Songs that don't use 4 bar phrases
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- Опубликовано: 6 сен 2024
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Most songs naturally breakdown into sets of either 16, 8 or 4 bars. However music certainly doesn't have to do this and many songs instead feature phrases and sections of irregular numbers of bars.
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Important note to add about Yesterday: The first word of the second verse is "Suddenly." It's more genius. Paul knows that that verse is starting a bar earlier than the normal convention of pop music would dictate and that it therefore begins suddenly. So the listener experiences a little jolt that parallels the narrator's sudden loss of his relationship.
Excellent point. A perfect pairing of lyric and music.
Maybe it was actually accidental word-painting!
@@wyattstevens8574 Well, in the B 2s' mid period you may find quite a lot of analogies between lyrics and music, especially in A Day In A Life. Even if the four guys weren't conscious of what they were doing in those cases, it was at least well-felt … and don't underestimate George Martin's influence on them, as he was classically trained in musicology as well as on the oboe.
The first bar of the verse is missing and so is the I-narrator's yesterday. It's gone, he cannot fix it anymore. And it's not just an affair amongst others. He really detects for the first time that a dimension called yesterday definitely exists, this really begins to dawn on him (Oh, Yesterday came suddenly - a statement that otherwise would not make much sense). Jumping from childhood to adulthood. It's an existential discovery.
Came here to say this. I noticed it first when I learned to play and sing the song.
These Beatles and Radiohead people make good music. You should feature them in more videos.
Idk I don’t think they’ll catch on
What is a Radiohead? 🤔
what do mean beatles
Most overrated groups of all time
guitar groups are on the way out
I was today years old when I realised that Yesterday has a 7 bar phrase. And I've been playing it over and over again in my head, counting in double-time, and half-time, trying to find out where it feels like it's been 'cut'. And I can't. That's crazy. And genius.
Yeah you don’t really feel it when listening to it, but when I learnt to play it on the piano the abnormal structure was more noticeable.
Me too!
And usually, phrases like that throw me totally off, I usually feel like I skipped or added some beats by failure when playing them.
But with Beatles, nah!
Haven't even noticed!
That gave me an interesting theory, I've been listening to Beatles since I was 7, and was a hardcore fan right from the start. Which means now, at 42, I've heard all their songs so many times it just feels natural. It's supposed to be that way. Because I ve got used to it, of course, but can it also be, that, like with many other things, we are more open for it when we're kids? I had already started playing instruments at that age, but I just didn't care about how many bars a phrase held.
Now, having played music all my life, irregular phrases (and bars) throw me off guard straight away.
But Beatles still sounds fine. 😁🤣
Isn't that weird?
@@danayang7712 Same here at 44 and as a drummer I throw some Ringo'isms in songs we write that my younger bandmates and not so hardcore Beatlemaniacs just don't catch on the first throw!!
One issue with this kind of music theory is that it's usually presented without explaining HOW these ideas manage it. For example, Yesterday is in 2 bar phrases, not 4 bar: it actually gets 7 bars by halving the length of the first phrase, helped out by the fact that it's the only bar which is exclusively the tonic. The melodies of the first three phrases all resolve: the first from G to the tonic, the second from A to D, the third from D to G. Then the last phrase ends on a plagal cadence to prevent it from sounding like the end of the song.
Of course, Paul didn't approach it by thinking "how can I write a 7-bar phrase", or any of the above, but that's what he wound up with. The idea of "tagging on" a bar (or cutting a bar from an 8-bar phrase) will have never even been considered.
@@IncredibleGoliath Excellently put. And, thank you. You've discovered where it has been 'cut'. You're damn right. It's only the first phrase, the titular refrain, that is one bar long. The rest are two bars. That's what I was looking for, and couldn't spot, because of how expertly crafted and well-hidden the 'anomaly' is.
Of course, as you say, Paul wasn't thinking in terms of uneven bars of phrasing when conjuring this magic. But he 'fooled' the theory nerd in me, and I can only give him (and you for not being 'fooled') immense credit!
