The Beatles essay #1
sll
beatles_1.pdf
Course aims Questions: • What made The Beatles so successful? • How was the music of The Beatles a
reflection of the times?
Approach: • A detailed examination of the music • A narrative on the lives of band
members
General context?
• Rock and roll music of the 1950s • Boogie Woogie • Rhythm & Blues (example from Naxos) • The question of race? • The threat to white society? • Transcending barriers? • Excerpts from “Good Rockin’ Tonight” (History
of Rock & Roll, vol.2 – Time Warner)
Importance of the Blues
• Origins in black spirituals, work songs and field hollers of slaves in southern USA
• “Blue” – depressed mood, reflecting social disadvantage and personal problems with relationships; love anxieties, heartache….
• Simple rhymed verses • Presence of “blue notes” • Development of a simple, repetitive harmonic
structure
Blue notes?
• Alterations to the third, fifth and seventh degrees of the (major) scale
• Typically, these pitches are lowered and often “bent”
• More emotionally-expressive melodic possibilities
Twelve-bar blues
• A chord progression covering twelve equal measures (or bars)
• Each measure comprises four counts (or beats)
• In its simplest form, three chords are used: – Tonic (I) – Subdominant (IV) – Dominant (V)
Blues chords
• Tonic – in the key of C, this is a 3-note chord built on the first note (I) of the scale: C E G
• Subdominant – 3- note chord built on the fourth note (IV) of the scale: F A C
• Dominant – 3-note chord built on the fifth note (V) of the scale: G B D
Chord progression
I I I I
IV IV I I
V IV I I
Harmonic pattern on C
C C C C
F F C C
G F C C
Harmonic pattern on E
E E E E
A A E E
B A E E
“Hound Dog” – Elvis I hound dog
I cryin’ all the
I time.
I You ain’t nothin’ but a
IV hound dog
IV cryin’ all the
I time.
I Well, you ain’t
V never caught a rabbit,
IV and you ain’t no friend of
I mine.
I (You ain’t nothin’ but a…
(You ain’t
nothi n’ but
a…
Steve Allen Show (NBC, 1
July 1956)
Hound Dog You ain’t nothing but a hound dog,
quit snoopin’ round my door; (x2) You can wag your tail,
but I ain’t gonna feed you no more. You told me you was high class,
I could see through that; (x2) And daddy I know
you ain’t no real cool cat. You made me feel so blue,
you made me weep and moan. (x2) You ain’t looking for a woman,
all you’re lookin’ is for a home.
“Lucille” – Little Richard I Lucille…
I you won’t do your sister’s…
I will.
I
IV Lucille…
IV you won’t do your sister’s…
I will.
I
V She ran out and married…
IV but I love her…
I still.
I
Harmonic alterations
• Certain modifications are allowed that do not violate the Blues harmonic structure
• Addition of 7ths (E7, A7, B7) • Chord substitution at certain points
– E E E E à E A E E … • More harmonic hyperactivity within the bar
Harmonic pattern on E
E E E E
A A E E
B A E E
Variation 1
E A E E
A A E E
B A E E
Variation 2
E A E E
A A E E
B A E B
Variation 3
E7 A7 E7 E7
A7 A7 E7 E7
B7 A7 E7 B7
Other varieties
• Blues can be in any key • Chord progressions may vary, and can be
harmonically sophisticated (esp. in jazz) • 12-bar blues most common • Despite structural limits, highly flexible
form allowing for great creativity • Other structures exist
(e.g., 8 or 16-bar blues)
Chord progression 8-bar blues
I I I I
IV IV V I
“Heartbreak Hotel” – Elvis
I Well since my baby left me, well I…
I …found a new place to dwell. Well it’s…
I down at the end of Lonely Street at
I Heartbreak Hotel. You make so…
IV You make me so lonely baby
IV Well I get so lonely
V I get so lonely I could…
I die.
More elaboration?
• “Peggy Sue”, by Buddy Holly • More active chord changes, but still blues • Harmonic variation at “…pretty pretty
pretty pretty Peggy Sue” – I … ♭VI … I (C in key of E !!!)
