave it like that.
The notion of a single home key is the central doctrine of tonal music theory. And, to the extent that you're challenged, in a case
like this, to contemplate the manner in which your mind perceives one of the keys as "home" and the others as being away from it is
part of the game. Furthermore, to the extent that goal-orientedness is an equally central doctrine of tonal chord or key progressions,
you'll tend to award the strongest home-steading claim to the key in which you arrive at the end; not the in the middle or at the
beginning.
All this is to say that I believe the home key of this song is e minor, and that the opening in d minor, and the starting of the verses
in c minor is a clever ruse perpetrated intentionally to throw you off balance. It's sort of the harmonic equivalent of one of those
multi-planed Escher engravings where your sense of the direction pointed to by gravity's rainbow depends on where on the page you
focus your gaze.
This explanation may sound far fetched, but you know we've often seen examples in this series of songs which begin with chords
that are out in left field with respect to the ultimate home key; look at "Help!" and "Dr. Robert" just to pick two Lennon' songs off
the top of the head. At any rate, the idea of starting within a key (not just a single chord) that is remote from the ultimate home key is
a logical extension of the same trick.
Arrangement
The electronic effects on this track are no less effective for the relatively primitive way in which they were developed by nineties'
standards. I leave it to others to describe the underlying details.
Compositionally, the important thing to grasp about these effects is how, for the most part, they are superimposed in the manner
of a collage on top of (as opposed to integrated with or inlaid within) an otherwise relatively traditional piece of music.
Intro
The tendency to modulate is in evidence right from the start with this three-measure intro in which the music first converges
toward d minor only to pivot straight away from it to c minor:
|B-flat |A |d G |
d: VI V i
c: ii V
[Figure 112.1]
Verse
The verse is an unusual fourteen measures long and consists of alternating phrases of four and three measures each (AA'BB'), the
asymmetry lending a subtle limping effect:
|c G-aug |B-flat d |G |G-aug |
c: i V#5 vi-of-ii ii V #5
|c G-aug |B-flat d |A |
c: i V#5 vi-of-ii ii
d: vi i V
|d |g A |d |g A |
d: i iv V i iv V
|d |g A |d G |
c: ii V
d: i iv V i
[Figure 112.2]
Harmonically, the section opens in c minor, but most of its time is spent in the key of d minor! Even the first phrase, which
overall consists of a traditional move from i to V, manages to anticipate the move to d with the way it moves to that chord by way of
the G-augmented and relatively remote B-flat chords.
Bridge
The two instrumental interludes of the song provide the formal contrast you'd expect from a bridge, though in this song, these
interludes surprisingly turn out to be built on the same musical plan as the verses!
It's cleverly disguised by the lack of vocals and the distraction of the overdubbed sound effects; the first one, all the more so
because of its presentation in a ternary meter (hint, 3/4 = good ol' Henry dancing the waltz). But do check it out carefully — the
chords are identical, only transposed up a step.
Keep in mind that the verse had started out in c minor and quickly modulated up to d minor. Therefore, the instrumental sections,
by virtue of starting in d minor wind up quickly modulating up to e minor. Without some intervention, this kind of thing could go on
indefinitely, which is why you have the sudden call to attention at the end of the first interlude which both terminates the waltz beat
and abruptly modulates you back to c minor.
The song has no outro, per se; instead, the second instrumental interlude (now back in the 4/4 meter) is allowed to simply end the
piece.
The final chord is sustained for a full two measures, during which the overdubbed noises seem to integrate with the underlying
music for just this final instant. It's as if sound boils over and evaporates before your eyes.
Regards,
Alan (021096#112)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/wywy.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Within You Without You"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #113 (WYWY)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C# (modal)
Meter: 4/4 et al
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse (extended) | Refrain |
| 2-times Verse (extended) (instrumental)|
| Intro | Verse (extended) | Refrain (fade-out)
Recorded: 15th, 22nd March 1967, Abbey Road 2;
3rd April 1967, Abbey Road 1; 4th April 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This intense and musically complex synthesis of Beatles' pop, summer-of-'67-sensibility, and classical Indian music is not to be
taken lightly, and certainly not with ease. Along with "Love You To" and "The Inner Light", it represents George's most unabashed,
full-blown, and unadulterated embrace of the Indian musical style.
The song appears to remain strangely fated, for many, to fall between two stools. Granted, it has a sinuous/sensuous and sweeping
tune, and the fusion of styles is technically elegant and clever. By the same token, I'm sure that for those already initiated to the
intricacies of Indian music, this piece must seem a bit "kosher style" rather than "Kosher"; an attempt to popularize which, no matter
how unquestionably sincere and well intentioned, is willing to settle for sentimental over simplification at the risk of
misunderstanding and at the expense of accuracy. And then there's the folks who thought they bought a rock album and simply find
this track to be an irritating, impatience-inducing interruption of the dynaflow.
Lewisohn speaks of how the song was conceived in three large sections from the start, and indeed, this conception survives
clearly in the finished product; a sprawling ABA structure, with two vocal sections that surround a central instrumental break.
One thing I'll say is that this song displays a tremendous melodic gift; with many long arch-like phrases as well as a sensitivity to
the need for carefully paced passionate peaks; all of which is brought off with almost textbook-like proficiency but never a hint of
the pedantic.
Melody and Harmony
Our Western concept of differing "modes" yields an almost one-to-one mapping between scale patterns and "mode" names. In
contrast, the Indian melodic system of "ragas" goes beyond this and involves a one-to-many mapping between scales and "ragas"; in
which case, each of the latter is to be identified by its unique points of melodic emphasis and characterizing riffs.
In our current song we find that the predominant "scale" is very much like the Western "Mixolydian mode"; i.e. the scale with a
Major third at the bottom and a flat seventh at the top. But it goes deeper than that.
The verses have their melodic floor on the third degree (3) of the scale and present the so-called first degree only in its incarnation
at the octave above (8). Furthermore, the refrains feature a conspicuous emphasis on the second (2), fourth (4), and sixth (6) degrees,
and, best of all [!], the extended verses feature a break with the scale pattern by featuring the flat melodic third (flat-3); the latter,
motivated by imitating a motif heard in the regular verse (5 -» flat-7 -» 8; i.e. a minor third followed by a whole step) but transposing
it to start on the first scale degree (i.e. 5 -» flat-7 -» 8 transforms into 1 -» flat-3 -» 4). And I adjure you to stretch your mind to
understand what I'm describing, even if you never took a music theory course. It's not that difficult; I promise, trust me :-)
On the harmonic side, of course, we have a very traditional Indian drone; in Western terms, the "I chord" sustained throughout;
the philosophical ramifications of which are as profound as they are obvious.
Arrangement
The somewhat floating rhythmic/metric feeling one associates with traditional Indian music is conjured here by non-traditional
means. Indian music uses a fixed rhythmic pattern, called a "tala", which may contain an uneven number of measures, not all of
which are in the same meter, but as a rule, the pattern itself is repeated over and over. The soloists create the floating feeling by the
extent to which they, jazz-like, bounce off or fight against the underlying pattern. In this song, the meter simply seems to be quite
unpredictably changeable, especially so in the instrumental section.
The instrumental forces are primarily Indian: tamboura drone (recorded close up to accentuate its gritty, grinding metallic
texture), tabla drums, dilruba (a bowed string instrument), and sitar, coupled with a fussy arrangement for Western bowed (and
plucked) strings.
The Indian instruments are used primarily in their traditional roles of ornamentally doubling the lead vocal and more freely
improvising on the melodic material when given the chance to fly solo. The Western strings, by contrast, are deployed in their own
indigenous manners of antiphony and canonic imitation.
Intro
The track opens with a slow fade-in on the drone followed by a leisurely exposition by the dilruba of one of the main arch-shaped
melodic riffs of the song:
3 - 4 - 5 - flat-7 - 8 - flat-7 - 5 4 1
Melodic points of emphasis are the floor on 3, the flat-7 -» 8 -» flat-7 wavering at the top, the avoidance of 6, and the prominence
given to 4 on the way down.
The end of this section feature an atmosphere-setting glissando on the swordmandel (remember "Strawberry Fields Forever"?),
and a couple pickup measures worth of action on the tabla.
Regular Verse
The opening verse is cast in an AAB pattern where the first two parallel phrases are each six measures long, followed by a third
phrase whose rhythm is more freely irregular.
In contrast to the intro, the first part of the tune in this section retains the emphasis on 3 and flat-7 but delays reaching to the
octave into late in the final phrase. Again, 6 and 4 are given emphasis.
The tabla provides a continuous accompaniment, the dilruba doubles the lead vocal while making small subtle variations on it,
and the Western strings enter at the very end in preparation for the next section.
Extended Verse
The second verse starts off very similarly to the first one, but its third phrase is extended in a way that leads naturally to the
refrain section. Interestingly, this formal trick is something we've seen in other more traditionally pop songs of the Beatles.
The B-phrase here stretches all the way up to a full eleven notes above the melodic root with a last-minute modification of the
scale; as we mentioned, the topper-most lick here includes flat-3 for the first time.
The instrumentation of this section is similar to that of the first with the addition of bowed Western strings in counterpoint to the
lead vocal, and in some small cases, doubling it.
Refrain
The refrain is in an even freer meter than the last phrase of the verse; indeed, the number of beats in a measure seems to change as
frequently as you'd encounter them to in a piece by Stravinsky or Bartók!
This section appears to be built out of two iterations of a single phrase, but closer inspection shows the two phrases are not
quite identical; think of those "Twins" of Diane Arbus :-) I'd spell this point out in painstaking detail but you'd get bored, and
besides, I'd prefer to get this song done with and move on to the rest of this album. If you ask me for collateral, I've got the gory
details penciled out literally on the back of an envelope which I'll show you if you drop over some time.
The melody here places continued emphasis on 6 and 4 which are allowed to resolve to 5 and 3 respectively. At the end, though,
the tune leaves off with a fleeting hold on 2 which it leaves to the dilbruba to resolve with its backward-resonating reference to the "8
-» flat-7 -» slow-slide-to-8" riff.
The higher Western strings provide antiphony in this section, while the lower pitched of them sound like they reinforce the drone.
Instrumental
Freedom of meter reaches its extreme in the instrumental middle section. I have listened to this section with my feet tapping like a
metronome and fail to discern any kind of tala-like fixed high-level pattern. I'll grant this may be my weak failure, but somehow, I
kind of doubt it :-)
The instrumental features two free variations on the complete extended verse section. In the first, the dilruba leads with antiphonal
interjections from a sitar, while Western strings provide a percussive pizzicato accompaniment. In the second, the strings take over
the prerogative of the dilruba while the sitar's role remains antiphonal, yet assumes a pizzicato-like percussiveness of its own.
The section ends with a reiteration of sorts of the intro which nicely sets up the final section of the extended verse and refrain.
Final Verse and Refrain
Formalistically, this last section consists of a repeat of the extended verse and the refrain, but the arrangement is changed around
this time in a number of respects, the most significant of which is that the dramatic sweep up to high 4 (F#) is given to the bowed
Western strings minus the lead vocal; none of this "if they only knew"-unbearable-tension this last time around. Yet another still
more novel demonstration of avoiding foolish compositional consistency.
So what about the laughing at the end? I'm aware of at least two schools of thought on the matter:
• The xenophobic audience (remember there's an underlying element in the "Sgt. Pepper Concept" that at least indirectly
connotes a Victorian/Edwardian-era outlook of supercilious Imperialism) is letting off a little tension of this perceived
confrontation with pagan elements.
• The bedazzled composer, in an endearingly sincere nanosecond of acknowledgment of the apparent existential absurdity
of the son-of-a-Liverpudlian bus driver espousing such other-wordly beliefs and sentiments, is letting off a bit of his own
self-deprecating steam in reaction to the level of true courage expended by him in order to come out of the uneasily-anti-
materialistic closet.
But, don't you think it's a combination of the two?
Regards,
Alan (031096#113)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/lr.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Lovely Rita"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #115 (LR)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major (with an ending in a minor?!)

Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge | Verse | Verse (piano solo) |
| Bridge | Verse | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 23rd, 24th February, 7th, 21st March 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
Talk about your changes of pace; by track 10, can you remember even if you try hard (ah, ah ... no peeking), when was the last
time you heard something even approximating explicitly "rock"-like music on this album? Especially following the likes of "Within
You Without You" and "When I'm Sixty-Four" (not to mention "Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite", "She's Leaving Home", et al),
this tongue-in-cheek tale of work-a-day floating lust on the curbside is very much welcome by the time it now appears.
It's got an unusual form — we haven't seen one this difficult to call since, perhaps, "It Won't Be Long". The issue here isn't so
much one of where to parse the section boundaries as much as it is one of how to characterize the sections labels. What I decided
to call the verse can arguably be labeled as a refrain, except that the words are different each time except for the opening line.
Similarly, I've called labeled the intervening section as a bridge because of its wandering harmonic character; again, the words
change each time. Yet, some people might be more comfortable labeling it as a verse, as long as you call the other section a refrain.
Beyond a point, it's a matter of semantics more than anything else. One thing's for sure: I think the ordering of the sections still
comes out the same.
Melody and Harmony
There's a large quotient of chord root movement by fifths and fourths which is very much at the heart of what gives the song its
strong transitive sense of kinetic, physical action being expended. We even have the familiar "Hey Jude"-progression in prominent
evidence!
The bridge section uses the so-called non-diatonic circle of fifths to stretch the harmonic plane almost to the point of breaking
before it gives up and abruptly returns to the home key, creating those very much Beatlesque chromatic false relations in its wake.
Tech Support Note: the "diatonic" circle of fifths uses only chords that are indigenous to the home key so that it cycles right back to I
in the space of seven chords:
I -» IV -» VII half-dim. -» iii -» vi -» ii -» V -» I
E: E A d# g# c# f# B E
[Figure 115.1]
The "non-diatonic" circle of fifths ignores the key signature and slavishly moves by fifth each time, with each chord being a Major
one. This cycle spans a full twelve chords and forcibly challenges your clear sense of home key for a large part of its mid-section:
I -» IV -» flat-VII -» flat-III etc.
E: E A D G (C F Bb Eb Ab Db Gb/F# B E)
[Figure 115.2]
Arrangement
The arrangement is surrealistically traditional, and in keeping with the tone established for the rest of the album, it features and
almost wall-to-wall overlay of special effects. I'll spare you one of my slavish detailed trackings for today, but I encourage you to
keep your ears open for examples of the following:
• The main vocal treated with a kind of ADT that makes it sound "peculiarly" single rather than "normally" double
tracked.
• Stray spoken comments on the backing track; is it a matter of hidden messages, sloppy work habits, or a desire to contrive
a sense of informal live performance?
• An electronically altered if not completely synthesized "kazoo".
• Backing vocals of an ethereally far-away pristine sweetness.
• Heavy breathing the likes of which would have been equally at home on "Day Tripper" as it is here.
Intro
Parsing it in fast tempo, the outro weighs in as an eight-measure section in which the same phrase is repeated twice:
----------------------------- 2X ------------------------------
|B |- |A |- |E |- |B |- |
V IV I V
[Figure 115.3]
The texture is steadily thickened by staggered entrances. At the very opening you can actually savor the strumming of the acoustic
guitar before Paul's lead vocal, drums, and backing vocals are added in sequence.
The harmonic shape of this section is convergent on the home key.
Verse
The verse is eight measures and is built of two four-measure phrases:

|E |D A |E |B |
I flat-VII IV I V
|c# |F# |B |- |
vi V-of-V V
[Figure 115.4]
In contrast to the intro, both phrases here converge toward V. The predominance of root movement by fourth of fifth is
manifested in the first phrase by the "Hey Jude"-progression, and in the second phrase by the interpolation of the secondary dominant
chord.
The verse which precedes the piano solo is prolonged by what one of my teachers, George Rochberg, would call an "harmonic
envelope" of the V chord; don't let all those ninth/eleventh/thirteenth passing dissonances fool you into thinking it's anything other
than that.
Bridge
The bridge is the most radical of the sections here, introducing uneven phrases as well as the non-diatonic cycle of fifths trick.
You'd expect this bridge to be sixteen measures long, instead of the fourteen that it actually is. The sung phrases are essentially an
identical AA couplet, but the two measures of "This Boy" cliché are included only the second time around.
|E |A |D |G |E |B |
I IV flat-VII flat-III I V
|E |A |D |G |E |B |
I IV flat-VII flat-III I V
|E c# |f# B |
I vi ii V
[Figure 115.5]
Those final couple measures at the end of each sung phrase here are the only place in the song where the rhythmic emphasis
moves from being exclusively on the syncopated third beat of every measure to fall, albeit temporarily, with equal four-square
emphasis on "one" and "three".
Also note the maracas being carefully saved for the second phrase in each bridge.
Piano Solo
I strongly suspect that this solo is not only played by George Martin but also recycles the "In My Life" trick of recording it played
an octave lower at half speed in order to sound in normal range but at close to humanly impossible speed on playback.
Only this time the finishing scale flourish is also upside down :-)
Outro
The outro takes up a surprising almost one-third of the duration of the piece.
It starts off with a reprise of the two-phrase intro, scored with increasing complexity in the vocal parts.
Then, in a rather unprecedented move, it shifts into an extended twenty-odd measure long improvised vamp, the jazzy harmonic
content of which is easily boiled down to yet another harmonic envelope; this one a i -» iv -» i cadence in the key of a minor.
Rather a non-sequitur of an ending. [**] And in the meanwhile, the Boys in the buckram are having a grand old time making
funny noises and saying rude things with the sound turned way up for a change.
[** Alan later changed his mind, and wrote an extended commentary on the outro at the beginning of his notes on "Good Morning,
Good Morning".]
Regards,
Alan (042396#115)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/gmgm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Good Morning, Good ..."
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #116 (GMGM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Not so fast! We've got unfinished business to deal with ...
Rita's Outro Revisited
An uncommonly serious and thoughtful reader of these notes sent email asking why the previous note on "Lovely Rita"; gave
what he considered to be unfairly short shrift to the song's climactic outro. No, I responded, you shouldn't chalk this up to my
necessarily being bored or tired of working on the series :-) But his underlying question forced me to carefully re-consider why,
indeed, I had failed to remark, even in passing, on the rather blatantly sexual overtones of the song's closing section.
If I have it to do over again, I will at least acknowledge that the voluble, wordy rest of the song is capped by a virtually wordless
outro that provides a modicum of release to the heretofore only "nearly" consummated build up of horny energy accumulated along
the way. Indeed, I suppose most people have, at one time or other, come home for a "date" feeling "frustrated" and in need of some
ultimate relief however solitary or makeshift. Fine, as far as it goes.
I split paths with my reader though when he goes on to chide me for not appreciating what he considers to be the Beethovenian
and realistic passion of this song's climax. (Hey, for a change it was someone else other than me who mentioned LVB :-)).
Put simply, if the outro of "Lovely Rita" was intended to convey a sense of raw, overwhelming and inescapable climax, then I
believe it is undermined by its own attempt to be simultaneously cute and realistic. "Less is more," I'd advise Paul. Beethoven
manages with chord changes and harmonic rhythm, alone; no need to weaken it by making it so obvious with the moaning and
heavily breathed vocal effects. On grounds of strictly musical technique, the use of i -» iv -» i (instead of the more kinetic V chord)
plus the rather flaccid application of harmonic rhythm in this song's outro work at cross-purposes with whatever build up of tension
is happening elsewhere in the musical fabric.
Let's try and state it positively though. I more strongly suspect that, in keeping with the comic subtext of what precedes the outro,
that this climax here is intended in the much the same arch spirit. No seed is literally spilt here, you should pardon the expression; no
heart races wildly; we're just kidding around for shits and grins. "Playing tigers," Anthony Blanche called it. It's not that I personally
believe there's no room for fun or humor in the midst of sharing sex, but I do believe that getting all the way there requires shifting
ones focus to some level of serious concentration. (Oh, momma — I can't believe I'm saying any of this, and on the Internet, no less!!
:-)
Look it: if you cannot rely on personal experience in this regard, then at least consider the bridge section of "Day Tripper" as an
object lesson.
At any rate, then, let us move onto the song which gives a whole new dimension of meaning to the phrase "rude awakening"? (Clear
the throat, and wipe clean the slate ...)
alan w.
Notes on "Good Morning, Good Morning"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #116 (GMGM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4 in intro, bridge and outro;
anything but predictable in verse
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse' | Bridge |
| Verse | Verse' (guitar solo) | Bridge |
16th February 1967, Abbey Road 3;
13th, 28th, 29th March 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This is truly, truly, one of the great songs; with its uneven meter, blisters-on-fingers drumming, washed out horns and silver
saxophones, and rapid-fire verbal slide-show imagery; inspired by no less than a mass media commercial effort on behalf of
Kellogg's Corn Flakes; "the best to you each morning," indeed. (Doesn't your alarm radio ever trip off on a Blue Monday Morning
in the middle of some piece of equally insipid and insidiously cheerily bit of nonsense?)
And yet, for all its (you say you want a) revolutionary gestures, you must acknowledge how, at the same time, well grounded it is
on a classic-pop/rock formal design.
Melody and Harmony
Both tune and chord changes are frugally funded here, as is John's wont; I am tempted to assign this to an type of "impatience" on
his part in wanting to get out a strongly felt message with such urgency that it overwhelms whatever counter balancing desire he
might have to linger over the design of certain musical details.
The tune contains an uncanny number of phrases that span a fourth that is then subdivided into a third and a second, or vice versa.
An unexhaustive list of examples (collect them all!):
- Nothing to do A - F# - B
- To save his life E - G - A - E
- Call his wife in G - A - F# - A
- I've got nothing D - C# - A - A
- (nothing) to say A - A - F# - B
- Everybody knows C# - C# - C# - A - D
- Good morning A - F# - E
[Figure 116.1]
The chord set is limited to I, IV, V, and flat-VII. For a small set, it packs a surprisingly piquant punch in the cross-relation that
recurs between V and flat-VII, and you might say this is a favorite progression of John's; "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" of
all things is an example of an earlier song written to the same harmonic spec.
Arrangement
The basic backing track with single-tracked lead vocal recently released on the second "Anthology" CD underscores with
textbook example-like clarity everything we've read over the years about how they would build up the several overdubbed layers of a
complex track. As busy as the finished piece is, you can see how the backing vocals, brass instruments, and animal effects were each
modularly applied to the basic outline.
This is John's most extreme attempt at craziness with meter since "She Said She Said". In spite of whatever superficial similarities
exist between them, however, these two songs bear as much contrast with each other in this regard as they do comparison. In "She
Said She Said" the metrical hijinks are saved for the contrasting "off" sections, whereas here in "Good Morning, Good Morning", the
pranks are featured prominently in the main verse section which gives them more airplay as well more share of your attention. You
might also note that the metrical shifting of the earlier song is rather passively wobbly in effect, while our current example is more
aggressively agitated.
By the way, did you ever notice how both these song titles share the unusual trait of repeating themselves?
Intro
The opening rooster call would seem arbitrary if not for the return of it with a whole menagerie in the song's coda. I wonder if the
scratchy sound underlying the rooster is intended to be a "Honey Pie"-like conjuring of 78 rpm era surface noise, birds chirping, or
perhaps both.
The intro is four measures in length. In spite of its four-square dimensions, the first and last measures place the intermediate
chord change on a strongly syncopated off-beat. While it doesn't literally start off with an uneven meter, the opening surely hints at
what is to come before much longer:
------ 2X ------
1 2 & 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 & 2 3 4
|A D |A D |A (E) |
A: I IV I IV I (V)
[Figure 116.2]
And that sung title phrase, coming after the call of the cock, sure seems relentless and cheerlessly unsympathetic.
Verse
The primary verse is a traditional four phrases long, but each phrase is of an anti-traditionally different length; your own parsing
of the bar lines may differ from mine, but I do think the number of beats per phrase will come out the same: 10 for the first, 12 for
the second, 9 for the third, and 14 for the fourth phrase.
1 2 & 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3
boom!
|A E |G |- A (E) |
I V flat-VII I (V)
1 2 & 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 & 3 & 4 & |

dum dum- d'dum-dum dum-dum
|A E |G |A
I V flat-VII I
1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4
|D |E |
IV V
1 2 & 3 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
dum dum'd dum dum'd dum
|A E |G |A D |E |
I V flat-VII I IV V
[Figure 116.3]
This would, indeed, be much more easily documented on music paper, though if necessary, you can apply directly to me for a
scanning of the words across this metrical analysis; maybe. I mean, for crying out loud, "Have you no natural resources of yer own?"
:-)
At the very end, like a chronic headache, the title phrase reprises.
Verse
What I label as Verse' opens exactly like the primary verse, but it's second phrase cuts way to the end of what is the fourth phrase
of the primary verse (with its tell-tale title phrase chord progression), nicely setting up a direct segue into the bridge:
1 2 & 3 1 2 3 4 1 2 3
boom!
|A E |G |- A (E) |
I V flat-VII I (V)
1 2 & 3 1 2 3 4 5 1 2 3 4
dum dum-d dum dum'd
|A E |G |A D |
I V flat-VII I IV
[Figure 116.4]
Bridge
The bridge momentarily regularizes both the meter and the chord progression (a bit of respite is needed by this point, no?); it is
only in the rhetorically motivated section length of five measures that "irregularity" persists:
|A D |A D |A D |A D |A |
I IV I IV I IV I IV I
[Figure 116.5]
This here is a right ironically optimistic little Rock March, rather in the same spirit of "Fixing A Hole"'s own break section; the
ironic difference between the two being one of sincerity versus mordant irony.
The middle section of the song is nicely put together from a guitar solo (for the repeat of Verse'), followed by a repeat of the
bridge in which the lead guitar continues to make his conversational point long after the return of the vocalists would have seem to
cut him off.
Outro
The outro grows directly out of a seemingly endless repeat of the title phrase into the fade-out. There is a point, after about the
sixth repeat of this phrase, where the musical backing can still be heard though the animal sound effects are dominant. The last few
second of the track present the last animals "a capella".
The common wisdom says that the animal sounds are placed in increasing order of size-of-beast. I'm not so sure about that;
besides, for my money, the image suggested by this collage is an Orwellian allegory of "people running round"; or, if you wish, I can
quote the earlier, "running everywhere at such a speed."
In muckle-mouthed enthusiasm, I offer the following laundry list of free associations, several of which, in all humility, are worth
a good term paper if not a modest Master's thesis :-)
The song promotes a wonderfully agonizing blend of feelings that are incongruously both cheerful and sinister. I'm reminded of
the old MAD magazine parody of a once popular Kool-Aid ad (way before Jim Jones' Jonestown Guyana stand of 1978), in which
the mindlessly smiley face painted by a child's finger on the frosty body of the pitcher is replaced by a poisonous-warning skull and
cross bones.
This is "Nowhere Man" without the preachies; an equally worthy successor to "And Your Bird Can Sing" and warm up for "A Day
In The Life". A landmark decision in the art of offering commentary without making direct comment.
The Maureen Cleavian irony that in a life whose ups and downs are as unpredictable as the measure lengths of this song's verse,
one can still feel boredom and jadedness as a predominating emotion.
No matter how "satisfied" you are with your life, oh my brothers, — and take your pick: say you've done it professionally,
avocationally, spiritually, intellectually, epicurially, or even sexually [!! :-)] — is there anyone among you who can listen to this
song without an uneasy prick of the conscience; and an against-one's-will peer over the side into that deep, deep, existential abyss?
The hidden, and ultimately encouraging, comforting truth — that in a world where I'm told that Dilbert's upward bending necktie
symbolizes his inability to exert a personal influence his work environment, no less his Life, that if you really want to make it
happen, according to John, then "it's up to you." That simple, really.
Regards,
Alan (052696#116)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/aditl.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on the "Reprise" and "A Day In The Life"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #117 (ADITL)

by Alan W. Pollack
• "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"
• "A Day In The Life"
1 Introduction
We already took a preliminary look at both of these songs; the latter, way back in a meta-view of John's more experimental work
(the "Triple Crown" article); and the former, in our detailed look at the album's eponymous title track, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts
Club Band". And yet, because of the novel manner in which they bring this already novel album to its stunning conclusion, it
behooves us to linger over them in the orderly progress of our studies.
alan w.
Notes on "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #117a (ADITLa)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key:
F Major -» G Major
Meter:
4/4
Form:
Intro | Refrain | Refrain (with complete ending)
CD:
"Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band",
Recorded: 1st April 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
In context of the pop-rock album format I dare say that such a reprise is unprecedented. The concept is a sufficiently familiar one
from the world of opera and musical stage show, but on a Beatles' album!? And, as is typical with Beatles' innovations of this sort,
the gesture is not gratuitously novel; in the current instance, the reprise of the title track serves two critical functions: a unifying
element for the album overall, and a boundary marker that importantly sets the following "A Day In The Life" off by itself, as it
were, from the rest of the album.
The formal layout of the reprise is in strong contrast to the opening track: this time we have only an intro followed by two
iterations of the refrain.
Melody and Harmony
The game plan here is to modulate one step upward in the transition between the two refrains. If the goal is to wind up in the
overall home key cluster of the album (just as arguably here a combination of G Major, e minor and E Major as is the second side of
"Abbey Road" in the cluster of C Major, a minor and A Major), the cute trick is starting off in the unexpected key of F Major just in
order to wind up in the correct place at the end.
Arrangement
The Beatles had always gone in for what I call staggered or layered arrangements. And, as with the preceding track ("Good
Morning Good Morning"), the recently released early take of the "Reprise"'s backing track and (curiously mock bored-sounding)
guide vocal from Paul neatly demonstrates just how stratifiedly these mid-to-late period arrangements were to be constructed.
Although it has a clearly defined beginning and end, this reprise also has the distinguishing feature of being segued both into and
out of. You'll have a tough time convincing me that the mono mix of this album is so authoritative that the sloppy handling of the
chicken cluck-to-guitar lick on the latter is what they really wanted; to my ears, the smooth handling of the transition on the stereo
mix must be, if not what they originally intended, what they wanted here in the final result. And at the other end of the track we
have, of course, the cross fade of the final chord of the reprise into the oncoming acoustic intro of "A Day In The Life".
Intro
The intro is ten measures long and contains three distinct "strata":
• Two measures of what would be supplied today by the "drum machine" stop of a synth, which includes Paul's crisp "One,
two, three, four" and John's lugubriously inspired "Bye ..." delivered at total cross-current to the predominating march
rhythm.
• Four measures with a fuller "real" percussion track added.
• And four more measure with bass and electric guitar now added to all of the previous. All together, now :-)
Refrain
The modulation between the two refrains is a simple pivot built on top of the fact that V-of-V had been used earlier in this refrain;
we cut in below at the crucial point of transition:
|B-flat |F |G |D |
F: IV I V-of-V
G: I V
[Figure 117.1]
alan w.
Notes on "A Day In The Life"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #117b (ADITLb)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major / e minor -» E Major

Meter: 2/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse | Verse | Bridge |
| Middle vocal section |
| Middle instrumental section |
| Verse | Bridge | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 19th, 20th January, 3rd February 1967, Abbey Road 2;
10 February 1967, Abbey Road 1;
22nd February 1967, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
Though it deals with much of the same theme of existential Weltschmerz focused on in "Good Morning, Good Morning", the
whole production of this following song is so much more powerful for its being so comparatively low key in mood, non-preachy in
choice of words, with a visually deeper perspective if for no other reason than the wide angle created by the large form.
This large form furthermore has a high-level ABA classical clarity that is ironically belied by its avoidance of perfect symmetry.
The rather avant-garde-like deployment of a mid-sized orchestral makes it totally impossible to categorize the "style" of this track,
as if it would have been all that much easier to pigeon hole without the orchestra :-)
For years, we've been fortunate to have widely available a precious outtake of this song, the master tape of which was wiped, but
which was miraculously preserved in acetate form. It is as if we are privileged in this recording to listen to something that fate would
otherwise have not permitted to be heard in this world; pretty mystical :-)
More recently, "Anthology", Volume 2 has provided us with a melange that includes the middle section of the acetate combined with
two different outtakes of the outer sections; the first of which was first aired, in part, on the PBS/George Martin "Sgt. Pepper's
Lonely Hearts Club Band" anniversary TV special. The more seriously musicological part of me is offended by this willy nilly
playing around with primary sources, but the insatiable collector part of me is happy enough to hear the new material in whatever
form we can get it. I still say the acetate in its pristine entirety is something which you must hear.
Melody and Harmony
The song opens in the key of G Major though its true center of gravity is in the parallel minor and Major keys of E. Take a look as
far back as "Not A Second Time" for a really early example of the same gambit; I direct this comment especially those of my
friends and students who take a condescending attitude toward anything produced by the Boys prior to "Rubber Soul", all of whom
know exactly who you are. Even the verses, which are nominally in an optimistic G Major, wilt within their very first measures over
to the sadder e minor, nicely underscoring the sense of the words.
The curiously jumpy melodic material is the least of anybody's concern here; not John's, not Paulie's, not even ours; an interesting
lesson in how over-rated, in some cases, is the importance of having a catchy tune in order to have a successful song. Think this
over.
Arrangement
The backing of the outer two main sections is made up of acoustic guitar, piano, electric bass, and drums, all four of which stand
out in terms of tasteful restraint; but especially the drums.
The orchestra appears intermittently throughout the track, seemingly out of nowhere. Keep in mind how, in the recorded medium,
you have no visual clue to its presence. Your whole reaction to this track would be somewhat different if your first exposure to it was
live with the full instrumental forces sitting before you.
This sparing, overlaid use of the orchestra keeps the track from sounding over produced; it's good to have a large part of the time
of the song consist of more unadorned pop/rock combo; but its cleverly repeated deployment is a subtle force of unity. The great
effect at the end of the two verse section, a sweeping crescendo up a scale of indeterminate pitches is potent while also being
obvious. More subtle is the orchestra's reappearance for the transition from the end of the middle section back to the return of the
verse. This additional entrance keeps the use of it in those crescendi from sounding too contrived and isolated. What I'm trying to say
here is that while the content of this orchestra part is novel and powerful, you should not under-estimate its formal contribution.
Intro
The tempo is relatively fast; I parse it as one measure per sugarplum fairy. In spite of it, though, the leisurely harmonic rhythm
(with chords changing every two measures, on average) instills a moderately measured pace for the proceedings.
The bassline is predominantly a walking one, though Paul does a nice job of disguising it in places with the trick of jumping down
a fourth and then filling it back up step-wise. On the acetate outtake he plays out the scale minus any adornment.
From a harmonically analytical perspective, I prefer to treat many measures in this song as a continuation of the chord in the
previous measure combined with a passing note in the bassline. Yes, I know the "tab" of each measure is different, but we're not
looking for the tabs per se in these studies.
The intro is a neat eight-measure long, and anticipates the music of the verse without completely stealing its thunder. You'll note
that the chord progression only partly matches the verse, and the complete scalar bassline is not yet fully exposed. You might be
surprised to note that the underlying chord progression is an old-cliché-friend of ours; none other than I -» vi -» IV -» V:
|G |b |e |- |C |- |- |- |
G: I v6/4- vi IV
of-vi
[Figure 117.2]
It would have been somehow neater to synchronize the downbeat of this intro with the final chord of the reprise. The slight delay
of the downbeat until after the reprise's end is more "off-beat", both literally and figuratively.
Verse
All the verses start off with the same sixteen-measure (four-times-four, ABAC) classic floor plan. I'm willing to go as far as
describing the harmonic motion as including a modulation to e minor:
|G |b |e |- |
G: I v6/4 vi
1 & 2 &
|C |- |a | D |
G: IV ii V
|G |b |e |- |
G: I v6/4 vi
e: i
|C |F |e | |
e: vi flat-II i
[Figure 117.3]
However, there are three (collect 'em all!) different variations in how the verses finish off this same sixteen-measure beginning.
The first verse is unique in the way it cycles back for a repetition of the chord progression with the piquant F-Major chord before
pivoting back to the home key:
"I saw the photograph ..." 2 &
|C |F |e |C D |
e: vi flat-II i
G: vi IV V
[Figure 117.4]
The second verse is shorter by two measures. Its harmonic pivot back to G is more passive than that of the first verse. Note how
here there is no V chord at the very end:
"... House of Lords"
|C |- |
e: vi
G: IV
[Figure 117.5]
The third and fourth verses, both of which lead into the orchestral bridges, are similar to the second verse, but one extra measure
is added. Here, to the extent that the bridge does not cycle back to the key of G, there is no modulation to speak of:
"... book. I'd love to||turn ..."
"... Hall. I'd love to||turn ..."
|C |- |- ||e ..... E
e: vi i -» I
[Figure 117.6]
The intro and first verse are scored for acoustic guitar, piano, bass, and maracas. The full drum kit is added in the second verse.
Bridge
The bridge is twenty-four measures long and consists of the orchestra's free-form, glissando-like sweep from low E to the same
pitch several octaves higher. It's quite a nitrous-oxide-like rush.
Remnants of the original backing track heard on the acetate outtake, with its four-in-the-bar rhythm and Mal Evan's counting
aloud, can be heard almost all the way through this section on the finished track. In spite of this, there are cymbal crashes in the last
few measures of the orchestra track which come seemingly at random to challenge your sense of meter. Try counting twenty-four-
times-four in this section and see what what happens to you.
On both the acetate outtake and the finished track, Mal starts counting in the measure following the third verse as I outlined it
above; i.e. on the word "turn". The outtake used for the first half of the version of this song presented on "Anthology" Volume 2,
shows him starting the count off in the previous measure; huh?!
Middle Section
As with the "Reprise" segue at the beginning of the track, it would have been "neater" if the start of this middle section was
synchronized with the downbeat of the bridge's twenty-fourth measure, as it does on the acetate.
On the finished version, again avoiding foolish neatness for its own sake, it appears as if the middle section is begun approximately
one beat before the end of the bridge; either that, or the bridge is cleverly extended approximately a beat past the downbeat of
measure twenty-four.
It's not easy to figure out which is the case because the challenging meter of the bridge's final measures mentioned above, is
complicated by the alarm clock and a snippet of Paul counting "One" both of which are heard off the beat as the middle section
begins. The one thing that is clear is that the intro of this middle section contains four measures of vamping on the E-Major chord,
and on the final track, a couple of these measures pass by you before you quite reclaim your sense of where the downbeat has gone
to.
The "song" portion of the middle section is melodically as jumpy as John's outer sections. It is nineteen measures long and
contains an ABAB quatrain, each of whose phrases except the last one is an unusual, rhetorically motivated five measures long. Both
the lyrics and sound effects here reinforce the "Good Morning ... but what a day" theme:
|E |- |- |D |- |
E: I flat-VII
|E |B |E |B |- |
I V I V
|E |- |- |D |- |
I flat-VII
|E |B |E |B |
I V I V
[Figure 117.7]
The orchestra portion of the middle section is twenty measures long and consists of two long parallel phrases whose harmonic
rhythm is unvaryingly slow. This enhances the "dreamy" note upon which the middle section song abruptly terminates. The harmony
of the section primarily shifts back toward G Major though the end of the first long phrase surely feels as if it is back in e minor.
|C |- |G |- |D |
G: IV I V
|- |A |- |e |- ||
V-of-V vi
|C |- |G |- |D |
IV I V
|- |A |- |e d |C D ||
V-of-V vi IV V
[Figure 117.8]
Final Verse
Only a single verse is used to balance out the weight of all that precedes it.
The tempo remains the same as it is throughout the track, though the more active drumming fools you into thinking that this
section is somehow "faster" than the verses in the first half.
Outro
The repetition of the bridge is virtually a carbon copy, but its destination is very different, ending with the balance of one
measure's worth of dramatic silence followed by that ready- made classical cliché of a final E-Major chord.
Coming as it does, at the end of the repeat of the bridge which the first time around had led into that cheery middle section in the
same tempo, that final chord resounds with a frightful sense of bleak hitting-a-wall finality, further emphasized and exaggerated by
the surprise element and the long fade-out to silence.
The outer groove can be seen, beyond mere prank, as further twist on the gesture of the final chord. By coming so suddenly out of
total silence after you've assumed the show is over, it only serves to heighten in retrospect the sense of eternal desolation created by
the final chord's dying away.
In the final result, though, this outer groove is arguably another wake-up call of sorts to so-called reality; fits right in with the
supersonic dog whistle :-) No joke: given the alternative of blowing your mind in one kind of vehicle or another, what's your
preference?
Regards,
Alan (052696#117)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/byarm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Baby You're A Rich Man"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #119 (BYARM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G (Mixolydian) Major

Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Refrain | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 11th May 1967, Olympic Sound Studios
UK-release: 7th July 1967 (B Single / "All You Need Is Love")
US-release: 17th July 1967 (B Single / "All You Need Is Love")
Style and Form

This is a relatively simple song for the period, both in terms of the leanness of the material, and, as Lewisohn describes it, the
speed with which it was put together.
By the same token, it does bear the earmarks of its period in the large number of instruments and effects used in the recording,
and the consciousness-pricking themes in the lyrics of identity crisis, impatient dissatisfaction with wealth that is only material, and
an ambiguity in the author's stance between tender encouragement and nasty ridicule. Consider it an intermediate point on the curve
between "And Your Bird Can Sing" and "Hey Bulldog".
Melody and Harmony
I describe the song's mode as "Mixolydian Major" because the home key is established in the literally complete absence of the D-
Major V chord in the harmony, and the similar absence of F# (the Major seventh scale tone) in the melody.
Instead, we opt for a mode in which the home key root note of G sticks around for much of the airtime as a pedal point, and the
number of chords utilized involves, besides G-Major (I), virtually no more than C-Major (IV) and F-Major (flat-VII, or perhaps in
this context IV-of-IV). You might even argue that the relatively large amount of weight given to phrase endings on C-Major, that the
song has a perilously high center of gravity with respect to G being the home key.
The only unusual chord in the song appears in the refrain when the bassline moves chromatically toward C via B-flat and B-
natural, to support the tangy progression of B-flat -» G; i.e. "flat-III to I". The Beatles used the flat-III chord more often than you
might expect from its exotic label, because they must have liked the cross-relation it usually creates with its surrounding chords in a
progression. Grep through this series of notes for flat-III or bIII (my own foolish inconsistency :-)), to see what I mean by this.
Arrangement
The instrumental track includes a large number of instruments, though you wind up paying most of your attention to just the
piano, very strong bassline, percussion, and of course that "clavoline". I believe (and would appreciate confirmation from anyone out
there who can do it for me) that Al Kooper first used the clavoline on the Blues Project's debut album; and if you have to ask me
who's Al Kooper, then let's just drop this whole line of inquiry :-)
The melody stays relatively high, and mantra-like focused around the note of the home key, though both verse and refrain sections
dip down by jump to the tonic note an octave lower. The multi-faceted "sculpting" of the vocal track, in terms of single tracking,
double tracking, and solo-versus-backers merits closer, albeit tedious study, with which I dispense for now.
Intro
The intro is an eight-measure vamp on the I -» IV chord progression which is to characterize the piece:
|G |C |G |C |G |C |G |C |
G: I IV6/4 I IV6/4 I IV6/4 I IV6/4
[Figure 119.1]
The G is sustained in the bassline throughout, conjuring the drone-like harmonic style of songs such as "Rain".
The boxy quality of this intro is nicely broken up by Paul's bass entering in middle of third measure and the clavoline following
closely on its heels. Imagine those entrances on the downbeat of the fourth measure if you want to see the faux pas alternative.
Verse
The verse is a blues-like three-phrase ABB section, though its first phrase is an unusual uneven, three measures in length. Note
how the melody makes its sudden jump downward toward the end of each B phrase, punctuated by the dramatic switch in the vocal
arrangement to John singing solo:
|G |C |G |
G: I IV I
--------------------------- 2X ----------------------------
|G |- |F G |C |
I flat I IV
-VII
[Figure 119.2]
The first phrase remains harmonically closed off in the home key. The B phrases open unusually to IV, instead of the more typical
V chord, making for a teleologically passive, weak effect. Indeed, when we get two verses in close succession at the beginning of the
song, it's hard to know, on first hearing, that a second verse has begun, as opposed to a first amorphous verse merely continuing.
The C-Major chord in measure 2 of this verse appears in the 6/4 position (with the G in the bassline) for the first and the third
verse. In the second verse it appears in root position. As much as I like to label such variations as an avoidance of foolish
consistency, my intuition in this case tells me it's sloppy inconsistency; this, in light of the otherwise widespread, consistent use of
the G-natural pedal tone in the rest of the song.
Speaking of sloppy inconsistency: the clavoline always appears in these verses in the middle of each of the B phrases and is
otherwise silent; "always", that is, with the exception of the first B phrase of the final verse where it appears also at the end of the
phrase! Allright, maybe it is intentional, not just sloppy, but I have difficulty comprehending the point that is supposed to be intended
by the gesture.
Refrain
In contrast to the eleven-measure ABB verse, the refrain, while also three phrases in structure, is an even twelve measures long,
with a form of ABA:
|G |C |G |C |
G: I IV I IV
|B-flat G |C |G |C |
flat-III I6/3 IV I IV
|G |C |G |C |
I IV I IV
[Figure 119.3]
Note how the tune, during the middle phrase of this section, swoops first down an octave and then back up. Here, in what is
inarguably a good example of foolish consistency avoided, the choral vocal arrangement of the moment is not altered for the jumps
in range.
Outro
The outro leverages the manner in which the refrain ends with a repeat of its A phrase, and provides an extra two repeats of that
phrase right into the fade-out which begins immediately.
True to form, Paul steps lyrically out from the rest of the pack right in the first phrase of the outro, and from there proceeds to
"whoop" it up.
The rumor that John secretly sings "rich fag Jew" (as a taunt intended for Brian) in some of the refrains' A phrases makes for an
urban legend of the sort that is not authoritatively confirmable but which persists within the shadow of doubt not just because of
audible ambiguity of the recording, but because of a streak of occasionally expressed cruelty and what we these days call political
incorrectness on the part of the composer in question, acknowledged by even by those of his biographers who are most lovingly
sympathetic.
Regards,
Alan (102096#119)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/lm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Lady Madonna"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #127 (LM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Verse (instrumental) |
| Bridge (instrumental) |
| Verse | Verse (instrumental) | Bridge |
Recorded: 3rd February 1968, Abbey Road 3;
6th February 1968, Abbey Road 1
UK-release: 15th March 1968 (A Single / "The Inner Light")
US-release: 18th March 1968 (A Single / "The Inner Light")
Style and Form
As stylistic hybrids go, this is quite a novel blend Paul's recently much-favored pseudo-verismo slice-of-life portraiture with some
of his always much-favored and much stylized hard-driven semi-blues. When you stop to think about it, you realize it had been quite
a while, at this point, since any of the Beatles had published a song as out-and-out rocking as this one!
The fast tempo and the short length of the verse make for a large form here, in spite of the average song length.
Also, a relatively large quotient of the track is taken up by primarily instrumental interludes.
Melody and Harmony
The tune leans heavily on the two bluesy scale notes of the flat third (C-natural) and flat seventh (G-natural). At the same time,
subtle tension is created by the tune's emphasis on the naturally occurring Major sixth in the verse (that's F# as it appears, for
example on the first syllable of the word "manage") while the bassline at the end of the same section is allowed to run roughshod
over the flat sixth (F-natural). You can hear this more readily with your ears than I can hope to describe it in mere words.
The home key of A Major is so heavily inflected by the melodic flat (or "blue") third that it becomes easy to effect a modulation
to C Major in the bridge by way of the parallel minor key of a.
A relatively small number of chords are used, with the most novel effect coming from the end-of-verse cadence in which flat-VI
and flat-VII (i.e. F-Major and G-Major) are used to establish A Major amidst a host of cross-relations; recall how A Major has a
key signature of three sharps, none of which appear in the flat-VI and flat-VII chords! By the same token, the V chord of A Major
(E) appears only at the end of each bridge.
Arrangement
We have an unusual mix of the familiar and the novel here: the rhythm track of piano, drums, and bass guitar with lead and
backing vocals, and hand claps on the one hand; and the nasal vocalizing into cupped hands to approximate brass instruments, along
with a cameo appearance of some real saxophones on the other.
The bassline here rivals the tune itself for your melodic attention. It is dominated, more or less throughout, by a saw-tooth
ascending shape that has an uncanny way of grabbing you from down under. Yes, this upward spike tendency is nicely balanced out
by that downward scale at the start of the bridge, but even that is followed by yet another persistently ascendant move. Better keep
your legs crossed :-)
The bassline riff of the verse is eventually given the melodic foreground during the instrumental verse sections when it is doubled
by guitars and saxophones, but if you look back to the beginning of the song, you recognize that it's been there almost all along.
And you want examples here of Beatles' typical attention to detail?
• The intro starts off with just piano and drums. Entry of the bass is held back until the first verse. In spite of whatever other
elements show up in the remainder of the track, the honors of the brief outro are reserved for this simple trio.
• From the stereo mix, it sounds like two distinct drum tracks are used: a metronome-like ride beat on the left, and a more
elaborate, nuanced treatment on the right; the latter entering together with the bass at the end of the intro.
• Syncopated cymbal flashes appear on the third beat of the measure in all three bridges. The same rhythmic emphasis is
provided by the hand claps in the two instrumental verses.
• All three of the bridges are finished off with a smooth topping of lush vocal harmony and a momentary silencing of the
steady clock-ticking pulse.
• In the middle pair of verses, the bassline is doubled by guitar in the sung verse, and saxophones triple it in the
instrumental. Paul ends his own solo with a nice octave flip upwards.
• The second bridge is entirely instrumental and features a variation on the sung tune scored for "nose horns," accompanied
by a solo saxophone obbligato that, listened to in isolation, seems to have little to do with the backing track in either
melodic, harmonic, or rhythmic terms! This bridge and the final one introduce a little bit of an eigth-note guitar riff to glue
the end of the section to the verse that follows it.
• The doubling of the bassline and Paul's octave flip are repeated in the third pair of verses.
• The third bridge, which is sung, uses the nose horns from the instrumental bridge as part of the accompaniment.
• The final verse is the only place in the song where the saxophones triple the bassline during a section that is sung.
Intro
The intro is eight very fast measures long, and covers one complete instrumental-only exposition of what will be the verse section
of the song. This is fitting in light of the several instrumental patches that pop up throughout the rest of the track.
|A |D |A |D |
A: I IV I IV
|A |D |F G |A |
I IV flat-VI flat-VII I
[Figure 127.1]
The harmonic rhythmic is steady throughout with a deft touch of acceleration as the section draws to a close.
Verse
The verses are doubled up throughout except for the very end. You might even say they're "tripled-up" at the beginning, if you
include the intro; the latter effect bearing an interesting comparison with "All You Need Is Love".
The melodic content of the bassline riff merits special attention if for no other reason than that it provides an object lesson in the
unnecessarily albeit perennially confusing science of musical orthography:
|A A B# C# |D D F# A |
[Figure 127.2]
The question you should ask is what the difference consists of, after all, in whether you spell the third note of this riff as B# or C-
natural. The answer is that your choice of spelling should follow your melodic "sense" of what's going on, which I'll be the first one
to admit is ambiguous:
• Do you experience that third note as an expressively decorative appoggiatura that leans against the C# that follows it? (If
so, then B# is the so-called correct answer.)
• Or, perhaps, do you experience the transition of the third to fourth notes of this riff as a kind of minor/Major last-minute
change of heart? (If so, then C-natural is probably a more correct answer.)
In my humble opinion, the best answer is that this riff is inherently ambiguous to the ear, a kind of musical pun, in which both
answers would seem to be equally correct, and at the same time, no less.
This riff, by the way, is hardly unique in the Great Lexicon of Famous Musical Quotes. Consider the opening of Richard Strauss'
"Also Sprach Zarathustra"; the latter made into a ubiquitous cultural ready-made by its usage in the prologue to the "2001" film.
Bridge
The bridge is sixteen measures long, and is built out of a four phrase pattern of ABAC:
Chords: |d | |G | |
Bassline: D C B A G F E D
C: ii V
|C | |a | |
C B A G A B C E
I vi
|d | |G | |
D C B A G F E D
ii V
|C |B half-dim |E |- |
C: I
a: III ii V4 --------» 3
[Figure 127.3]
In the first half of this section, the harmony converges steadily toward C Major, only to turn in toward its relative minor key of a
at the last minute. In the second half, the big finish is on an E-Major chord which is ambiguously the V chord of either A Major or
a minor, and this nicely sets up the return of the Major home key in the next verse.
The harmonic rhythm is twice as slow as it was in the verse, and we have that dramatic use of a "4-3" suspension over the last
chord.
Outro
The outro is a short and sweet reprise of an idea introduced at the very end of the final verse.
Try and sight-sing that chromatic lick in the last two measures, and savor the way in which the movement of the outer two voices
in parallel tenths makes for such a cool-sounding cross-relation:
C# D Eb D C#
A B C-nat B A
[Figure 127.4]
The lyrics are conspicuously clever. Friday night's arrival without a suitcase, for example, is a blend of the abstract and concrete
reminiscent of a certain face kept in a jar by the door. Not to mention those stockings which, pun-like, run just like a child who has
learned to tie his boot lace; wait a minute — or was it, "like pigs from a gun"?
My favorite consistency-avoiding detail, though, remains the omittance of Saturday from an otherwise complete listing of the
days of the week. Perhaps, in consequence of her great piety, This Lady rests on the seventh; day, that is.
Regards,
Alan (021797#127)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/oo.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #133 (OO)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: B Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Refrain | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 3rd-5th July 1968, Abbey Road 2;
9th, 11th July 1968, Abbey Road 3;
15th July 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
The charming effect of this upbeat number is nicely enhanced by its apparently spontaneous, come-as-you-are production values.
Those characteristic overdubbed Beatlesque details seem much more randomly applied here than usual.
The form feels on the long side, though if you take in the verse and refrain as a single unit, the whole thing reduces down to the
so-called shorter two-bridge model; with only one section coming between the bridges.
Melody and Harmony
The untroubled mood of the lyrics is carried through to the musical fabric, with its comfortably singable tune, even phrase
lengths, and straightforward chord choices.
Melodically, we find sophisticated compound arches deployed in the verse, balanced activity between chord outlines and stepwise
motion in the refrain, and predominating arpeggios in the bridge.
Only four different chords are used, all of which are common and indigenous to the home key: the old I, IV, V, plus vi.
Arrangement
The track is predominated by the double-tracked lead, a limping bassline, and some drums. Many other effects, whose particular
detailed itinerary I leave for you to trace, come and go:
• Handclaps and drums, which stagger onto the intro.

• Backing voices, which appear for the first time in the first refrain.
• Vocalized noises, such as "chick, chick, chick, chick ...," which appear in the second verse.
• Backing voices, singing "la-la-la-la" in the second refrain, later followed by more hand claps.
• Saxophones, added for the bridges in a descending scale obbligato, plus vocalized ("ha ha") laughing, maracas, and a
supcon de harpsichord.
• Conga drums in the third verse, or what sounds like a small remnant of them left over from the discarded alternative
version.
• Saxophones, again, sitting in for the third refrain.
• A piano glissando, which presages the second bridge, in which we find still more mysterious mutterings in the background
and clearer maracas and harpsichord on the backing track.
• Piano arpeggios, delicately executed in the final verse.
• ... and the whole kitchen-sink, not to mention a falsetto "thank you," thrown in for good measure in the outro.
Intro
The intro is an unusual five measures long; essentially a four-measure vamp heralded by one measure's worth of a fanfare cliché
on the jangly piano. Think of the "real" downbeat of the track as being at the start of the second measure:
------------ 2X --------------
|F# ||B |- |
[Figure 133.1]
The piano is immediately joined by the bass. Embellishments to this duo are staggered (as is typical), though much less neatly or
strictly patterned than usual; claps start in the middle of the second measure (on the off-beat before "three") and make a dovetail joint
with the drums that enter on the off-beat before "two" in the following measure.
Verse
The verse is eight measures long, with four even phrases that create an ABA'B' pattern:
|B |F# |
B: I V
|F# |B |
V I
|B |E |
I IV
|B F# |B |
I V I
[Figure 133.2]
The harmony of this section is about as simply childlike as could be imagined, establishing the home key clearly and keeping the
tonal focus right there.
The tune is one of those gems whose elegance of design yields instructively to analysis, yet at the same time, you find that the
resulting analytical blueprint crumbles in your hands, as it were, if you try to tune-smith from at as though baking bread from a
recipe. So, as long as you use it for instructional (medicinal?) purposes, only, here it is:
• The first phrase has a down-and-back-up-again contour, creating higher-level melodic motion from D# -» C# (i.e. scale
steps 3 to 2).
• The second phrase "answers" the first one by starting a bit higher (on E, step 4), and then coming all the way straight back
down the scale (to B, step 1).
• The third phrase has a contour similar to that of the first phrase, but it starts further up the scale so that the higher-level
motion is from F# -» G# (i.e. scale steps 5 to 6).
• The fourth phrase, like the second one, picks up at top of the range achieved by the previous phrase, and then comes all
the way (note quite straight) back down to the bottom of the slide.
Refrain
The refrain is also eight measures long with four even phrases but this time the pattern is ((AB) * 2):
------------------------------- 2X -------------------------------
|B |F# g# |B F# |B |
I V vi I V I
[Figure 133.3]
The harmony is, again, focused directly on the home key, though the "deceptive cadence" to vi provides some varied respite from
tedium, and at the same time sets up the "potential" for exploiting this device in the coda.
Bridge
The bridge is, yet again, eight measure long, with an "ABAB'" pattern somewhat similar to that of the verse:
|E |- |
B: IV
|B |- |
I (V-of-IV)
|E |- |
IV
|F# 6/4 |5/3 |

V
[Figure 133.4]
This time, at least, the harmony opens up a bit, with the section opening on IV and ending on a big V build up.
Outro
The outro is an extension of the final refrain, triggered by a repetition of the deceptive cadence heard two measures earlier, and
lyrically allowing the song to end with its title phrase:
|B |F# g# |B F# |g# |- |F# B |
I V vi I V vi V I
[Figure 133.5]
There's a veritable laundry list you could compile of the detailed differences between the official version of this song and the
well-known earlier version that was around on bootleg for years and has now appeared for real on "Anthology", Volume 3.
And yet, I think the crucial differences between these versions which tip the balance in favor of the official version are the
following two, whose common denominator is a matter of how much things are left to chance as opposed to being predictable:
• The official version's bassline has a characteristic "limp" to it that, in some ways, provides the hook for the whole song;
played as arpeggios in a rhythm that goes "One, two-and, Three, four-and, One ..." The earlier version has more evenly
spaced motor beat of even eighth notes with a slight roll leading into the downbeat of each measure.
• The official version has its finishing details applied in an almost perversely random manner. The earlier version includes
virtually all the same details, but they are notably applied in consistent, neat patterns; heck, even the "chick chick chick"s
show up in the same place in both bridges!
• The official version rings more truly because even if "life" does seem to routinely "go on" (while you're busy making other
plans), there's always got to be something random thrown into the mix, if for no other reason, than to keep you on your
toes and remind you that you are alive.
Regards,
Alan (080397#133)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/hiawg.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Happiness Is A Warm Gun"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #136 (HIAWG)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Major, converged upon from a minor
Meter: Various
Form: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 |
| Part 4 (Finale) with complete ending
Recorded: 23rd-25th September 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This song represents a most intriguing formal experiment, one that you might describe as a "teleological medley". It manages to
project an integrated impression in ironic spite of its acyclical form, and varied sequence of styles, and meters. The Beatles' ultimate
grand example of this formal approach is, of course, the "Huge Melody" that ends "Abbey Road", but, it's this track on which you
hear it first!
In contrast to the "Abbey Road" medley, where most of the sections could survive extraction from their immediate context to
serve as an independent "numbers" per se, you find here, with perhaps the exception of the final "title" section, that the individual
components are quite fragmentary and rely heavily on immediate repetition of a single idea to establish any sense of formal
autonomy. There's not quite enough substance in any of them to stand on their own; otherwise you just might go as far as calling this
a "suite"; which latter term, now that I think of it, would be appropriate for "Abbey Road".
The primary force that holds it together and prevents it from otherwise sounding like a random grab bag is the modulated
development of intensity and mood created by the specific sequencing of the sections; each new section builds on what has preceded
it while adding something new. Secondarily, the changes of meter either between or within every section establish themselves as a
kind of leitmotif.
In both his "Recording Sessions" and his liner notes to "Anthology", Volume 3, Lewisohn blithely asserts that this track is made
up of three songs. From where does he get it? I count four, at least.
Melody and Harmony
The song finishes up in a mid-fifties cliché-saturated dialect of C Major. The introductory three sections establish the relative
minor key of a in droning, modal-rather-than-tonal harmonic terms. Note how the opening chord of the piece is an a-minor seventh
which, just like its close cousin, the C Major added sixth, combines the triads of both the Major key and its relative minor in a single
chord; see our comments on this phenomenon back in the likes of such early efforts as "Ask Me Why", "Do You Want To Know A
Secret", and the forever emblematic "She Loves You".
Also note the extent to which the melodic material frequently incorporates pentatonic-like riffs that couple the two related triads
together; dig the second and third parts in particular.
Arrangement
The sequential nature of the form carries through to the handling of the instrumentation:
• First part, first section: Features plucked guitar arpeggios, bass guitar, and single track vocal. A drum crescendo starts
from nothing in last measure and leads into next section.
• First part, last section: Adds percussion and chordal chops on guitar. The vocal overdub in the last two phrases sounds like
John.
• Second part: Is characterized by the fuzz guitar and cymbal slashes, the latter falling on every second measure. The vocal
overdub here sounds like it could be Paul.
• Third part: Adds tambourine. Vocally starts off with John single tracked but with Paul joining him in the second phrase.
• Fourth part: Features a trio of backing vocals, some of whose phrases make for clever by-play with lead vocal; sometimes
as counterpoint, sometimes as a sustained background wash, and even sometimes making a hocket with lead. At the very
bottom of the instrumental track there is what sounds a lot like a bowed bass fiddle; perhaps I'm hearing the tuba part that
Lewisohn says was mostly mixed out.
It's no surprise that the ensemble should sound a bit rickety-ragged in places, given the constant changes of meter and use of
unequal phrasing.
First Part: "She's Not A Girl Who Misses Much"
The track opens with two phrases that project an AA, even-lengthed symmetry. I analyze them as though they were clearly in the
home key of a minor, but this is an after-thought considered in light of the rest of what follows. In all honesty, you probably hear this
opening as if it were a plagal (i.e. iv -» i) cadence in a home key of e minor:
--------------- 2X ----------------
|a7 |- |e |- |
a: i v
[Figure 136.1]
This placid opening is counter-balanced by a definite increase intensity and an implied transposition of the opening iv -» i chord
progression to the key of a minor; not to mention our first example in the track what the old computer game, "Adventure", described
as twisty passages, "all different":
|d |- |- |a |- |
a: iv i
|d |- |a |- |
iv i
|d |- |a |- |
iv i
-half-
|d |- |- |a |- |
iv i
[Figure 136.2]
Granted, the middle two phrases of this quatrain are four-square, but the first phrase is longer by a full measure, and the final one
is extended in its middle by a half-measure. This particular sequencing cleverly deprives the section of all symmetry, in spite of the
fact that two phrases are identical to each other! To understand this a bit more clearly, contemplate how much more symmetry
could be added here if the identical phrases were deployed in either in any of the following positions: 1/3, 2/4, 1/2, 3/4 — instead
of the 2/3 configuration we are given.
You might argue that what I've labeled a d-minor chord above is more to be more precisely analyzed as a half-diminished seventh
chord on b in its "first" (or 6/5) inversion; i.e. ii6/5, instead of iv. However, I'm parsing it with d as the root because I hear the root
movement in terms of iv -» i; especially because of the way it parallels the first sub-section above.
The very last measure of this section is one of the more conspicuous rough edges in the ensemble playing, as if one or more of
the players was already shifting into 3/4.
Second Part: "I Need A Fix ('Cause I'm Going Down)"
We transition from the ranting march-beat rhetoric of the last section of the first part into a heavy-but-flowing, bluesy waltz in
which the same eleven-measure phrase is repeated twice.
This time our sense of differing twisty passages comes from both the wobbly 3 + 4 + 4 phrase structure, and the fact that the vocal
line does not literally repeat the guitar line. You might say the vocal variation is the one that more clearly projects the pseudo ABA
inner structure of the eleven measure phrase:
Guitar: |E G E |C A C |E DCA |
Vocal: |E G E |C A C |E DCA |
Chords: |a |- |- |
a: i
|E G E |C A C |E G |EDE |
|E G E |C A C |E G |E G |
|- |- |- |- |
|G |C A C |E DCA |- |
|E G E |C A C |E DCA |- |
|c |- |a |- |
III i
[Figure 136.3]
There's a quarter-tone-flat blues spin applied to several of the E-naturals in this section; an effect that appears nowhere else in the
song.
Third Part: "Mother Superior Jumped The Gun"
This third part is characterized by a special rhythmic effect that occurs in the first measure of every phrase, technically referred to
as a "hemiola". The term is applied to any situation in which a phrase of music written in a ternary meter (e.g. 3/4) contains one or
more instances where either an isolated single measure is accented as if were two triplets (i.e. 6/8), or a pair of measures are accented
as if they were three measures of 2/4. If you're at a loss for a pop-music precedent, try "America" from Leonard Bernstein's "West
Side Story".
This part is built out of three phrase pairs, the second of which is consistently one beat longer than the first; is it John or Mr.
Martin who proposed such details?
6/8 3/4
|a |C |- |
a: i III
6/8 3/4 4/4

|a |G |- |
i flat-VII
[Figure 136.4]
Notic how this part resonates subtly-if-not-surprisingly with the last section of the first part both in terms of mood as well as
melodic emphasis on the "B-A" motif.
The individualized, unique contribution of this part is the introduction of the flat-VII chord.
Fourth Part: "Happiness Is A Warm Gun (Bang-Bang, Shoot-Shoot)"
By virtue of its full-fledged, albeit clichéd, harmonic progression, the song finally arrives in this section for its big finish; the rest
of the track to this point left to serve a multi-faceted introduction. And based on all the preceding material, who, indeed, would have
expected this doo-wop, harmonic cliché as our ultimate destiny?
So here, in spite of all strangeness, we find the old I -» vi -» IV -» V over and over and over (again), with one penultimate tip of
the hat to the dramatic (but equally "old") minor iv chord:
4/4 --------- 2X ----------------
|C |a |F |G |
C: I vi IV V
3/4 --------- 3X ----------------

|C |a |F |G |
I vi IV V
4/4 --------- 2X ----------------

|C |a |F |G |
I vi IV V
4/4
|f |- |- |- |
iv
4/4 --------- 2X ----------------

|C |a |F |G |
I vi IV V
[Figure 136.5]
The three phrases in 3/4 here are the are the most raggedly performed in the entire track; poor Ringo particularly sounds like he's
struggling.
The phrase on the f-minor chord sounds almost as though performed ad libitum, but I believe on hears it as if it fills
approximately the four measures I've given it above.
During the last seconds of the finished mix, the engineer suddenly lifted the faders just before the final chord had completely died
away, thus adding punctuation-like heft to the one last drum beat.
It's an effect that uncannily reminds me of the sound you hear in recordings of eighteenth century keyboard music performed on
very large period harpsichords; the kind with two keyboards and still more registers and color stops. The performer holds down the
keys to the final chord, waiting for the sound to fade almost completely away, and then releases the all the keys at once, allowing the
jacks to make their own hefty "thunk" as they fall upon the damped strings.
And lest you think this association has nothing to do with the Beatles, I should point out that François Couperin Le Grand, a
composer whose keyboard pieces count among some of the most idiomatically indigenous music written for such large harpsichords,
held a long term post as the official court keyboard teacher to the household of the Sun King.
Regards,
Alan (110997#136)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/mmd.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Martha My Dear"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #137 (MMD)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E-flat Major

Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge | Bridge Extension |
| Verse (instrumental) | Bridge |
Recorded: 4th, 5th October 1968, Trident Studios
Style and Form
Don't be fooled: the gracious surface charm of this song is more substantively belied by novel touches in the departments of form,
phrasing and harmony than you might ever notice without a closer look.
The form is complicated, albeit in subtle terms:
• A larger than average quotient of precious bandwidth is monopolized by purely instrumental music; i.e. the long intro,
mid-section break, and outro.
• That instrumental intro encompasses one complete verse section, thus "forcing" the unusual deployment of only a single
sung verse before the first bridge. Similarly, the instrumental verse section in the middle "forces" the final verse to be the
only other sung verse in the entire song.
• Though the piece includes two bridges, the first one includes an extension that is cavalierly omitted the second time
'round.
The verse includes a Charleston-like syncopated repeat of the first melodic fragment, thereby setting up an asymmetrical
interpolation of two excess beats within the first line of the song. Paul would much later employ a variation of this same technique in
"Two Of Us"; listen (I command you!) to the early run-throughs of the latter (the first track on the venerable "Songs From The Past",
Volume 4) in which Paul adjures his colleagues to listen to how well "it works" as he "rhythms it" for them, demo style.
Melody and Harmony
The home key is a jazzy, blues-inflected dialect of E-flat Major in which a lot of different chords are used, a larger quotient than
average of which appear with freely dissonant embellishments.
The bridge is set in the key of F Major, the modulation made out to sound more remote than it really is by the manner in which it
is abruptly entered and exited.
Arrangement
The piano that opens the piece, played drily with no pedal and closely miked, runs beneath most if not all of the track, but the
Beatles' convention of instrumental layering is also very much in evidence:
• First verse: Add light strings to underscore piano solo.