Speaking of Queen, Don't Stop Me Now is another one that uses 5 bar phrases, but for most of the song. It's impressive how smoothly integrated it is that it doesn't sound jarring or feel like it's stretching.
That’s the first example I thought of. Maybe it’s the combination of an extra bar and the fast tempo? Or just Queen making anything sound natural XD
@@xenontesla122 I personally think it's in the chord progression that makes the odd length phrase sound smooth. That, and how well-structured the composition is to go along with each chord.
@@santoriomaker69 how it’s arranged and performed is most of the structure for how it sounds smooth for sure
I especially like Bjork's Hyperballad... firstly the bass enters seemingly playing 3 bars, but when Bjork starts singing we realise the three notes of the bass are actually one 3/4 (3/2?) bar. But then if you count her lines... she sings 10 bars before she starts the chorus!
I love it!
Also Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" uses 11 bar structuring in both the verse and chorus!
Kiss from a Rose is another great example! The verses are in 5-bar phrases.
Kiss From a Rose is a masterpiece of a pop song. 27 years later, I never tire of it.
When I saw Bowie in the thumbnail, I guessed that Ashes to Ashes would be the example you talked about. However, I was expecting you to talk about its outro rather than the intro, because the outro has the added detail that the harmony repeats every three bars, but the vocals repeat every four bars.
So the vocal phrase begins on a different chord every time it loops:
|[Bbm] My mama said, to |
|[Ab] get things done, you |
|[Ebm] better not mess with |
|[Bbm] Major Tom... |
|[Ab] My mama said, to |
|[Ebm] get things done, you |
|[Bbm] better not mess with |
|[Ab] Major Tom... |
|[Ebm] My mama said, to |
|[Bbm] get things done, you |
|[Ab] better not mess with |
|[Ebm] Major Tom... |
Last Nite by The Strokes is another example of a 5-bar phrase
Babooshka by Kate Bush is another example for 6-bar phrase
Ban All The Music by Nothing But Thieves is a good example of mixing it up within the chorus section of the song
@Dustin Void that's actually the first song that came to my mind before clicking the video, i love it, one of my favs from the strokes
Another cool thing about Ashes To Ashes is at the end, he repeats a 4-line phrase, but does it over a 3-line melody, so no line gets repeated at the same melody. “My mother said/to get things done/you better not mess with/Major Tom.”
Exactly what I was going to say. (Well, it’s actually a four-bar melody repeated over a three-bar chord sequence to be precise).
@@PANTECHNICONRecordings Is it a 4-bar melody though? The melody repeats every three lines, though the lyrics repeat every four.
@@wgb01001 No, the melody spans four bars (the downbeats are on “my”, “get” “better” and “Major”)
@@PANTECHNICONRecordings Yes I know this. But the MELODY repeats every three lines. The melody of the MY mother says and MAJOR Tom lines are the same. The melody is 3 bars. The lyrics repeat every 4.
You know the video's gonna be a good one when Macca's in the thumbnail :)
I don't think he's done a video without at least one Beatle or Radiohead reference.
More like you know it's a David Bennet video when Macca's in the thumbnail.
@@zdoesgame David Bennett = Good video, they're the same thing
Awwwww q😅😅and 😅 a😊q😅😊😅😅😅😅a😅😅 😅 aaa
I was gonna say the same thing, lol
I always loved that the shortness of bars in the beginning Yesterday is then followed by Paul singing the word 'suddenly'. Clever songwriting. I think you did another video touching on artists who use words in this way in songs (the obvious being when a singer says 'stop' and the music stops e.g uptown funk)
Clever writing of lyrics to music would be a more appropriate way to express the fact.
Isn’t that painting with words?
@@maetzchenmusik isn't that what I said?
Maybe this instance of word-painting is an accident. David has a full video about "How much theory did the Beatles know?"
@@scartissue121 Surely you did so. I just wanted to make sure that lyrics aren't usually set to music in pop. Rather, one thinks about words to musical ideas.
I always found that 3 or 5 bar loops have a very cyclical feeling as opposed to 4 bar loops, which, to me, doesn't feel like it "loops" so much as it tells a linear story through musical notes. 4 bars feels like there is a beginning and end to the melody; 3 bars feels like it keeps swirling over itself, and beginning and end overlap. 5 bars feels like I got to hear a little more of the melody than I was meant to, only to start it again.
