Music Studies

Claudia Ciccarello

Beach Boys vs The Beatles: Music Analysis

The Beatles- Eleanor Rigby
The Beatles released their song Eleanor Rigby
on the 5th of August, 1966. The Beatles, who
commonly produce songs with a happier tone
widened their variety with this song. In fact
Eleanor Rigby was the first song of theirs to
have a string section consisting of four violins,
two violas and two cellos.
This song is in common time giving it a pop feel,
and has a steady beat. The tempo of this song is
quite fast (allegro) with approximately 134 beats
per minute. The structure of this song is: chorus, verse, verse, chorus, verse, and
chorus. The very first chord of the song is a C chord which is chord IV of the
original key (G). The second chord is an E minor chord giving the song its mellow,
dark, sombre tone. In the chorus there is a bit of a call-and response form the
vocals and the string section. The vocals, Cello and Violin 2 play the call and
Violin 1 plays the response.
During the verses, the song modulates to E minor, the relative minor of G Major
which creates the sad feeling in the song. In the verses, the string section all
play together with some of the instruments playing staccato notes. These notes
have been made very short and forte causing it to sound like the notes are
attacking the listener. The verses are 18 bars long, in the last 8 bars before the
chorus the instruments play semibreves instead of short staccato crotchet beats.
The transition from the verse into the chorus is smooth and modulates back to G
Major. Going back into the last verse, the instruments play softer than in the
chorus. The end of the song is a short fade out with four descending crotchet
beats. One of the lines to end the song are the notes G, E, B, A, G whereas the
cello line ends on an E giving a minor ending to the song. This song is rich in
harmonies both in the vocal line but also in the string section.
The overall tone and sound of the song is quite dark, the choruses are the most
happy and upbeat sounding part of the song. The string quartet relate to the
tone of the song. When recording the song, the instruments were placed very
close to the microphones to give a more vivid, unique and raw sound.
The Beatles didn't play any of the instruments in this song. All the music came
from the string players, who were hired as session musicians. The string section
was scored by Beatles producer George Martin and four violins, two violas and
two cellos were used in the recording process. Paul McCartney was the lead
vocalist and John Lennon and George Harrison contributed to the harmonies. Paul
wrote most of this song and explained that the melody just came from his
imagination. It is a fantastic song both musically and lyrically and it helped The
Beatles explore a new side of music. The name Eleanor came from the actress
Eleanor Bron and the last name Rigby is named after a store called Rigby &
Evans Ltd, Wine and Spirit Shippers. This song is thought to be a lament for
lonely people or a commentary on life in Britain after the war. This song
influenced many different artists. Barry Gibb from the Bee Gees has claimed to

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Claudia Ciccarello

say that their song Melody Fair was influenced by Eleanor Rigby. The song also
came as quite a shock to the fans as it actually had lyrics describing depression
and desolation which wasnt commonly discussed at that time, especially from
this pop band who had been known for their upbeat pop songs. Eleanor Rigby is
now ranked #138 on the Rolling Stones Top 500 Greatest Songs of all Time list.

The Beatles- I Saw Her Standing There

I Saw Her Standing There was released on the
22nd of February, 1963. This song is an upbeat
rocknroll song with a very catchy rhythm and
melody. This song has a fast tempo and features
many major chords creating a happy and
enjoyable feeling. The instruments in the song
include 2 guitars, a bass, drums and vocals.
The song is in E major and starts on the
Dominant 7th chord which is based on a blues
progression. Even though its not necessarily a blues song, that sound is
produced by the 1st, 4th and 5th chords which are played frequently throughout
the song. The intro starts with a count-in and then all of the instruments playing
for four bars which gives you that energetic feel for the rest of the song. The
verse then lasts for 8 bars with Paul McCartney on lead vocals and the drums
driving the fast beat. John Lennon sings a lower harmony for the 8-bar chorus
which adds to the interest of the song. The structure of this song is: intro, Verse,
Verse, Bridge, Verse, Verse (solo), Bridge, Verse, Outro (w/complete ending). The
placement of the instruments in the recording appear that the bass and guitars
are more on the left side and the vocals on the right. The drums sound more
centred.
1 and half minutes into the song, George Harrison takes a guitar solo for 8 bars.
The walking bass line gives this song the famous 60s pop-rock sound. The outro
consists of the chorus being played through 3 times. Though not strictly a blues
song, there is nonetheless, a strong bluesy flavour here created by the almost
exclusive reliance on the I-IV-V chords. The tune has quite a large number of G
and D naturals in it especially considering that it is in the key of four sharps. The
C Major chord is very effective in outlining the climax of each verse where the
voices go into their falsetto. The final chord of the song is a classic ending on the
dominant 7 chord which is a jazz chord which tends to give the song an
interesting and pleasant ending.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney began writing this song in McCartney's living
room after they skipped school one day, with Paul writing the majority of this
song in September of 1962. The song also gave the kick-start to the rock-and-roll
rebellion as that kind of music had lost its touch in the 60s and this song was
able to light up the spark and start up a whole new era and genre. Tom Cruise
and Dustin Hoffman sing this song during a very powerful scene in the 1988
Oscar-winning film Rain Man.