• First bridge: Add brass chords on the first and third beats of each measure, with string chords on every beat.
• Bridge extension: Add drums (their first appearance on the track) and note how the bass, which just may have joined in
earlier becomes more noticeable here.
• Instrumental Solo: The tune is carried here by a trumpet. In the meanwhile the drums drop out but the bass continues on,
and you can now hear hand claps in the backing part.
• Second bridge: Similar to the first bridge, but note how the drums show up here this time around; previously, they were
held in reserve for the so-called extension.
• Final verse: No drums, no brass, but the bassline is ever more prominent.
• Outro: For just strings and bass.
This arrangement features three enduring signature details; i.e. you'd recognize what song they came from no matter how brief the
sound bite in which you might hear them:
• The "A-to-B-flat" grace note in the piano part just before the downbeat to the third phrase of the verse.
• The horn fanfare at the end of the bridge and bridge extension.
• The bassline accented in "Bulgarian" rhythm (3 + 3 + 2) for the second phrase of the bridge. Paul's own precedent for this
device to-date is "Good Day Sunshine", but on "Abbey Road" you'll find George using it in "Here Comes The Sun" and
John using it in the intro to "Because".
Intro
The intro/verse section is an extremely unusual fourteen and a half measures in length, the first of its four phrases being
foreshortened by six beats; the musical equivalent of a receding chin :-) In this case, the effect is motivated by the dog-chasing-its-
tail motif with which the tune opens:
-half-
|E-flat |- |- D |
E-flat: I V-of-iii
|g |C |F |- |
iii V-of-(V-of-V) V-of-V
|B-flat |A-flat 9 |B-flat 7 |A-flat 7 |

V IV V IV
|B-flat 7 |A-flat 7 |B-flat 7 |- |

V IV V
[Figure 137.1]
Well before the true E-flat home key is established, the section veers off sharply in the direction of a possible modulation to the
key of B-flat Major. Though the B-flat chord becomes clearly established by section's end as V, not I; you still might say that the
tonal center of gravity is weighted deceptively more in favor of B-flat rather than E-flat.
The ninths and sevenths applied to all of the A-flat-Major chords above fall under the category of "free" dissonance.
Verse
It's the intro revisited.
Bridge
The bridge, proper, is sixteen four-square measures long and appropriately makes "atonement" for the metrical imbalance of the
verse section. By the same token, it makes its own very balls-ily abrupt harmonic shift to the key of F Major:
|d7 |- |g7 |- |
F: vi ii
|F-added 6th |- |- |- |
I
|**bass pedal tone on C ...

|g |C |g |C A |
ii V ii V V-of-vi
|d |- |g7 |- |
vi ii
[Figure 137.2]
Freely dissonant harmony continues in this section with the large number of gratuitous seventh chords, the added-sixth
embellishment of the new home key chord, and the pedal tone which is sustained through the first three measures of the third phrase.
Bridge Extension
This unique passage constitutes a quite natural continuation of the bridge from which it is spawned. The harmony is of the same
fabric with its rampant free sevenths. The rather off-beat three-measure phrasing of the opening of this section somehow fits with
that "receding chin" gesture of the verse:
|d |G9 |- |
F: vi V-of-V
|d |G9 |- |
vi V-of-V
|C7 |- |B-flat |-7 |

V IV
|d |- |g7 |- |E-flat |
vi ii
E-flat: iii I
[Figure 137.3]
The abrupt transition back to the home key of the verse features that root move of a major third that we discussed back in of all
places, "Wild Honey Pie". Note how the second bridge embellishes this gesture with a novel "3-4-5" hook in the toppermost voice.
Outro
The outro takes the rather simple way out, considering all formal and harmonic subtleties that have been dished out all the way
through the rest of the song: the V chord that is left hanging at the end of the final verse is allowed to simply resolve to a
prolongation of the I chord, sustained through the downbeat of the third measure, but with the remainder of four measures to the
phrase clearly implied.
I'm not embarrassed to admit I'm of that generation for whom the suggestion that this song was dedicated to the composer's sheep
dog was a disambiguating revelation.
Furthermore, I find myself the more mystified and more than a bit dismayed by Mr. Lewisohn's revisionist attempts to tell us all
that it's not about a dog, after all.
Leave well enough alone and give us a break, I say. A dog may fine, Paulie, but you'll never connect with a real woman with that
"hold your head up", "silly girl" kind of foolish line.
Regards,
Alan (120797#137)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/b3.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Blackbird"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #139 (B3)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Interlude | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse (instrumental) | Refrain | Interlude |
Style and Form
This folk song, spiked by just a little shot of blues, is a welcome contrast (or perhaps, antidote) to what might be called the
various excesses scattered all over the rest of the double "White Album"; no pejorative connotations intended.
The song is a marvel of deceptive simplicity: the raw materials used are both simple in nature and small in number. Yet, they are
recombined with a quiet, clever economy that makes them sound quite rich.
The song also features a surprisingly large amount of free-verse uneven phrasing.
Melody and Harmony
The home key of G is clearly sustained throughout, though the Major mode of the verse sections is supplanted in the refrains by a
bluesy Dorian mode; i.e. the one with minor third and seventh degrees (the white note scale on ["this is"] D).
The lyric's encouraging message to proactively rise above one's most innate challenges is nicely abetted by the way in which the
high points of the tune are deployed: a high D as early as the third measure of the verse, and the really high G (the climax of the
song) smack in the middle of the refrain, right where the V-of-V chord appears.
Arrangement
There's just acoustic guitar and a metronome! For those of you who, like myself, first encountered this song on vinyl, I am curious
to know if anyone else ever entertained an initial suspicion that the ticking was caused by an extraordinarily well-synchronized
scratch on the platter? :-)
The lead vocal is intimately done up single tracked for the verse, and doubled for the refrains.
The guitar part is dominated by a progression of parallel tenths, the "melodic" thrust of which drives the harmony in broad brush;
i.e. not every measure contains a chord of roman numeral or grammatical significance. As a matter of training your ear, I recommend
you try listening to this track while actively blocking out the vocal, and concentrating on those tenths in the guitar part; try it, you'll
like it.
A rather obvious compositional lesson, but one worth pointing out in any event: if you're going to add a birds-chirping effect to a
song in which the same creatures figure in the lyrics, then don't use them for the whole piece, and if you use them for only "half,"
then save them for the latter half. That said, I don't believe this song would lack anything if the birds had been omitted.
Intro
The intro is identical to the accompaniment of the verse section's first phrase; see A phrase below.
Verse
The placid mood of the verse is belied by its flexibly uneven phrasing; first phrase being two beats longer than three measures,
second phrase of four measures, third phrase of three measures, and finally another four measure phrase:
** A Phrase -half-
|B C |D |b - |- |
|G A |B |g - |- |
G: I
** B Phrases
|E G |F# A |G - |- |
|C C# |D D# |E - |Eb - |
IV vi
|F# G |E - |Eb |
|D Db |C - |- |
IV
|D - |C# - |C-nat - |B - |
|B - |A - | - |G - |
I6/3 V-of-V V7 I
[Figure 139.1]
I'm dishing out the roman numerals sparsely here. Yes, if you want to get fussy about it you can droom-up such numerals for
every change in this section, but I reiterate my earlier comment that your ear is largely carried along by the melodic motion here,
rather than by harmonic (i.e. root) "progression". Scale-wise bassline movement retains the special power to make this work,
especially when it is made to move chromatically by half-step, as happens here part of the time.
The first verse, only, is followed by the following instrumental connecting section, which is a kind of four-measure condensation
of the previous six measures:
** C Phrase
|E D |C# - |C-nat |B |
|C B |A - |D |G |
IV I6/3 V-of-V V7 I
[Figure 139.2]
The second verse proceeds directly into the refrain without the C phrase.
Refrain
The refrain also features uneven phrases (4 + 5), in spite of its otherwise parallel, AA' sub-structure:
|A G |F E |D - |E - |
|F E |D C |Bb - |C - |
IV IV
|A G |F E |D - |C# - |C-natural |
|F E |D C |Bb - |A - |D |
IV V-of-V V
[Figure 139.3]
Again, I'm using a light hand with the chord labels. For example, I steer clear of labeling the chords on the downbeats of the first
two measures of this section as having harmonic "roots" of their own; I hear them as appoggiaturas or passing tones with respect to
the C-Major chords in the second half of those two measures.
In the big picture, think of the entire first phrase as a prolongation of the IV chord, with the ultimate destination reached by the
second phrase (A-Major, V-of-V) being cautiously stepped back from at the last minute in the first phrase. Superb "word painting" in
light of the song's message.
The detailed form of the song from here to the end is a bit more complicated than typical. The first refrain elides with an
instrumental exposition of the complete verse. The latter leads back into a repeat of the refrain, which is followed this time with:
• An instrumental extension of phrase A above, which outro-like, leads to a brief halt, but wait; there's still more!
• An intro-like section that is constructed out of phrases A and C elided together.
• At this point, the birds enter, and the song moves into its final verse.
Outro
The outro grows out of the final verse with yet another example of the three-times-you're-out gambit; something, again, that
rhetorically fits here in terms of the underlying message.
And one last bird-related lesson: let the sound effect persist a rough second or two after the music stops, because neither
alternative of shutting off the birds either before the music or exactly at the same time as the music works as well.
We've got another case this time where the final version demonstrates some masterful reworking of the Esher [**] demo:
• The demo gives away the entire verse whereas, in general, you'd be better off holding a couple of the cards up your sleeve,
or at least, if you're going to give the whole verse away in the Intro, then at least do not double up on the sung verses; e.g.
compare with "Martha My Dear".
• In spite of the long intro, the demo lacks most of the instrumental interludes that appears in the final version; no C phrase
intervenes between the first two verses, the instrumental third verse contains the final phrase sung, and there outro/re-intro
after the second refrain is eliminated.
• The demo ends with a "four-times-you're-out" gimmick which not only seems a too-long violation of the rhetorical Rule of
Three, but also undermines the flow by not repeating the sung tag line in the second repeat.
[** The so-called Esher demos consist of 26 demos recorded at George Harrison's Esher bungalow, between the return of Lennon
and Harrison from Rishikesh, India, in April 1968 and the start of the recordings for the "White Album" on the 30th of May 1968.
Some of these were released on "Anthology", Volume 3.]
Regards,
Alan (121497#139)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/j.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Julia"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #145 (J)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Bridge | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Refrain |
Recorded: 13th October 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This song is almost agonizingly exquisite in its restrained, laconic poetry, its combination of suggestive imagery with a reluctance
to be explicit; "silent cloud touch me," indeed.
Though it is cast in an unadorned and folksy finger picking acoustic guitar style, the musical text is just as elusive as are the
words.
The formal design is also equivocal; what I label above as "verse" and "refrain", you might prefer to call "intro" and "verse". I
myself could argue it either way; heck, but I'll stick with "verse" and "refrain" because of the way the title is repeated like a mantra
throughout all appearances of that section, no matter how many of the other words are varied.
Melody and Harmony
There's an ample enough supply of plain old V -» I in the harmony to clearly establish the home key, but the heart of the song is
dominated by "impressionistic" chord changes that involve atypical root movements and a large share of dissonant tones. This effect
is amplified by the way in which the particular string picking order often delays the appearance of the root note of the chord until the
middle of the measure in which the chord has nominally changed.
The tune is confined within the relatively small range of a sixth, from D up to B, something which enhances that feeling in the
song that something is being held back. Indeed, the leaning upward to that C# appoggiatura at the end of the final couple refrains (on
the words "song of love" — an important tactical point that it is reserved for toward the end!) as well as the reach downward to G#,
at the beginning of the bridge provide well needed respite.
You might say the effect of the restricted melodic range is, itself, intensified by the B-natural/B-flat cross relationship within the
tune as well as the similar alternation of F# in the tune with F-natural, supplied as the seventh of the g-minor chord.
Arrangement
The arrangement is ultra-simple and recorded ultra sotto-voce. This kind of ending to the first of the unprecedented two-platter
"White Album" is intended to be "ironic" in contrast with the manner in which the song order of the first side emerges. You
passively accept the quiet ending it as inevitable, but if you think about it, you could just as easily have expected this side of the
album to end on an orgasmic note.
The recording level of this track is so extremely low that, outside the confines of your own living room, alone in the dark late at
night, you find yourself needing to turn up the volume for this song to a level that makes many of the other tracks on the album come
out way too loud. The same thing happens with George's "Long Long Long" for the conclusion of "Side 3"; an effect that is partially
lost in the transfer to the single-sided CD format.
John's lead vocal single-tracked for the most part and delivered with a curiously pale, dead-pan delivery. It is double-tracked only
for the final phrase of each section, and where the formal overlap of one section to another calls for it.
Verse
The verse is nine measures long and built on an AA' poetic structure of 4 + 5. Note, though, how the final measure of this section
elides with the first measure of the following section.
|D |b7 |f |- |
D: I vi iii
|D |b7 |f |A D
I vi iii V I
[Figure 145.1]
The b7 chord is a good example of so-called "free dissonance". The seventh comes into play strictly as a matter of the note, A,
being sustained through the entire phrase; it otherwise serves no harmonic or contrapuntal purpose. The sustaining of the note A is
reinforced by the guitar part's featuring of an "inverted cuckoo clock" motif reminiscent of the way the note F# is made similarly
prominent in "Dear Prudence".
The root chord progressions are on the weak side, suggesting a mood of being too tired or upset to get up and fix yourself a drink;
vi -» iii consists of a move of a fourth downward, analogous to the passive plagal cadence (V -» I has a more energetic teleological
feel to it than IV -» I; in my humble opinion); iii -» V feels even weaker because the two chords share two out of three triadic notes
in common.
Refrain
The refrain is thirteen measures long, built out of three phrases in a 4 + 4 + 5 pattern. Just like the Verse, above, it elides with the
section that follows.
|D |b7 |a 7 |9 |
D: I vi v
|B |- |g7/9 |- |
V-of-ii iv
|D |b7 |f# |A D
I vi iii V I
[Figure 145.2]
The harmony continues here to be pungent in terms of the coloring of individual chords, at the same time being unsure of its
footing with respect to root movement from one chord to the next. Examples abound:
• the reprise of the free b7 in the first and last phrases;

• the move from vi -» minor v in a Major key; topped off, no less, by the free 7/9 embellishment of v;
• the B-Major chord at the beginning of the second phrase leads you to anticipate a modulation toward e minor so strongly
that you hear the previous a-minor chord as a pivoting iv in the key of e;
• any expectation of the modulation though is abruptly dashed by the move, next, to a g-minor chord. The latter is, first of
all, our old friend, the minor iv in Major key (an especial Lennon favorite). In this context it creates a double cross-relation
with the previous chord (B-flat/B-natural, F#/F-natural), and another cross-relation (F-natural/F#) with the following
chord. This g-minor chord is, itself, embellished by a yearning "2-3" upward appoggiatura, and is made initially
mysterious by the way in which the root note is delayed until the third beat of the measure; for a couple beats you half
suspect that the chord change is to d-minor; not g-minor 7.
By the way, this is probably an appropriate place at which to reiterate something you've heard me say many times before: Yes, I
know that there's no way that John Lennon (or any other songwriter, for that matter) would compose the above thirteen measures
with much, if any, of what I've analyzed in mind. But still, I stand by my conviction that what I've analyzed is part of what you
react to in listening thoughtfully and sensitively to the music whether you can articulate it or not. Part of the music's charm is the
extremely rapid pace and multiple layers on which all these details hit you; even if you can articulate it, it happens in real time,
much faster than you could keep up with if you tried; kind of like sex in that way :-)
Bridge
The bridge fills ten measures, introduced by a two-measure wind-down from the previous section. Scan the ten measures as 4 + 2
+ 4:
|D |- |
D: I
f#: VI
|c# |- |D |- |
f#: v VI
|b7 |- |
f#: iv
|f# |- |- |- |
f#: i
D: iii
[Figure 145.3]
Starting with the unusual move to the c# chord, this section provides a rather weak modulation to the key of the relative minor, f#.
I term it as "weak" because of the continued usage here of the minor v chord and the plagal cadence.
Outro
The remainder of the song following the lone bridge is mostly a repeat of material heard earlier, though some variations call your
attention.
The subtext of being incapable of articulating one's message completely in words is nicely painted by the fragmentary nature of
the vocal part of the final verse; completely silent for two separate patches, and wordlessly humming along for a third. The latter
effect is strangely reminiscent of "All I've Got To Do". (Right, when's the last time you listened to that one? Quick — do you know,
off the top of your end on which album it appears?)
Best of all, perhaps, is the very old fashioned (by Beatles' standards) three-times-you're-out outro. Note how, in the final verse
John initially drops the f# chord from the last verse, only to restore it for the very, very, last time around. In hindsight, now that the
f# chord is suddenly omitted, you realize how its presence all along the rest of the way was yet another wordlessly musical
expression of yearning.
Let's pick it up at measures 9 of the last verse:

"So I sing ... Jul --i--a.
|D |b7 |A |D |
I vi V I
Jul --i--a.
|A |I |
V I
Jul ---------- i--a.

|f# |A |D7 |- |
iii V I
[Figure 145.4]
The I7 chord at the end is a final, fitting example of free dissonance.
"Julia" makes an interesting comparison with "I'm So Tired", sharing much of the latter's enervation but at the same time replacing
its marked tendency toward irritability with a yearning that is sad but also faithful beyond words.
You can have even more fun comparing and contrasting "Julia" with the immediately preceding track, "I Will". Could this be yet
another one of those cases in which I fancifully hypothesize that John and Paul might set themselves the challenge of writing parallel
songs based upon a single common denominator?
In this case the theme of a relationship that is at once paradoxically intimate-yet-remote, transcendentally essential yet somehow
not yet (alas, maybe impossible to ever be) fully consummated is unmistakably at the core of both songs. And yet, if you start to
consider side-by-side the musical style and details of the two songs, you find an insight into the personalities of the two songwriters,
their differences as well as their interdependencies, that is as vivid and true as the most ample psychological argument you might
chose to make from biographical sources. We've done this before with song pairs such as "Paperback Writer" / "Rain" and "She Said
She Said" / "Good Day Sunshine". Try doing this pair on your own, or let's come back to it another day.
And on a related note, consider this: though you probably treasure your knowledge of the poignant personal history that underlies
"Julia" do you ever stop to ponder how relatively incidental and non-essential that knowledge is to the effect that the song has upon
you? Oh, I understand how knowing that Julia was John's mum unavoidably adds a new dimension to your so-called appreciation of
the song, but what I'm asking now is how much less does the song speak to your heart in absence of that knowledge?
Regards,
Alan (030898#145)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/yb.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Yer Blues"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #146 (YB)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: Very bluesy E Major

Meter: 6/8
Form: Verse-A | Verse A |
| Verse B | Verse B | Verse B |
| Verse C (guitar solo) | Verse-C (guitar solo) |
| Outro (Verse A) (fade-out)
Recorded: 13th, 14th August 1968, Abbey Road 2;
Style and Form
This is another one of what I call the Beatles' big "gesture" songs; those in which production and performance values rather
overshadow, even overwhelm the underlying raw material; where the gesture is to be exploited for its suggestive connotations of the
cliché and the cultural ready-made. John was particularly fond of doing these; I leave it to you as a classroom exercise or discussion
topic to identify other examples.
In this case, it is a kind of intense, over-wrought and stylized Blues that is conjured, the sort that was quite popular in Britain at
the time; the sort for which you need a sidebar here on the likes of the "Animals" and their influence-ee's to fully appreciate.
The form stays completely within the same variation of the standard twelve-bar blues frame, yet, manages to convey a sense of
diversified form by altering details in the melodic and rhythmic foreground; compare this with "Rocky Raccoon", of all things!
In particular, this song exploits the subtle contrast inherent in alternately parsing the twelve-bar frame as 8 + 4 versus 4 + 8. Look
back to our comparison of "Roll Over Beethoven" with "Money" in "'Cover Songs on "With The Beatles" for the background on this
gambit.
There is also the uncanny way in which a "hiccup" of an extra beat added to most of the verses is balanced out near the end by
that most rough and rude of splices.
Melody and Harmony
The form and the melody are true blue, through and through. Granted, in order to get the form to come out "right" I've parsed the
meter as an unusual 6/8 that contradicts the ordinal numbers heard in the introductory count-in, but the melody, with its flat third and
sevenths couldn't be more genuine if it tried.
Although the harmony is dominated by the old I -» IV -» V, it includes the rather optional flat-III and flat-VII for extra spice and
tang. Allright, so maybe I'm "imagining" the latter chord, but I promise that if you use it in your own very personal cover of the song
that it will not sound out of place.
Arrangement
The backing track sounds thick but also built up from relatively spare resources. Keep your eye on that lead guitar lick that sort of
mimics the lead vocal.
The lead vocal is strangely recorded to sound some vague combination of double tracked, fed-back, and reverbed. Do I even hear
Paul joining in at one point?
The rough edit for the outro has a visceral effect similar to that of accidentally, unexpectedly smacking your forehead against a
hard surface, a brief seconds-worth of fainting spell, or if you like, a small but critical few frames of celluloid cut out of a film.
Verse
Ringo's count-in may be just as spliced as George's is in "Taxman" but here, at least, it's in tempo.
All the sections are built around the same slow pounded-out twelve-bar frame. All the Verse-A and the first two of the Verse-B
sections feature one intentionally spastic extra beat in measure 10. The final Verse-B section omits the extra beat in the interest of
seizing an opportunity to modulate the back-beat so that the measure lengths remain the same, but the eighth-note triplets in the two
instrumental Verse-C sections are twice the speed they were in the rest of the song; suddenly the beat feels more four-square than
ternary.
|E |- |- |- |
E: I
|A |- |E |- |
IV I
|G |B |E G A G |E D B |
flat-III V I IV I V
[Figure 146.1]
Verse-A sections feature an 8 + 4 structure (AA + B), with the "wanna die" phrase echoed in the second half of the first two
phrases. The Verse-B sections feature a 4 + 8 structure (C + AB), with the first phrase being declaimed with dramatic pauses, and the
next two restoring the original beat. The true formal irony in this situation is the common factor of the AB phrase filling out the
second and third phrase of all the sections!
Outro
For balance, the outro restores both the original back-beat and the Verse-A formal structure.
The obvious splice, aside from its special effect, would seem to make an eye-winking mockery of all those other occasions in
which this very same group would exert a surgeon's level of control to imperceptibly audio-retouch a track using essentially the same
technique.
John's vocal, either mixed way down or recorded like from another room adds just the right surreal balancing touch to the up close
ranting featured in the rest of the song.
Lewisohn labels this song as simply "a parody of the British blues scene". Maybe so. But, when you contemplate John's track
record over the long run, (from "Twist and Shout" and "Money" in the early days to "Don't Let Me Down" and "I Want You (She's So
Heavy)" in the Late Period), you've got to acknowledge that this screaming style is also in equal measure a genuine part of his
essential musical persona.
Regards,
Alan (032298#146)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/mns.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Mother Nature's Son"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #147 (MNS)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | (spacer) |
| Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Bridge |
Recorded: 9th, 20th August 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
This is another one of those hymn-like folk songs, cast by Paul in a decidedly pop music formal scheme. It's a close relative of
"Blackbird"; lyrically, perhaps the bit less profound but more elaborately produced of the two songs.
The form of the official recording is the small two-bridge model (i.e. only one verse between the buttons), with one ingenious
variation: to separate the unique pair of verses that opens the song, the final phrase of the verse is repeated as a "spacer" in between
them. Then, the same gesture is repeated at the very end of the song, this time, in order to provide the outro. Compare this with the
Esher demo [**] of the song and the studio outtake on "Anthology", Volume 3, both of which contain a more folk-like final repeat of
the refrain-like bridge at the end.
Melody and Harmony
Textbook melodic values abound here; e.g. rakish-not-slavish balance between up-and-down motion; motion via steps-and-leaps;
the range is extended upward for the bridge. I dare say the upward phrase sung at the end of the verse is one beautiful pentatonic lick.
The harmonic rhythm is unusually slow, relying on pedal points in both verse and bridge sections.
The key of the song is definitely Major, though the harmonic vocabulary includes the inflections of both the V-of-V chord and
some chromatic scalar motion in the so-called inner voices.
Arrangement
The acoustic guitar is a constant factor on the backing track, with a brass choir added in for much of the songs mid-section, plus
an unusually small amount of percussion effects.
Even with such a spare number of disparate resources at play, the layering of the arrangement is subtly choreographed, with a
couple of unique touches deftly "planted" in the cinematic sense of the term.
The schematic trace:
• Intro: Guitar only, but notice the couple of drumbeats, which at this point of the track would seem to be random, out of
nowhere; an example of "planting."
• First verse: Still guitar only.
• Second verse: Add brass. Note the "bricks laid on the overlap" manner in which the trumpet enters during the spacer that
precedes this verse. Reinforce the E-Major chord with a rising arpeggio in the bassline, starting here and continuing for the
rest of the song. In the second half, add percussive tapping.
• First bridge: Add what sounds like a bass drum on the downbeats. Try to shift the tapping to just off-beats, but note how
the pattern is not carefully maintained. The vocal part has no words.
• Third verse: Drop the tapping altogether; though I fear some of it appears out of nowhere in the second half.
• Second bridge: Drums again; this time, they even get to show off a small fill at the very end of the section. The tapping is
back.
• Fourth verse: Drop the brass, but add a second track for acoustic guitar. In sympathy with the bridges, the vocal part here
also has no words!
• Outro: Brass returns for the curtain call, and the final title line of singing is double tracked.
Intro
The intro is in two parts: the opening, played ad-lib, anticipates the what turns out to be the verse's propensity for the V-of-V
chord, though this early in the proceedings, you're not yet sure just what it means. We then get eight measures of folksy vamping on
the I chord including plenty of oscillation to neighboring tones on both sides; but in terms of harmonic bone structure, it's all a D-
Major chord.
Verse
The verse is a four-square sixteen measures long in an AB + C pattern of 4 + 4 + 8:

Inner voice: |A |B |- |A |
Inner voice: |F# |G |- |F# |
Chords: |D |- |- |- |
D: I
|D |C# |B |- |
|B |A |G# |- |
|D |- |E |- |
(vi6/4) V-of-V
|C# D |C# D |C# D |C# |

|E F# |E F# |E F# |E |
|A |- |- |- |
V (I6/4)
|A |- |- |- |
|F# |F-nat |G-nat |F# |
|D |- |- |- |
I
[Figure 147.1]
I've notated the two inner voices that account for most of the "harmony"; direct your attention to the brass overdubs to latch onto
this. I've penciled in (in parentheses) the places in which a roman numeral-obsessed analyst might be tempted to put labels on 6/4
chords, though I emphasize my preference for leaving these alone in this context as the by-products of neighboring tones, not root
movement.
The neighboring motion doubles in speed for the third phrase, creating an illusion of increase in the harmonic rhythm; rather a
paradoxical effect, considering the pedal point.
That chromatic line in the final four measures is quite twisty; I dare you to sing it! It places an enigmatically overcast shadow on
the otherwise "pretty sound of music"; a much needed hint of sadness behind the smile.
Bridge
The bridge is an unusual fifteen measures long, parsing out as an AAB form of 4 + 4 + 7. You might say that seven-measure
phrase is really eight measures long, overlapping with the final measure of the second four-measure phrase; an "elision" effect we've
seen many times in Beatles' songs.
--------------- 2X ----------------
Inner voice: |A |- |B |A |
Inner voice: |F# |- |G |F# |
Chords: |D |- |- |- |
D: I (IV64) I
|C# |C-nat |- |
|F# |- |- |
|D |- |- |
(V-of-IV)
|B |Bb |A |- |
|G |- |F# |- |
|D |- |- |- |
(IV6/4) (iv64) I
[Figure 147.2]
The descending chromatic line is another bitter-sweet touch whose deployment enhances the off-center phrasing by lingering
asymmetrically over the C-natural for a second measure.
Outro
As mentioned earlier, we finish off with a repeat of the "spacer" phrase.
The song ends off on a D dominant seventh chord rather than a plain triad, the effect of which is somehow ambiguous and sad; a
subtle allusion back to the same chord that was lingered over in the bridge.
As a foible of human nature we each tend to hold on to multiple self images, some sincere and realistic, some completely
fantastic. And then there are some that may appear to originate from the fantasy side of the house, but which are capable of being
fully actualized through the ineffable union with a true mate.
No matter how much Paul might have wished to see himself as a child of nature (yes, I am aware of the allusion to John's original
lyric for "Jealous Guy"), I take a leap of faith here to suggest that he needed the participation of his Linda in order to let it be.
Regards,
Alan (050398#147)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ss.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Sexy Sadie"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #149 (SS)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Verse | Bridge | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 19th, 24th July, 13th, 21st August 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
We have an intriguing mix of styles here that is not easily pigeon-holed; cutting edge lyrics on the one hand, and do-wop backing
vocals and an almost Classical Era piano accompaniment on the other.
The form is the longer two-bridge model, with an unusual pair of sung verses in the middle, and variations on the verse section
used for the outro.
Throughout, the music (by way of the harmonic choices) suggests a feeling of rallying ones energy to struggle up hill against
tireless forces that would appear to be doggedly ready and willing to push you back and drag you down; an interesting effect in light
of the lyrics.
Melody and Harmony
The tune has wide a range and an especially high tessitura with the melodic peak of the verse, in its final phrase, taking John all
the way up to an A -» G appoggiatura in falsetto territory.
The home key is clearly established by the ample air time given to the old I, IV, and V, but other much less common chords such
as iii, V-of-ii, flat-VII have more than just cameo roles.
The progression of the G- to F#-Major chord becomes a genuine signature of the piece, the gesture immediately and repeatedly
suggestive of being pushed back. This kind of downward chromatic progression is further extended in the final phrases of both verse
and bridge sections. The latter is uncannily balanced out by the rising (this time diatonically) chord stream at the beginning of the
bridges.
Arrangement
The bass, drum, and guitar work is very nice, but the backing track remains dominated by the piano part, processed with
surrealistically heavy reverb. Dig that surprise upward flash in the treble during the fourth verse.
The lead guitar takes over for the piano in the outro section, playing stepwise chromatic lines that resonate with the harmony.
John's lead vocal performance of the verses contains a larger than usual amount of free variation over the series of repeats. Even
more unusual is the extent to which many of these variations appear already in the Esher demo! [**]
The backing vocals are "absurdly lush" for the context, and also surreal in their own way. "Wa-wa" for starters is pretty good, but
when they switch to "see-see" in the second verse (seemingly triggered by the appearance of the secret word in the lead vocal), it
truly goes over the top.
Intro
The intro is a single six-measure phrase that is harmonically open at both ends. It starts away from the home key, converges
directly toward it, and finishes on the V chord, nicely motivating the next section, which starts on the I chord.
|C |D |G |F# |F-nat. |D |
G: IV V I (VII) flat-VII V
[Figure 149.1]
This intro also happens to match the third phrase of the verse section.
The intro on the studio outtake on "Anthology", Volume 3, interestingly turns out to be the chromatic descending chord stream
from the end of the bridge. The Esher demo does not even appear to have any intro!
Verse
The verse is an unusual fourteen measures long in a 4 + 4 + 6 pattern:

|G |F# |b |- |
G: I V-of-iii iii
|C |D |G |F# |
IV V I V-of-iii
|C |D |G |F# |F-nat. |D |
IV V I (VII) flat-VII V
[Figure 149.2]
The IV -» V start in both second and third phrases adds rhetorical emphasis; an effect that is reinforced by the lyrics. Similarly,
you subconsciously experience the G -» F# progression a bit differently depending on whether it starts (the first phrase) or ends a
phrase (the second and third phrase).
Furthermore, observe how the F# chord itself feels different depending on what follows it:
• The resolution to b-minor is the most "functional" of the three alternatives toyed with; your ears make sense of it.
• The move to C-Major creates an unusual root progression of a tritone, but the rhetorical parallelism between second and
third phrases causes to overlook it, in favor of hearing a comma-like phrasing break between the two chords.
• The move to F-natural-Major is the most audacious of the three, putting the F# chord in the self-effacing role of being an
intermediate step in a chromatic stream.
The move from flat-VII to V produces a classic cross relation. You'd be amused to see John using the same trick (and in the
same key, no less) way back in "I'm A Loser". This gambit is not so uncommon that you should be "amazed" by this hyperlink, but
it's hard to overlook completely.
Bridge
If you'll buy my notion that the last two measures of this section elide with the start of the following verse (making that verse
sound as though it begins on the b minor chord!), the bridge turns out to be twelve measures long in a pattern of AAB:
--------------- 2X ----------------
|G |a |b |C |
G: I ii iii IV
|A |A-flat |G |F# |
V-of-V (flat-II) I V-of-III
[Figure 149.3]
The run of four chromatic chords in a row is introduced by a C/C# cross relation in the transition from IV to V-of-V.
Outro
The fade-out is relatively gradual and allows for the exposition of two full verse sections plus a good half of a third one. The
correspondence between these outro sub-sections and the verses is somewhat disguised by the alternation between instrumental
music and occasionally sung interjections.
The studio outtake on the third volume of "Anthology" goes on for quite a bit longer than the official version, including a third
bridge followed by a reprise of the first two verses performed, verbatim, into the fade-out. The Esher demo, by contrast, forgoes any
verse repetitions at the end, opting for a couple repeats of the downward chromatic chord stream.
Looking back on it, it's hard to believe that none (okay, few) of us suspected that this song "a clef" had anything to do with one
Maharishi at the time it was first released. Perhaps the use of the "sexy" word in the title (the one unique place in all of officially
released Beatlesdom that the word is used in a lyric!) had something to do with it.
Compared to John's roast of Paul in "How Do You Sleep", this song clearly bears the passage of time the more gracefully
because, in addition to its discreet protection of the victim, it remains remarkably well restrained in spite of its confrontational,
ridiculing, and questioning stance; never an easy feat.
Regards,
Alan (052098#149)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/hs.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Helter Skelter"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #150 (HS)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Refrain | Refrain (instrumental) | Intro |
| Verse | Refrain | Outro (with double fade-out)
Recorded: 18th July, 9th, 10th September 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
The style of this song is essentially bluesy in spite of its avoidance of strict twelve-bar frames and I -» IV -» V harmonies. The
form is slightly unusual with its midstream repeat of the intro and double fade-out outro, but nothing we haven't seen them use before
in songs as diverse as "Thank You Girl" and "I Am The Walrus", and "Strawberry Fields Forever".
And yet, crank this one up some late night when you're home alone and all the lights are off, and it's guaranteed to raise the hair
on the back of your neck; to scare and unsettle you. And that phenomenon has absolutely nothing to do with what knowledge you do
or don't possess about the song's bizarre connection with Charles Manson.
You have to look beyond the form and style here to the lyrics, vocal performance, and recording production in order to discover
the roots of this song's sinister effect.
Picture yourself, for starters, in an intimate one-on-one with the narrator; his words of love encompassing a relentless, shifting
panorama of neurotic unpleasantnesses including, in approximate order of appearance:
Obsession/Compulsion:
• When I get to the bottom I go back to the top ...

• ... I see you again.
• Yeah, yeah, yeah.
Nagging, noodging insistence:
• Do you, don't you ...

• Will you, won't you ...
• Tell me, tell me, tell me, come on, tell me ...
Disparaging criticism:
• ... but you ain't no dancer.
A barely concealed undercurrent of violence:
• ... don't let me break you.
• Look out!
You don't need a twenty-plus minute long outtake in order to appreciate the obsessive nature of the song. If anything, you may
find yourself with a headache just trying to imagine it.
Melody and Harmony
The blues feeling is created almost entirely by the blue third in the vocal part, sort of the quarter tone in between G-natural and
G#.
The tune is almost 100% pure pentatonic in mode (D - E - G - A - B). The only exception is the C-natural appoggiatura at the end
of the intro sections; i.e. the first note of the "yeah, yeah, yeah .." phrase.
The small number of chords and the slow pace at which they change conveys a primitive, pre-vocal subtext.
No V chord ever appears here; the complete harmonic duties being assigned to I, flat-III, and IV. Compare this to "Back in the
USSR", and also note the cross-relation created by I versus flat-III.
Arrangement
Paul's savage vocal delivery effectively amplifies the impact of the lyrics. It's pretty loud throughout, but rather nuanced in its
own way if you bother to trace it, with patches of yelling, screaming, sputtering, and (my favorite), insidious laughing.
Add to this, the noisy, metallic, mechanical sounding mix on the backing track; laid down in the red zone and mastered equally
close up for maximum punch. One almost flinches before it the same way you move back a step from the edge of the subway
platform as the train comes into the station. The much quieter early take of the song, heard on "Anthology", Volume 3, still packs a
punch by virtue of the lyrics and lead vocal, but this brutal dimension of the finished track is entirely missing.
And what, indeed, would a Beatles' track be, no matter how wiggled out it is, without some choreographed layering in the
arrangement:
• Intro: Staggered entrance of lead vocal, drums and bass.

• First verse: Backing vocals enter in the second phrase.
• Refrains: All feature the signature downward guitar scales. The instrumental refrain is the only one to include, at the end, a
flash of the backing vocals.
• Second verse: Backing vocals appear in both phrases.
• Midstream intro: includes the full ensemble, this time.
• Third verse: Add a lead guitar lick for the first phrase.
• Outro: Stop chord change, but add special effects and stir.
Intro
The intro is one long phrase of twelve measures, with the first note of the track being the "four-one" pickup to the first measure,
and the lead vocal coming in as a longer pickup to measure 3:
Upper voice 1: |E |- |- |- |- |- |
Upper voice 2: |D |- |- |- |C# |- |
Chords: |E |- |- |- |A |- |
E: V-of-IV4/2 IV6/3
|C |- |D |- |E |- |
|C |- |B |- |G# |- |
|C |- |G |- |E |- |
flat-VI flat-III I
[Figure 150.1]
As if you needed additional phatic cues, the downward chromatic line that runs through the intro helps send a message, from the
very beginning, that we're on a sort of descent to hell.
Verse
The first verse is two measures longer than the others, lingering on the first chord and weighing in at four-square sixteen
measures:
--------------- 2X ----------------
|E |- |- |- |
E: I
|- |- |G |- |
flat-III
|A |- |E |- |
IV I
[Figure 150.2]
The other verses tighten things up a bit by moving to flat-III a couple measures sooner, but this curtails the section lengths to an
awkward fourteen measures:
--------------- 2X ----------------
|E |- |- |- |
E: I
|G |- |A |- |
flat-III IV
|E |- |
IV
[Figure 150.3]
Refrain
The refrain is eight measures long in a simple AA form, followed by a four-measure vamp on the I chord.
--------------- 2X ---------------- ------ 2X -------
|A |- |E |- |- |- |
E: IV I
[Figure 150.4]
Note how the vamp is omitted at the end of the instrumental section; a pace-tightening effect similar to the shortening of the
second and third verses.
Outro
The mix of this song on the mono version of the "White Album" strangely has only the first fade-out. The putative authority of the
mono album version notwithstanding, I'll side here with the stereo version because of the "value added" by its longer outro.
The double fade-out strategy, especially as it is played out in electronic effects and musical improvisation over a static harmonic
background, begs for comparison with "Strawberry Fields Forever".
But the even more apt connection is to be made with (surprised?) "Hey Jude". Consider just how large a quotient (about 40%) of
the track's overall duration is invested in the outro, and notice how the formal effect of the switch to static harmony is analogous to
the switch to the mantra-like modal chord progression in the outro of the latter song.
Our outro here breaks down into six sections. Keep in mind the time scale of the song proper (e.g. about twenty seconds for a
verse section) when sizing up the overall formal thrust of the outro.
• First section — [2:33 - 2:55]: Transition out of the song proper. Paul's singing and the downward lead guitar solo are still
very much in evidence.
• Second section — [2:55 - 3:09]: A sudden halt in the rhythm, with lots of guitar noise effects and what sounds like
muffled studio chat in the background.
• Third section — [3:09 - 3:42]: Rhythm resumes, lots of drums, bass guitar and guitar noise, but the vocal and lead guitar
parts are now gone for good; slow fade-out to literally "niente" for 1 second.
• Fourth section — [3:42 - 3:58]: Slow fade in on what sounds like a straight continuation of what had just been faded out;
comes back to full volume.
• Fifth section — [3:58 - 4:15]: Slow fade-out again after sustaining full volume for about 8 seconds; this time, we do not
disappear completely.
• Sixth section — [4:15 - 4:29]: Slight rhythm change, then halt, then rapid fade-up for final drumbeats, noise, "blisters on
my fingers" and the last guitar noise bouncing instantaneously from left to right.
Macca's masquerade here reminds me of someone I went to high school with. This fellow liked to mimic and impersonate;
friends, teachers, characters from movies and TV, even some very strange ones he made up all by himself.
He was almost too good at this sort of thing; often very amusing, but at other times a bit tiresome and unrelenting. Once in a
while, in fact, he'd come up with someone or something that was just too strange and in pathetically bad taste, and for a moment
you'd worry that maybe this time he'd gone insane and would not be able to ever snap out of it.
Anybody else out there go to school with this guy?