@@AJBlueJay funny, I like the way the music I described sounds. I like when things are off
The outro music you started doing in these videos is always a treat, but I especially loved today's. Could hear the principles you discussed in the video clearly, and the radiohead style perfectly compliments that kind of uneasy feeling that can come from the subversion of how you expect the piece to play out. Phenomenal!
Beautiful outro song indeed!
The intro to Massive Attack's "Teardrop" uses a looping three-bar phrase before switching to four bars for the verse.
Everybody Wants to Rule the World by Tears for Fears is in 3 bar phrases. Same with the chorus section the The Police's Roxanne.
Is it? I counted Everybody Wants To Rule The World and got 4-bar phrases, just that the melody sits in the second half of the bar so it feels offset to the usual phrasing.
Foo Fighters are really good at implementing this in their songs. Time like These, as David mentioned, uses 3 bar phrases in both the riff and the chorus. Everlong uses 7 bar phrases in the verses and 3 bar phrases in the prechorus, which sounds awesome. And All My Life uses 7 bar phrases in the chorus.
The Beatles were like the rebels of conventional songwriting wisdom/theory, they would do the opposite of what others thought was "proper" and make it work! This is one of the reason's why I'm confident AI will not overtake or ruin music, it doesn't have the reasoning ability to make these types of writing decisions such as irregular phrase lengths or other neat tricks.
I always liked how the chorus of “Here Today” by The Beach Boys lasts seven bars, with the premature ending coming right as the line “its here and gone so fast” is sung. I doubt it was an intentional composition choice by Brian, but it’s pretty brilliant.
Awesome thanks David! The reason why writers can get away with this technique without sounding too jarring is because they are pairing these phrases in sets of two which eventually adds up to even bar counts. 3x2, 5x2, 7x2, etc.
A really well-known example of irregular phrase lengths from the classical music world is Chopin's Etude in E Major Op 10 No 3, the main section with it's incredibly famous melody is in four phrases, that are 5, 3, 5, and 7 bars long respectively...
About Ashes To Ashes, what I like most is the last part of the song... the loop where the music has 3 bars and the lyrics have 4 bars.
So it revolves around... after 12 bars it's "in sync" again 🙂
1) My mother said
2) to get things done
3) you better not mess
4) with Major Tom
1) My mother said
2) to get things done
3) you better not mess
4) with Major Tom
1) My mother said
2) to get things done
3) you better not mess
4) with Major Tom
1) My mother said
2) to get things done
3) you better not mess
4) with Major Tom
....
....
(3 bar loop goes on without lyrics)
Yes! Sorry for pestering you about this for so long 😅
First time I counted out Kate Bush's "Wuthering Heights" I've been obsessed ever since.
The piano at the end is stunning. I would have listened for at least another four or five minutes. Probably more.
The Four Horsemen/Mechanix by Metallica/Megadeth has a verse riff built on a 7-bar loop.
The middle section of Natural Science by Rush is also built on a 7-bar progression.
I have used this in my writing. I think anything that is unexpected but gratifying is a plus. Great vid Thanks for the affirmation.
Thank you 😊
Me and Your Mama and Redbone both have incredible outros. definitely some of the best ive ever heard, and it isn't often you can definitively say something like that
Strange Overtones by David Byrne & Brian Eno is a great example. It's built on a ten-bar progression.
Great song!
The unanticipated jump to "suddenly" in "Yesterday" is genius -- the music surprises you and the lyrics reflect it beautifully.
Pop songs with irregular phrasing
Cars - Gary Numan
Kiss from a Rose - Seal
Girls Just Want to Have fun - Cyndi Lauper (5 bar phrase and the whole song has unusual structure)
Peek a Boo - Devo
Sanctuary - Madonna (overlapping & irregular phrasing)
In the Closet - Michael Jackson
Young and Proud - Ace of Base
Thursday's Child - David Bowie
Naughty Girls - Samantha Fox
Let the Music Play - Shannon
Virtual Insanity - Jamiroqai
Break me Shake Me - Savage Garden
Spiderwebs - No Doubt
Two Princes - Spin Doctors
& of course lots of Beatles songs
surprised to see a mention of Thursday's Child! I have a soft spot for Bowie's more unpopular eras.