• Instrumentation? • No doubling of line 1 lyric
Peggy Sue basic structure
E A E A E
A A E A E
B A E A E B
Peggy Sue … verse 1 E
If you knew A
Peggy Sue E A
then you know why
E I feel blue without
A Peggy
A my Peggy
E A Sue
E … Well I
B love you gal,
yes I
A love you Peggy
E A Sue
E B …
Variation … verse 3 E
Peggy Sue E
Peggy Sue C
pretty pretty pretty pretty
E Peggy Sue, O
A Peggy
A my Peggy
E A Sue
E … Well I
B love you gal,
and I
A need you Peggy
E A Sue
E B …
“That’ll Be The Day”
• Buddy Holly & The Crickets
• Just one of the many influences on The Beatles
“That’ll Be The Day”
• First recording of The Quarrymen in the summer of 1958
Beatles songs based on the Blues
• Beatles learnt their craft from listening to and covering Blues-based Rock & Roll
• Early albums featured many covers, e.g. – “Boys” (The Shirelles) – “Money (That’s What I Want)” (Barrett Strong) – “Roll Over Beethoven” (Chuck Berry) – “Long Tall Sally” (Little Richard)
Adaptation in original songs
• Their earlier original songs featured more Blues-based or Blues- derived structures
• But they often stretched the form in intriguing ways
“Can’t Buy Me Love”
• By Paul McCartney • Single, released March 1964 • Fifth straight #1 • Key of C major • Blues-based verses (I = C, IV = F, V = G) • Contrasting section (middle 8 or bridge) not
Blues, & serves as chorus (refrain)
• Intro, NB texture: no cymbals! Refrain • “Can’t buy me…
• Only 6 bars
iii Em love
vi Am O
iii Em love
vi Am O, Can’t buy me
ii7 Dm7 love
V7 G7 O
…straight into verse 1
Verse C7 C7 C7 C7
F7 F7 C7 C7
G7 F7 F7 C
Verse C7 C7 C7 C7
F7 F7 C7 C7
G7 F7 F7 C
Verse C7
buy you a diamond
C7 ring my friend if
it
C7 makes you feel
al-
C7 -right, I’ll
F7 get you any-
F7 -thing my friend
if it
C7 makes you feel
al-
C7 -right, Cos
G7 I don’t care too
F7 much for money
F7 money can’t buy
me
C love
I’ll…
Bridge “Can’t buy me…
iii Em love
vi Am O
ii Dm V G everybody tells me
I C so. Can’t buy me
iii Em love
vi Am O
ii7 Dm7 No no no
V7 G7 No
• Compare with intro
Structure • Intro (refrain = abbrev. bridge, no cymbals) • Verses 1 & 2 (Blues) • Bridge • Verse 3 • Instrumental interlude (based on Verse) • Bridge • Verse 3 repeat • Outro (refrain NB toms only!)
“Day Tripper”
• By John Lennon • Single, released December 1965 • Another #1 • Key of E major • Blues-based riff song • No bridge, but instrumental interlude based
on the opening riff
Intro
• 10 bars (unusual asymmetry) of I7 (E7) • Lead guitar riff (George) • …bass doubles riff (Paul) • …tambourine (Ringo) & rhythm guitar
(John) • ...full drums (Ringo) • Vocals enter at beginning of verse
Verse E7
Got a good reason
E7 for
E7 taking the easy
way
E7 out
A7 Got a good
reason
A7 for
E7 taking the easy
way
E7 out now, She was
a
F#7 day
F#7 tripper
F#7 one way ticket,
F#7 yeah…It took me
A7 so
G#7 long to find
C#7 out, but I found
B7 out
Verse E7
Got a good reason
E7 for
E7 taking the easy
way
E7 out
A7 Got a good
reason
A7 for
E7 taking the easy
way
E7 out now, She was
a
F#7 day
F#7 tripper
F#7 one way ticket,
yeah
F#7 …It took me
A7 so
G#7 long to find
C#7 out, but I found
B7 out
Structure • Intro • Verses 1 & 2 (extended Blues form to 16
bars) • Instrumental interlude on the V7 (B7) chord
for 12 bars (going up the scale) plus 4 bars of (re)Intro in I7 (E7)
• Verse 3 • Outro (as Intro, extended with
vocals) to fade…
“I Want You (She’s So Heavy)” • By John Lennon • Love song for Yoko Ono • From Abbey Road, released September 1969 • Song comprises two separate musical ideas • Obsessive, apolcalyptic “doom metal” refrain • (quasi) Blues-based verses • Minimalist lyrics (“I want you so bad it’s
driving me mad, she’s so heavy”)
Verses • In A minor • First “4 Blues bars” are a 101/2 bar
extension of A minor 7 (i7 chord) – Am7 … à C Dm F G E7+♭9 Am7
• Second “4 bars” are 8½ bar extension of D minor 7 (iv7 chord) leading to dissonant suspension – Dm ... à F C B♭ à E7+♭9
• Maintains Blues feel
Structure • Refrain • Verses 1 & 2 (each time different groove) • Refrain • Verse 3 (instrumental) • Refrain • Verse 4 (with portentous primal scream) • Refrain (ad infinitum, with added sound
saturation … till cut)
The One After 909
• Let It Be • Rooftop performance • Billy Preston, keyboards