Regards,
Alan (060798#150)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/lll.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Long, Long, Long"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #151 (LLL)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: F Major
Meter: 3/4
Form: Intro | Refrain | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Bridge | Refrain | Verse' |
Recorded: 7th-9th October 1968, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
In this one of his relatively scattered turns at bat George gives us an off-beat mixture of styles typical of the times: a three-way
cross between jazz waltz, folk song, and late sixties psychedelia. Roughly in order of appearance you find a ternary meter, a couple
of ninth chords, an essentially acoustic backing track, form dominated by rote pairs of refrains and verses, a sitar, and a non-sequitur
outro.
The song completes the third side of the "White Album" with a whimpering gesture not much different from what "Julia" does for
"Side 2". From a surface glance, you might call this one George's own take on "I'm So Tired"; low, low, low-key soliloquy of
lugubrious longing (watch it, Alan, you're overdoing it), produced in such a way that you worry that the protagonist won't have the
energy needed to perform satisfactorily.
A game of approach-avoidance is neatly played out in the harmony, with every section starting off away from the home key and
several of them ending similarly away from it. It's as if the protagonist is dealing with a hot potato of an emotion that he cannot
acknowledge except obliquely, and that he feels nervously in need of retreat the minute he finds himself confronting it head on.
Feelings of discouraged low energy are conveyed by the several phrases that extend a lingering measure or more longer than they
strictly need to.
Melody and Harmony
The tune covers a relatively broad range in spite of the fact that much of the local motion of it is simply step-wise. The breadth is
accomplished primarily by virtue of placing the individual sections of the tune in different segments of the overall range.
The song is clearly in F Major throughout, but your sense of home key is subtly challenged by the extent to which so many of the
sections avoid starting or ending on the I chord.
The verse features a jazz-like stream of triads. A larger than average number of ninth chords appear over the course of the track.
Arrangement
The mix of styles is not limited to the arrangement, though it is especially apparent in this area: simple strummed chords on
acoustic guitar, organ part mastered with an almost comically extreme amount of flutter, the lead guitar riffs provided by sitar that I
dare say it intended to serve as a trippy guitar rather than anything explicitly "Indian", and the exploitation at the end of a reportedly
accidental sound effect caused by the resonant rattling of a wine bottle.
The vocal track sounds like George double or triple tracked, singing in some place with himself in two or three part harmony.
The dynamic range goes to one extreme or the other, with the drums and piano providing the reinforcement needed for the louder
parts. Keep an eye on the phrase endings of refrain and verse sections, as well as the entirety of the bridge. The only place on the
track where percussion is used to quiet effect is the soft brush work of the second pair of refrain and verse.
Intro
The otherwise minimalistic sounding six measure intro manages to expose the sotto-voce atmosphere, the approach-avoidance
strategy with the chord progressions, and the signature sitar riff with admirable efficiency:
|g |B-flat |g |F |C |- |
F: ii [?] I V
[Figure 151.1]
Refrain
The refrain is as aphoristic as the intro, with a single four measure phrase followed by the sitar riff:
|B-flat |a |g C |F |
F: IV iii ii V I
|B-flat |F |
IV I
[Figure 151.2]
A V chord is clearly implied by the bassline on the last beat of measure 3; the D in the tune at that instance makes the C chord
into a V9.
In spite of the V chord, the overall harmonic impression created by the chord stream in the first phrase is the emotional free fall
often associated with total loss of hope.
The G-natural in the bassline on the downbeat of measure 5 somehow does not completely prevent your hearing the chord as
rooted on B-flat.
Verse
The verse is an unusual thirteen measures long in an AA' pattern (6 + 7) whose phrases are both unusually stretched out and
unequal in length:
|C |- |g |- |F |C |
F: V ii I V
|g |- |F |C |- |- |- |
ii I V
[Figure 151.3]
The second phrase starts rhetorically in the same "logical" place as the third measure of the first phrase, allowing the C-Major
chord at the end of the first phrase to pivot as though it were also the first measure of the second phrase.
Bridge
The bridge provides a unique point of climax for the song in terms of momentarily sweeping aside all torpor and giving the song
some shape and a sense of direction.
The bridge is fifteen measures long with an AA' couplet (6 + 9) whose phrases, just like in those of the refrain, are stretched out
and avoid rote symmetry:
|B-flat |F |C |g |- |- |
F: IV I V ii
|B-flat |F |C |g |- |C |
IV I V ii V
|- |- |- |
[Figure 151.4]
The harmony nicely underscores the rhetorical parallelism between the phrases. The ii chord at the end of the first phrase begs for
resolution to V (all the more so because it is sustained for an "extra" third measure), but you're forced to go back and repeat yourself
from the start of the phrase in order to achieve your reward. Learn a lesson about climax-building from the fact that the ii chord is
sustained for only two measures on the repeat!
Again, the tune creates ninth chords on some of the C-Major and g-minor chords in this section.
Outro
The outro builds off the final verse section, abbreviating the second phrase, repeating that shortened phrase two more times (the
old three-strikes-you're-out routine), followed by one last repeat which lands with enigmatic finality on the V chord.
Taking it from the start of the final verse, it parses this way:
|C |- |g |- |F |C |
F: V ii I V
--------------- 3X ----------------
|g |- |F |C |
ii I V
|rattling ...
|g |- |F |C |- |- |...
ii I V
[Figure 151.5]
The song ends with an harmonic envelope full of strange effects on top of the V chord; in addition to all the rattling there's off key
chanting in falsetto, and at the very end, the acoustic guitar playing wisps of both I and ii chords, and just when you think the track is
completely finished, a final whack on the drums.
Quite independent of its intrinsic musical quality, the song serves for me in its context as a letdown. Am I possibly alone in this
feeling?
By textbook rules, "Long, Long, Long" would seem to be uncannily made to order for its place in the album running order. With
the exception of track three's "Mother Nature's Son", this side of the "White Album", while not without variety, is still relentlessly
some alternating combination of fast, loud, hard, raucous, and/or strange. And even if the need for a change of pace to the softer side
had not already been building up, along comes "Helter Skelter", the proverbial hard act to follow if ever there was one, surely
insisting on a dramatic response.
And yet, back in that era in which you actually had to drag yourself off the couch in order to turn the record over for "Side 4", I'm
embarrassed to admit that some large percentage of the time, I would just as soon likely skip this track and move straight on to
"Revolution 1".
I suspect one of two factors is operative here. Either, contrary to all conventional wisdom, contrast is in fact not at all what is
wanted here; rather the opposite, a sustaining of the hard fast piece. Or else, contrast per se may not out of line, but the particular
extreme to which this particular song goes may be a miscalculation; in baseball terms, an underswing.
Regards,
Alan (060798#151)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/gn.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Good Night"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #156 (GN)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge | Verse | Bridge |
| Special Bridge (instrumental) |
| Verse | Bridge | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 28th June, 2nd July 1968, Abbey Road 2;
22nd July 1968, Abbey Road 1
Style and Form
The style of this song would be pretty Schmaltzy based just on its chords, tune, and phrasing. The "possibly overlush"
arrangement only goes to push it over the top. You'd think that this kind of sentimentality would be anathema to the Beatles,
especially John. Then again, I've got a feeling it's intended as a as a campy spoof.
The form is built out of standard parts with the exception of the special bridge that appears before the final verse. The appearance
of verse and bridge material in the intro, the doubled up verses, and the three-time appearance of the verse-next-bridge sequence
makes the song feel longer, more complicated formally than it actually is.
Melody and Harmony
The prevalence of wide leaps in the verse tune belie its backbone of a simple downward scale fragment from G down to D. The
bridge tune, similarly boils down to just F# -» G.
The chords are jazzy, many appearing with decorative (as opposed to "functional") sevenths and ninths. The chords often proceed
in step-wise streams.
In terms of key, the song stretches out luxuriantly in a warm bath of pan-diatonic G Major.
Arrangement
On the backing track George Martin uses a string section that would be on the small size even for a Mozart period orchestra, plus
a sparse complement of woodwinds and brass; ditto for the small choir. And yet, the arrangement and recording come out sounding
like a "cast of hundreds". The latter trick, I'm told, is a stock in trade of the film composers guild.
The score, itself, is replete with little clichés of the Muzak genre: string tremolos and rapid upward scales, harp glissandos, chirpy
flutes, and French horn inner voices. The choir alternately doubles and dogs Ringo's lead vocal, obviating the need for any double
tracking. The stage whispered lines over the outro qualifies as a cliché all on its own.
Intro
The intro fades in like the rising dawn (only on the stereo version) to expose a complete bridge and an half a verse section. See
further in for a diagram of the bridge. The verse fragment looks like this:
|G |b7 |a7 |D |
G: I iii ii V
4 -» 3
[Figure 156.1]
The trembling, sustained high D sure as heck sounds like it were produced by a Theremin (an antiquated electronic instrument). I
have trouble imagining it as coming from any of the instruments listed in the bill of materials.
Verse
The verse is sixteen measures long in an AB-AB phrase pattern. The first appearance of the AB section moves the bassline in
measure 4 from A to G, thereby implying a change of chord to C in the second inversion:
|G |b7 |a7 |C |
G: I iii ii IV 6/4
|b |a |C |D |
iii ii IV 6/4 V
[Figure 156.2]
Every other time this section reappears, you can clearly hear the bassline holding on to A through measures 3 and 4:
|G |b7 |a7 |- |
G: I iii ii
|b |a |C |D |
iii ii IV 6/4 V
[Figure 156.3]
The bassline in measures 5 - 8 of each section runs scalewise downward all the way from B to D. The latter drives the harmony
rather than the other way around. Note the elegance of this bassline especially in measure 8, where by running "F# - E D" it starts the
V chord off in the first inversion, allowing it afterwards to change to root.
Bridge
The bridge is eight measures long in a phrase pattern of AB, and harmonically consists of an elaborate pedal point:
|F# G |F# G |F# |- |G |- |- |- |
|B |C |B |C |B |C |B |C |
|D |E |D |E |D |E |D |E |
|G |- |- |- |- |- |- |- |
I7 - - - 8 - - -
5 6 5 6 5 6 5 6
3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4
[Figure 156.4]
Special Bridge
The special bridge section makes a fake pass modulation to the key of C Major. The rest of the song is so complacently in the
home key of G that by this point of the proceedings, a diversion like this provides some needed relief and helps better motivate the
final pair of verse and bridge.
|G |A |- |d |
G: I
C: V V-of-ii ii
|G |C |D |C D |
G: I IV V IV V
C: V I
[Figure 156.5]
Classical composers often use this kind of trick in the recap section of a sonata movement, where by formal convention,
sequences of themes that were heard earlier in different keys during the exposition are now presented in the same key. By some or no
coincidence, the orchestration of this bridge includes rather classical sounding scale work in the strings.
Outro
The outro contains a double repeat of the same half-verse used in the second part of the intro. The first iteration is for the usual
full scoring, and the second one is played one octave up by sparer forces.
I believe the final chord has a Major seventh, ninth, and added sixth.
In order to fully appreciate the uncanny aptness of ending the "White Album" with "Good Night" you need to first back up and
consider why the penultimate album slot is such a logical place for "Revolution #9".
Where else could you put "Revolution #9"? Too early in the running order would make the rest of the album seem a bit anti-
climactic at best. At worst, you could lose your audience well before you've trotted out your rest of your best stuff. Putting it at the
very end lends it too much emphasis. Maybe put it on the end of one of the other sides, but maybe no one will be sufficiently
motivated to turn the record over. Next to last fells just right.
Now then, what kind of act, indeed, could possibly follow "Revolution #9"? You clearly need a sharp contrast, but exactly what
kind? Virtually any other song from the album would sound a combination of anticlimactic, stylistically repetitive, underwhelming,
or too weird.
"Good Night" has the simultaneous virtues of providing musically arch-conservative ballast, a change of style as refreshingly
surprising as anything else on the album, and a clever, self-referential way of telling you the music's over; turn out the lights.
Regards,
Alan (092798#156)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/oans.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Only A Northern Song"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #157 (OANS)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 2/4
| Verse (instrumental) | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain (instrumental) | Outro (fade-out)
CD: "Yellow Submarine", Track 2 (Parlophone CDP7 46445-2)
Recorded: 13th, 14th February, 20th April 1967, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 17th January 1969 (LP "Yellow Submarine")
US-release: 13th January 1969 (LP "Yellow Submarine")
Style and Form
If this song, released as it was in 1969, seems on the heels of our "White Album" studies to sound like a throwback to the "Sgt.
Pepper" days of 1967, with it's relatively straightforward backing track overlaid with a lot of "noise" (in the manner of "... Mr. Kite"),
you shouldn't be surprised.
Contrary to some misinformation that has become well entrenched in the literature, this song was not thrown together right
before the "Yellow Submarine" film was due. Rather, it was given a standard workup during the earlier "Sgt. Pepper" sessions,
sandwiched in "A Day In The Life" and (no surprise!) "Mr. Kite".
The form is a hybrid, with pop-like doubled up verses at the start and a folk-like persistent repetition of the refrain.
Those repeated references in the lyrics to "chords ... going wrong" and the like are most obviously painted in the music by what I
call the "noise track" below. However, the chord progressions themselves and the changeable phrase lengths admirably follow
through on the same idea on a more subtle level.
For the purpose of this article, I'm parsing the song in 2/4 rather than 4/4 in order to make the uneven phrasing easier to notate.
Melody and Harmony
The tune, with its primarily step-wise motion and limited range, suggests a mood both obsessing and in-drawn, uncannily in tune
with the lyrics.
The harmony, by contrast, with its erratic pace of change and sudden changes in direction, seems uncomfortably restless;
uncannily in tune too with yet another dimension of those lyrics.
Arrangement
The base track features organ, bass guitar, and drum kit, onto which is overlaid a stylized "noise (or interference) track" that
contains the sounds of trumpets, metallic and broken glass-like percussion, and piano doodling.
In true Beatles' layering style, the noise track is first introduced at the end of the first verse, though I believe it runs continuously
from there to the end of the track, mixed way up or back down as the mood suits. Note, too, how even in the first verse, the organ
part finds its own subtle way to anticipate the noise that is to come.
As a general rule, the volume of the noise track is turned down at the beginning of sections and up at their endings. Exceptions to
this are the instrumental middle verse, the partially instrumental third refrain, and the outro, in all of which the volume level is kept
high throughout.
Intro
The intro sounds more random and out of tempo than it is largely because of the lack of clear drumbeat until the last couple
measures.
Harmonically, the second half introduces, over an E pedal point, what you'll only realize later is to be the chord progression that
accompanies the title phrase of the song.
The home key is converged upon from left field:

G - A |B |...
|C7 |e |D |A |E |- |
A: flat-III v IV I V
[Figure 157.1]
Verse
The verse is a surprising nineteen measures long. It starts off innocently enough, with two related phrases (AA') over the static
harmony of the first eight measures. But then, just where you'd otherwise expect a third phrase to be, you find a rather rhetorical
pause in the tune. And the final line of the section changes harmony a full measure ahead of where you'd expect; after three, instead
of four measures.
|A |- |- |- |
A: I
|- |- |- |- |
|b |- |- |- |
ii
|E |- |- |D |- |- |- |
V IV
[Figure 157.2]
That off-kilter chord change in the last line helps put a little body English onto what shapes up as an almost agonizingly long,
slow passage in terms of harmonic rhythm.
The harmonic shape of this section slowly but surely opens wide to V, but then cautiously pulls back to IV. This is a classic
approach-avoidance reflex played out in chords, as though the protagonist, after screwing up some unaccustomed amount of courage,
suddenly felt as though he had overstepped himself as soon as the words were out of his mouth.
Bridge
The bridge is fifteen measures long, and it continues the rhetorically uneven phrasing pattern established in the verse. This time
we have three phrases filling out four, six, and five measures respectively. And then, there's the matter of the third phrase opening
with a single measure of 3/4 (or perhaps 6/8) interpolated; shades of Lennon in "Strawberry Fields Forever".
|E |b |G |C# |
A: V ii
b: i VI V-of-V
|F# |- |b |- |F# |- |
b: V i V
|D A |E |- |- |- |
b: III
A: IV I V
[Figure 157.3]
The harmony makes a forcible modulation to the key of ii (b minor) that somehow looks much smoother on paper than it sounds.
It settles in b for a while, only to switch back even more forcibly than before to the home key, ending the section on V, this time
without any flinching or pussy footing.
In contrast to the tortoise-paced harmonic rhythm of the verse, the chord changes here tend toward every, or every other measure.
Aside from the functional pivot, what helps make the modulation in the first phrase work is the appearance of the note B as a
common pitch in all four chords.
Outro
The outro features a mix that is very similar to what is heard in the earlier instrumental verse, and form-wise, it fills out a
complete verse and refrain, ending with a final verse that fades out completely before reaching its midpoint.
The noise track is mixed so far forward in this outro that you have to strain to recognize the familiar underpinnings of the base
track.
In this song, according to the conventional wisdom, George is bemoaning the second-class treatment he gets as a song writer from
the other Beatles; the apparent creative invisibility he feels it is futile for him to try to transcend in their eyes.
Certainly, I'd never envy George's predicament of being caught in the competitive, psycho-sexual crossfire of Messrs. Lennon and
McCartney nor question the sincerity of the pain he expresses about it in this song.
But I wonder whether if, in choosing to nobly refrain from lashing out directly at the others and instead, focusing no matter how
cleverly on his own bitterness, the strategy backfires in aesthetic terms.
The song, though it may have been targeted to arouse from us a reaction of pathos-like sympathetic sadness and compassion, it
ends up hitting the unintended mark of merely pathetic scornful pity.
Regards,
Alan (110898#157)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/hb.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Hey Bulldog"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #159 (HB)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Major / c minor

Meter: 4/4
| Verse (instrumental) |
| Verse | Refrain | Outro (fade-out)
Style and Form
There's a rare number of days each one of us is given even if you're a Beatle, that are impossible to plan for, but on which all
matters, manners, and influences just seem be fall in place, "so perfectly well timed." For my money, this song happened on one such
day.
Based on his listen to the unedited studio tapes, Lewisohn was moved to note the "undoubtedly ... productive mood" at the session
of the 11th February of 1968 in which "Hey Bulldog" was arranged and recorded in its entirety; see Lewisohn's "Recording
Sessions", page 134. Independent of whatever social cues from behind the curtain that he was reacting to, I dare say his observation
is vividly borne out by the effect (and "affect") of the finished product.
"Hey Bulldog" is easily the most substantive and significant of the four new songs recorded for the "Yellow Submarine" film.
Nowadays the song enjoys a cult-like popularity and high regard among the cognoscenti that I am convinced is amplified and
enhanced in part by the song's accidental, relative obscurity; cut eventually from the film, and relegated to the middle of a single-
song-sided album that many neglect to include in their collections.
But don't kid yourself, this song needs no hype nor twist of fate in order to deserve attention. Compositionally it's got something
for everyone. Musically, it creates a paradoxical mood, equal parts kick-ass and jumping-jittery; quite uncannily in sympathy with
the helluva mixed message delivered by the lyrics. Do you really believe the protagonist is interested in talking to you if you're
lonely?
The formal outline is similar to what we've described elsewhere as the Two Bridge Model with a pair of middle verses, one of
which is instrumental. But there also are some novel innovations:
• The "bridge" is closer in style to what we'd call a refrain; without the track listing, you might have assumed that the song
was titled "If You're Lonely (You Can Talk To Me)".
• The second refrain proceeds directly into an extended outro; there is no final verse.
• The introductory riff is virtually ubiquitous; reappearing at the end of the refrain section, becoming further developed in
the outro, and even influencing the tune of the refrain.
• The title phrase doesn't appear until the outro! You think it's been there, if not all along, then early on, but look carefully;
the opening couplet speak only of a sheep dog, and a bull frog. So clever is Mr. Lennon with the wordplay.
The changeable, off-beat scanning of the words against the beat contributes as much to the underlying subtext of the song as any
other musical element.
Note how the first lines of the verse and guitar solo switch around the choice of resting on the downbeat versus the syncopated hit
on "two":
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
«rest» Sheep DOG
STANDing in the rain
DA - da- da- da- dah
«rest» da- da- da- DAH
[Figure 159.1]
The refrain opens with a threepeat of the same phrase, scanned differently each time to climactic effect. Significant details include
the large number of syllables syncopated on either the eighth or (even sharper) sixteenth of a beat, the fact that the second and third
repeats are in identical rhythm but start off in a different half of the measure, and the way that the contrasting final phrase starts off
with even eighths:
|1 & 2 & 3 & 4 & |
|You can - talk - - to me |
|- - - - You can - talk - to me |
|- - - - - - - - |
|You can - talk - to me - - If you're |
|Lone- ley you can talk - to me |
[Figure 159.2]
The opening riff features alternating off-beat syncopations in close proximity to each other, on the last sixteenth before "three"
and "three-and".
Melody and Harmony
The home key mode shifts repeatedly: minor for the intro, outro, and refrains, and Mixolydian-tinged Major for the verses. A
touch of the blues prevails above all throughout the song. Therefore, even those supposedly Major mode verses are shot through with
flat thirds and sevenths.
The above factor send the chords of the song off toward the "flat" side of the circle of fifths, with a naturally occurring flat-VII
chord and the v appearing unusually as a minor chord. See our note on "She Said She Said" for a broader discussion of this type of
modal harmony.
The refrain features a rising chromatic line in one of the inner voices that is a stock dramatic gambit of sorts, used earlier by John
most conspicuously on "Glass Onion".
Arrangement
The backing track includes a relatively small complement of piano, bass, drums, and lead guitar. The incessant pounding eighth
note piano chords and the bouncing off the walls bassline are critical success factors.
The final mix features a more elaborate than usual build out of the stereo image well worth your checking out by comparing the
two channels. Some casual notes to guide your own more careful study:
• The bass part appears to be split between the two tracks, as well as the lead guitar ostinato riff. But most everything else
seems isolated to one side or the other.
• The left channel features piano and drum kit with just a scattering of guitar licks. John's solo lead vocal appears only for
the refrains. Here, too, is where you find the stray "yeah" (Ringo, again?) in the third verse.
• The right channel features a two-part vocal for the verses sung by John and Paul[?] in surprisingly out of tune
counterpoint. A heavily echoed drum track with hard shots on the off-beats shows up here for the refrains.
• The outro sustains the pattern with the left channel isolated to the backing track and all the crazy barking and chatter
isolated to the right.
Intro
The intro provides the classic-Beatles three-paired exposition of a catchy ostinato (read "riff") figure, with the predictable
staggered entrances of the backing instruments.
The riff itself is in an AA' pattern in which the two-step chromatic rise of the A figure is cutely mirrored by a symmetrical descent
in A'.
I'm tempted to assign this gambit of building the start of a track on the layered repeat of an ostinato to an entry on my canonical
list of Beatles' trademarks-bordering-on-cliché. Take a look for starters at the likes "Ticket to Ride", "Day Tripper", and "I Want to
Tell You".
By the same token, someone ought to do a sidebar on the non-Beatles' prequel and sequels to the same technique. Off the top of
my head, I think of the Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil". But where, indeed did the technique originate Pre-Beatles?
Verse
The verse is a four-square eight measures long with a phrasing pattern of AABB':
|C |g |C |g |
C: I v I v
|B-flat g |F |B-flat g |C |
flat-VII v IV flat-VII v I
[Figure 159.3]
The off-center impact of the Mixolydian/Blues/Minor overlap is strongly in evidence here. The minor v chord may not destroy
your sense of the home key being C, but it does a much weaker job of reinforcing that fact than a Major V chord would. Given the
sense of modulation to the unusual key of flat-VII that you feel during the second group of four measures, ask yourself honestly:
does the final C chord in measure eight still sound like the I chord of the home key, or more like a V-of-V in the key of B-flat?
Refrain
Here, the mode switches to minor.

|G Ab |A-nat Bb |C Db |D-nat Eb |... |
|c |- |f |- |c f |
c: i iv i iv
|c |- |- |- |
i
[Figure 159.4]
The dramatic rhetoric of the vocal part is amplified by the lengthening of the first phrase to an uneven five measures, and the
slowdown of the harmonic rhythm; the chromatic rise in this section does not effect the harmony at a "grammatical" level.
The abbreviated reprise of the intro at the end of this section provides well needed space from the confrontational heat of the first
half of the section.
Outro
This extended outro cleverly exploits ideas and material already presented: the ostinato is now deployed over a chord change; the
random studio chat barely overheard during the guitar solo blossoms into a stage-center vignette; and the title phrase is finally placed
in evidence, both explicitly, and by virtue of the barking noises and the like around which the "vignette" centers.
The ostinato figure gets through a full twelve iterations before the final fade-out:
|C |g |...
C: I v
[Figure 159.5]
Hear we have another one of that short list of Beatles' double fade-outs on record. In this case, the first fade-out is suddenly
interrupted and the sound shifted up to full volume during repeat number eight, seemingly in response to John's having teased "the
bulldog" into one particularly ripping bark.
That earlier appearance of background chatter in the guitar solo and the very first "woof" appearing in the final refrain (before the
outro, proper, commences) subtly make the events of the outro seem more inevitable and less arbitrary.
While it remains less infamous than, say, "Strawberry Fields Forever" or "Helter Skelter", the ending of this song is part of a
pattern that could rightfully be called yet another Beatles' "trademark".
This penchant for making an outro the ultimate focal point of a track, to leverage it as an opportunity to further develop material
heard earlier, or to surprise us with some MacLuhanesque F/X germane to the medium of recorded sound has had a lasting impact on
the way we perceive the form and proportions of the so-called pop song down to the current time! I dare say it bears some analogy to
what Beethoven did for the coda section of Sonata form; the latter, kind of outro of its own kind.
But where are the roots of this idea? We're more used to finding the deepest innovations of the Beatles in their synthesis of
techniques and gambits taken from other artists and genres, rather than in pure new invention per se. Yet, can anyone out there put
examples of extended, tricky outros on the table that are antecedent to those of your Own Sweet Boys? It's good topic for a term
paper ... or longer!
Regards,
Alan (121398#159)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/iatm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "It's All Too Much"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #160 (IATM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4
----- 2X --------
| Refrain (guitar instrumental) |
| Refrain (trumpet instrumental) |
| Verse | Refrain | Refrain | Outro (fade-out)
Recorded: 25th, 26th May, 2nd June 1967, De Lane Studios, Kingsway
Style and Form
George's combination in this song of an harmonic drone with a modal-like tune, pop-rock back-beat, and extended improvisatory
intro and outro yields an Indian/Western fusion that is at least serendipitous if not ingenious.
The overall feeling of a come-as-you-are jam session is amplified by the extent to which the verse and refrain sections are are
hard to tell apart judging from the music along. Both sections are eight measures long with a 4 + 4, AA' phrasing structure, and are
performed over a bassline drone over which virtually no harmonic motion takes place. Whatever formal analysis we draw from the
text is in ironic contrast to the otherwise continuous texture of the track.
This is yet another interesting Beatles' example of how gesture can triumph over the specific gravity of content by virtue of sheer
length and repetition. My own short list of nominees for this category includes the likes of "I Wanna Be Your Man", "I'm Down",
"Rocky Raccoon", along with the more explicitly jam session sections of "Hey Jude", "You Never Give Me Your Money" (dig the
infamous outtake!), and "12-Bar Original".
Melody and Harmony
The tune places off-kilter emphasis on the second (A) and sevent (F#) scale steps, while avoiding the fourth (C); compare and
contrast this with "Within You Without You".
The only harmonic deviation from the G-Major chord appears in the refrain phrase, and even there, it's more a matter of voice
leading than full fledged root chord movement.
Arrangement
The basic backing track of organ, drums, and lead guitar is supplemented by trumpets and a bass clarinet. Artsy restraint is
exercised by delaying the trumpet entrance until the second instrumental break, and then bringing it back for the final refrains, and
for selected frames of the outro.
George of course gets the double tracked lead vocal, backed by John and Paul in the refrains and outro.
Intro
The broad scope of the song is intimated right from the start with a long two-phase intro that lasts a bit longer than a full minute.
The first phase, alone, is sixteen seconds long, and kicks off with "To your mother" (in 9th grade I got punched very hard in the
stomach by one Leo Sullivan for saying this to him during home room), and a high-pitched G-Major chord followed by noisy
feedback.
The second phase is built out like this:

• One phrase worth of refrain (plus a single lingering "spacer" measure) scored for organ without other backing instruments
or percussion.
• One full instrumental refrain with lead guitar, bass and percussion in the form of drum kit and handclaps; the latter
recorded with a surrealistically wide stereo image.
• One more full refrain, this time with George singing the title phrase, starting off in the unlikely context of the pickup to the
second measure of each phrase; surprise :-) And there's one more spacer measure just before the first verse kicks in.
Verse
As mentioned above, we have a straightforward eight measure section with AA' parallel phrasing and just a plain I chord.
Refrain
And again, we have another eight measure section with AA' parallel phrasing:
--------------- 2X ----------------
Tune: |E D |D B |E DBAG|B |
Middle: |C B |A B |C B |- |
Bass: |G |- |- |- |
I
[Figure 160.1]
One measure spacers are added at the end of refrains that are immediately followed by a verse section; i.e. the first refrain and the
trumpet break.
Chord charts for this song will show a C-Major chord on the downbeat of measures 1 and 3, and an a-minor chord on the
downbeat of measure 2 above. I'll stand firm in my claim that there is no root chord change anywhere in this section; that it all boils
down to neighbor tone motion in the inner voices superimposed on to the pedal tone of G in the bass.
Outro
The outro here weighs in at around 2:45 in commensurate balance with the intro. Think about it: the duration of this outro is
longer than a non-trivial number of complete Beatles' songs!
On the one hand, you can try your best to "capture" this long passage in terms of documenting its sequence of subsections; e.g.
title phrase vamping, trumpet fanfares, the quote from "Sorrow", the "dead" declaration, a short instrumental break, followed by
increasingly giddy vamping on the title phrase into the sunset.
But on the other hand, I dare you to try and analytically "reduce" it in terms of insight very far beyond what it manifestly offers
you on the surface.
I have no doubt of George's mystical sincerity, but I cannot escape the feeling in this song that he is self-effacingly winking at us
with the desideratum: "Show me that I'm everywhere and get me home in time for tea."
It's an obliquely phrased mixed message reflecting of an inner conflict between spiritual striving and the backsliding lust for
bourgeois comfort and respectability. Hesse's here, Harry Haller, also know as "Der Steppenwolf", would have been proud. As he put
it: "One day I would learn to laugh. Pablo was waiting for me, and Mozart too."
Regards,
Alan (121398#160)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/awp-e.shtml,
volume 1
june 1999
Get Back (1969 - 1970)
by Alan W. Pollack
In the last years of their career the final split of the group already became visible in the growing number of solo projects. As an
antidote to their conflicts in January 1969 the Beatles initiated their Get Back project at the Twickenham Film Studios in London. In
April they released the single Get Back / Don't Let Me Down, followed in May by The Ballad Of John And Yoko / Old Brown Shoe.
Some of the other results of this tribute to their roots are collected on the album Abbey Road (September 1969), the single Let It Be /
You Know My Name (March 1970) and the last album Let It Be (May 1970). To his analyses of these songs Pollack adds his views on
the two original songs on the recent Anthology CD's: Free As A Bird and Real Love.
161 Get Back (1999) 160
162 Don't Let Me Down (1999) 159
163 The Ballad Of John And Yoko (1999) 168
164 Old Brown Shoe (1999) 169
165 Let It Be (1999) 164
166 You Know My Name (Look Up The Number) (1999) 112
167 Two Of Us (1999) 161
168 Dig A Pony (1999) 157
169 Across The Universe (1999) 123
170 I Me Mine (1999) 186
171 Dig It (1999) 162
172 Maggie Mae (and other "Get Back" session fragments) (1999) 161b
173 I've Got A Feeling (1999) 158
174 One After 909 (1999) 166
175 The Long And Winding Road (1999) 165
176 For You Blue (1999) 163
177 Come Together (1999) 179
178 Something (1999) 170
179 Maxwell's Silver Hammer (1999) 178
180 Oh! Darling (1999) 171
181 Octopus's Garden (1999) 172
182 I Want You (She's So Heavy) (1999) 167
183 Here Comes The Sun (1999) 177
184 Because (1999) 185
185 Sun King (1999) 181
186 Mean Mr Mustard (1999) 182
187 Polythene Pam (1999) 183

188 She Came In Through The Bathroom Window (2000) 184
189 Golden Slumbers (2000) 175
190 Carry That Weight (2000) 176
191 The End (2000) 180
192 The "Abbey Road" Medley (You Never Give Me Your Money - Sun King - Mean Mr Mustard - Polythene (2000) 181, 182, 183,
Pam - She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - Golden Slumbers - Carry That Weight - The End) 184, 175, 176,
180
193 Her Majesty (2000) 174
194 Free As A Bird (1995) 187
195 Real Love (1995) 188
196 Ian Hammond Interviews Alan W. Pollack (2000)
197 Quarrymen Sessions (2000)
198 Can You Take Me Back (2001)
199 Percy Phillips Shellac ("That'll Be The Day", "In Spite Of All The Danger") (2001) E1b, E1
200 Notes on Three Simple Songs That Didn't Make It ("Twelve-Bar Original", "If You've Got Trouble", "Leave (2001) U73, U54, U38c
My Kitten Alone")
by Ger Tillekens.
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/dlmd.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Don't Let Me Down"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #162 (DLMD)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Refrain | Verse | Refrain |
| Alternate Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain |
CD: "Past Masters", Volume 2, Track 10, with Billy Preston
(Parlophone CDP 90044-2)
Recorded: 22nd, 28th, 30th January 1969, Apple Studios
UK-release: 11th April 1969 (B Single / "Get Back")
US-release: 5th May 1969 (B Single / "Get Back")
Style and Form
Here we've got a slow, hard-driving screamer that has John's musical fingerprints all over it:
• Formal twists — It's strictly symmetrical, with a unique "Alternate Verse" section smack in the center keystone position,
and the instrumental break is pushed back to the Outro.
• Slow triplets used for rhetorical emphasis — While Buddy Holly would save these until near the end of the song for
climactic effect (see "That'll Be The Day"), watch how this song shoots the wad right at the get go. It's a not so subtle
signal that what's coming is going to be intense.
• Uneven phrasing — The anacrusis leading into each phrase of the verse is extended by one, free-verse-like, extra beat; one
line of pentameter in an otherwise four-square milieu.
• Pentatonic tune — The seventh scale degree is completely avoided in both diatonic leading tone form and its
chromatically flattened mutation. The fourth scale degree shows up only in the backing vocal as it follows the tune in
parallel thirds.
• Harmonic frugality — Just three chords explicitly (I, ii, V) plus the strong hint of IV; no more.
• Deceptively complex message in the lyrics — The verses deliver a cleverly worded yet unambiguous encomium about
love's latest object in the third person. The refrains, in rather unsettling contrast, transmit a primal scream for insurance on
direct address to the same love's "object". In hindsight, even the words of praise seem a tad selfcentered around the edges
in the sense of, what's the protagonist done for her lately?
Melody and Harmony
Pentatonic here means E - F# - G# - B - C#. No D or D#, and A shows up very sparingly.
The melodic shape of the Refrain is drivingly downward. The Verse ends with a similar gesture, in spite of its starting off with a
strong suggestion that a broad, upward melodic arch is in the offing. The Alternate Verse breaks the mold but not only by providing
an unhampered complete arch, but also spreading it out over the course of its two phrase. The Refrain and Verse each featured an
internal form of AA.
The tune runs roughshod over the chords, adding a seventh to ii, and often adding some combination of 7, 9, 11, and/or 13 to V.
The latter effect makes it sound almost as if IV had been superimposed on V; i.e. think of B in the bass with A, C#, and E in the
treble.
The Verse and Refrain section share the harmonic trait of starting off as if "on edge"; decidely away from the I chord but
converging harmonic shape, both starting and ending with I. The Beatles clearly were sensitive to analogous situations in other songs
of their acquaintance. In one Twickenham bootleg, a jam session that starts off with "Sun King" transitions later into this song.
Similarly, a later runthrough of this song causes them by free association to talk about and then attempt to stumblingly reprise a bit of
"Devil In Her Heart".
Again, the Alternate Verse is given to break the mold by both starting and ending on I.
The IV chord appears sort of in the mist in a number of places in the song, though you'd be hard pressed to catch them playing it
clearly, and explicitly. Often when you think you're hearing IV, it's more likely that funky V7/9/11 trick. Though I could swear the
close of every refrain sounds damn like a plagal cadence with IV executed in the second inversion.
Arrangement
Just like with its "Get Back" flip side, the arrangement of this song is in the live, impromptu style. John's short stretch of double
tracked lead vocal in the Alternate Verse is perhaps the only dead giveaway that this track was retouched in the studio.
The lead vocal range runs over an octave and a half, forcing John out of his comfort zone and encouraging yelping, chatty byplay
with Paul of the sort for which he (Paul) usually needed very little encouragement to get going.
The counterpoint melody played in octaves during the Alternate Verse by the bass and lead guitars is one of the more novel,
unusual instrumental touches you'll find anywhere in the Beatles catalogue.
The vocal arrangement here is a bit less neat than usual. The Refrains are done with some consistency, but not so for the verses. In
the first Verse, John starts off solo with Paul joining him for the second phrase; in the final verse John sings solo all the way through.
I wonder if this is a matter of them taking less care here than usual, or if, in a kind of reverse backlash, they went out of there way to
make sure this would be less neat.
Intro
The intro is two measures long and turns out to be taken from the final two measures of the Verse section. The slow triplets that
declaim the title phrase start in the second half of the second measure.
|E (A?) |- |
E: I (IV?) I
[Figure 162.1]
The second half of the first measure here is a perfect example of what I call the "phantom" IV chord.
Refrain
The refrain is eight measures long with an AA phrase pattern:

----------------------- 2X -------------------------
|f# |- B |E |- |
ii V I (IV?)
[Figure 162.2]
Verse
The Verse is also eight measures long with an AA phrase pattern. The measure that precedes each verse phrase is extended an
extra beat.
----------------------- 2X ------------------------
|f# |- B |E |- |
ii V I
[Figure 162.3]
Harmonically, the one subtle difference between Refrain and Verse is the switch to the V chord in the second measure on the
fourth beat rather than the third.
Alternate Verse
This section is eight measures long, and is the only section that's not in an AA phrase pattern:
|E |- |B |- |
I V
|B |- |E |- |
V I (IV?)
[Figure 162.4]
Outro
The outro provides one last complete refrain, primarily for Billy Preston's electric piano solo, but with more than ample amounts
of vocal horsing around from John and Paul added in for good measure.
In terms of style, underlying attitude, and the widely scattered number of alternate versions unofficially available of it, "Don't Let
Me Down" is arguably about as archetypal and emblematic of the "Get Back" / "Let It Be" Era as either of one the latter's alternating
"title" tracks.
Nevertheless, "Don't Let Me Down" curiously failed to make the cut for the "Let It Be" album. It appears in official release only
as a lowly single B-side, taken no less, from a take that sounds peculiarly muddy, and in my humble opinion is not necessarily the
best take that was available to them. For my money, the 1/22 version that was slated for the "Get Back" is superior to the official
1/28 performance in terms of both musical execution and extremely interesting studio chat; e.g. "give me the courage to come
screaming in," and "hit it, Bill!"
It remains another one of those songs whose collective set of alternate versions transcends the value and appeal of any one
particular runthrough. Once you've got the bunch of them downloaded in your head, the single version is no longer necessarily your
favorite, nor does it earn even your mental imprimatur as particularly "official". (You might say the latter applies to no small number
of the songs from these sessions if you're any kind of "Get Back" bootleg friend.)
Perhaps the apparently offhanded treatment of this song in official release combined with the sheer variety of alternates available
suggests that the Beatles themselves weren't sure exactly how they wanted to nail it down and just decided to let it (uh ...) be.
Regards,
Alan (030799#162)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/obs.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Old Brown Shoe"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #164 (OBS)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Major / a minor

Meter: 4/4
| Verse (Instrumental) | Bridge |
UK-release: 30th May 1969 (B Single / "The Ballad Of John And Yoko")
US-release: 4th June 1969 (B Single / "The Ballad Of John And Yoko")
Style and Form
"Old Brown Shoe" provides as fine an example you'll find this side of "Abbey Road" of George Harrison (Scouse of Distinction)
doing his thing while also holding his own. And yet, it retains a B-side kind of relative obscurity that is as unfortunate as it is
undeserved.
The song bears enough Lennon and McCartney Stylized Blues influence to fit in compatibly with the group's overall output of the
period. But at the same time, George appears happy and comfortable to go his own way with respect to chord progressions,
arrangement, and an artfully complex, ambiguous attitude in the lyrics hard to pin down between sarcasm and ardor.
The form is the variant of the classic two bridge model that has only a single middle verse section. Unusual, in this case, is the
fact that the lone middle verse is an instrumental. I don't recall any other official Beatles recording with this exact form, though I'll be
properly thankful if you remind me otherwise.
Melody and Harmony
I'm calling C Major as the home key, even though the verse section has a nasty habit of veering off to the relative minor key of a.
This creates a musical effect somewhat reminiscent of hitching your pants up, only to find, that in the expenditure of even the least
exertion, they keep slipping down. Even in absence of this specific key gambit, we note George's penchant for sadly "wilting"
harmonic effects created by downward chord progressions; e.g. "Don't Bother Me", "If I Needed Someone", or "... Guitar Gently
Weeps".
This playing around with the key pair of Major and relative minor is a perennial favorite of the Beatles going way back. I think of
"And I Love Her" as being the closest example to this one, though the two songs assign opposite roles to their respective Major and
relative minors.
Unusually prominent play is given here to the equally unusual chord on flat-VI (i.e. A-flat). It creates a hard and direct cross
relation with the A-natural of the IV (F) chord on either side of it. I dare say you even pick up the whiff of a much more indirect
cross relation with the a-minor chord that ends the verse, even though they are separated by several measures.
In terms of The Blues, the tune is heavily inflected with flat thirds and sevenths. And, of course, there's heavy play given to the
freely dissonant I7 chord throughout.
Arrangement
The extreme up tempo and rapid triplets are reminiscent of both "Got To Get You Into My Life" and George's own "I Want To Tell
You". The insistent persistence of the piano part also connects "Old Brown Shoe" to the latter.
The mix of jangle piano, organ, lead guitar and very heavy bass makes an uncanny texture. Though I think that recording of the
lead vocal with George facing into a tight corner is a nobly clever idea that just doesn't work; i.e. the effect of the vocal is
unpleasantly muddy that than intriguing?
Typical layering tricks are used throughout, though to less dramatic effect than usual:
Intro
• Just bass and piano.