The ending solo of Deerhunter's Desire Lines uses a 5 bar pattern, which really helps the ending section have a sense of constant motion
I love how you demonstrate the topic of your video even during the sponsorship part
The BEST channel! Explains music
Thanks!
Thank you for making this video. I never thought there would be a difference between irregular phrases and uncommon time signatures. I always put them hand in hand
David Bennet...you are an inspiration to music lovers and players.
Taking apart music pieces and examining them in depth. You are an old head on young shoulders. Thankyou.
One of the best Music Channels! Keep it up with the good content 👏
I've learned more watching your channel than I did in music theory class! Another great video!!👍👍👍
😃😃😃😃
This is the exact mechanism used in jazz when they employ alterations on dominant chords and sometimes alter the bass note. The macro alteration is stronger and more intense in this case because uneven bass motion creates a feeling of unease similar to the use of odd meters. For instance, we normally use V7alt to tonicize Imin because it borrows from bVImin. But, if we also alter the bass note itself and translate the chord up or down a half step we can create an even stronger tension that has an even higher divergence. That’s why Wayne will typically use bVI7 or bV7 to lead into new sections.
last time adam neely briefly brought up this topic i immediately created a track with this kinda idea in mind (i used 3 bars per measure/phrase), but i havent really played with the idea since, so thanks for reminding me about this concept my guy :guuut: time to make 40 tracks in a row with 5 bars per phrase /j
update; damn i didnt even notice how common this kind of thing is, so as it turns out i actually should play with this concept............ 9.4 phrase length anyone?
- "Infinity 2008" is an electronic classic that plays 5 bar phrases through the entire track.
- "Opus" by Eric Prydz made of 6 bar phrases, and starts from the 3rd one
Also the original Infinity (by Guru Josh) from 1989 has these five bar phrases. (Although there are breaks in between the main chorus that are four bars..) This is pretty uncommon for a dance track since you often want to be able to mix them with (and layer on top of) other tracks that typically have 4 or 8 bar phrases.
You should do a whole video dedicated to Tame Impala. He's such a talented composer, and uses "tricks" as one of his main techniques. Tons of interesting stuff to cover in almost every song, and such a diverse sound across his albums.
You're right lots of 3 bars loops, and also an awesome 5 bars loops in Runways, Houses, City, Clouds
Damn. I got too high expectations to Tame Impala after reading your comment. Not my cup of tea unfortunately.
@@egilsandnes9637 There are four albums, each with a unique sound. What kind of music do you like normally?
@@elijahderinger7080 I like most music. Favourites are Bach, Pink Floyd, Liszt, all sorts of jazz, Sevish, Bel Canto, several Norwegian singer songwriters, Røyksopp, Rachmaninov ... just to name a very few from the top of my head.
I guess the two things that didn't really hit me right with Tame Impala is the general sound (That quickly got a bit stale I think) and the melodies (or lack thereof). To be fair I only listened to the first 5-6 tracks of the album Currents, and Runaway Houses City Clouds. I quickly got frustrated by both melody, timbre and harmony.
@@egilsandnes9637 i would not listen to currents or the slow rush then, give innerspeaker and lonerism a shot, im always a strong advocate of listening to the full album, he has a very cohesive sound, but only for the individual albums. lonerism is pretty widely regarded his best
I've never thought deeply of how many bar phrases should be used. This video is a great inspiration into a new wave of creativity that I didn't know was possible. Thanks David for spreading your wisdom
Listen to/write out Let It Happen’s four three-bar phrases into three four-bar phrases, and it’s perfectly fine. To my ear, it actually sound ps more like the intention of the music.
Similarly, Bowie’s throws in bars that are all rests, plus the one “extra”, just makes it a series of 5 bar phrases.
David! I just noticed you're nearly 3/4 of the way to 1M subs. Waltzin' your way there. Highly deserved and I love the covers you use for your vids.