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Claudia Ciccarello

http://www.recmusicbeatles.com/public/files/awp/ishst.html
http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2

The Beatles- Lucy in the Sky with

Diamonds
The song Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
was primarily written by John Lennon and
was released on The Beatles album Sgt
Pepper on the 1st of June, 1967. The
overall tone, structure and chord
development of this song is unusual. The
song changes between 3 different keys
and 2 different time signatures, 3/4 and 4/4. A for the placement of the
instruments in this song: the vocals, bass and guitars are all around. In the right
side of the sound, all of the instruments are featured. This is an odd way to
arrange the instruments however the stripped down and raw sound of the vocals
and guitars in the right side adds to the overall tone of the song.
The song starts in A Major on the 1st chord with the organ playing the 4-bar intro.
The organ continues that same pattern for the verse with the bass joining in and
the drums playing fill-ins for 19 bars. The bass plays chord notes in the verses
which is quite unusual. During the verses the tempo is quite slow and to the
audience it is easy to feel like you are floating or drifting.
The pre-chorus consists of a key change into B flat major and lasts for 13 bars
with the slide guitar and bass being the main focus here. The drum drives the
time and tempo change into the chorus with 3 solid beats of the kick drum. This
change of tempo and time signature alters the mood of the song and is very
interesting and keeps the listener on the edge of their seat.
In the chorus the key modulates to G Major. The organ, electric, acoustic, bass,
drums and vocals give it a large and full sound. The chorus lasts for 14 bars with
a walking bass line of arpeggios and the 1 st, 4th and 5th chords being played over
and over.
The outro is made up of the main line of the song being repeated for 8-bars until
it starts to fade out. It ends on the chord of A which is quite unusual considering
its not the dominant chord.
The vocals are constantly being modulated in this song due to the frequent key
changes which proves that it is quite a complicated song. In the chorus, the

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Claudia Ciccarello

harmonies are quite high which also relates to the message behind this song.
The overall tone of this song is very unique and unusual. Thanks to the
originality, this song is one of The Beatles most famous songs.
Many people thought this was about drugs, since the letters "LSD" are prominent
in the title, and John Lennon, who wrote it, was known to drop acid. In 1971
Lennon told Rolling Stone that he swore that he had no idea that the song's
initials spelt L.S.D. He added: "I didn't even see it on the label. I didn't look at the
initials." Paul McCartney later stated that it is "pretty obvious" that this song was
inspired by LSD. This song caused a lot of controversy and criticism due to the
content of the lyrics.
The lyrics and images are also heavily derived from Alice in Wonderland as
Lennon loved reading it and thought some of the story description would fit the
lyrics he had already started on. The images that are explained in the song were
inspired by the imagery in the book.

The Beatles- Lady Madonna

The Beatles released their song Lady
Madonna on the 15th of March, 1968. This
song is once again a very upbeat, happy
sounding song with a fast tempo. The form
this song is Intro, verse, verse, bridge,
verse, verse (instrumental), bridge
(instrumental), verse, verse
(instrumental), bridge, verse, outro (with
complete ending). It is unusual that the
verses are doubled up on more than one
occasion.

of

This song is in the key of A Major and unlike a lot of the other Beatles songs,
does not change key however the tune leans heavily on the two bluesy scale
notes of the flat third (C-natural) and flat seventh (G-natural) (Alan W. Pollack,
1997). The time signature is simple quadruple time (4/4).
The intro of the song consists of 4 bars of piano and drums. Paul McCartney, lead
singer, stated that while singing "Lady Madonna" he used what he characterized
as his "Elvis voice." These 4 bars really start the energetic and happy feel to this
song. The instruments used in this song are: tenor and baritone saxophone,
piano, guitar, bass, drums, nasal vocalising (brass instruments) and vocals. All of
these instruments contribute to the rich sound. The piano riff is a prominent
feature within the entire song, especially in the choruses and helps set the happy
tone. Many songs by The Beatles, including this one, have a walking bass line
which accompanies the melody and makes the song flow. The slowest sounding
part of the song is when the lyrics are see how they run. There is a four part
vocal harmony in these parts and single chords played underneath to bring out

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Claudia Ciccarello

the vocals.
During one of the verses, John, Paul and George fake a brass solo by singing
through their cupped hands. This adds an original touch to the song. In more
recent releases of Lady Madonna the saxophone solo played by Ronnie Scott,
has been pushed to the front of the mix. This is supposedly due to complaints by
Scott that it was barely audible.
The outro is a basic piano riff similar to what is played in the bridge. The song
ends on chord I of the key (A) however it appears that the chord is played in first
inversion because the bottom note in the chord sounds like a C# which is the
third above A. Despite the fact that it is quite short in length, this song provides
the audience with a simple, catchy and upbeat tune to dance to.
As for the meaning behind the lyrics in this song, McCartney said that Lady
Madonna is a tribute to women everywhere. It was inspired by a picture of an
African woman suckling her kid, over the caption "Mountain Madonna." The song
was recorded in 5 different takes with the first three tracks being a basic rhythm
track with only McCartney on piano and Ringo on drums with brushes. The genre
of this song is rocknroll with a bluesy type feel. Aretha Franklins version of this
song was used as the theme song for the TV series Grace Under Fire. The show
starred comedian Brett Butler and ran on ABC from 1993-1998.

http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/lady-madonna/
http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/DATABASES/AWP/lm.shtml