• But dig the nice triplet pickups in the bass.
Verse 1
• Drums enter on the pickup.

• Single tracked lead vocal.
• Lead guitar riffs in the first half.
• Add background wash from organ for second half.
Verse 2
• Preceded by half of an intro.
Bridge 1
• Drop organ for start but add it back in for second half.
• Backing vocals appear on alternate (even numbered) phrases.
• Fast triplets appear in bass on second half of every measure. According to Lewisohn, this effect was executed by
cooperation of Paul and George.
Instrumental Verse
• No intro, not even partial.

• Organ is there for the entire section.
• Tone of lead guitar is radically different in each half.
Bridge 2
• This time, organ stays in all the way through.
• Is there some kind of undocumented "squeak" on the backing track at the start?
Final Verse
• Again, no intro.
• Two documented spontaneous sounding exclamations.
Outro
• Backing voices are added to petit reprise of "So glad ...".
• Falsetto scat singing into the sunset.
Intro
The intro is a four measure long vamp on C7 that establishes both the tone and the home key of what is to follow:
|C-flat 7 |- |- |- |
C: I
[Figure 164.1]
Verse
The verse is sixteen measures long and parses into four phrases of equal length:
|C-flat 7 |- |- |- |
C: I
|d7 |- |- |- |
ii
|F |- |A-flat |- |
IV flat-VI
|F |E aug. |a |- |
IV vi
a: VI V i
[Figure 164.2]
Harmonic rhythm starts very slow and then picks up speed over the final two phrases.
I've labeled the chords to show how a pivot modulation to A minor is effected, though the latter is so short lived that calling it a
modulation per se feels overstated.
The higher level melodic shape of the verse is an arch, though the individual phrases locally each have a downward trajectory.
Note how the note "C" provides a kind of pedal point in the treble (in contrast to the more common bass) voice for the section. This
pedal point "forces" the E chord to be augmented (with C replacing what would have been the more conventional B).
Bridge
The bridge is twelve measures long, and parses into an AAB pattern in which B phrase is a direct rhetorical outgrowth of the
previous phase:
|G |- |- |F |
C: V IV
|G |- |- |F |
V IV
|f#o7 |- |G |- |
V
[Figure 164.3]
The harmonic rhythm change in third phrase makes the section sound less squared off than it is.
This section revolves entirely around the V chord. This provides both local harmonic motivation for the following verse to lead
off from I, but on a higher level is responsible for clearly asserting C Major as the home key, in spite of the verse ends on a minor.
Please don't ask me to put a Roman numeral under the f# diminished seventh chord. Harmonically, it is no more than a side effect
of F# appearing in the bassline as a chromatic passing tone between F and G.
The tune in this section features a motif of short phrases which step down a third. The higher level melodic shape is one of static
noodling between b and c.
That attempt to rhyme "imperfect" with "can't reject" should have been (ugh ...) rejected, if you know what I mean.
Outro
The outro grows out of the final verse with a single (rather than the more typical double) reprise of final phrase.
This leads into a long section of intro-like vamping on I7 that goes on for at least twenty measures before the complete fade-out.
The first eight measures are entirely instrumental, with the scat singing vocal starting with measure 9.
A musicological conundrum: if the 2/25 "birthday" version of "Old Brown Shoe" on "Anthology 3" is a "demo" that features only
George performing, then are we to make of the outtakes performed by the entire group back on 1/28 in the thick of the Get Back
sessions? Lewisohn doesn't even mention the latter in Recording Sessions, but I've heard at least one of those outtakes is available on
a "Yellow Dog" boot devoted to Harrison songs and performances from those ill-fated 1/69 sessions.
The 1/28 take I've heard is admittedly is rough in execution, but it already presents the song in its final form and close to final
arrangement. In my humble opinion, the 2/25 version is not materially "better" or "different" from that on 1/28. The latter at least
includes drums! So why should George be doing it alone some five weeks later, ostensibly to lay it down for so that the others could
learn their respective parts?
It's easy to suppose that the 2/25 was far from the "first time" he was not "lonely without [them]." Something along the lines of
why you sometimes cooked for yourself and ate by your lonesome in that Quad suite you shared with your three college roommates.
But why do so after you've already eaten your dinner with them, other than to spite yourself?
Regards,
Alan (041899#164)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ykmnlutn.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "You Know My Name (Look Up The Number)"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #166 (YKMN(LUTN))
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: [#1: Hard Rock] Intro | Verse | Refrain |
---- 3X ------
[#2: Slaggers] Intro | Verse | Refrain |
| Refrain | Outro |
[#3: Goon Show] Intro | Verse | Refrain' |
---- 2X ------
[#4: Jazz Club] Intro | Verse | Refrain |
| Refrain' (with complete ending)
Recorded: 17th May, 7th, 8st June 1967, Abbey Road 2;
30 April 1969, Abbey Road 3
UK-release: 6th March 1970 (B Single / "Let It Be");
US-release: 11th March 1970 (B Single / "Let It Be")
Style and Form
This is certainly one of the strangest curiosities of the entire Lennon-McCartney songbook with an equally curious recording
history. In spite of its undeniable cult-status popularity, it's awfully tempting to treat it like a cheap throwaway along the lines of, say,
some of the ditties that appeared on the Xmas flexidiscs. But as we've seen in our past studies of tracks such as "Wild Honey Pie" and
"Flying", this one, too, repays careful study.
The rather flat and lengthy form can be described strikes you as a series of character variations on a theme on casual listening.
Given greater familiarity and a closer look perhaps you'll more aptly describe it as a fragmentary song submitted to us in the form of
a medley of four alternate takes, each of which "could have" been developed into a complete track on its own; not that you literally
would do that, but the potential for it is a subtle element in your experience of the track.
The essence of this track, its source of nutritional calories, is found much more in the individual and complementary character of
the four settings than in their underlying common musical contents. As an important compositional lesson though, do not
underestimate the extent to which that foundation is designed to be more than just minimally serviceable. A chef's metaphor: you
may not want your cake to compete with the icing for attention, but neither do you want it to clash with that icing or simply, on its
own, taste so bad that it undermines the overall eating experience.
At the same time, the amount of finagling here with the truly musical (as contrasted with the atmospheric) content from take to
take is particularly impressive for what we're to react to as mostly as a practical/musical joke. Heck, I can argue it the other way
around: the experiment you find here with stringing multiple versions of a song together, and articulating the larger form with
backbeat and surface character is so sophisitcated that if it weren't for the basic comic premise, you'd be forced to criticize it as
pretentious.
Two slightly earlier tracks of other artists that are worth a comparison with our current song in terms of their evocation of live
club music on the sleazy cheap:
• Rolling Stones' "Something Happened To Me Yesterday" (the final track on "Between the Buttons", 1967). The track is in
the antique British Music Hall style with a very queasy, out of tune dance band backing that includes trumpet, trombone,
and clarinet. Jagger's emcee comments include the fragments like, "take your partners, ... the boys in the band, evenin'
all ...).
• Mothers of Invention's "America Drinks & Goes Home" (the final track on "Absolutely Free", 1967). Features a comically
crooning lead vocal, an emcee mouthing a seemingly endless stream of platitudes ("hope you've had as much fun as we
have ..".), and the sound of clinking glasses, a yakking people, and ringing cash registers into the runout groove after the
music stops.
In my humble opinion the Beatles play it much straighter and more dry proving yet again how less can be more.
Melody and Harmony

The tune is constrained within an absurdly small range, an effect which resonates with the one-track mind of the lyrics. The tune
for the first iteration, for example, uses only three notes running between 1 and 3 (D - E - F#), if you ignore the harmonization a third
higher by the backing voice.
The harmony is relatively straightforward and makes use of a small number of chords. There is that funky augmented triad and a
generally jazzy approach to free dissonance, but that's all in the foreground.
Arrangement
Let's trace this in the course of our walkthrough below for a change.
[#1: Hard Rock]
Arrangement and Character
The opening take more or less passes as a normative Beatles pop/rock song if you can hold in abeyance the repetitious lyrics and
their overstated mock macho delivery.
The basic backing track, heavy on piano, bass, and drums, helps keep things balanced for the moment toward the "normal" side of
the scale.
Intro
Two measures converge towards the home key on top of a pedal point in the bass, followed by a four-measure AA phrase that
anticipates the refrain section:
|G6/4 |A |
D: IV V
|D f# |G A |D f# |G A |
I iii IV V I iii IV V
[Figure 166.1]
The backbeat is slowly syncopated with hard accents on 2 and 4.
Verse
The verse is an unusual seven measures long. The momentary doubling up of the harmonic rhythm in measure 5 is where the
critical asymmetry is created. It's rather stunning to think they had the time for this kind of thing in the midst of apparently just
horsing around, or that such sophistication was simply second nature.
|G |F# aug. |b |E |
D: IV V-of-vi vi V-of-V
|G D |e |A |
IV I ii V
[Figure 166.2]
The unusual harmonic shape here starts on IV and ends on V, with the I chord making its only furtive appearance in the middle of
the section. Its the only chord in the section that doesn't appear on a downbeat!
I'm going to parse that augmented chord in the second measure with A# in the bassline as rooted on F#, in the first inversion, and
with the D-natural serving as a 13th.
The gambit of forcing V-of-V to wait for at least one intervening chord change before its inevitable resolution to V is a Beatles
trademark as old as "Eight Days A Week" and as characteristic as the title track on "Sgt. Peppers".
Stripping all camouflage aside, you're surprised to discover that the underlying chord progression of this section follows 'round a
circle of fifths: F# -» B -» E -» (after delay) A.
Refrain
The refrain restores both metrical and harmonic regularity, with its four-measure length and circular harmonic shape that starts
out on I, opens out to a V chord that just begs for resolution to I:
|D f# |G A |D f# |G A |
D: I iii IV V I iii IV V
[Figure 166.3]
Here, the vocals create a counterpoint to the syncopated backbeat with their hard accents on 1 and 3.
The F# on the word "name" makes the V chords in this section into V13s.
The first take simply tacks a I chord to the end of the refrain, and segues directly into the Latin beat of the following take.
[#2: Slaggers]
Here we get a clever evocation of "the Samba beat" in the arrangement, and the atmosphere of a cheesy cabaret floor show in
Paul's crooning lead vocal and John's clichéd Master of Ceremonies background chat.
The syncopation of the backbeat in this take is much more flowing with accents on the eighth notes of the measure marked with *:
* * *
1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &
[Figure 166.4]
This is the longest of the four takes.
Intro
The opening two measures where the pedal point used to be are now just scored for percussion.
The harmony of the remainder of the intro is greatly simplified:

Chords: |D |e7 |D |e7 |
Bass: |D B A |e B A |D B A |E B A |
I ii (V) I ii (V)
[Figure 166.5]
Verse / Refrain
The augmented triad is played with F# in the bass.
The verse-refrain pair is repeated three full times, plus one additional repeat of the refrain. The final section is ever so slightly
faded out.
No final chord appears in this take. All we have, instead, is the final words of John's last spoken phrase which began in the final
measure of the last refrain. The next take kicks in after a brief pause just as you're starting to wonder what's going on.
[#3: Goon Show]
John's comically silly patter-style vocal sets the tone and is accompanied this time by a backbet that is equal parts spastic and "old
soft shoe". The use of a bird whistle and other exotic sound effects amplifies the crazy atmosphere.
The backbeat is rather four-square in this section, leaving the matter of syncopation entirely to vocals in the foreground.
Intro
There are no opening two measures this time, just the four measures of the refrain, which kick in after John has already started
clowning.
I believe the chord progression for this take has changed yet again, replacing the erstwhile root change in the second half of
measures 1 and 3 with an iteration of the I chord in its first inversion:
|D D |G A |D D |G A |
I I6/3 IV V I I6/3 IV V
[Figure 166.6]
Verse / Refrain
This take reverts to the brief, single iteration form of the first take.
However, this time, the refrain is extended by four measures:

|D D |G G# dim. |A |- D |
I I6/3 IV vii-of-V V I
[Figure 166.7]
The harmony of this extension provides an old fashioned chromatic approach to the V chord and then leaves you waiting for the
shoe to fall with that I chord delayed to the final beat of the next measure.
In symmetry to the intro of this take, the chatter at the end extends for a rough few seconds beyond the final bit of music.
The start of the intro to the final take overlaps with the last of the spoken bits.
[#4: Jazz Club]
This final take is set to a cool jazzy backing track with John's lead vocal (if you can call it that) in the form of pre-verbal but
expressively suave grunting. The latter reminds me of a character named "White Fang" from the erstwhile Soupy Sales TV show of
my American youth; no more of this character ever appeared on screen than one gloved, gesturing hand.
Again, a change of backbeat helps set the mood. This time, we have a swinging ride beat most of the time that is punctuated by
the stong syncopation periodically in on the eighth note before the fourth beat.
Intro
What used to be those opening two measures on a pedal point are now simply filled by jazz piano figure in the treble.
The refrain-like chord progression stays with the I6/3 in place of iii.
Verse / Refrain
The length of this take falls somewhere in between that of the short takes (#1 and #3) and the lengthier take #2. The Verse/Refrain
pair is repeated twice, and the second refrain is extended in a manner very similar to the Goon Show outro.
The jazz flavor reaches its peak with the addition of sax and and vibraphone for the final chorus.
Again, the music has a complete ending against which the vocal grunting is allowed to trail on for couple of seconds to finish out
the recorded track.
The "Notes on ..." series celebrates its 10th anniversary this week. There were times in the early going when the number "10
years" for such a project seemed like an exaggeration in terms of what it really might take, when it sounded impossibly too long a
stretch to maintain in terms of connectivity to the Net, and my personal span of attention. But, thank God, here we are after all this
time, and with the end in sight.
I plan to continue on for now with the "Let It Be" line up ("Two Of Us" is up next), and then finish up with "Abbey Road".
Following the approximate order of composition and recording strikes me as preferable to the order of release, in spite of earlier
plans to the contrary.
My sincere thanks to all of you who have taken the time over the years to "drop me a postcard, send me a line, stating point of
view". And to those precious few individuals still active in r.m.b. whose personal encouragement at the time helped bring my series
into being, I've only one thing to say to you: "You're a swine :-)"
Regards,
Alan (052399#166)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/tou.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Two Of Us"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #167 (TOU)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: G Major
Meter: 4/4 (3/4, 2/4)
Form: Intro | Verse | (Intro) | Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Bridge | Verse | Outro (with fade-out)
CD: "Let It Be", Track 1 (Parlophone 0777-7 46447-2)
Recorded: 24th, 25th, 31st January 1969, Apple Studios
UK-release: 8th May 1970 (LP "Let It Be")
US-release: 18th May 1970 (LP "Let It Be")
Style and Form
"Two Of Us" is an idyllic love song in which uneven phrase lengths, changes of meter, and novel chord changes liven up and add
bite to an acoustic pseudo-folk song that might otherwise be a bit too sweet and blandly charming for its own good.
The form is the very classic two-bridge variant in which just a single verse separates the bridges and there is no instrumental solo
section. The repeat of the intro between the first two verses is a rare but far from unique touch.
The change of meter in the Verse is one of the more extreme examples of this gambit this side of "She Said She Said" and "Good
Day Sunshine".
This song is a unique (?) example of where the "Let It Be" album track is arguably the definitive "best" version. It's a later take of
the song, more carefully arranged and more crisply performed than the one on the "Get Back" album. And to give the devil his due,
it's one of the only songs on the album for which Spector delivers a mix whose "finish" (in the photo processing or wood furniture
sense of the word) feels appropriate to the style and mood of the music. See our Further Thoughts for more on this and the other
alternate versions of "Two Of Us".
Melody and Harmony
The Verse opens with an archtypal pentatonic lick in the tune, but adds in the fourth scale degree (C) for the rest of the section.
The chords used in the Verse are small in number and are of common variety; i.e. I, ii, IV, V.
The Bridge's casual shift to the parallel minor of the home key flattens the third, sixth and seventh scale degrees of the tune, and
thereby unavoidably alters a number of chords used in the section. It's the same trick Paul used (in the same key, no less!) back in
"Here, There, And Everywhere" to make the same bittersweet point. In the earlier song he takes it a bit farther by actually settling
down in the minor key with a full cadence. Here in "Two Of Us", the minor key is heavily implicated for sure, but is never 100%
confirmed; the only V chord in the bridge is followed by the return to the Major mode.
Arrangement
The backing track is for two acoustic rhythm guitars, a noodling electric lead guitar, and a relatively small part for percussion.
You might jokingly say that had the "Unplugged" TV series in mind when they came up with it.
The rhythm guitars create alot of percussive finger-nails-against-taut-string noise, plus there's what sounds like a Buddy Holly-era
overdub of thigh slapping and guitar body patting added in, perhaps explaining the limited role for Ringo.
George plays almost the whole way through. His part is scored in the tenor range and played quietly in background, though he
does get one moment in the spotlight with a recurring scale figure that punctuates the metrical shifts in the second half of the verse.
Ringo's drumming is limited to a snare tapping figure that joins the verse to the bridge plus some light cymbal work during the
bridge.
Paul's lead vocal is harmonized by John in thirds for virtually the entire verse. Paul sings solo for most of the bridge, with John
coming back at the third for the last couple measures of the section.
Intro
The four-measure intro establishes the home key by simple insistence on its I chord.
The Beatles staggered entrance rule appplies even for so brief an introduction: we start off with a syncopated hook phrase on one
of the acoustic guitars, followed by guitar body thuds in the second measure, and finally the rhythm guitar and electric lead parts kick
in for the second half of the section.
Verse
The verse has a relatively straightforward closed harmonic shape, starting and ending on I, but its phrasing and meter are far from
it:
--------------------------- 2X ----------------------------
4 4 2 4 4
|G |- |- |C |a |
G: I IV ii
3 3 3 3
|G |D C |G |D C |
I V IV I V IV
3 2 4 4
|G |C |G |- |
I IV I
[Figure 167.1]
The phrasing pattern is "AB/AB,CCC'" in which the repeated "AB" couplet contrasts sharply in terms of rhythmic character and
length with "C" phrases.
Phrase "A" concludes with only half a measure. The unusual switch to 3/4 time for the iterated "C" phrase is no less interesting
than the way in which the single 2/4 measure at the end of phrase "C'" would appear to belatedly make up for the half measure (2/4
beats) subtly left "missing" at the end of the "A" phrase. It's as if the "B" and "CC" pair of phrases were all shifted two beats out of
alignment until that short 2/4 measure at the end of "C'" balances the books.
IV -» ii makes for a lazy feeling chord progression; the "move" from one subdominant to another subdominant doesn't provide
much in the way of a sense of teliological progress. The lazy effect is amplified by the way that the passing tones in the vocal lines
here turn the second half of the measure 4 into a C9/7 chord. Substitute a G chord in the first (6/3) inversion for the second half of
that measure and notice the difference.
The form of the verse ending varies depending on context. The end of the first verse (the only one in the song followed
immediately by another verse) rests for one measure on G, then repeats the entire Intro before the second verse. The second and third
verses, both of which are followed by a bridge, use a two-measure rest on G to transition into the bridge sections. The final verse is a
hybrid, with a two-measure rest followed by one more reprise of the Intro.
Bridge
The meter is held constant for the bridge, but the harmony and phrase lengths still remain tricky:
|B-flat |d |g |a |
g: III v i ii
|- |D |
V
[Figure 167.2]
The phrasing has a free-verse A/B pattern in which the phrase lengths are 2 + 4 measures. The sustaining of the a-minor chord for
measures 2 and 3 of a four-measure phrase is a subtle type of slow syncopation.
Cross relations abound as a result of the shift to the minor mode:
• Bb in the first measure in contrast with the B-naturals of the G major mode of the verse.
• F-natural in the d-minor chord in contrast with the F-sharps found in the V chords of the verse and the end of this bridge.
Similarly, F-natural in the tune (both on the first syllable of "longer" and and the word "that" following "road") in bluesy
contrast with the F# of the D-Major chord at the end of the section.
• Eb in the tune (passing note on the second syllable of the word "longer") in contrast with the E-natural of the a-minor
chord in the following measure.
Outro
Following a complete reprise of the Intro, the music fades out during eight measures worth of vamping on the rhythm guitars,
with John whistling above it, and Paul making spoken interjections.
Based on the evidence of outtakes, the fade-out here is a bit of a fake. I have every reason to believe that the performance in the
studio ends with a complete ending, but the "Let It Be" track cuts out before the final chord.
Unreleased recordings of "Two Of Us" fall into three buckets: rehearsals, outtakes of the familiar official version, and outtakes of
a different arrangement of the song. My knowledge of what is currently available under the counter is far from exhaustive but I
believe it covers the highlights.
Rehearsals
First runthrough of the song, 1/2/69 ("Songs From The Past", volume 4)
• We have a sizeable twelve minute segment of what must have been a longer rehearsal. It's one of the nicest candid home
movies we have.
• It sounds like Paul is sharing the song for the first time with George and Ringo; John is nowhere in evidence. The finished
lyrics are not yet set, and the Three Of Them stumble and stagger through the performance, frequently breaking down,
especially (and quite understandably) when the meter changes in the verse.
• Paul is clearly the leader and the coach in this context. He does most of the talking but doesn't come across as bossy, per
se.
Paul coaches John on a backing vocal for the bridge.
• At one point, they apparently planned on having John sing an elaborate backing vocal through most of the bridge, one not
in easy parallel thirds. This clip catches them practicing it several times running with John generally out of tune and not
getting any better at all from one iteration to the next.
• This outtake is as painful to experience as is the previous one "nice". Paul plays the part of a relentless schoolmarm
cluelessly pressuring John who must have been already getting frustrated with himself most of all during this rehearsal, to
try it again and again.
• Aside from your interest in the Beatles, if you yourself have ever been on the receiving end of a Bad Rehearsal Day with
your own music group, this outtake is bound to touch a nerve.
Outtakes of the official version
"Funky Body", take 1; ("Unsurpassed Masters", volume 5)
• Relatively rough but complete runthrough by the full group.