Making a song in 3 bar sections! :D Thank you david!
Great!
I'd like to point out that Devo's "Gut Feeling" delivers a great five bar phrase for all but the chorus.
excellent example
Banger
gouge away by pixies is a really clear good example of a 5 loop bar, such an awesome song
And Tame is an excellent example of 3. Frank Black uses this technique very frequently.
That’s who I hoped he’d talk about. Wave of Mutilation does it too.
also, I've been tired uses a three bar loop
and tony's theme uses a 5
Fascinating. I've thought a lot about different meters, but not about how different phrase lengths can affect the Melody.
And your piano solo at the end is beautiful, as usual, David.
Just the kind of stuff I've been getting into as a songwriter! One of my favorite examples of writing like this comes from MARINA's song "Froot", which features a 20 bar chorus which I only found out by accident in counting
I find this topic so interesting. One of my favourite examples is “Worst Comes to Worst” by dilated peoples. Like most hip hop songs, the instrumental is a loop but on this track its 3 bars and it sounds so cool especially because barely any other hip hop tracks do that
also electric relaxation and lyrics to go by atcq, stakes is high and much more by de la soul, mind blowin bu pepe rock
Beautiful outro music - can I listen to the whole piece somewhere?
And great video and videos in general, keep it up!
I love these videos because they tell me what I'm actually hearing. Every single one of these songs mentioned I know and have liked for the reasons he explains I've just never been able to explain why myself. Now I can explain. If I'm honest I don't truly get the bars thing but I will. I'm enjoying these deep dives into music theory. It's where I belong. 🙂
Collapse the light into earth by porcupine tree has a nice 5 bar loop, follow me by muse also does the same thing in the bridge where an extra 2 bars gets added on to an 8 bar progression for resolving the sustained dominant 5th, follow me's verses also are in an 18 bar structure. Also that 3x5 + 1 structure was also used pretty well in the song plug in baby too.
One interesting use of skipping a bar is to imply a rhyme that's too "naughty" to say in recording; examples include "Shaving Cream" by Benny Bell & Doctor Demento, and "The Bumble Invaded a Nudist Colony" by Billy Mitchell, each doing it once every verse. Bowser & Blue took it a step further with "Polkadot Undies," skipping three naughty words per verse.
I was solving a crossword puzzle while watching in, and I was filling in BOWIE right when you got to "Ashes to Ashes". Strange...
Am glad you finally covered this. I find this effect far more interesting than, say, odd time signatures.
Music has a lot more in common with poetry in its structure. Poems can have phrases of different metrical length, and ones like limericks where the phrases have very different lengths as well. It's a fun thing to investigate -- easier if you write the lyrics first then try to fit music to them.
I think the topic of this video is more about "persuading". If I am persuaded that the song is complete and smooth, I don't need to ask myself, if there is 4/8/16 bars in a section.
I am glad that Queen made it into this video. I am (unfortunately) not a fan of Beatles, and a song of Queen always make my day.
One of my favorite examples of this is Hard Lesson by Suddenly, Tammy! which has 4-bar phrases in the verse and a sudden switch to 3-bar phrases in the chorus. It has a surprisingly jarring effect that is hard to point to exactly unless you know what you're listening for.
Thumbs up. Love this. Exploring what I don't know but love. Music's language. Laid out in visual form with concise explanations.
Another song that uses a repeating, albeit longer, uneven bar structure is house of the rising sun which is divided into 22 bar sections. From the beginning of one verse to the next, it is divided to 8+6+8, although it can also be perceived as 8+8+6.
I like how when yesterday is “skipping a bar” the first time he sings “suddenly” because we are to the start earlier than expected
Devo has a good one called “Gut Feeling”. It’s a 5 Bar phrase, and the chord progression has a very diminished, unsettling sound. 👍
Tori Amos' song Spark does 6 bars of 3/4 in the intro, then in the verse adds beats to extend certain vocal phrases to a very neat effect in my opinion. :)
Another neat device in Ashes to Ashes is in the coda: he sings a 4-bar repeating passage over the same repeating 3 chords, so as the lyrical and harmonic loops go in and out of phase, he changes the melody of each line to math the chord it is over, creating a longer 12-bar loop-really cool!
Bowie employs a similar trick in Moonage Daydream. The verse chords repeat a 5 chord progression, but it is played as if each 4 chords are a phrase of a longer progression, and the lyrics are sung in 4-bar phrases.
It's funny how The Beatles is probably the biggest mainstream band ever, but they have some of the most bothering and frequent wars on conventional music composition. Keys, bars, time signatures. The list goes on. Would compositions that odd succeed today? Who knows, they're interesting and catchy.
And talking about key changes, I've been spamming too many comments about Symphony X on this channel, but I only recently realized how curious their compositions are. I just thought of them as prog metal band that has a lot of neoclassical vibes, but they really have a lot of variation built in. Of course there are a couple of well recognized classical themes put in as a sort of easter egg and marrying rock and prog into it, but I didn't even realize until I started learning some song that it's not rare that there's a main theme to the song, for example verse, and every time it plays it's in a different key. But I never picked it up when listening because it's the same melody and there's been a bit since the last time and the song travelled to a different place, but it seamlessly knit the theme to the new part. Having different patterns drop a beat, having odd bar number, odd signatures, odd sectioning etc. But somehow they make it sound groovy, which to me is unbelievable. To listen to something that's by design interrupting your brain's ability to go into snooze mode, yet not have it stand out too much, but instead make you admire the keyboard melodies and tap your foot to rhythms. And then you realize that it was a complicated pattern that just sounded like it flows naturally.
The very populair 80s MTV-song Heat Of The Moment from Asia is a fast 3/4, 3/4, 4/4 loop from the start, with the only the chorus in 4/4.
I remember, it was an impossible song to dance through, apart from that chorus.
I recently found out why, after not hearing (or better: listening to) that song in decades.
The chorus (the "I slipped and I got pulled" section) of "Pulled Up" by Talking Heads is four three-bar phrases.
Can't believe you made this video without mentioning Hey Ya! by Outkast.
10:09 It's actually more of a 6 bar phrase, because the first is Dm the second time around. You can hear a sort of soft high pitched synth switching from F# to F and back for each chord, but because there are three chords, it takes two rotations to come back around. It goes F# over the D chord, then F over the Gm chord, making it Gm7, and then F# over the Em7(b5), making it Em9(b5). Then it goes to F over the D chord, and being the only third, makes it a Dm chord.
Slipknot's Nero Forte has a middle section where it's a repeating pattern of 3 bars each of four beats, it's all just a single rhythm played across all the instruments but Corey does something with his vocals where for the first repetition, his phrases are four beats long, and then the next repeat they're 3 beats, and the next loop they're two beats, so he gets more lines out and increases the pace of the song even though the tempo and rhythm isn't changing in the instrumental at all
I love how "Tic Tic Tac" (The original by Carrapicho, not the Chili version) has a AA-BB-CC-DDD-structure. That extra "D-section" elevates the mood I think.
another idea that i would love to see one of your lovely inspiring videos on, songs where the chorus is in a different key or mode, many complex songs, use this and its mysterious what the different techniques may be... examples would be, what a fool believes, golden lady, and So many more, seems to be a lot from the mid to late 80s through the 80s... another example, Night Fever, a number of bee gees songs do this... what are the tricks that make these changes work and what are the variences that create different effects.
Thanks for the great videos!
One of Russia's most famous female rock/alternative singers of the present time, Zemfira (Земфира), LOVES unusual structures like this, irregular number of bars. The best example is, probably, her song "Так и оставим" ("Let's Leave It as Is"). I really recommend listening to her music
That outro was beautiful!
You failed to mention Meshuggah on the Polyrhythm and Polymeter video, and now on this video…
Despite that, great video as always!
I've been waiting for someone to make a video covering this!!
The chorus from hey by pixies does this when cycling G, Em and Bm.
Alot of songs on the doolittle album use odd counts of prases.
Gouge away uses a 5 bar progression thoughout and wave of mutilation uses a 3 bar in the intro and chorus.