• Paul opens the song with an unsyncopated variation of the guitar hook, but then uses the syncopated version of it later in
the song. The guitar hook is also used here to fill the two measure space between the verse and bridge.
• When the meter changes in the first verse the performance comes very close to breaking down.
"Get Back" album track, 1/24/69
• Form is identical to official version, though we have a shorter rest here before the outro.
• The guitar hook is always unsyncopated.
• John does not sing at all in the bridge.
• The lead guitar work is less clearly worked out than in the official version.
• No whistling in the coda, but before the final chord, Paul stage whispers "and so we leave the little town of London,
England".
Different Arrangement
As the "Revolution" single is to "Revolution 1", so is the different arrangement of "Two Of Us" to its official version, a sample of
which appears in the "Let It Be" film. At least two or more outtakes of the arrangement also appear on bootleg.
• The words and music are the same but arrangement is for rock ensemble with more electric guitar, more drums, and a
much faster tempo.
• The finger picked guitar hook is replaced by a rhythm guitar figure, and hard, jumpy bassline.
• Bridge vocals vary (depending on the outtake) from choral backing on the word "Ah ..." to rhythmic "dit-dit-dit" (in the
manner of the song "Girl"), both on "Songs From The Past" volume 3. One take features Paul singing is his Elvis voice, on
the "Yellow Dog" rooftop concert disk.
• The coda is a "three times you're out" reprise of the "B" phrase of the verse; "Songs From The Past" volume 3, tk. 10. One
outtake ends with John announcing "halt" at the end of the second bridge; "Songs From The Past" 3, tk. 20.
The rock version, though it contains an enjoyable intensity, does not come close to the idyllic essence of the song as captured in
the official version. By the same token, the alternate does, in its own way, cast a unique other light on the latter.
Regards,
Alan (053199#167)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/dap.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Dig A Pony"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #168 (DAP)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 3/4
| Verse | Verse | Refrain |
| Verse (instrumental) | Verse |
| Verse | Refrain | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 22nd, 24th, 28th, 30th January,
5th February 1969, Apple Studios
Style and Form
The amount of non-routine musical detail in this song is all the more surprising and impressive because of its intentionally candid,
rough presentation. An admittedly non-scientific poll of my acquaintances reveals that some people just don't like this song because
of this sloppy while over the top intensity.
Tough nuggies is all I can say. If the composer/performer's willing to take a risk it's only polite for you cutting him some slack for
it. I'll grant that the Platonically ideal rendering of this song by the Beatles is something we're not privileged to hear, but I'll stick by
my first point, that the risk element of hyperintensity (if not the sloppiness, per se) is germane.
This is one of the truly scarce entries in the Beatles catalog with a clear and strong ternary backbeat. "Baby's In Black" and "I Me
Mine" surely belong on this short list. Those song with a pulse of rapid triplets, such as "Norwegian Wood" and "She's Leaving
Home", do not make the cut because in each of them the higher-order binary meter asserts itself over the triplets, placing the latter in
the metrical background.
The form is dominated by the verse/refrain pattern of a folk ballad, but also includes the doubled up verses and the half-time
instrumental break of a pop song.
The "Let It Be" album track of this song is taken from the Rooftop Concert of 1/30/69, though Phil Spector misguidedly opted to
edit out the same complete musical phrase from both the Intro and Outro sections. I don't get his motive: if he felt the track runs too
long (which might be a point well taken, I'll grant), then the cut is not sufficiently large enough to make a difference. And in the
meanwhile, he winds up eliminating an element from the original that helps reinforce set the obsessional tone of the piece.
Seek out either the unedited Rooftop Concert tape for the complete performance, or opt for the different take of the song that
would have appeared on the "Get Back" album. The latter is an earlier but still complete version from 1/24. It has the added virtue of
containing John's "go straight into 'I've Got A Fever'" remark which for my money is not only funnier than the corresponding "I Dig
A Pigmy" but also at least appears in its proper place on the album master, as opposed to the Pigmy's having been flown in from
elsewhere.
Melody and Harmony
The verse tune tries its damnedest to be purely pentatonic, but the prevalence of the flat-VII chord throughout the song (which
contains both non-pentatonic scale steps 4 and flat-7) forces the mold to be eventually broken.
The tune makes broad and spicy gestures of contour. The verses starts off with a balanced arch that covers a full octave but ends
up with a second upward sweep of that arch left hanging in air, just begging for some release or relief from the refrain. The refrain
obligingly picks up where the verse had left things and proceeds to blow the roof off in terms of range; the downbeat of the refrain
momentarily establishes a new melodic highpoint just above where the verse tops out, but then, in the second phrase, the tune jumps
up practically a full octave to top out in falsetto on the C# eight and a half steps above middle C.
Harmonically, six out of the possible total of seven chords diatonically indigenous to the home key appear; only iii is absent. The
lineup is further extended by the large amount of airtime given to flat-VII, particularly in context of the so-called double plagal
cadence, VII -» IV -» I.
Arrangement
The backing track may be described as suitable for live performance by a live quartet of two electric guitars, one bass guitar, and
drum kit.
John's lead vocal carries most of the song with some minor yet carefully placed backing help from Paul. For example, Paul
reinforces the "Because I" transition between paired verses, and following the instrumental section (which after all, is another verse
section) he bothers to do his thing on both verses of the following pair. The refrain is vocally harmonized the whole way through.
Intro
The intro has an AAB phrasing pattern that could-have-been made into twelve measures long instead of eleven, except that its
final measure overlaps with the start of the first verse:
--------------------------- 2X ----------------------------
|G |D |A |- |
flat-VII IV I
|G |G# |A |
flat-VII VII half dim. I
[Figure 168.1]
Everything but the specific harmonic content hints at the blues. The B phrase is the one Spector blue lined, by the way.
The extent to which all three phrases converge on the home key from the offbeat starting point of flat-VII makes the I chord at the
end of this section feel less authoritative than you'd expect.
The chromatically rising bassline harmonized in the middle by the half-diminished seventh chord is a cliché that you somehow
won't find very often in a Beatles song. Even in other music, you'll more often find it used as an approach to V instead of I.
The first two phrases of the intro are an instrumental version of what turns out to be the refrain section. The aggressive ostinato
riff played an octave apart by both bass and lead guitar must have been a challenge for them to execute from the get go judging from
the consistent pattern of false starts on the various session outtakes.
The flexible handling of the riff bears study. The riff's pattern is as essentially pentatonic as the verses's tune, and it is repeated on
all three chords in this section, but they make a couple of foolish consistency-avoiding adjustments for the third (i.e. final) iteration
of the riff, on A: the first note is sustained for close to a full measure before the rest of the riff is played out, and when it is played,
they sneak a nice bluesy B# neighboring tone beneath the C#.
Verse
The verse makes a curiously rhetorical free-verse effect, with its unusual thirteen measure length and ABB' phrasing pattern; the
latter made interesting by the fact that all three phrases are of different length even though the last two of them are closely related in
content:
|A |- |- |- |f# |- |
I vi
|b |G |- |
ii flat-VII
|b |G |E |- |
ii flat-VII V
[Figure 168.2]
Phrases B and B' create a vivid feeling of taking two steps forward from a starting line, then going immediately back to the
starting point to repeat those same two steps with the goal of accelerating through them, this time, to a more farther objective.
Compare this with a similar gesture found in, of all things, "I'm Looking Through You".
The chord progression of phrase B' is a Lennon favorite, the earliest example of which I can think of is the intro to "Help!"
Refrain
The refrain has an AA' phrasing pattern in which the exact number of measures in the section is impossible to count because of
the "dramatic pause" which extends the A' phrase to an indeterminate length. I count about ten measures in all, but your mileage may
vary:
--------------- 2X ------------------
|G |D |A |- |
flat-VII IV I
|- |- |
[Figure 168.3]
The backing arrangement cleverly varies from that of the intro. In place of jumpy riff, the G and D chords are executed as a
simple root triads played squarely on the beat. The familiar riff does reappear for the A chord, but in this case is performed by only
the lead guitar; no bass doubling at the octave.
The drums deftly reset your sense of tempo before the next verse begins, a strategy preferable to resetting the tempo right on the
downbeat of the verse. Run that alternative in your head and see what I mean.
Outro
The outro is a symmetrical booken repeat of the intro.
3
Some Final Thoughts
Two of John's most familiar and effective musical personae are, for lack of better labels, the "Exhorting Prophet" and the "Love
Obsessed Screamer". We're used to encountering these one at a time, in separate pieces. One of the most unusual aspects of "Dig A
Pony" may be the way it makes a special effect out of alternating the two of them in real time within the same song.
The exhorter speaks with encouraging authority (e.g. "The Word", or "All You Need Is Love"), but also sometimes in
Dylanesque/surreal/mystically difficult imagery (e.g. "I Am The Walrus", or "Across The Universe").
The screamer expresses a euphoria of pleasure/pain over love's true desire, whether fulfilled yet or not, and he doesn't give a damn
who overhears his ranting; e.g. "... Monkey", "Don't Let Me Down", "I Want You (She's So Heavy)", even the relatively early "I Feel
Fine".
Considered in this light the protagonist of our "Pony" sounds like the Exhorter in the verses, and the Screamer in the refrains. The
emotional focus of those two respective parts of the song is distinct to the extreme that you find yourself thinking of the person
addressed in second person during the verses ("You can imitate ...") as not necessarily the same one so badly "wanted" in the refrain.
This shift of focus represents not just a clever cross cutting alternation, but infinitely more compelling, the playing out of a
struggle: of the prophet who in spite of himself is distracted and torn away from delivering his parable by all consuming desire.
And that phrase which Spector so cavalierly expunged turns out to helpful if not outright necessary to drive the fully drive the
point home. Without those bookend iterations of the working title phrase, "All I Want Is You," the song is reduced to a rote AB,
AB ... alternation of moods in which prophecy is predictably succeeded by desire. Not bad as far as it goes.
But each bookend adds something: At the end it confirms desire's upper hand by coming on the heels of a refrain, and at the very
place where every other time in the song you'd get a new verse, reiterating the message of need.
The bookend at the beginning accomplishes two things:
• It presents the protagonist to us in the throes of desire right in the first slate.
• Best of all, the overlap between the Intro's end and the start of the first verse conjurs up the musical equivalent of a rude
awakening from a daydream, as if someone had given the protagonist an offstage heads up during the last seconds to
indicate, "sorry to startle you, Mr. Prophet, but you're on the air, scheduled to deliver your sermon right now." Ooops.
Regards,
Alan (061399#168)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/atu.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Across The Universe"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #169 (ATU)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4 (with scattered disruptions)
Form: Intro | Verse | Verse' | Mantra | Refrain |
| Verse | Verse | Mantra | Refrain |
| Verse' | Verse | Mantra | Refrain |
| Outro (fade-out)
8th February 1968, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 12th December 1969 (LP "No One's Gonna Change Our World";
World Wildlife Fund Charity LP)
8th May 1970 (LP "Let It Be")
US-release: 12th December 1969 (LP "No One's Gonna Change Our World";
World Wildlife Fund Charity LP)
18th May 1970 (LP "Let It Be")
1
Style and Form
"Across The Universe" features a striking mix of folk and Indian elements similar to that of "Dear Prudence". Yes, it was
surprisingly written before the infamous trip to India, but so was George's "Within You Without You".
The form is clearly articulated but unorthodox in construction. At the high level it is close to the flat form of the folk ballad, in
which a grouping of sections is repeated several times as a group, per se. The unusual touch here is the interpolation of what I've
called the "Mantra" before each refrain.
Additionally, each sectional grouping starts off with a pair of verses, but you discover that two distinct but very similar verse
variations are used, and each grouping orders them differently. The first pair is V/V', the second pair V/V, and the third pair V'/V.
The end result is charming particularly because of the casual, offhand manner in which this undeniable amount complexity of detail
is played out.
The most definitive version of "Across The Universe" for my tastes is an unofficially released acetate which can be found in its
most complete form on "Unsurpassed Masters", volume 4. Some may prefer the "take 2" that appeared on the "Anthology" for its
superior sound quality, single track lead vocals, zero backing vocals, and delicate small touches of percussion. The one unfortunate
aspect to this version is its omission of the half measure Verse endings.
The World Wildlife Foundation (Wildlife) version found on "Past Masters", volume 2 is sped up to sound in the key of E-flat and
is introduced by irrelevant bird sounds. The "Let It Be" album cut is slowed down to sound in the key of D-flat and is exceedingly
encrusted with some heavy layers of additional "paint" from Spector's handling. I'm sorry to acknowledge how the latter retains the
stamp of some officialness no matter how much anyone of us gripes about it. Perhaps the best way to look at it is to observe how
much of the song's wonder does still shine through the overproduction.
Melody and Harmony
The tune makes use of the complete diatonic scale. The Verse section is given a patter song syllabic setting in the shape of an
inverted arch. Dig how the final syllable of the section is the only one in which more than one note is given to a syllable, and as if to
underscore the point, John gives it one of his trademark little trills. The second verse is entirely syllabic with a downward melodic
contour. The Mantra is in the melodic form of a rising triadic fanfare and provides the only release in the song from syllabic setting.
The refrain features parallel each of which contains a large downward jump of a sixth.
The harmony is also diatonic with the exception of John's much favored minor iv chord (in a Major key). Six out of the seven
native chords are used, but they appear in familiar progressions, and they stay real close to the home key throughout.
The song contains a touch of the blues based on the use of the emblematic V -» IV -» I progression. Did you ever notice just how
differently the latter progression affects compared to when the order of the first two chords is reversed?
The appearance of a tamboura and distorted/backwards guitar sounds blur your sense of the harmonic root movement, making it
sound in places as though two chords are being superimposed.
Arrangement
The Acetate features double tracked John on lead vocal and playing acoustic guitar. The quality of the recording is not especially
good, and sounds alot like some of the Esher demos for the "White Album". Two unbelievably lucky and randomly chosen female
fans assist John vocally in the refrains and there are overdubs of a tamboura and what sounds like backwards guitar playing.
The Wildlife version is based on the Acetate sped up with several new elements overdubbed. Paul and George provide backing
vocal in parallel thirds on the off phrases of the refrains. A heavily wa-wa'ed electric guitar comes and goes. And there's a rising
bassline figure added in the outro starting with the third iteration of the Mantra.
The "Let It Be" album track is also based on the Acetate slowed down with new elements overdubbed and some previous ones
mixed out. The intro and first pair of verses are presented relatively untampered with. Lush orchestration including choir enters with
the Mantra and stays for the duration. The refrains omit the backing vocals of the two fans as well as those of Paul and George.
Intro
The intro is six measures long. It presents a subtly abridged preview of the Verse section. Elimination of the two measures worth
of the e-minor chord has the dual benefit of leaving something yet unexposed for later while also setting the model of non four-
square phrasing right from the beginning:
|D |- |f# |- |A |- |
D: I iii V
[Figure 169.1]
Verse
The verse is eight measures long, with an extra half measure tacked on in some cases:
|D |b |f# |- |
D: I vi iii
|e |- |A |- |
ii V
[Figure 169.2]
The two extra beats show up only in second half of the first two verse pairs. In other words, the other times this section is played,
the first half of pair #2 and the second half of pair #3, it is exactly eight measures. You got to wonder how much of this is wily
avoidance of foolish consistency versus really just not caring, versus a perverse pose of appearing to not care.
The harmonic shape opens out from I to V.
Verse'
The Verse' variant starts off like first verse form but diverges from it for the second phrase. Here the length is a non-symmetric
seven measures, which conveys the feeling of free verse even without dealing in half measures:
|D |b |f# |- |e |g |- |
I vi iii ii iv
[Figure 169.3]
The move from ii to minor iv causes a cross relation between the B-natural in the first chord and the B-flat in the second one.
The harmonic shape is again "open", but mysteriously so, given minor iv instead of V as the target.
Mantra
The Mantra is six measures long, built out of AB, 4 + 2, unequal phrasing:
|D |- |- |- |A |- |
I V
[Figure 169.4]
Harmonic shape is yet again open to V. In hindsight, the decision to open out Verse' to minor iv would seem to be well made in
terms of providing respite from what might be getting to be the repetitious sound of V.
Refrain
The refrain is sixteen measures long making it the longest section in the song. It has an AA'/AA' pattern of even phrases:
------------------------- 2X --------------------------
|A |- |- |- |G |- |D |- |
V IV I
[Figure 169.5]
The harmonic shape here closes back upon the I chord from V; it's the only non-open section in the song.
Outro
The outro features an abridged form of the Mantra reiterated several times. The particular abbreviation eliminates the two-
measure shift to V, leaving the section harmonically as over a drone.
The Acetate contains six full iterations of this Mantra manque with a complete albeit rough edge ending. Wildlife fades out over
the course of the six iterations. "Let It Be" fades out completely by the middle of the sixth iteration.
It's become fashionable to be surprised that "Across The Universe" was actually captured in essence as early as February 1968,
between "Pepper" and the "Mystery Tour", in spite of its much later official release. "You mean to say that it was beat out for the B
side of the "Lady Madonna" single by "The Inner Light?", exclaimed one of my relatively more Beatle-literate neighbors
incredulously in a recent chat.
The seemingly haphazard, convoluted recording and release history of the song provides its own mystery tour, in spite of, and in
some cases because of unintentional vagaries or mistakes in Lewisohn's detailed accounting of the sessions. This is surprising
particularly given the song's top draw musical merits and (ugh ...) universal popularity. By the way, Lewisohn's liner notes for
"Anthology", volume 2 provide yet another vagary: he dates "Across The Universe" take 2 from Saturday, 2/3, instead of what
appears as Sunday, 2/4 in both his books.
The song is not as out of place as it otherwise might seem if for no other reason that they hacked through a new "live"
arrangement of the song no small number of times during the course of January 1969. None of the outtakes I've heard from that
period are seriously worked out or well executed, so we shouldn't be surprised that when the chips were down, they opted for
building on the original 2/68 source tapes.
And what about those "Get Back" era outtakes? Yellow Dog's "Rooftop Concert" CD and "Songs From The Past", volume 3, each
have relatively similar and complete runthroughs. Notable in both are the increased role for Paul in terms of both bassline and
backing vocal, the ensemble stumbling over the half measures, and the outro being based on the verse rather than the Mantra. The
latter one of these outtakes also contains a pleasant amount of horsing around between John and Paul.
My real favorite is the brief fragment that surfaces on "Songs From The Past", volume 2. John interrupts George's lone vamping
by starting up the "Across The Universe" intro. The group then attempts a clean start, but the tempo is catatonically unsteady and the
lead guitar part painfully out of tune. By the time John reaches the "paper cup" lyrics of the second line, Paul, with the hint of a
chuckle in his voice suggests: "You'd best take control, John!" To which John responds with a deft and immediate segue into "Rock
and Roll Music," a nice version of the latter, at that.
It's an uncanny candid moment. At the very least you've gotta be impressed by their capability to failover in an instant and as a
tight ensemble to a different song like that in a different key. But there's unplanned ironic poetry in this moment as well.
On the fly John makes a seemingly minor inconsequential change to Chuck Berry's familiar opening lyric: "Then let me hear
some of that R&R music." However, given certain disdainful comments John made about some of the more experimental "Pepper"-
era music of the Beatles coupled with his manifest interest in oldies during parts of his solo career, it seems like no accidental choice
of songs or twist of words that in the eventual moment when "gravity fails and negativity won't pull you through," that the antidote,
the critical means of taking "control" should be in hearing that Rock and Roll music.
Regards,
Alan (070499#169)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/igaf.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "I've Got A Feeling"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #173 (IGAF)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Verse' | Outro |
| Verse / Verse' (superimposed) |
Recorded: 22nd, 23rd, 24th, 27th, 28th, 30th January,
5th February 1969, Apple Studios
Style and Form
Here we have a medium slow, medium hard bluesy groove whose casual production values belie a unique Beatles experiment
with form.
The single most notable feature here is the alternation and eventual superimposition of two separate songs. It's more than just a
medley; the fancy college board musicology term for it is a "quodlibet". Aside from the many learned Baroque specimens of this
technique, you can find two very well known examples from the Broadway show repertoire of the late fifties: "West Side Story"s
dueling versions of "Tonight" (one by the rival gangs, and one by Maria), and "Music Man"'s alternation of "Goodnight My
Someone" with "Seventy Six Trombones".
The lyrics sport that clever yin/yang alternating wordplay that's a Beatles favorite way back to their early period. Here we find the
"Oh yeah/oh no", "wandering/wondering", and "hard year/good year".
That said, there's a part of me's got a feeling they're really not trying very hard with this one; that what may have started off as a
really clever idea is eventually held back from greatness by the relative mediocrity of its raw materials, and the extent to which its
two parts fail to contrast to sufficient effect. The two Broadway classics mentioned above, show how it's "really" supposed to be
done.
Melody and Harmony
The tune is quite bluesy. Paul's part has some decent melodic bite and contour. John's part is just plain chatty.
The harmony is dominated by that Beatlesque neo-Blues quartet of chords: I, IV, V, and flat-VII, supplemented by the cliché of a
chromatic stream of diminished triads played over a pedal point.
Arrangement
The arrangement is for the rooftop live ensemble of four Beatles playing their accustomed instruments, plus Billy Preston on
electric piano.
Paul and John alternate on lead vocal. Lewisohn hints that George is to be heard somewhere on this track, but it's not obvious to
my ears; sounds too much like John to me on the backing vocal.
Intro
The intro is just four measures long and introduces a vamping figure that characterizes the song overall:
|5 |6 |5 etc.
|3 |4 |3 etc.
|A |- |- |- |
A: I (IV6/4) I (IV6/4)
[Figure 173.1]
I feel pretty strongly about treating such a phrase as essentially an harmonic envelope on I, analyzing the D6/4 chords on the
alternate measures as mere decoration rather than true root movement.
Verse
The verse is a generous twenty-four measures in length. The words and tune break up the 4 * 6 pattern of the music into an
unusual phrasing pattern of 8 + 12 + 4:
----------------------- 4X ------------------------
|A |- |- |- |
A: I (IV6/4) I (IV6/4)
|A7 |- |E G |D |
I V flat- IV
VII
|A |D |A |D |
I IV I IV
[Figure 173.2]
Predictable layering appears on the backing track. There's only two guitars playing from the intro through measure 8 of the first
verse. Drums enter in measure 9, the bass finally enters in measure 17 (a lot of self restraint on Paul's part :-)), and the piano shows
up in measure 20. Backing vocals are limited in the first and third verses to reinforcement of the "oh yeah" exclamation points, but
the second verse has a backing vocal the most of the way through.
The second half of the verse features a number of Beatles trademarks:
• flexibly active harmonic rhythm following the long static vamp,

• the progression from V to flat-VII, with its concommitant cross relation, not to mention the rising chromatic scale in the
lead guitar,
• and the slow triplets introduced in measures 17 - 18.
Just when you think they're too bored or too stoned to sweat the really small details, you discover that Paul's is painstakingly
particular about where he breaks the vamp pattern so that the D-chord sits on its root note, D, instead of the usual pedal point. In the
second and third verses, he plays the root note D in the last measure of the second line (measure 8) and on the even measures of the
fourth line (measures 14, 16).
Bridge
In contrast with the sprawling verse, this bridge is only an intense and rhetorical ten measures long:
|E |- |G |- |
V flat-VII
|D D6/3 |G G#dim.|
IV flat- vii-o7
VII
|A |- |- |- |
I
[Figure 173.3]
Paul impressively both screams the lead vocal and plays a virtuosic bass part at the same time in this section.
The V to flat-VII progression is repeated in the first part. An upward chromatically walking bassline in the middle part forces an
unusual choice of chords for the cadence on I at the end.
George plays a particularly blistering lead here which ends in the last four measures with an infamous microtonal lick, which in
the Twickenham scene from the "Let It Be" film becomes of the focal point of an acutely painful instance of Paul insistently riding
poor Hari. Don't remember the exact quote right now, but it's the scene with the George whimpering, "if you don't want me to
play ..."
Verse'
John's song is more repetitious than Paul's (though he constantly seems to be changing the words if you bother to sample the
outtakes) so his verse, while still twenty-four measures long, repeats the familiar vamp phrase six times running. Sound like the D-
chord appears in root position here virtually all the time.
----------------------- 6X ------------------------
|A |D |A |D |
I IV I IV
[Figure 173.4]
Outro
Verse' ingeniously segues into what initially sounds just like measure 17 of the original Verse, but which turns out to be a new
section that will reappear later to finish the track:
|A |b-dim. c-dim. |c#-dim. |c-dim. b-dim. |
I - - -
|A |- |- |- |
I (IV6/4) I (IV6/4)
[Figure 173.5]
Again, I prefer to treat the chromatically slinking diminished chords over the pedal point as a simple harmonic envelope. The
particular effect is quite reminiscent of Dylan's opening track to "Blonde on Blonde", and indeed, there's an outtake of "I've Got A
Feeling" in which they segue from here directly into a fragment of "Rainy Day Women ..."
At the end, the outro consists of the phrase with the diminished chords repeated a full three times before coming to rest on a final
I7 chord, this time without the vamp.
Superimposed Verse
The section in which Paul and John's respective verses are superimposed is only sixteen measures, illustrating a basic principle
that when you have a piece with a section iterated many times, you should consider some condensation of the later repeats.
The following eight-measure pattern is repeated, and notice how, again, Paul is careful with his bass pattern:
|A |- |- |- |
I (IV6/4) I (IV6/4)
|A |D |A |D |
I IV I IV
[Figure 173.6]
There are several alternate versions of "I've Got A Feeling" from January 1969 that are similar to the official version but worth
seeking out if only for the scattered touches of John's good natured heckling of Paul and horsing around with his own part of the
song.
There's at least one outtake as early as January 9 at Twickenham showing they had already worked out the form, if not the
detailed arrangement, of the official version. This makes the 1/24 run through at Apple, a take which breaks down right after John's
solo verse a couple measures into the first Outro, a mystifying choice for what would have been the "Get Back" album.
Perhaps the most interesting outtake for "I've Got A Feeling" is a primitive 1968 home demo of something John was calling at the
time "Everyone [sic!] had a hard year". There are more words there than in the official version, and the lines that are in common
don't always follow the same order. Best of all, John uses a I - vi finger picking vamp for the accompaniment which for uncannily
resonates with the likes of "Julia"; an odd connection between two songs you'd likely as not ever draw without hearing this
recording.
Regards,
Alan (081599#173)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/tlawr.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "The Long And Winding Road"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #175 (TLAWR)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E-flat Major

Meter: 4/4
| Verse | Bridge (Instrumental) |
Recorded: 26th, 31st January 1969, 1st April 1970, Abbey Road 1
Style and Form
Macca does it again: in spite of his unabashed and sometimes even shameless sentimentality, he comes up with an affecting,
durable torch song with "The Long And Winding Road". The secrets of his success are to be found in the manner in which novel
approaches to form and harmonic structure underscore the emotional core of the song, and belie whatever curbside surface clichés it
has which may initially turn you off.
The song appears to describe a repeatedly thwarted passion in whose ultimate fulfillment the hero maintains unshakable faith. The
underlying music goes so far as to confirm such fulfillment, even though the words, if you read them carefully, indicate the outcome
has not yet become an eventuality, nor may it be taken for granted. It's kind of like Dylan's "Tangled Up In Blue" done up
McCartney style; accent on vulnerability in place of bitter irony, no fancy tricks with timelines, and a more or less happy ending.
A thwarting of desire is suggested in the harmony by the relentlessness with which the relative minor key of c attempts to upstage
and derail the true home key of Eb. Both Paul and John had played with Major/minor tonal schemes in many songs over a long
period of time (for oldies sake look back to "And I Love Her" and "I'll Be Back"), but "The Long And Winding Road" is one of the
most sophisticated examples of it in the songbook.
The restless discomfort that becomes a secondary infection borne of being constantly thwarted is suggested by a certain
intentional blurring of the formal outlines whose clarity you otherwise come to rightfully rely upon. Note how the opening (title)
phrase of the song reappers in contexts that make its formal purpose ambiguous. Is it an Intro, or the start of the Verse, or maybe
even the end of the Bridge section? I'm going to "analyze" it below as the start of the Verse section, but its overriding formal
ambiguity, per se, that is germane.
Melody and Harmony
The tune covers the overall range of a ninth, but spends most of its time in a narrow range near the top of the Eb octave. As we'll
see below, the Verse tune strives like hell for the high Eb, landing on it securely only at the very end of the section.
The home key is Eb Major but the Verse section has a strong undertow pulling in the direction of the relative minor key of c. By
the same token, c minor is not allowed to ever become fully established in spite of its large amount of air time, because it's always
served up in this song with a minor, instead, of Major V chord. Put another way, the relative minor key in this song is presented only
in its "natural" (as opposed to "harmonic") flavor.
The chords that diatonically appear on the first six degrees of the Major scale are used in the song. Many examples of extended
chords (i.e. ninths, elevenths, etcetera) are to be found here in consideration of the somewhat jazzy idiom in force. Perhaps the most
distinctive example below is the V7/9/11 chord in measure 3 that sounds for all the world as those an A-flat triad were superimposed
on top of the B-flat chord.
Keep your eye on the A-flat chord which bears the burden of pivoting between the keys of Eb and c; in some cases sounding like
IV in the Major key, and in other cases sounding like VI in the minor key.
Arrangement
The Beatles-supplied backing track, as heard on the unadorned "Get Back" and "Anthology" versions of the song, is spare and
simple, with piano, organ, bass, acoustic guitar (that's strange!), and drums.
Spector's overdub of a mini-orchestra and chorus may be overdone, but the unvarnished original recording sounds a bit under
dressed in comparison. This is possibly the one and only case in which the application of Spector's heavy handed production values
was not entirely inappropriate. The song is a schmaltzy one at heart, indeed, so let's call a spade a spade. Paul would be the first to
admit to his own very long term hankering to be (like) Frank Sinatra.
Verse
The Verse is an unusually generous and leisurely twenty-four measures long. The phrases are even in length but their poetic
pattern is unusual; i.e. AB/CD/C'D':
|c |- |Bb7/9/11 |- |
Eb: vi V
|Eb7 |- |Ab |- |
I (V-of-IV) IV
|Ab |g |c |- |
IV (VI-of-vi) iii (v-of-vi) vi
|f7 |Bb |Eb7 |- |

ii V I (V-of-IV)
|Ab |g |c |- |
IV (VI-of-vi) iii (v-of-vi) vi
|f |Bb |Eb |- |
ii V I
[Figure 175.1]
The song appears to open in midstream without any introduction. Yes, the first four measures sound like a lead in to a Verse that
starts in our measure 5 above, but the scanning of the lyrics argues against such an interpretation.
The identity of the Major home key is not clearly settled until the final phrase. The music never quite fully modulates to the
relative minor key of c, but the latter is uncannily persistent in forestalling the E-flat from asserting its legitimate role. Trace it if you
will:
• The song starts off on a c-minor chord.

• The E-flat chord at the start of the second phrase sounds as much like V-of-IV as it does like I.
• The third phrase heads straight away for c-minor.
• The fourth phrase appears to finally arrive on E-flat, but again, the latter chord is made to sound equivocally like V-of-IV.
• The final pair of phrases is parallel to the phrase 3/4 combo, but this time the arrival on I is left unquestioned, for once.
Trace the similar story of what happens to poor Eb in the tune of this section:
• Eb appears on the downbeat of the first measure but it sits atop a c-minor chord.
• The tune for phrases 2/3 struggles upward from Bb only to finish the pair of phrases on C. Yes, Eb appears earlier in the
phrase but in a melodically incidental, not structural, position.
• The extent to which phrase 4 harmonically ends on Eb is weakened by the melody settling down to Bb at that point.
Again, the low Eb that trails the end of the phrase is not structurally significant.
• Phrase 5 is similar to phrase 3. The tune over reaches itself to tackle Eb from above, but yet again, the structural anchor
point of the phrase turns out to be C.
• Eb is finally allowed to assert itself at the end of phrase 6 in an extremely straightforward 6 -» 7 -» 8 melodic pattern.
Both harmony and melody fairly cry out here with a pathos of "try, try again" courage in the face of heartbreaking near misses
that is almost physically palpable; like that single kiss you intend to land fervently, but which starts off with a bump of heads, then
by mouths meeting way off center, until on your third try or later, you finally land a bullseye.
The rhythmic scanning of the lyrics in this Verse add an effect of their own. The words of each four measure phrase are in short
bursts that land on the downbeat of the third measure. This leaves time for a long deep breath in the remainder of the phrase, as if the
singer had too much pain or confusion to go on.
Bridge
The Bridge contrasts with the Verse on a number of levels: a shorter eight-measure length, an AA phrasing pattern,
straightforwardly "open" harmonic shape, and lyrics that fill the whole space without rhetorically long pauses:
----------------------- 2X ------------------------
|Eb |Ab |Eb |f Bb |
I IV I6/3 ii V
[Figure 175.2]
The bridge formally elides right back into the Verse that follows it. On first encounter, you're apt to hear the "intro" phrase as still
a part of the bridge.
The chord change that bridges that elision (V -» vi) is a textbook "deceptive" cadence, and this late in the song, presents yet
another way in which c minor can thwart Eb.
The unvarnished recording of the song has Paul speaking-then-singing through the entirety of the second bridge. For whatever
reason, Spector decided to eliminate the vocal track at this point and substitute an expansive arching line for the violin section, an
effect which over the course of time has ironically come to be perceived in the public mind as one of the details that characterizes
the track; as though it had been part of the songwriter's original intention.
Outro
The outro grows directly out of the end of the final verse, recapitulating the opening phrase of the song, for the first time, starting
on the E-flat chord (last two measures of the verse), and closing (below) with a clear, full cadence. Picking it up at the last phrase of
the verse:
|f |Bb |Eb |- |
ii V I
|Bb7/11/13 |- |Eb |- |
V I
|- |-
[Figure 175.3]
Spector also does it again, shades of "Dig A Pony": unilaterally cutting some trailing seconds off end of the original recording,
thereby robbing the official release of one genuinely poetic final gesture.
The source tape from 1/31/69 has a tiny piano coda played in a stage whisper just after the last of the big E-flat chord has faded
away. This coda is derived from the piano part for the first two measures of the song, but played an octave higher than usual:
|c |f7 |
c: i iv ...
[Figure 175.4]
Coming on the heels of what would otherwise seem to be a conclusively positive ending, the effect and implication of this open
ended fragment, with its parting nod to the relative minor key, is understatedly ominous.
Regards,
Alan (082999#175)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ct.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Come Together"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #177 (CT)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: d minor / D Major

Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro/Verse | Intro/Verse | Refrain |
| Intro/Verse | Refrain |
| 1/2 Intro/Verse (Instrumental) |
| 1/2 Intro/Verse | Refrain |
| Intro/Outro (fade-out)
CD: "Abbey Road", Track 1 (Parlophone CDP7 46446-2)
Recorded: 21th, 22nd, 23rd July 1969, Abbey Road 3;
25th, 29th, 30th July 1969, Abbey Road 2
UK-release: 26th September 1969 (LP "Abbey Road")
US-release: 1st October 1969 (LP "Abbey Road")
Style and Form
"Come Together" opens the "Abbey Road" album with a stylistic gesture that remains, over the long run of their career as well as
from our historical view of it 30 years later, one of the Beatles key strengths and accomplishments. Call it what you will: "stylized",
"neo-classical"; maybe even "rubber soul" (read: music style, not album title). In essence it's a matter of ironically updating an old
style such that even when the antecedent musical elements stand out as painfully obvious, the effect of the stylized writing and
production values transcend the model. Think "evocation" as opposed to "imitation"; compare this song with the group's covers of
songs by Mr. Chuck Berry.
The song has a frugality of material that is one of John's general songwriting traits. Resonances with specific Beatles songs by
John abound from a variety of perspectives:
• "I Am The Walrus" — patter/talking blues in surrealistic tongues.

• "Nowhere Man" / "Mean Mr Mustard" — the portrait of an unsavory.
• "Dig A Pony" — his exhortatory frame of mind divided between abstruse condemnation in the verses and encouraging
authority in the refrains.
The song weighs in at a lengthy 4:20. Both the form and proportional assignments of time are quite expansive. The first refrain
doesn't appear until 1:10, and the extended and harmonically static outro occupies a virtually equivalent amount of time at the end. In
the meanwhile that intro recurs over and over. As a result, the mood is one of having all the time in the world, in spite of the fact that
both tempo and backbeat are moderately driving. (By the same token, you'll note the detail-sweating wisdom exercised by shortening
some of those intro reprises in the second half of the song.)
Until the release of "Anthology" volume 3, take 1 of "Come Together" was one of the Holy Grails of Beatlegdom. The latter
contains a self-effacing humorous undercurrent not as evident in the comparitively grim finished track, as well as the relatively rare
opportunity to hear John lead singing unretouched, something of which you should always run to avail yourself.
Melody and Harmony
The verse tune is in a pentatonic Dorian mode, with minor thirds, sevenths, and an avoidance of the sixth scale degree. The refrain
opens the range upward a bit, and for an instant actually suggests the Major mode; i.e. the final syllable of the word "together" is
sung as a F#.
The harmony is limited to the minor-mode blues trio of i, IV, V, assisted in the refrain by an appearance of vi. The music creates
an "aural illusion" of containing more widespread minor/Major clashing than is actually the case. I believe this is a side effect of the
heavy use of Major IV instead of the more naturally occuring minor flavor. Cleverly, the only place that F# appears unequivocally in
the song is at the start of the refrain, where it appears as part of a b-minor chord rather than a tonic D-Major.
Arrangement
The track is produced to an exquisite fare thee well. Technological assistance is leveraged to register sounds that are larger, rather
than "stranger", than life. The bass guitar never sounded so vibrantly resonant, drums never so smooth, nor a lead guitar so smoking.
I encourage you to think of the way in which John's "shoot me" vocal blends with the backing track as a value-added
orchestrational effect, rather than some kind of unfortunate obfuscation.
The backing track features bass, drums (with a curious absence of snares), electric piano, and lead guitar. John's lead vocal is
primarily single tracked (albeit distorted by heavy echo), backed up by Paul in places, plus a few patches of careful double tracking
by John himself.
The arrangement contains characteristic attention to pattern and detail. A sampling:
• You need a good pair of speakers to truly appreciate the way Paul's low G-note is left vibrating at the end of each verse.
• First verse is completely single tracked by John. The rest of the verses have Paul's backing vocal entering always in the
last part of the first phrase (allowing John to start alone), then dropping out for the last bit, leaving John exposed again. In
all but the final verse, that last phrase has John single tracked.
• The refrains all start off with Paul backing John on the first couple beats, then dropping out, leaving John to double track
the rest of it in unison. Actually, the second refrain has John single tracked for some reason on those last couple beats.
• The instrumental solo is split between electric piano (in its first conspicuous appearance on the track) and lead guitar. The
piano part remains evident well into the intro that follows the solo section, then appears to drop out, only to reappear for
the outro.
• The last iteration of the intro features an additional lead guitar lick at the end of each measure.
Intro
The intro is four measures long and vamps on the tonic chord in a series of surging waves you could just about ride on with a surf
board:
|d |- |- |- |
d: i
[Figure 177.1]
I'm parsing the tempo such that Ringo's ternary drum fills come out to be six to the quarter note.
The decision to twice use only half of the intro in the second half of the song prevents things from bogging down. By the same
token, the return of the full intro just before the closing section is a way of telegraphing to you that it's getting very near the end.
Verse
The verse is eight measures long and contains four short phrases equal in length:
|d |- |- |- |
i
|A |- |G7 |- |
V IV
[Figure 177.2]
The harmonic shape is open in a novel way (IV, rather than V), as though we had a twelve-bar frame here in which the middle
four were omited.
Refrain
The refrain is unusually short in duration, growing straight out of the verse that precedes it, trumpeting the title phrase, and
leading straight back into the next intro section.
|b |G A |d ...
vi IV V i
[Figure 177.3]
For such a short little section, this is the moment in which the harmonic rhythm shows its only burst of speed in the song.
Outro
The outro is just short of a full twenty-four measures.
An antiphonal pattern between lead guitar and John's chanting of the title phrase starts in measure 3 and continues all the way into
the fade-out which doesn't quite set in until rather late.
It's with a combined sense of relief and anticipation that we turn our attention from "Let It Be" to "Abbey Road". I'm left with the
strong sense that "Abbey Road" represents the true and ultimate "getting back" by the Beatles to doing what they did best in the
studio; that they miscalculated a bit with the Let It Be project and "got back" a bit too far in terms of their evolution as an ensemble
and as songwriters.
At the same time, our having reversed the order in which we've covered these two albums makes me to ponder the chronology of
the last several Beatles albums, and leaves me a nagging question whose answer I don't quite rightly recall, despite that I was a so-
called young adult at the time.
The white "Beatles" album was released in 11/68. "Abbey Road" was released nearly a full year later; either 9/29 or 10/1/69
depending on which side of the pond you're on. And "Let It Be"'s release was delayed all the way until 5/70, despite the 1/69
recording origins of virtually all its material.
Did we have any idea at the time of the magnitude of the Get Back debacle that took place in that gap between "Whitey" and
"Abbey Road"?
Did the appearance of the old original "Yellow Submarine" album in 1/69, followed by two singles later that spring ("Get Back" /
"Don't Let Me Down" and "The Ballad Of John And Yoko" / "Old Brown Shoe") tip us off in anyway, or did it have more the effect of
distracting us from any sense of foreboding that would have otherwise been inevitable?
Regards,
Alan (090599#177)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/s.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Something"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #178 (S)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Major
Meter: 4/4
| Verse (Instrumental) |
Recorded: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 30th, 31st July,
15 August 1969, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
"Something" is arguably one of the most intense-yet-quietly sustained entries in the Beatles songbook right up there with the likes
of Paul's much earlier "Yesterday". Granted, "Something" has not achieved quite the level of culturally ready-made, supermarket-
Muzak ubiquity of "Yesterday", but it has gotten around pretty well on its own. None other than Frank Sinatra included "Something"
in his repertoire, referring to it often as one of the "best" (or maybe it was his "favorite") Lennon and McCartney song; as if George
hadn't already suffered enough indignities and lack of individual identity in context of the Beatles.
It's a slow, passionate number in which the protagonist stands on the knife edge of likely and inevitably falling in love but without
the complete certainty that he will yet arrive there. It's an exquisitely bittersweet state of heart effectively evoked in the music as
much as it is specified by the words. The affirmative and optimistic rising hook phrase that opens and closes the song (as well as
each of the verses) is more than amply balanced out by a constant, nagging undertow of literally "falling" motion in the bassline and
tune. The decision to not set that rising hook to vocalized lyrics tells us the score with eloquent reticence.
Melody and Harmony
The verse tune keeps within the relatively small range of a sixth (G to E), with the bridge opening up at the top to complete the G
octave. Melodic motion throughout is dominated by steps and thirds. One inconspicuous jump of a fourth appears in the verse plus
two more in the bridge. But in keeping with the underlying mood of the piece, this is neither a time nor place for making precipitous
leaps, be they ones of faith or melodic motion.
The key scheme here in which the bridge appears in the Major key of VI (the parallel Major key of the relative minor) is a
longtime favorite of the Beatles, though George's implementation of it here is unusual in striking abruptness.
His harmonization of descending basslines also leads to some adventurous choices for individual chords.
Arrangement
The string orchestra, which enters for the second half of the first verse and stays in for the duration, adds a pleasantly lush finish
to the arrangement though it functions as a relatively superficial facade to the Beatles-plus-Preston supplied backing track of bass,
drums, guitar, organ and piano that is otherwise quite self sufficient. The piano part is most apparent on the finished track when it
doubles the dramatically descending bassline solo in the bridge.
George supplies the entire vocal arrangement in a neat pattern of alternating sections of single tracking, double tracking at the
unison, as well as singing in harmony with himself. We get single tracking for the first half of the first two verses, with double
tracking for their second halves. In the bridge we get an alternation between harmonization and double tracking at the unison. This
same pattern is repeated in the final verse.
George's impeccably executed slide solo has a melodic contour that is noteworthy both intrinsically and in terms of the contrast it
makes with the verse tune which it momentarily replaces.
Intro
The song opens with a three measure hook that characterizes the entire song in your minds ear:
Treble: |A |Bb B-natural |C
Chords: |F |Eb G |C
Bass: |F |Eb D |C ...
C: IV flat-III V I
[Figure 178.1]
The harmonic shape is convergent on the I chord of the home key by way of an unusual cross-relation filled chord progression
whose harmonic power of persuasion depends on the stepwise contrary motion of its outer voices. The latter forces the V chord to
appear in its second "6/4" inversion.
The last measure of this phrase elides with the downbeat of the start of the verse. You might otherwise expect two full measures
of pause on C-Major at the end of this phrase before proceeding, though the latter clearly would become a drag if repeated in each
section.
Drum triplets provide a two-beat pickup to the start of the music; i.e. Ringo starts drumming "on 3".
Verse
The verse can be subdivided into an opening twelve measures of verse "proper" followed by a six-measure refrain-like section
whose second half is a reprise of the intro's hook phrase:
|C |- |Maj.-7th |- |
I
|C7 |- |F |- |
V-of-IV IV
|D |- |G |- |
V-of-V V
|a |Ab |G |D |
vi V-of-V
|F |Eb G6/4 |C
IV flat-III V I
[Figure 178.2]
The harmonic shape of the verse proper opens out from I to V. The V chord resolves deceptively to vi at the start of the refrain,
and the latter converges back toward the home key.
The harmonic rhythm is calculatedly slow enough to make you climb the walls. The D -» G root motion of measures 9 - 12
cleverly parallels the C -» F movement of the first eight measures, but takes only half the time to do so. Imagine the absurdity of
reversing the effect.
Downward chromatic motion appears in the first phrase of the verse proper tune. The bassline picks up the same idea for the first
phrase of the refrain.
I prefer to not place Roman numerals under the middle chords of that phrase because, even though you may accurately describe
them as Ab-Augmented and C-Major 6/4, their reason for being in this context is as a side effect of harmonizing the descent of the
bassline. The bassline motion implies an arrival on F# in the final measure of the phrase even though the bass elects to jump down to
the root note of D at that point.
As with the intro, the ending of the first verse elides into the second verse. The same trick happens with the lead into the bridge
though an important change of chord progression is made at that point:
|F |Eb G |A
IV flat-III V
A: flat-VII I
[Figure 178.3]
Bridge
The pivot modulation here from C to A makes perfect sense on paper, with the G-Major chord serving both V and flat-VII in each
respective key. What catches you off guard and sounds "abrupt" is the appearance of Eb and A-Major chords (a root separation of a
tritone!) in such close proximity to each other.
The bridge itself is a four-square eight measures in length and is built out of an an AA' phrasing pattern. Yet again, the last
measure of the section elides with the first measure of the one that follows:
|A G# |F# E |
A: I vi
|D G |A |
IV flat-VII I
|A G# |F# E |
I vi
|D G |C |
IV flat-VII
C: V-of-V V I
[Figure 178.4]
Again we find a descending bassline (granted, this one is diatonic) in which alternate chords require no Roman numeral. Yes, I
know that you can say the G# supports c#-minor 6/4 and E supports A 6/4, but as in the verse above, these chords are incidental
rather than harmonically significant in terms of root movement.
We also have a dramatically syncopated and lengthy downward chromatic lick in the bassline filling the last measure of the first
bridge phrase. The same rhythmic pattern is used to set a more soothing diatonic bass lick in the final measure of the bridge when the
modulation back to C Major takes effect.
Outro
The outro grows out of the final verse, with a repeat of the A Major modulation, hinting at a possible repeat of the bridge
complete, with a high pitched guitar lick reminiscent of the chromatically descending bassline. But that's quickly cancelled out with
an iteration of the original hook, the version without the funky modulation. This is the only place in the song where the hook phrase
is not elided, but rather is given its full two measures due:
|F |Eb G |
C: IV flat-III V
A: flat-VII
|A |- |
A: I
|F |Eb G |
C: IV flat-III V
A: flat-VI
|C |- |
C: I
[Figure 178.5]
In a single blow George manages to paraphrase two favorite coda gambits of one Ludwig van Beethoven. Yes, it's preposterous to
suggest that George would be aware of this, but the correspondences are hard to deny in any event:
The fake pass at another repeat of the "trio" in the second ("Scherzo") movement of the Ninth symphony, Opus 123. A full repeat
at this point of the movement would make movement overlong. By providing the quickly aborted snippet of such a repeat, the
composer cleverly gets you to return your attention to that special section by allusion, without forcing you to sit through a complete
recap.
The ending of the slow theme and variations (second) movement of the Eb String Quartet (Opus 127) provides a terse recap in its
final measures an harmonic trick that earlier played a structural role in movement. The theme is in Ab Major, but Beethoven places
several of the middle variations in the remote key of E Major (enharmonically the key of flat-VI) by use of a clever modulation. At
the very end of the movement he repeats this modulation as a teasing deceptive cadence before immediately re-establishing the
correct home key once and for all.
One of the hidden strengths of "Abbey Road" that we'll uncover in our studies of its songs is the unprecedented (for a "pop"
album, even one by The Beatles) extent to which it contains subtle cross references between tracks, whether they be anticipations or
flashbacks. The medley on side 2 is where these effects are most obvious and on the surface. But throughout the album, you find
many others correspondences at the level of key scheme or even rhythmic motif.
You're more accustomed to appreciating this unifying effect in the visual arts. Two famous examples are the prevalance of
angular v-shaped brushstrokes throughout Van Gogh's "Crows Over the Wheat Field" (not just for the crows themselves) or the way
in which the attic curtains in "American Gothic" are the same fabric as the wife's dress. But you can accomplish the similar effects in
music.
In "Something" the opening drum triplets are a surface level flashback to the drum fills in the opening track, "Come Together".
The C/A key scheme hints at, and provides a first example, of an harmonic structure that at will emerge as the backbone of the entire
medley.
The number, nature, and inter-relation of such resonances on "Abbey Road" increases naturally with the sequence of tracks. As
with any other film or novel that exploits the same techniques, your ability to epiphanously draw those connections increases in
direct proportion to the depth of your familiarity with the material. So keep listening.
Regards,
Alan (102499#178)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/hcts.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Here Comes The Sun"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #183 (HCTS)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: a minor
Meter: 4/4 with 11/8 and 7/8 in the bridge
Form: Intro | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain |
| Verse | Refrain | Bridge (Instrumental) |
| Verse | Refrain |
| Refrain | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 7th, 8th July 1969, Abbey Road 2;
16th July 1969, 6th August 1969, Abbey Road 3;
15th, 19th August 1969, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
Folksy influences on "Here Comes The Sun" are apparent in the series of Verse/Refrain pairs, the prominent role for acoustic
guitar, and the generally laid back mood.
The use of a middle bridge, offbeat metrical patterns and chord choices bespeak several other, dare we say Beatlesque, influences.
Melody and Harmony
The Verse/Refrain tune is constrained almost exclusively to the pentatonic scale pattern running from E up to C#; i.e. scale steps
5, 6, 1, 2, 3. The danger of melodic monotony is avoided here by varying the chord progression when certain parts of the tune are
reiterated; e.g. the title phrase as it appears in the first two lines of the refrain.
Harmonically the song is based heavily on I, IV (or ii) and V, though a relatively large number of individual chords appear over
the course of the song.
The verse and refrains both make liberal use of the V chord for cadences, but this is balanced out in the bridge by a momentary
fixation on chord progressions which make a root move of a fourth downward.
Arrangement
Primary elements on the backing track are acoustic guitar, synthesizer, bass, and drums, in order of appearance. The synth is used
here more to mimic the sound of woodwinds or strings than for its stranger noisemaking capabilities.
The vocal parts sound as if all sung by George on overdub, with backing vocal parts used here primarily for their "bold font"
highlighting effect.
The arrangement is relatively homogenized though a handful of characteristic details stand out:
• Staggered entrance of instruments during the first two sections: guitar followed by synth in the intro, and "piano + strings"
effect followed successively by bass, then drums, in the first refrain.
• Title phrase in the first refrain is sung single tracked in the first line followed by overdubbing in the second.
• Similarly in the first verse, the first "Little darlin'" is sung plain double tracked, while the second one is harmonized by the
overdub. In the third verse, the same phrase is harmonized both times.
• The last couple measure of the outro abruptly restore the opening sound of just guitar and synth in a bookends-like formal
gesture.
Intro
The intro is eight measures long and features a repeat of the following straightforward, harmonically open four-measure phrase:
----------------------- 2X ------------------------
|A |- |D |E |
A: I IV V
[Figure 183.1]
This passage turns out to be identical to what soon emerges as the Verse section, but the stripped down, incomplete exposure of
the actual tune avoids giving away too much too soon.
Refrain
The refrain is an unusual nine measures in length and parses into two unequal phrases, making a 5 + 4 pattern:
|A |- |D |B |
I IV V-of-V
***** ***** ****** *****