There are many other examples, but I digress.
Nice video man! :)
and now I'm learning a compo secret from one of my fav artists Tame Impala,
really can't get enough of your video, many thanks for producing them, it is fantastic!
Hey David! Another amazing video! I really enjoy these. You make these concepts so palatable and easy to use and understand.
Would you be able to make one on different uses of the III chord, i.e. chromatic mediants? I feel like you’d be able to make a really informative video on it.
Thanks! I’ve got a video planned on chromatic mediants actually. 😊
I find that sometimes, irregular phrases can actually add to the power of a song. In the song Cambaz by Turkish rock band Mor ve Ötesi, the verses go with a 4-2-4-4 bar phrase pattern. The first and third phrase are the lyrical sections. The second phrase has some power chords played with the rhythm guitar as a sudden powerful switch-up in the comparatively pretty calm verse, and the fourth phrase is the second phrase played twice in a row as a powerful transition to the chorus. Only the verses have this switch-up, but it feels like it keeps the song fresher and more consistent in power, which is super cool.
as always perfect man
Interestingly, I’ve noted that in some of Tally Hall and Miracle Musical’s songs they actually use six bars almost as much as eight bars. This is most notable in Ruler of Everything’s chorus and The Mind Electric’s bridge.
Don't stop me now has 5 bars phrases in the verse
Great video!!
(I Want You) She’s So Heavy’s outro was also into 6/8 time, and it never resolves because John decided to just cut the tape after a few minutes of that loop since it was the end of the side in it’s original vinyl form, and he thought a sudden cut would sound better than fading it out (The second side also ends with a tape cut because they tacked on the excised Her Majesty, but that cuts because if it didn’t we’d get the start of Polythene Pam, where it was originally edited into the side two medley before they felt it was a poor fit and removed it.)
That Bowie cover sounds really cool! I'll have to look it up later
In your example, Let it Happen by Tamon Parlor has the 3 bar repeated phrase but if you listen to it, it repeats 4 times that gives it symmetry
Always interesting and unusual ways of looking at how music works I am always impressed by your videos and your insight. Please keep up the amazing work.
Pavement "Cut Your Hair" is based on a 3 bar pattern, as are A Tribe Called Quest's "Electric Relaxation" and De La Soul's "Stakes Are High", and several Pixies songs.
One of the first songs I noticed irregular phrasing in was Are You Bored Yet? by Wallows. They're a pretty standard indie rock group, but they've got this one song thrown in with 3-bar phrases and it makes it sound pretty unique.
DUUUUDE that Ashes to Ashes example blew my mind! Bowie was a frickin' genius.
Gut Feeling by DEVO is a 5 bar loop and as instruments keep getting added throughout the into it creates the sense of continuous upward movement.
Two other Beatles songs are Glass Onion, which is 9 bars in the verses, and Fool On The Hill, which sounds has an initial 7 bars in D Major, then 8 in D Minor with a ninth bar going back to D major before it repeats
4:00 - Heart of Glass is a curious song to have irregular meter, since it’s a fairly-disco-ish dance song. Might throw off “ordinary-plebe dancers!”
first thing I thought when I saw the title was "Oh man is he gonna use Let it Happen?!" LOVE tame impala man
Thank you! I could never quite put my finger on what made About Damn Time so punchy.
😊😊😊😊
Definitely using this 🙏
I had always noted the jolt in “Heart of glass” but never thought much of it. Nice analysis! Have you analysed how few “pop” songs use 3/4 or 6/8 time. Ocean Colour Scene’s “The Riverboat Song” is a great 6/8 example. And The Stranglers Golden Brown is a masterpiece of time signatures
I love the 6-bar chorus of “Voulez-Vous” by ABBA
Oh!! That’s what I look for in my own songs, a standard I use to sort interesting ideas from cliche ideas
i’ve noticed a few strokes songs do this with 5 (or 10 depending how you count) bar phrases. last nite’s verses, electricityscape’s chorus’ and alone togethers verses (though sometimes they drop in an extra 2 bars making some 7 bar phrases)
Trying your luck as well
@@3xtan327 Jules clearly loves his 5's!!