1 2 3 1 2 3 1 2 |3 1 2 3 1 2 3 4 |
Bassline: D C# B A
|A |b6/5 A6/3 b | A E |A |
I ii I ii I V I
|E |
V
[Figure 183.2]
The harmonic shape is generally closed, though the section ends off with another V chord leaving it "open," strictly speaking.
The much Beatles-favored V-of-V to IV progression (check out "Eight Days A Week" and "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club
Band" for starters), with its concommitant cross relation, is reversed in this case.
The second phrase is rhetorically extended by the use of a sophisticated rhythmic trick in which even eighth notes are accented as
if triplets against the backbeat. These groups of three eighth notes are sequenced in a manner that (surprise!) rationally "adds up"
correctly over the course of two measures, but which in the meanwhile, creates an intense moment of metrical disorientation and
syncopated harmony. The arithmetic basis of this gambit is the fact that (4 * 3) + 4 = 16; the latter equal to the number of eighth
notes in two 4/4 measures. Check out "Good Day Sunshine" and a snippet of "Martha My Dear" for applications of similar tricks. In
terms of "Abbey Road" cross-track resonance, look to both "Because" and "... Money".
Dig that heavy downward stepwise bassline underlying the syncopated phrase!
The final measure of the refrain that leads into the bridge is 7/8 long instead of a full 4/4. The 7/8 is parsed as 2 + 2 + 3 so that
that final grouping of 3 helps shift metrical gears into the seemingly slower triplet meter used in the first measure of the bridge
phrase. See below for more on this gear shifting concept.
Verse
As I said, this is the same as the intro.
Bridge
The bridge is built primarily out of a six-fold repeat of the following three measure phrase which is harmonically open at both
ends. Vocals accompany all but the first iteration. The synthesizer takes on a more dominant role in the mix over the course of the
final three iterations.
-------------------------------- 6X -----------------------------
|C G D D6/3 |A |E |
flat- flat- IV I V
III VII
[Figure 183.3]
The meters of these three measures are 11/8, 4/4, and 7/8, respectively. The special effect of running even eighth notes accented
as if triplets against the grain of the underlying backbeat is carried to a point more reminiscent of Stravinsky than of the Beatles.
Compared to the refrain section of this song, no attempt is made at all here to make the arithmetic balance out in the end; quite the
opposite.
It breaks down this way:
• The 11/8 measure parses into 3 + 3 + 3 + 2. You hear it as a wobbly four beat measure in which the first three beats last
50% longer than the original 4/4 tempo, but the final beat reverts to that first tempo. Check out the intro to the Allman
Brothers' "Whipping Post" for essentially the same sleight of hand.
• The 4/4 measure leverages the final beat of the wobbly measure and briefly re-establishes the first tempo.
• The 7/8 measure parses into 2 + 2 + 3. You hear this as a wobbly three beat mease in which the first two beats match the
first tempo, but the final beat matches the 50% slower beat seen in the front part of the wobbly measure.
George had done something similar with "metrical modulation" back in "I Me Mine", though nothing nearly so complicated as
this.
The final iteration of the bridge phrase foregoes the 7/8 measure in favor of a full four measures in 4/4 on the V chord, nicely
building up appropriate desire for the resolution to I that will be provided by the arrival of the final verse.
Harmonically, this section carries the familiar "Hey Jude" second half modal chord progression one step further, giving us what
you might call a "Triple Plagal" cadence that starts yet another perfect fourth around the circle of fourths than the so-called "Double
Plagal".
I can't help thinking that the reason for George repeating this bridge phrase over and over again is because the combination of
both wicked rhythm and harmony is just so "cool" that he wants to make sure you don't miss it.
Outro
The last part of the song provides a double barreled variation on the familiar three-times-you're-out gambit.
The first "barrel" consists of an unusual dual repeat of the refrain followed by the outro proper, which itself is derived from the
refrain.
The second "barrel" consists of the inner structure of the outro proper, whereby you parse the syncopated phrase at the end of the
second final as eliding with the outro.
You also just gotta love the quiet elegance with which the final phrase of the outro both restores the initial instrumentation of the
intro while also taking the opportunity at the last second to make an allusion to the bridge; yes, the penultimate measure of the song
is in the wobbly 11/8 meter and is over a Plagal IV -» I cadence.
The song is surely George's "Pastoral". Its happy and relaxed mood is a wonderful new point of departure for the composer. It
also effectively set a tone of fresh, new beginnings for the second side of the album.
This is another example in the Beatles catalog where, back in the days of the LP medium, the act of physically turning over the
record at such a point used to feel like an uncannily integral part of the listening experience.
While this this general effect is obviously lost in the era of the CD, I'm particularly disoriented in this specific case by what seems
to be a much shorter than usual pause on the CD between the end of the last song on side A and and the start of the first song on side
B.
This can't be an anomaly with my lonesome copy of the compact disc, can it? But while I'm asking questions, I'm curious to know
from listeners out there who never experienced this album on LP whether or not the break between the two songs here seems rushed
or not?
Regards,
Alan (120599#183)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/b4.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Because"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #184 (B4)

by Alan W. Pollack
Key: c# minor
Meter: 4/4
----------- 2X ------
Form: Intro | Mini bridge | Verse |
| Full bridge | Verse |
| Mini bridge | Outro (with complete ending)
Recorded: 1th, 4th August 1969, Abbey Road 2;
5th August1969, Abbey Road 3
Style and Form
This song represents a daring concept on a number of levels: style, form, harmony, and singing.
Stylistically it defies neat pigeon-holing in terms of genre. The finger picked arpeggios might suggest folk music, and the
embellished A-Major chords bluesy jazz, but it's difficult to see how any other the other elements in the music and arrangement
support either.
Formally you can make out the basic contours of a relatively standard Verse -» Verse -» Bridge -» Verse outline, but the recurring
use of what I've labeled a "mini bridge" and the handling of the outro serve to blur your sense of formal articulation.
Harmonically the song has an overall insecure sense of home key because that infernal mini bridge continually leads the music to
the threshold of D Major, in spite of the repeated establishment of c# minor as the home key throughout the song by standard I -» ii
-» V -» I means.
The thrice overdubbed three-part vocal arrangement creates a mood of wide-eyed and unblinkingly rapt contemplation that is
sustained wall to wall with almost unaturally calm intensity. Technique-wise it may pay hommage to the earlier Beatles efforts of
"This Boy" and "Yes It Is", but there is a transcendent element here that reminds me more so of a piece such as Bach's "Air" from the
Third Orchestral Suite; the movement well known as the one for the (you should pardon the expression) "G string".
Melody and Harmony
The tight interweaving of the three-part vocal harmony makes it difficult to speak of a definitive "tune" here. What sticks out are
the triadic leaps made as if in sympathy for the arpeggios in the accompaniment, and the alternately twisty or oscillating melismas
that turn up in the inner voices or the top voice toward the phrase endings.
Standard chords used here include i, ii (half diminished as it usually is in a minor key), IV (in Major form as occurs in the so-
called melodic minor mode), V, and VI.
Unusual chords used here are the "Neapolitan" flat-II chord (D-Major in context of a c# minor home key), and the diminished
seventh chord built on d which, according the poetic license of chromatic harmony, can enharmonically morph on you to resolve to
as many as eight different places; in this song John exploits at least two of those alternatives.
Arrangement
The 3 + 3 + 2 grouping of the arpeggios figuration resonates nicely with the similar examples of the like in the previous track,
"Here Comes The Sun".
The intro is layered in a manner that amounts for the Beatles to something of a mannerism. The first four measures are for electric
harpsichord alone. The next four measures add a guitar doubling the harpsichord part, plucked near the bridge to sound as percussive
as a keyboard might. Vocals and bass enter with the first mini bridge. The synthesizer, in the style of a brass ensemble, enters
dramatically in the middle of the full bridge.
By the way, what indeed was Ringo doing while this track was being recorded?
Intro
The intro is eight measures long, breaks into two phrases of equal length, and has an unusual harmonic shape, opening out to the
VI chord:
|c# |- |d# half dim.7 |G# |
c#: i ii7 V
|A |c# |A 9/7 |- 13 |
VI i VI (a.k.a. V-of-flat-II)
[Figure 184.1]
Mini bridge
The mini bridge is only two measures long. It harmonically starts off sounding like a pseudo modulation (think of the A-Major
chord that ends the verse pivoting as a V of D), but chromatically slinks right back to the original home key by way of an unusually
handled diminished seventh chord:
S: A G# |-
A: F# F-natural |E
T: D B
B: D D |C#
|D |g# dim.4/3 |c#
flat-II ?? i
[Figure 184.2]
Did I say "slinks"? From a trace of the voice leading it appears as if the D chord rather "melts" downward to the c# chord. This
downward root movement of a semi-tone makes an effective mirror image with the upward movement from G# to A found in the
verses.
The voice leading, by the way, implies that this diminished chord is "rooted" on G#, and with the D in the bass, putting the chord
in its second, or "4/3", inversion. Please don't try to rationalize a Roman numeral for this chord
The vocals are always wordless in this section.
Verse
This section follows the intro exactly.
Full bridge
The full bridge is six measures long and is built as a clever extension of the mini bridge with an harmonic shape that opens up
wide on V:
S: A G# F#
A: F# E# C#
T: D B A#
B: D D F#
|D |e# dim.6/5 |F# |- |
flat-II vii-of-IV IV
|G#7 |- |
V
[Figure 184.3]
The diminished chord in the second measure "sounds" just like the one in the mini bridge, but rules of voice leading suggest it is
rooted this time on E# [!], and with the D in the bassline, that places the chord in the first, or 6/5, inversion. The extent to which both
diminished seventh chords are enharmonically identical demonstrates the unique harmonic power (as well as "danger") created by
the ambiguity of this kind of chromatic harmony.
The wordless pattern followed by the mini bridge is dramatically broken in the second measure of this section.
Outro
The outro on paper looks like a verse section with a final mini bridge tacked on to it.
However, the decision to utilize wordless vocals for the entirety of this outro, aside from being a deft unifying gesture for the
track taken as a whole, allows the mini bridge preceding the outro to bind with the outro into an interesting ABA substructure.
It's internally symmetrical, though it upsets your expectation reinforced so many times previously in the song of the mini bridge as
being more separate from the verse section.
The diminished seventh chord, in its appearance at the end of the earlier mini bridge the sections, provides a novel kind of
harmonically "open" ending to a musical paragraph. Left hanging as it is at the very end of this track works on several levels:
• The extent to which this chord has always melted back into c# minor makes the verse + mini bridge combo into a musical
moebius strip. What better way to suggest the potential for this loop to continue infinitely than to break it right here?
Compare with the ending of "I Want You (She's So Heavy)".
• The diminished chord left hanging unresolved suggests a kind of expectantly bedazzled, trance-like state of mind, the
rather mystical eventuality of so much sustained contemplation.
• And when poetry won't pull you through you can hear just how smoothly this same chord enharmonically resolves (yet
again with different voice leading) to the a-minor seventh which opens the next track, "You Never Give Me Your Money".
Lewisohn (Recording Sessions, page 184) is where I first learned that "Because" was supposedly inspired by John's hearing Yoko
play the first movement of Beethoven's piano sonata, op. 27 no. 2, the "Moonlight":
"John, in clearly inspirational mood, reversed the chords, added some simple but eloquent lyrics and the song was written. Simple as
that."
The choice of home key and the triplet-like arpeggiation in both pieces are connections easily made between the two pieces. In
terms of mood, Beethoven's tempo marking is "Adagio Sostenuto".
The harmonic parallels between them is much more subtle than the simple reversing of chords described by Mark Lewisohn, but
they are there to be found if you look close enough. With the exception of the much discussed diminished seventh chord you'll find
that every other chord used in this song can be found in Beethoven's first movement, including both VI and flat-II played in sequence
as early as the third measure.
Regards,
Alan (121299#184)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/mmm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Mean Mr Mustard"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #186 (MMM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key:E Major
Meter:4/4
Form:Intro | Verse | Verse' (segue al subito)
Recorded:24th, 25th July 1969, Abbey Road 2;
29th July 1969, Abbey Road 3
Style and Form
"Mean Mr Mustard" is more a "discontinued fragment," than a "bonsai miniature," and I say that without intending any pejorative
connotations. In context the song makes an excellent fit of form-to-function. Following on the heels of the more substantial and self-
contained previous two songs this one critically needs to pick up the pace and get the show on the road, medley-wise. In this case,
the short track length, incomplete form, and the tighter, smoother coupling of the track at both ends to the songs that surround it seem
as a group of factors to work out just right.
The tempo of "Mean Mr Mustard" is essentially identical to that of "Sun King", at least up until the final phrases, but the switch of
backbeat from something that lazily flows to a painfully lumbering march that alternates with more syncopated material disguises
that fact.
Amazingly, no matter how awkwardly John is caught up with here, compositionally on the run, so to speak, we find him making
the effort, expending the bandwidth to work in odd phrase lengths, more mosaic tiling, and a metric modulation. It's not fair to call
this just a throwaway.
Melody and Harmony
The pattering tune is based almost entirely on the downward melodic motif of a step followed by a third. The first phrase uses the
motif in a scalebased downward sequence. Balancing upward motion is provided in the other two phrases by presenting the motif
from a variety of higher locations in the scale.
Only four different chords are used, with the predictable I and V being supplemented by flat-IV and flat-VII, both of which are
arguably borrowed here from the "natural" parallel minor mode of the home key.
Arrangement
The backing track is dominated by bass, drums, and guitars and is mastered as a bit of a wall of sound, at least by Beatles
standards. Note especially the extra measure of heft provided by Paul's often playing a pair of eighth notes on the downbeats of his
tuba-like bass part instead of a plain quarter note.
Shades of a relatively earlier period of the group, we find a tambourine that waits until measure 4 to enter but then stays through
for the duration.
John has the ADT lead vocal to himself for the start of the first verse with Paul harmonizing with him at the third starting in the
final phrase and staying on with it for the remainder.
Intro
Two beats of snare drum preceded by a tiny grace note roll leverage the second half of "Sun King"'s final measure to start this
one. It's not much of an "intro" per se but it does clevery manage to bridge the two songs literally without missing a beat.
The link between "... Money" and "Sun King", based on a long fade-out of the first of the two songs, is much less determinate by
contrast.
Verse
The verse is an unusual fourteen-measure paragraph whose inner structure is 4 + 6 + 4:

|E |- |- |- |
E: I
1 2 3& 4 & |1 1 2 3& 4 & |

Bass: |B C C# D |- |- C# C B |
|B |- |D |- |
E: V flat-VII
1
|- |
|B |- |
V
|E C |B |E C |B |
I flat-VI V I flat-VI V
[Figure 186.1]
The first four-measure phrase is composed straight through though it is based on the sequencing of a motif. The other two phrases
are tiled; the middle one A-B-A and the final one C-C.
The bassline in the middle phrase makes a syncopated up and down chromatic approach to the D chord in the middle and the
following B chord at the end, placing the arrival of those two chords just before their downbeats, and thus drawing added attention to
the harmonic cross relations created by the chord changes.
The cross relation idea is further developed in the third phrase by the use of flat-VI.
Verse'
The second verse is musically identical to the first one except for a straightforward but still quite clever metrical modulation in the
third phrase. John was no stranger to odd time signatures or throwing an oddly metered measure or two into the middle of a song.
But here we find something much more like the metrical gear shifting demonstrated by George in "I Me Mine" and "Here Comes The
Sun".
In this song, with the underlying eighth note pulse held constant, the meter shifts from 4/4 into 6/8 for the final four measures. As
a result, the chords change ever three eighth note pulses instead of every four. This creates a double-edged time warp kind of
acceleration effect:
• The chord changes suddenly increase in frequency for the last line of the current song.
• Furthermore the 3/8 harmonic rhythm is smoothly leveraged as the new (and faster) duration of a half measure (== 4/8)
for the following song. As a result, what starts in "Mean Mr Mustard" as a tempo where the half note = 60, is then
seemlessly upshifted to half note = 80 for "Polythene Pam". Run the arithmetic details on your own and call me in the
morning if you still have a headache :-).
The transition out of "Mean Mr Mustard" into "Polythene Pam" is even more tightly coupled than the inbound one from "Sun
King". Here, the bassline of the final measure uses the familiar chromatic upward lick to land on a D-Major chord which in this case
triggers the double plagal cadence that begins the next song:
4 5 6 1 2 3 4 1 ....
Bass: B C C#
|B D A |E ....
E: V flat- IV I
VII
[Figure 186.2]
There's a couple of early runthroughs of "Mean Mr Mustard" dating from the Twickenham film sessions of 1/70 worth chasing
down. If nothing else they are tantalizingly suggestive yet inconclusive with respect to the questions of when was it that John decided
to leave "Mean Mr Mustard" in its apparently fragmentary state, and when did he first conceive of "Mean Mr Mustard" and
"Polythene PamP" as immediate siblings.
Both outtakes feature the two verses we're familiar with. Where the first one actually goes into a IV -» I based chorus using the
song title for lyrics, the second one merely continues with a third verse section with John scat singing instead of singing words. It's
tempting to conclude from this that the song, indeed, never existed in any form that is substantively longer than what we know as the
official version.
As far as the "Polythene Pam" connection goes, neither of these "Mean Mr Mustard" outtakes features the metrical modulation.
And my favorite detail: both outtakes name the Mean One's sister as "Shirley". Again it's tempting to conclude from this that even if
"Polythene Pam" was in works as a song at this early date, John had no thoughts yet of linking it with this one.
On the other hand, as any fan of John's studio personna as manifested on countless bootlegs and anthologies would likely agree,
even if "Polythene Pam" already did exist at this time AND he was already talking about linking it with "Mean Mr Mustard", the
"Shirley" references would be an ever so typical example of his being comically peverse. So much for conclusions.
Regards,
Alan (122699#186)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/pp.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Polythene Pam"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #187 (PP)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: E Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Intro | Verse |
| Intro | Outro (segue al subito)
Recorded: 25th July 1969, Abbey Road 2; 28th July 1969,
Abbey Road 3; 30th July 1969, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
"Polythene Pam" maintains a relationship with its preceding (literal) brother track uncannily balanced between the forces of unity
and contrast.
The two songs are musical portraits of individuals who are blood-related but otherwise very different personality types, not to
mention separate genders.
Both songs are relatively abbreviated in terms of both form and duration. By the same token, the two of them are sequenced to
create a single, unbroken and quite powerful one-two wind up punch of a lead into "... Bathroom Window".
Melody and Harmony
The tune is pattering again, perhaps even more so than in "Mean Mr Mustard". Like the latter, this one provides melodic contour,
such as it minimally exists, by transposing its simple downward motifs up or down the scale. In particular note the chromatic upward
crawl in the third phrase.
The two songs manifest an harmonic unity of both home key and, with one exception, the same set of chords. G-Major is the one
chord that appears in only "Polythene Pam". Its more obvious label would be flat-III though I believe one hears it, in this case, as
making a delayed V -» I like resolution to the C-Major chord a measure later.
The two songs contrast most sharply in their harmonic teleology. "Mean Mr Mustard" a starts from I and opens out to V, cycling
always right back to I. "Polythene Pam" never starts on I but always converges inexorably upon it.
Similarly the two songs handle the V chord very differently. "Mean Mr Mustard" allows V to serve its traditional role of full
cadence maker. "Polythene Pam" relegates V to a supporting role (where it resolves deceptively) to flat-VI; relying instead on flat-
VII to make cadences, either directly or by way of the double plagal chord progression.
Arrangement
The "Polythene Pam" backing track alternates between a wall of sound similar to, or compatible with that of "Mean Mr Mustard",
but it provides some welcome relief using different instrumentation and stereo imaging for the recurring Intro section, and a
generally higher quotient of airtime given to instrumental music minus singing. Note the special lightness added by the appearance of
acoustic guitar and even the smallest amount of silence surrounding some of the chords.
John does the lead vocal double tracked. Scat backing vocals in parallel thirds join in the third measure and stay the rest of the
way through the verse.
The two songs have contrasting backbeats, a side effect of their handling syncopation differently. "Mean Mr Mustard" leaves you
with the musical aftertaste of a marching cakewalk in spite of its ocassionally placing hard syncopations on the eighth note before the
downbeat. "Polythene Pam" creates a more swinging aura without as much syncopation, relying on its faster tempo, and the
widespread use of the rhythmic motif that emphasizes the last three eighth notes in the first half of a 4/4 measure; what I jokingly
refer to as the Beethoven 5th gambit. The only other place I can recall that motif showing up in a Beatles song, by the way, is the
abandoned early version of "One After 909" from March 1963.
Intro
Lest there be any lingering doubt about it, the final D-Major chord of "Mean Mr Mustard" (and which could have just as easily
been the first chord of "Polythene Pam") is found at the end of the album, just before "Her Majesty" kicks in.
The actual splice that ties "Mean Mr Mustard" and "Polythene Pam" together is pretty darn smooth in any event, though it places
that opening D-Major chord (along with the other two chords in the introductory double plagal cadence) of an pedal point of E in the
bass:
--------------------------- 2X -----------------------------
1 2 3 4 1 & 2 & 3 4
Rhythm: |Bom! Bom! | Ba, Ba, Ba, Bom! |
Bass: |E E |E |
Chords: |D A |E |
E: flat-VII IV I
[Figure 187.1]
This instrumental section alternates with two verse sections, thus appearing virtually unchanged three times over, and providing
the musical basis for the extended instrumental outro.
Verse
The verse is an unusual ten measures long that you parse as a quatrain plus additional spacer phrase; AABA' + spacer. The latter
stands in formal counterpoint with a tiling of musical phrases running AABCC:
---------------------------- 2X -----------------------------
|D A |E |
flat-VII IV I
|G |B |
V-of-flat-VI V
---------------------------- 2X -----------------------------
|C D |E |
flat-VI flat-VII I
[Figure 187.2]
Similarly, the change of harmonic rhythm for just the middle phrase, combined with the extent to which both outer phrases
converge toward I via flat-VII but by different routes, creates an harmonic structure of AABA'A'.
I'm left wondering here if the "Yeah, yeah, yeah" lyrics for the spacer phrase are an ironic tip of the hat to "She Loves You" or by
this point in time just a lazy habit.
Outro
The outro is relatively long, accounting for as much as about 40% of the overall track length. It is twenty-two measures long and
parses out as eight iterations of the double plagal phrase (the version with the root note of each chord in the bassline) followed by six
measures of build up on just the I chord. The last four measures of the latter phrase contain a dramatic downward scale in the
bassline that effectively leads right into the next track by making you hear that E-Major chord pivot as V of the key of A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 1 2 3 4 5 6
|DA|E |DA|E |DA|E |DA|E |DA|E |DA|E |DA|E |DA|E |E |E |E |E |E |E |A
Bassline: E D C# B I
[Figure 187.3]
A lead guitar solo kicks in during iteration 2 of the double plagal phrase and continues to the downbeat of measure 3 of the plain
E-Major chord. This is the same point at which John says, "Listen to that now."
We have an outtake of "Polythene Pam" from the Get Back sessions done at Apple on 1/24/69 that is only one of this song known
prior to the Abbey Road sessions.
This performance is so rough and stumbling by all involved that I'm tempted to call it more a "sketch" than a rehearsal or
runthrough. John and Paul in particular seem to be having a dickens of a time keeping their signals straight with respect to either
words or chord changes.
Given that the earliest outtakes of "Mean Mr Mustard" we looked at last time are dated either 1/8 or 1/14 and appear in more
polished shape compared to the "Polythene Pam" performance from the 24th of the same month, I'm willing to interpret this as
supporting the theory that John really didn't have Pam at all in mind yet when he earlier referred to the Mustard man's sister as
Shirley.
This kind of speculation brings to mind the an observation often repeated by Erle Stanley Gardner's fictitous detective/lawyer,
Perry Mason, with regard to circumstantial evidence. He would warn, on the one hand, about the grave danger inherent in the
possible misinterpretation of such evidence. But he'd hasten to reiterate, just as quickly, that such evidence is often the best, if not
only, evidence we have to go on; and that's regardless of whether you're a laywer, detective, or musicologist who follows the Beatles.
Regards,
Alan (123199#187)

url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/scittbw.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #188 (SCITTBW)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: A Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse | Bridge |
| Verse | Verse | Bridge (with complete ending)
Recorded: 25th July 1969, Abbey Road 2; 28th July 1969,
Abbey Road 3; 30th July 1969, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
"... Bathroom Window", despite its extremely long title, turns out to be quite shorter in duration than it seems when you listen to
it. Check out the track length, only 1:57; and that includes those last four measures of the previous track with the falling scale in the
bassline. I believe this musical illusion is created by the extent to which the two preceding fragmentary tracks provide a foil for this
one's being relatively full grown in the form department.
This song also turns out to be pretty much the only song in the medley that comes close to approaching one of the traditional
forms. And even so, it has the peculiar trait of putting a single verse up front, with two verses between the bridges. Darn clever, those
Beatles, hmm?
The lyrics flip flop between the entertainingly clever and annoyingly inscrutable.
Melody and Harmony
The tune is bluesy in a "Get Back" sort of way, with a melodic emphasis on flat 3 and 7 that turns many of the chords into not
necessarily quite functional dominant seventhh chords. Yes, you can rationalize I7 as though it were V-of-IV, but IV7 allows no such
explanation.
In spite of its using a surprisingly small total number of chords, the song manages to include an unusual modulation to the key of
"flat-III", thereby providing yet another place in the medley where A and C Major are used in direct opposition to each other.
Arrangement
The backing track is essentially identical to that of "Polythene Pam" no surprise since the two tracks were recorded in a single
long take, though unlike "Polythene Pam", this one has no sections that are completely instrumental. The acoustic guitar is heard
much less prominently here than on "Polythene Pam", but still maintains at least the status of what in cooking you'd call a secret
ingredient.
Paul has the lead vocal double tracked throughout. The first and third verse have scat backing vocals sung in falsetto. The bridges
have a backing vocal that tracks the lead in parallel thirds.
Intro
The last four measures of the "Polythene Pam" outro, with the downward scale in the bassline, serve as the nominal intro to this
song; at least that's how the tracks are indexed on the CD of the album.
The long awaited resolution of the E-Major chord to A on the downbeat of the first verse here is one of the most vividly orgasmic
moments in the entire Beatles songbook, at least this side of the bridge section of "Day Tripper". What really grabs me, beyond the
big bang of actual arrival itself, is the sophisticated way in which the backing vocals and drum work in the third and fourth measures
of that verse create a cascading followup wave of euphoria.
Many years ago I once had the experience of accellerating out from the tollbooth onto the upward approach to the Bronx
Whitestone bridge coincidentally just as my tape player reached this point of the album. In cinematic terms, it was "rush" for me
equivalent to that moment in "The Graduate" where the hero pulls out at crusing speed onto the center span of the Okaland Bay
(Golden Gate?) bridge just as Simon and Garfunkel hit the first big chorus of "Mrs. Robinson":-)
Verse
The verse is sixteen measures long with four equal phrases that make a poetic pattern of AAAB:
----------------------- 3X ------------------------
|A7 |- |D7 |- |
A: I IV
|D |- |A |- |
IV I
[Figure 188.1]
In the first three lines the lyrics are scanned in a manner that avoids the downbeat of the phrase, and rather shifts the rhythmic
emphasis to the third measure. The pattern is broken for the final phase where the effect of allowing the lyrics to coincide with the
phrase downbeat for the first time combined with the slow, subtle harmonic syncopation created by the sustaining of the D-Major
chord over the phrase boundary makes the entire verse seem a bit lopsided in retrospect; compare this, for example, with "Drive My
Car".
By the way, there is some standout lead guitar work found here filling out those lyrical gaps between the lines.
Bridge
The lopsided effect is developed further in the bridge, which I believe should be parsed as if the final two measures of the verse
(on the A-Major chord) actually overlap as the start of this section:
|A |- |d |- |
A: I iv
|D C |B A |
|A |- |d |- |
A: I iv
C: ii
1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4
|C B |- A |
|G |- |C | |
C: V I
1 2 3 4
|G |- |C A |
C: V I
A: flat-III I
[Figure 188.2]
This leaves the bridge with an unusual fifteen-measure length, as though it were accidentally-on-purpose left one measure short of
what "should have been" the more regular sixteen measures.
The outbound modulation is effected by using the cliché of the minor iv chord in context of a Major key as a clear pivot. The
return modulation is more abrupt both in terms of it having virtually no harmonic preparation and the placement of the return A-
Major chord on the final beat of the final measure of the section. In the first bridge, this makes the start of the next verse sound
(again) lopsided. In the second bridge which ends the song, this change of chord on the final beat practically throws you out of your
seat; "Oh yeah!"
We find two examples of a prominent downward scalewise bassline in this bridge. The one in the second phrase is completely
straightforward. The one in the third phrase rhythmically plays out the change of notes in the bass using the 3+3+2 pattern we saw on
this album in both "Here Comes The Sun", "Because", and "... Money".
Yet again we are dealing with an Abbey Road song for which there are Get Back era takes to be found out there; most notably,
one from the first day of the Apple sessions on Anthology 3.
That particular outtake follows the more conventional formal recipe of placing a bridge after each of the three verses. Also, the
harmony of the verse section uses the I -» vi -» IV cliché, an effect dropped in place of the starker I -» IV we have in the official
version.
Two other points of interest:
• Paul talks aloud at the end of the performance, as he is often overheard doing in these sessions, about possible ideas for
making the song more elaborate.
• In the bridge it sounds like he is personally already toying with the 3+3+2 bassline idea, but none of the others yet follow
his lead. But that's okay for now, at least.
Regards,
Alan (010200#188)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/gs.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Golden Slumbers"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #189 (GS)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key:a minor -» C Major

Meter:4/4
Form:Intro | Verse | Refrain | Verse (segue al subito)
Recorded:2nd, 3rd, 4th, 30th, 31st July 1969,
Style and Form
"Golden Slumbers" combined with "Carry That Weight" creates a foolish-consistency-avoiding, compatible-if-not-exactly
matching bookend for "... Your Money". Whereas the preceding "... Bathroom Window" provided some critically needed symmetry
with "... Your Money" in terms of sheer weight of expository expression, the "Golden Slumbers" / "Carry That Weight" pair of tracks
provide balance with "... Your Money" in terms of a similarity of mood and material; not to mention (in "Carry That Weight") a
literal recap of some of the latter.
"Golden Slumbers" and "Carry That Weight" are as mutually integrated with each other as are "Mean Mr Mustard" and
"Polythene Pam"; the two pairs of songs are even linked together by virtually identical drum fills. Both "Golden Slumbers" and
"Carry That Weight" are built out of a relatively conventional A-B-A arch form which gives each track the impression of being
more-complete/ less-fragementary than either "Mean Mr Mustard" or "Polythene Pam". But that sense of individual completeness is
strongly undermined in the final result by their degree of musical inter-relation.
The ultra-sincere affect of "Golden Slumbers" is born of Macca's unique blend of anthem with show tune, similar to what we find
in "Hey Jude" and "Let It Be".
Melody and Harmony
The completely diatonic tune is replete with wide-ranging arch-like gestures. The leap of a sixth is appears many times over as a
motif.
The almost equally diatonic harmony uses six chords and moves primarily around a short cycle of fifths.
In spite of the obvious opening of each verse on what sounds like an a-minor seventh chord the fact is that a minor is never
established as a tonal center (a.k.a. home key) in its own right. It's more accurate to identify the song as being "in" the key of C,
albeit it with a verse that starts away from it but quickly converges.
Arrangement
The backing track features piano, bass (played by George!), and drums, supplemented by a later overdub of string and brass
instruments. A moderate amount of fussiness is applied to the instrumentation:
• The first verse starts off with piano alone, but bass (sparingly at first) and strings are soon added.
• Drums and brass enter dramatically at the start of the refrain, but the texture is greatly lightened up toward its final phrase.
• The second verse is similar to the first one, but this time the drums (in the form of gentle cymbal work) stay in the whole
way, and the brass, too, can be heard softly in the background.
Paul's lead is single tracked with no added backing. His shift into a rather menacing third tone of voice for the refrain would seem
be be cast perversely counter to the otherwise gentle lullaby context.
2
Intro
The intro consists of two measures of the piano vamping on the tonally ambiguous a-minor seventh chord in a rocking figuration.
I'm parsing this with a rapid quarter note beat in order to avoid needing to resort to odd half measures when the phrase lengths
become uneven later on:
|a7 |- |
C: vi
[Figure 189.1]
Paul leaves the note, E, out of the chord, giving us just the sound of the open fifth (C - G) alternating with the single note A below
it; only further heightening the tonal ambiguity of the moment.
Exploiting the vi7 chord's superimposition the triads of a Major home key with its relative minor is a special effect we've seen in a
number of Beatles songs; start with "... Warm Gun" and work backward from there to "Ask Me Why", "Do You Want To Know A
Secret", and of course, "She Loves You".
Verse
The verse is an unusual twenty-one measures long, and is built out of four uneven phrases whose lengths are 8 + 4 + 5 + 4. Think
of it as a purposeful distortion of what otherwise could have easily been an ordinary sixteen measures (4 by 4) design:
|a7 |- |- |- |d |- |- |- |
iv ii
|G7 |- |- |- |
V
|C |e |a |d9 |- |
I iii vi ii
|G7 |- |C |- |
V I
[Figure 189.2]
The harmonic rhythm is extremely varied; most liesurely in the first two phrases, speeding up radically in the third phrase, and
settling for a middle ground in the final phrase.
The savory dissonance of the d9 chord in the third phrase is deftly set up by the sustaining of the pitch E-natural through the entire
phrase; where it is a natural member of all the other triads used in the phrase except for d.
It's hard to tell if that E chord in the third phrase is Major or minor. To my ears, it is minor in the first verse, and Major in the
other two sections. In any event, the chord appears in root position in both verses, but in the refrain, it appears with a B in the bass as
part of the walking bassline introduced at that point.
Look out for melodic sixths, most of which are leaps:
• down: back home ...

• up: (lulla)by-ee
• up: your eyes, you rise
And one of which is a hidden upward scale; follow the bouncing asterisks below. In other words, I'm saying that you hear the note,
B, that starts off the second phrase as connected, in hindsight, to the A that was left hanging in the first phrase:
O/th/w/a/way to get back homeward, O/th/w/a/way to get back home
G G G G G G A C E D B B B B B B C D E
* * * * * *
1 2 3 4 5 6
[Figure 189.3]
Refrain
The refrain starts off with what would look like an AA (6 + 6) couplet, but the second line elides with what turns out to be an
essential recap of the way in which the verses end. I still call this a "refrain" rather than a bridge because of its inclusion of the title
phrase.
We wind up with yet another unusual section length (nineteen measures) that breaks up into four uneven lines (6 + 4 + 5 + 4). Just
like with the verse, you can easily imagine how this could have been shoe-horned into a more mundane four-square, sixteen-measure
pattern:
|C |- |F7 |- |C |- |
I IV I
|C |- |F7 |- |
I IV
|C |E |a |d9 |- |
I V-of-vi vi ii
|G7 |- |C |- |
V I
[Figure 189.4]
In this section the note, E, is sustained the whole way through except for the first two measures of the fourth line, where it steps
up to F (to function as the "7" in G7). Train your ear, I encourage you, to zero in on, and isolate such phenomena in your head when
you listen to this and other recordings.
Speaking of ear training, there is a widely available studio outtake of this song featuring the basic backing track and guide vocal
that, if you have not yet ever heard it, I caution you to seek out at your own peril.
The source tape for this delightful rarity sustained some unfortunate damage at the place of the first line of the refrain, inevitably
presenting Paul's vocalization of the dramatically declaimed title phrase with a painful, out-of-key, wavering of pitch and tempo.
Just the like the lost secret for how to get back home described in the lyrics, you'll find that once you've ever heard this outtake,
you'll never be able to listen to the title phrase of this track on the official version with the same kind of emotional trust fall you're
used to throwing into it. There's enough genuine quiver in even the official recording that you'll find yourself forever bracing against
the eventuality of the dreaded awful wobbling of the outtake.
Regards,
Alan (010900#189)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/ctw.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Carry That Weight"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #190 (CTW)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: C Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Refrain | Bridge |
| Refrain | Outro (segue al subito)
Recorded: 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 30th, 31st July 1969,
Style and Form
"Carry That Weight" picks up on and extends the majestically fervent gesture of "Golden Slumbers"' mid-section to provide one
of the single most "symphonic" moments in the Beatles cannon. Aesthetically, it is at least as far removed from the likes of their
earliest hits as is something like "I Am The Walrus"; maybe even more so. At the same time, you find a foreshadowing here of
Macca's later oratorio style if you listen carefully.
In spite of its substantive A-B-A form "Carry That Weight"'s sense of musical independence and self-sufficience is successively
quite undermined by the combination of:
• the building rhythmic momentum that sweeps through it at both ends;

• the built-in manner in which its refrain cycles back for "more";
• and the borrowing of its bridge and outro sections from "... Money".
In contrast to the continual uneven phrasing and changeable harmonic rhythm of "Golden Slumbers", we find "Carry That
Weight" closely following a more predictable, four-square course of action.
Melody and Harmony
The refrain tune is purely diatonic C Major, covers a full octave and is dominated by fanfare-like triadic outlines. The bridge tune,
by contrast, is in the melodic minor mode, covers a range slightly smaller than an octave, and is primarily stepwise, though it does,
indeed, continue the fanfare idea with its own single triadic outline (on the last three syllables of the "invitations"); which uncannily
turns out to be a literal inversion of the same figure heard in the refrain (on the phrase "a long time").
Harmonically, the refrains establish C Major as home key by elementary means. The bridge provides a contrasting interlude in the
relative minor key of A by making a complete traversal of the diatonic circle of fifths.
Arrangement
The basic backing track used in "Golden Slumbers" of piano, drums, and bass clearly continues through this song, though the
overdubbed massed strings and brass effects are even more prominently in evidence. Lewisohn reports the overdub of a timpani part
on this pair of songs, but I hear no difference in the percussion parts between the outtake of the original basic track and the finished
product.
The bass work is particularly impressive, alternating between evenly accented perpetual motion for the refrains and syncopated
scale work for the bridge.
The vocal arrangement is choral throughout. The ensemble sounds relatively homogenized in the refrains, though you can clearly
pick Ringo's unique voice out of the crowd. In the bridge Paul's voice clearly dominates.
The chord changes generally fall exactly on the downbeats, but the tune throughout makes a repeated motivic point of heavy
syncopations that fall out just ahead of the downbeat.
Intro
The transition from "Golden Slumbers" to "Carry That Weight" is made without skipping a beat by filling out the final measure of
the former with a drum figure that rhythmically motivates the start of the latter. Compare this with the very similar transition from
"Sun King" to "Mean Mr Mustard".
Refrain
The refrain is a four-square sixteen measures in length, featuring what is close to a literal repeat of the following eight measure
phrase:
|C |- |G7 |- |
C: I V
|G7 |- |C |- |
V I
a: III
[Figure 190.1]
The first half of the second phrase is a repeat of the second half of the first phrase, making for a syncopated looking (and
sounding!) poetic pattern of ABBC.
The pounding of evenly accented eighth notes on the backing track in the eighth measure of this phrase in its first iteration of each
refrain is a particularly stunning dramatic effect.
The second time the eight-measure phrase is repeated we find the bassline walking downward to B in the last measure. In the
opening refrain, this functions simply as a passing tone against the sustained C-Major chord. The outro, however, is handled
differently as we'll see below.
Bridge
The bridge section turns out to be none other than an old friend, the opening section of "... Money". The section is repeated twice
here, just as it is in the song from which it is taken, with the first iteration fully instrumental and the second one sung to words. Given
the faster quarter note pulse at which I've been parsing the second half of the medley, this section comes out to be sixteen measures
per iteration rather than the eight we came up with in on earlier article on "... Money."
|a |- |d9 - 8|- |G7 |- |C4-3 |- |
a: i iv VII III
(V-of-III?)
|F |- |b dim.|E |a |- |G13/11|- 5/3|

VI ii V i
C: vi V
[Figure 190.2]
The harmonic pivot from C Major to a minor and back again is straightforward.
Your Harmony 101 instructor would adjure you to parse the final pair of measures as entirely G Major with double appoggiaturs
in the first of the two measures, rather than as a C Major triad in the second (a.k.a. 6/4) inversion.
This passage appears here not merely as a reprise, rather, it is doubly "transformed" by its formal/functional shift from opening
verse to mid-flight bridge section, and the extent to which the grand orchestration here brings out an heroic potential that was latent
but not yet actualized in the passage's initial exposition.
The guitar solo is executed with some very cooly executed bent notes that remind you, after all, this is a rock album.
Outro
The outro grows out of the second refrain. It actually overlaps with the last two measures of the latter. And it, too, turns out to be
yet another transformed reprise of a part of "... Money"; to wit, the latter's own coda theme:
---last two measures of second refrain---
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
|C G6/3 |- |
Bass line: |C B | |
I V
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
|A |- |
|A
?
[Figure 190.3]
The difference in harmonic context is what transforms this reprise. At the end of "... Money" the ostensible home key is A Major,
and this passage distinctively, but also clearly slides into that home key by way of the bluesy sounding, cross-relation-creating III
chord of C Major.
In the context of "Carry That Weight", the immediate home key is C Major. And this makes you hear the same chord progression
now drifting away, and uncertainly so, from its home key. Challenge yourself: just how does your ear interpret the function of that
A-Major chord? Maybe, V-of-ii, strange as it sounds?
Okay, to the extent that the next song demonstrably opens in the key of A Major, this chord is the I chord of the new home key,
and in hindsight, you'll see the preceding G-Major chord pivoting as a flat-VII in the new key. But you don't know what's coming
just around the corner at this very instant. Therefore, it's a brief instant of exquisite harmonic ambiguity.
The four-measure outro phrase goes into a second iteration that is cut short. The fourth beat of the third measure is leveraged as an
upbeat to the start of "The End". The trickest thing about the transition is the slight increase in tempo for the new track. Unlike some
of the arithmetically strict metrical modulations we've seen elsewhere on this album, this one is an inexact; a rather abrupt
acceleration, shades of "step on the gas and wipe that tear away."
And if you haven't yet noticed, it's getting very near "The End".
Regards,
Alan (011700#190)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/te.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "The End"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #191 (TE)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key:A Major -» C Major

Meter:4/4
Form:Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 (Finale) with complete ending
Recorded:23rd July 1969, 5th August 1969, Abbey Road 3;
7th, 8th August 1969, Abbey Road 2; 15th August 1969,
Abbey Road 1; 18th August 1969, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
The already exceedingly fervent mood of the "Golden Slumbers" / "Carry That Weight" pairing is taken up yet one more euphoric
notch in "The End", providing "Abbey Road" with what is likely the single grandest finale gesture on any album of The Beatles.
The form here is a mini-medley of three parts in which the loose relationship between the first two parts adds some sense of unity,
and the proportional division of time by all three parts creates some feeling of A-B-A symmetry despite the fact that the two outer
parts are based on separate materials. By parsing the long drum solo as still part of the first part we find the following budget of time
on the track:
Part 1 34
Part 2 55
Part 3 35
Total 124 seconds (2:04)
Melody and Harmony
The melodic content of the first two parts is more in the realm of booster chanting than they are of a "tune", though the final part
features one nice extended and outstretched melodic arch.
The home key of the track is A Major with a last minute shift, in the second half of the final part, to the key of C. This gambit of a
migrating home key goes against the entire philosophy of more traditional "tonal" music, though it does have its ample precedents in
so-called "classical" early twentieth century music, and is arguably something very much at the technical and emotional core of the
Beatles' "Huge Melody" we've been studying.
Arrangement
Most of the track is backed by the rock ensemble of guitars, bass, and drums, with the small small orchestra joining in at the end,
just around the same time the music modulates to C Major.
The large amount of showy solo instrumental work is unusual if not outright unique for the Beatles, as is the funky stereo imaging
of the drum solo.
Paul is nominally the vocal soloist for the two outer parts. The middle part uses a group choral chant as part of the background.
The final part features a novel effect where Paul's solo is gradually refracted like light through a prism into three-part vocal harmony
that includes John and George.
Part 1: Oh yeah, all right
Notation-wise, I've backed myself over the past few articles into a pattern where the quarter note beat from here to the end is very
fast. I'll grant that some (many?) would be more comfortable with my treating my quarter notes as eighths, and thus dividing the
number of measures in half. Please bear with me for now.
"The End" begins with a pickup that springboards right off the ending of "Carry That Weight". The first part of the song is based
around the following eight-measure phrase which establishes the home key by unusual means:
3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
A |D |- B |E |- A |
A: V-of-IV IV V-of-V V I
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 34 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
|- |- B#7|- |- A |
#ii dim. 4/2 I
[Figure 191.1]
The harmonic shape on paper appears to be closed at both ends, but the opening A chord sounds much more like V of D than like
I of A, and it makes the phrase sound much more harmonically convergent than closed.
I'm fussy about labeling the diminished seventh chord above as rooted on the apparently unusual note of B# because it's the
clearest/cleanest way to denote the neighbor tone voice leading that underlies its resolution to A Major in the following measure:
F# -» E
D# -» E
B# -» C#
A -
[Figure 191.2]
The heavily syncopated effect of changing chords on the fourth beat of the measure in this very fast tempo is a not at all
unpleasantly wrenching effect that runs straight through the next part of the song, with the way in which the backing vocal of "love
you" is handled.
The first iteration of the above phrase is entirely instrumental and is followed by a four-measure drum solo, the last measure of
which loops back to repeat the phrase, this time with a screaming double tracked Macca vocal:
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
|- |- |- |- A |
V-of-IV
[Figure 191.3]
The second iteration is followed by a longer drum solo of sixteen full measures. The solo heads toward a unique point of climax
which coincides with the beginning of "The End"'s second part, though that sense of strong undertow is cleverly and effectively held
back until relatively late in the proceedings.
Part 2: «Instrumental solos»
The second part of "The End" is built on a fourteen-fold repeat of the following four-measure frame which has the harmonic
shape of a plagal cadence:
Love you Love you
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
|A |- |D |- |
I IV
[Figure 191.4]
The series of fourteen iterations sorts out like this:

1 - 2 Instrumental backing, only.
3 - 5 Add choral "Love you," which stays through

for the duration. The instrumental backing
gets noticeably thicker in frame #5.
6 - 14 Dueling guitar solos. The first one sounds

like it spans two frames of the backing,
but the rest of them more obviously rotate
on each successive frame boundary.
Much has been written about how the three guitar playing Beatles participate round robbin in the series of solos, with detailed
speculation as to which Beatle plays which segments. I'm neither going to replicate this material here nor take sides on points of
dissention. For now, let's just note generally that the effect they apparently were after was one in soaring melodic effects alternate
with others more grungy and rhythmic in character.
Part 3: And in the end
The third part begins where the fifteenth frame of part two would otherwise have started. It is made up of one unusually long
phrase which navigates two modulations of meter and tempo (not to mention home key) before it is finished.
This part of the track is introduced by four measures of plain piano simply vamping on the A-Major chord. The momentary
change of texture is so dramatic that your ears need a few beats to get used to it; kind of like what happens to your eyes when bright
lights are suddenly dimmed way down.
Paul's lead vocal starts off by filling eight measures of this vamping tempo. The second line of four measures superimposes a G-
Major chord in the treble against that unchanging A-natural in the bass line. Your ear digests this as a pedal point with no
grammatically significant root change of chord.
The words in both four-measure lines are scanned in the syncopated 3 + 3 + 2 pattern we saw elsewhere on this album; e.g. "Here
Comes The Sun". Paul's single thread is spread out into three part harmony starting in the second line and continues through to the
end. The high point of the overall melodic arch of this section coincides (quel suprise!) on the word "love":
And in the end **
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 | *
Chords: |A |- | *
Bass: |A |- | *
I *
* 2X
the *
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 | *
Chords: |- |- | *
Bass: |- |- | *
**
love you take

|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
Chords: |G |- |
Bass: |A |- |
is
|1 2 3 4 |1 2 3 4 |
Chords: |- |- |
Bass: |- |- |
[Figure 191.5]
The next line of music makes a metrical modulation, shifting to 3/4 for just four measures, keeping the quarter value constant.
Harmonically this line features an unusual kind of pedal point in which the two inner voices are held constant (instead of the
bass note), while the outer two voices descend in parallel sixth:
3/4 (where quarter == quarter)
e- qual to the
Soprano: |F |e |d |a |
Alto: |C |- |- |- |
Tenor: |A |- |- |- |
Bass: |A |G |F |E |
A: flat-VI
C: IV
[Figure 191.6]
The pedal effect again allows you to hear the above line as being without significant root chord change. The fateful pivot to C
Major occurs at the start of the line with the F-Major chord.
The next (and final) line of the section makes yet another metrical/tempo modulation; back to 4/4 but with the tempo made much
slower by setting the value of the new quarter note equal to a full measure of the previous 3/4 meter.
The impending ending of the track is now clearly forecast by the setup of a ripe full cadence, and the partial thickening of the
backing track by the reappearance of strings. The syncopation motif appears again in the way the final word, "make", is sung just
before the next downbeat:
4/4 (where 3/4 == quarter)
love you make

1 2 3 4 &
Chords: |d7 G7 |
Bass: |D G |
ii V
[Figure 191.7]
The texture is further thickened back to "tutti" for the last four measures with drums and brass. The reappearance of the high
pitched, singing lead guitar at this point is a deft unifying effect with the middle part of the track.
Harmonically the final stretch contains yet another pedal point which at least partially disguises the stepwise chord stream of
Major triads used. In fact, if you ignore the interpolation of the E-flat chord (think of it as being in parenthesis), you can actually
discern here what is none other than a Beatles signature progression found at the start of the likes of "Eight Days A Week" and the
title track of "Sgt. Pepper's".
Chords: |C |D |Eb F |C |
Bass: |C |- |Eb F |C |
I V-of-V (flat IV I
-III)
[Figure 191.8]
The manner in which the treble strings and winds are sustained a brief afterglowing instant after the voices and other instruments
have ceased making sound is in my humble opinion sublime.
The mood of the very ending of this album is strangely reminiscent of what a decade or so later would appear from the pen of one
composer for the cinema, John Williams, as his signature way of rolling the credits over a musical backing of ultimate, happy
ending, philharmonic triumph. Almost any of his films will do for an example, though I think "ET", in particular, bears some direct
comparison with "TE"; and even the letters of both acronyms are related :-)
Even more so, the dramatic ethos of this track is that of the curtain closing number you sometimes encounter on the musical
"stage". The drama itself has already come to its formal conclusion, and now, the pit orchestra blazes on without missing a beat for
however much time it takes for each of the lead players to come out and take his curtain call and maybe even squeeze in one
seemingly impromptu and hammy last petit reprise, while the audience applauds its head off.
Regards,
Alan (013000#191)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/medley.shtml,
alan w.
An Introduction to Notes on the Abbey Road "Medley"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #192 (MEDLEY)
by Alan W. Pollack
Intro
The "Abbey Road" medley calls for some kind of overall consideration based on the extent to which the whole of it is
indisputedly greater than the sum of its smoothly interlocking parts.
The medley's relative novelty in context of a rock album circa 1969 is of no small historical interest as well; as is the seemingly
fortuitous yet uncannily coincidental manner in which such an ambitious novelty should appear as the capstone the group's recording
career. But both of the latter are issues separate from the musical content itself.
For now I'm going to focus on just the music.
Formal Architecture
Alright, so let's at least deal with terminology first off. I'm not sure what kind of pat label to put on this thing, but the dictionary
definitions for "medley" and its closely related synonyms, "potpurri" and "pastiche" just don't seem right. All three words connote a
musical composition consisting of a "series of songs detatched from several, or various sources." The closest the Beatles come to this
form in their officially released recordings is with "Kansas City / Hey, Hey, Hey, Hey" way back on the "For Sale" album; and in that
particular case the Beatles were simply copying Little Richard's own earlier pairing of the same two titles.
Original Beatles experiments with medley-like form fall into four increasingly adventurous categories:
1. Two songs directly segued: "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" followed by "With A Little Help From My Friends";
the sequence of "Good Morning, Good Morning", the "Sgt. Pepper "Reprise" and "A Day In The Life"; and "Back In The
USSR" followed by "Dear Prudence".
2. "Sgt Pepper" introduced the concept of album sides sequenced without the traditional bands-of-silence between tracks
though instances of direct musical segue on that album are limited.
3. Two songs cross cut within a single track: "I've Got A Feeling / Everybody Had A Hard Year" and "I Want You / She's So
Heavy".
4. More than two short songs sequenced as what I've labeled a teleological medley: "Happiness Is A Warm Gun" and "You
Never Give Me Your Money".
Compared to all of the above, the "Abbey Road" "Sequence" (how's that for lack of a better term?) is unique and unprecedented
for the Beatles in terms of the sheer number of individual songs involved, as well as the level of organic inter-connectivty and
teleology they embody as a whole. And we know from ample documentation of the recording sessions that this was an effect fully
intended by the composers, not something serendipitously noticed and then official "acknowledged" after the fact.
In the realm of opera (both "classic" and "rock") you find a musical approach that is very similar to the "Abbey Road" medley
(rats, I think we're stuck with the label for better or worse), but the opera form is able to lean as heavily as it needs to upon a story
line thread to enhance its musical sense of continuity; this as true in "Tommy" as it is in "Marriage of Figaro." By contrast, the extent
to which the "Abbey Road" medley is relatively abstract at the level of its lyrics is a point worth emphasizing.
Getting down to cases, the Medley comprises eight songs that are performed in a specific sequence and without break as follows:
1. "You Never Give Me Your Money" (cross fade)

2. "Sun King" (complete ending, but rhythmically segued)
3. "Mean Mr Mustard" (segued)
4. "Polythene Pam" (segued)
5. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" (complete but somehow inconclusive ending)
6. "Golden Slumbers" (complete ending, but rhythmically segued)
7. "Carry That Weight" (segued)
8. "The End" (complete ending)
The tracks that are completely segued are more tightly coupled than the others; i.e. 3 -» 4 -» 5 and 6 -» 7 -» 8. In theory, you could
take advantage of the weaker links to commence a partial performance of the medley by starting at numbers 2, 3, or 6. But in terms
of track endings, you find only the final track provides a satisfactory resting point. Combining these observations, it appears (and is
borne out by Macca's inclusion of it in recent tours) that the only workable subset that can be extracted entirely on its own is numbers
6 through 8.
Elements other than harmony and home key (which we'll examine in detail below) help articulate the larger form.
Temporal Proportions
Total length of the medley is 970 seconds. The weaker connective links and dramatic flow allow the total duration to be broken
into four discrete, almost symphonic like "movements" of classically balanced, but (thank goodness) not slavishly equal proportions:
The first movement is comprised of the single longest song, itself a mini medley, contains much opening movement-like "vigorous"
music, and takes up ~25% of the total time:
1. "You Never Give Me Your Money" 242 seconds

The second movement is contrastingly slow in character, but takes up only ~15% of the total, necessary economy in order to keep the
overall pace from bogging down:
2. "Sun King" 146 seconds
The third movement is a trio of songs whose total is, again, ~25% of the total (255 seconds). The internal temporal proportions of the
trio are ~25/~25/~50%, reinforcing the extent to which you think of the first two numbers dramatically setting up the arrival of the
third one like a one-two-three wind up punch:
3a. "Mean Mr Mustard" 66 seconds
3b. "Polythene Pam" 72 seconds

3c. "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window" 117 seconds
The fourth (and finale) movement is another trio of songs whose internal proportions are ~25/~25/~50%, again making for a wind up
punch gesture. The subtotal of this trio weighs in at ~35% (327 seconds), making it appropriately the single longest movement of the
four:
4a. "Golden Slumbers" 91 seconds
4b. "Carry That Weight" 96 seconds

4c. "The End" 140 seconds
Dramatic Thrust
The first movement ("You Never Give Me Your Money") presents its own self-contained dramatic arch, starting off in a mode of
gentle exposition, and increasing in both vigor and tension until a point of climax (the ending of the instrumental passage over a
series of dimininished seventh chords) from which the cross fade retreats into heaven.
The second movement ("Sun King") though providing overall quieter contrast to what both proceeds and follows it, still projects
its own subtle dramatic arch. On paper, it's a perfectly balanced ABA form with a middle section slightly more intense than either A
section. The critical gesture here is the way in which the vocals of the second A section give it greater weight over the first A section,
something that runs counter to the sense of what otherwise would be "perfect" balance.
The third movement ( "Mean Mr Mustard", "Polythene Pam", and "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window") accumulates
an almost ballistic momentum over the course of its first two songs, blossoming out with a major climax at the start of the third one.
The seemingly abrupt and harmonically quizzical ending of this series is critical in putting on some brakes, stopping short of letting
the whole wad go, and preventing the fourth movement from sounding anti-climactic.
The fourth movement ("Golden Slumbers", "Carry That Weight", and "The End") starts off in very much the same gentle,
expository mood of the first movement, but instead of an arch shape, the drama here proceeds more in the upward trajectory style of
the third movement. Granted, the progression in this case is more gradual and deliberate in character than the previous, carefully
placing the ultimate climax of the entire sequence this time at the very end of the third subsection rather than at the beginning of it.
This movement also supplies a very classical sense of "recapitulation" in the way it contains one subtle allusion (the outer sections of
"Golden Slumbers") to, and a direct quote (the middle section of "Carry That Weight") from the first movement; in both cases, the
opening section of "You Never Give Me Your Money".
Tonal Architecture
The key design of the medley effectively supports the dramatic and formal plan, with its recurrent tendency to start off from the
keys of A Major or a minor, yet inevitably wind up seeking its apparent center of gravity in the home key of C.
Keep in mind that so-called tonal music posits the "unity" of a single home key as its most essential and basic meta-principle; the
Western, Judaeo/Christian monotheistic overtones of which I'll not touch here with a ten foot pole other than to acknowledge their
strong resonance.
In classical practice this principle results in prodigal son-like harmonic plot lines in which the music establishes its home key,
wanders from it through a series of (mis)adventures in other keys, only to ultimately return with a sense of unquestionable
confirmation of the place it started from originally as home sweet home.
Several Romantic harmonic tendencies can be understood as direct reactions against the seemingly boring predictability of that
original monolithic plot line. Examples include:
• Starting the music remotely from its ultimate home key in order to eventually converge upon it.
• Morphing over the long run from an initial preoccupation with a minor key to end up in its more triumphant sounding
parallel Major.
• Wallowing for extended periods of time in movement toward a home key without ever quite reaching it unequivocally; the
latter technique eventually providing one of the springboards for "atonality" in the early twentieth century.
Again keep in mind that these harmonic gambits rely for their success on the way they fight against your seemingly innate
expectation for the original single home key paradigm to be the normal, default state of affairs.
In this context one experiences the tonally "bi-polar" design of the medley as expressive of some kind of mixed or unresolved
emotions. Trace it by movement.
The first movement begins in a minor and ends in A Major, but the key of C is never far from its mind. The opening
establishment of a minor is done by working the full way around the diatonic circle of fifths, thereby walking right through C
Major in the course of the first phrase of the song. The following middle section clearly establishes C Major, and even the final
section in A Major uses the C-Major chord as part of an unusual final harmonic cadence.
The second and third movements would appear to make a concerted effort to establish A Major more clearly and unequivocally.
The home key of the second movement and first two sections of the third one are clearly in the key of E (the V of A Major), and the
climax of the third movement (the arrival in the "Bathroom" so to speak) is clearly in the key of A. But note again, how C Major is
never completely out of mind; it turns up as the key of both "Sun King"'s middle section, and "... Bathroom"'s bridge.
This vacillation continues straight through the fourth movement. "Golden Slumbers" maintains the appearance of re-establishing a
minor at its start, but unlike the first movement, a closer examination here shows that the latter key is never truly established at all,
and its mid section is clearly in C Major to boot. "Carry That Weight" momentarily reverses the pattern, with outer sections in C and
a middle section in a. Finally "The End", in spite of its strong start in A Major flipflops at pretty much the last minute to the key of C.
That last minute switch is sufficiently abrupt, even awkward, to be less than 100% satisfying or convincing. And yet, given the
strong, repeated presence of C Major all along the way, it seems much more than the impulsive yielding to a momentary, irresistable
urge.
For me it nets out along the lines of, something inside ("that was always denied") that pulls against all odds, pressure, and better
judgment, toward C Major instead of A. I'm not sure whether that goes to support or challenge what the lyrics go on to say about the
love you shake and bake.
Some Final Thoughts
"Her Majesty" is a conspicuous misfit for this medley (originally planned to fit in between "Mean Mr Mustard" and "Polythene
Pam") from just about every perspective you'd care to consider it. In particular it fatally interrupts the build up of momentum at that
point, and its in a mood, arrangement, and home key that have nothing at all to do with the rest of the medley.
It's a mark of compositional insight and professional maturity for Paul to "throw it away," to literally cut it out of the master tape,
during the mixing session of July 30, 1969.
Regards,
Alan (020600#192)
url: http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/hm.shtml,
alan w.
Notes on "Her Majesty"
pollack's
notes on ...
Notes on ... Series #193 (HM)
by Alan W. Pollack
Key: D Major
Meter: 4/4
Form: Intro | Verse (abrupt ending)
Recorded: 2nd July 1969, Abbey Road 2
Style and Form
Just when you think the last recorded Beatles album is over, just as you're letting out a deep sigh in reaction to "The End", you're
startled by one crashing D-Major chord that's followed by this irreverent little fragment of a ditty. Its ending is as abrupt as its start is
sudden. Before you've quite had a chance to react to it, it's already altogether come and gone.
By this point, the Beatles had pulled this kind of stunt just enough times for you to recognize it with an indulgent smile, but not
too many times that you'd be annoyed that it's getting old. In contrast to "The End", "Her Majesty" it provides sufficient comic relief
to those for whom the previous track is too sombre or stuffy, without ruining or even diluting that same track's lush sentiment for
those who like it just the way it is.
Lewisohn's characterization of Paul arriving early at the studio on July 2, 1969 to quickly get this song down on tape before the
others arrived implies that the song was hot off the composer's pen that very morning. However, an outtake of "Her Majesty" from
the 1/24/69 "Get Back" sessions at Apple shows the song was already quite worked out well in advance. This outtake runs for over
two minutes and consists essentially of five repeats of the single verse we find on "Abbey Road"; there is no alternate bridge section,
nor even extra lyrics for a second verse, aside from some scat singing in places. What sounds like George and Ringo attempt half-
heartedly to vamp along, but even at this early date, Paul clearly performs here what we are familiar with as the finished guitar part.
In terms of style, "Her Majesty" sounds like a strange cross between "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" and the "Goodbye" song Paul
wrote for Mary Hopkin.
Melody and Harmony
The tune covers the range of about an octave, which is unusually large considering its pattering, non arch-like character.
The chord set is dominated by the standard I, ii, IV, V, but is also spiced up by a couple secondary dominants and a diminished
seventh chord.
Arrangement
It doesn't get any simpler than this on a Beatles recording: just acoustic guitar and single track lead vocal. No hand claps, no foot
taps, not even a ticking metronome.
Intro
Thud; this is what otherwise would have been the final chord of "Mean Mr Mustard". It's in D Major but sounds ever so slightly
out of tune with respect to what follows.
Verse
The verse is an unusual eighteen measures long, featuring a sixteen-measure four-square quatrain, followed by a two-measure
petit reprise of the last phrase. The quatrain itself parses out into an AA'BA'' pattern:
Bass-
line: D C# |B A |E
Chords: |D |- |E9 A |D |
D: I V- V I
of-V
|D |- |E9 |A |
I V-of-V V
|b |- |D7 |G |
vi V-of-IV IV
|E# |D B |e A13 |D B |
#ii4/2 dim. I V- ii V I V-
of-ii of-ii
|e A13 |D (cut off after second beat)

ii V I
[Figure 193.1]
The first two measures of the first two phrases provide a good example of what I've labeled elsewhere as an "harmonic envelope."
The D chord is really sustained over both measures with a walking bassline moving beneath it. You do (should) not need to parse
every half measure as a different "chord".
The first phrase has a closed harmonic shape; the second phrase is open to V. The third phrase opens on vi and closes on IV; a
fine example of harmonic "misadventure" even in a tiny song like this. And the final phrase is convergent on the home key.
The harmonic rhythm is kept flexible throughout. No rigid pattern is followed but the pace at which the chords change is
noticeably picked up for the final phrase.
The prominence of F# in the tune makes a couple of the E chords into E9's and A chords into A13's.
The diminished chord that starts the fourth phrase is the very same one we saw last time in "The End". The fact that it shares the
note D with the I chord that follows it might lead you to think it's rooted on D, but the chromatic voice leading forces you to root it
on E#:
B -» A
G# -» A
E# -» F#
D -» D
The master recording ends with an A-natural on the second beat of the final measure. What should be the last two beats of that
measure filled with a D-Major chord are clearly missing. This is an effective demonstration of how well conditioned we all are to
wanting the V chord implied by the final A-natural to resolve to I, and how equally disappointed we feel when it doesn't happen.
This pass of our studying the songs of the Beatles is concluded.
The next order of business is to upgrade the "original 28" notes to the template and level of detail adopted for the remainder of the
series. There's also a long list of corrections and additions I need to make to many of the other notes; the one on "Drive My Car", in
particular, begs for me to recant.
Regards,
Alan (020900#193)

Beatles - Notes On... (Pollack)

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Soundscapes — Journal on Media Culture

retrieved from www.soundscapes.info (ISSN 1567-7745) on Saturday, September 19, 2009.

An interview with Alan W. Pollack

On the 31st of May 1989 Alan W. Pollack published the first

1 How did the series start?

2 When did you decide to do all the songs?

3 How long did you think the series would take?

Which were the tougher nuts to crack?

• Uneven phrase lengths or meter changes.

Which was the toughest chord sequence to decode?

5 What were your biggest "Aha" experiences?

retrieved from www.soundscapes.info (ISSN 1567-7745) on Saturday, September 19, 2009.

Notes on ... Series #1.2 (WCWIO.2)

1 General Points of Interest

Style and Form

Melody and Harmony

A couple of highlighted lyric fragments to show where these babies are:

WE CAN work it out.

... and there's no ti-i-i-i--ime for

3 Some Final Thoughts

Soundscapes — Journal on Media Culture

Key: B-flat (Mixolydian Major)

1 General Points of Interest

Style and Form

Melody and Harmony

Other tasty details:

Two details worthy of attention in the outro:

Soundscapes — Journal on Media Culture

Key:a minor / C Major / A Major

1 General Points of Interest

Style and Form

Melody and Harmony

• Part X runs through the diatonic circle of fifths.

Part X: You Never Give Me Your Money

Part Y: Out of College Money Spent

At any rate, this segues right into section Z.

Part Z: One Sweet Dream

• a clangorous series of chromatic cross relations, and

• a temporary, free-fall sense of not quite being in any specific key.

[** = half measure]

3 Some Final Thoughts

See also: The "Abbey Road" Medley

Soundscapes — Journal on Media Culture

Key: G (Mixolydian) Major

1 General Points of Interest

Style and Form

John: • "This Boy";

Paul: • "She's Leaving Home";

George: • "Long, Long, Long";

Melody and Harmony

The Rise of the flat-VII Chord

• Any song covered by the Beatles that has the chord.

By the same token there are the typical orchestrated details:

• Verse 1: No additional percussion.

The refrain is twelve measures long with a phrasing pattern of AA (6 + 6):

Final Verse (Outro)

3 Some Final Thoughts

Soundscapes — Journal on Media Culture

retrieved from www.soundscapes.info (ISSN 1567-7745) on Saturday, September 19, 2009.

Notes on ... Series #23.1 (TRIPLE.1)

The Beatles in General, John in Particular

The Ties That Bind