Thank you for the Great Explanation. The way the Beatles would overlap and Transition is something that Stunned me when I was 16 and 17.....and Stuns me today at 64. I cannot get enough of these ' Explanation Videos '. You did Well. thanks
I'll add that the verses' keys oscillate between Bmajor and Bminor. And that the final chorus actually doesn't modulate down to Amajor but remains in Bmajor as credenza1 said. Many people incorrectly think it modulates up a key, which i suppose can be forgiven as it's modulated downwards up until the final repetition. I feel as though the chorus key change downwards signifies a memory of Penny Lane and the final chorus is a musical statement that he's actually there. That's how i hear it anyway :)
Perhaps one of the most interesting songs by the Beatles. If you sit and immerse yourself in both music and lyrics you get a magnificent musician and a lyricist with a creative range usually reserved for master poets because Paul . just throws formulas in the garbage and invents his own stanza. . This is one of the greatest lyrics ever written because it is so difficult to phrase and resolve "He likes to keep his fire engine clean, It's a clean machine. (and there's also double meaning here) The lyrics were a direct counter-tone to Strawberry Field. Paul saying "Hey , we also HAD good times ... ya know? the rhymes are so childlike and yet poignant . "And the banker never wears a Mac... in the pouring rain .... " and he resolves it with a hell of a rhyme "pouring Rain ... Very strange" All the places mentioned WERE there and it was a Teen pick up hang out , so the song carries a few Liverpudlian ditties " This is pure lyrical genius: Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes. A four of fish and finger pies < silly uh ? well not when you realize it means a boy fingering a girl" Then that magnificent Piccolo Trumpet Paul had just heard the night before on the telly on a "Bach's concerto" But.... as if that is not enough. The trumpet player gets a call to do a small piece for The Beatles. And THAT piece was so high and so clean . no musician believed it had not been altered. Nope, just another average musician bringing out his very best in front of the boys.
Hi Ari, I had my Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery, went well and I'm able to play as long as I like now without stopping and shaking out my hand. I'm going to have it done on the other wrist also. It gave me my life back. It's been about 3 months since the left hand has been worked on, can't even see a scar. A little numbness in my middle finger which they say will eventually go away. Hallelujah!
The influence of Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" on Paul's writing is very clear here - the stepping motion of the root notes, and the gradual modulation throughout the verse, are both very reminiscent of that Brian Wilson song.
I knew they were influenced by their contemporaries like the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. I guess even they learn from their peers. Thanks for that insight, Tom!
Just because you see similarities doesn't necessarily mean that there was any influence. How do you know that Paul was influenced by "God Only Knows": when writing "Penny Lane"?
It's a pretty safe assumption - Paul heard Pet Sounds in 1966 and it had a profound impact on his songwriting and bass-playing. He and George Martin have acknowledged that without Pet Sounds there would be no Sgt Pepper - it's not a great leap to assume that this also includes the corresponding Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane single. Paul's also said he considers God Only Knows to be the best song ever written. Then the actual similarity between the songs reinforces this - in addition to the chord progression and bass movement, the tempo and shuffle feel are almost identical between both songs. It might be that he wasn't directly inspired by God Only Knows, but there's a lot of evidence for the possibility.
All you needed to say was before the chorus there is a downward shift modulation having the effect there is a fresh feeling and when the 2nd verse begins there was an upward modulation which greets us like a new day. Also finally there is now an upward shift for the last chorus which accompanied with piccolo and french horn or the like sounds celebratory and joyous :)
very well done ...love your clarity on the chord changes...I wonder if you seen The Beatles: a musical appreciation and analysis, by composer, Howard Goodall CBE...hes a classical composer and music historian and extremely well spoken, it's not long but very in-depth...he has a wonderful breakdown of Penny Lane which I am sure you will love and appreciate and yes "understand" more fully than I... thanks again Cheers
It's worth noting also that his walk down to F# (starting at 3:25) creates a sense of instability, as small as the changes are. That instability sets up that wonderful feeling of resolution when the key change and chorus comes around. That tension and release is something that's really missing from pop music today.
You are absolutely right. Tension and release create the sense of drama, and dramatic music takes you on a journey, as opposed to more static music which just creates and then sustains a particular mood. Dance music is an example of the latter, which is a perfectly valid approach, given that it's meant to create an environment in which people want to dance to. But for listening, it's less interesting. Music can serve more than one purposes and there are ways to optimize it for a given purpose.
Very much appreciate this kind of thing sir!!!! Thank you. It's the kind of thing I really only began thinking about around 10 years ago and I am 57. I can hardly play because I never dedicated myself sufficiently but I am a nuts and bolts kind of guy and even though I don't play that well I still study theory just for the joy of learning it. Thanks again!!!!
I'm trying to do something like this in one of my own songs since the verse melody is too low in keys that are comfortable for the chorus, and vice versa. Thanks for breaking it down... I'm on the right track in working in those modulations!
I feel the reason why Paul uses an E at 1:27 is to get down from the key of B in the verse to the A key for the chorus, which he needs to sing in A because this transitions naturally back to the B key again. If he didn't go down to A for the chorus he would end up at C# for the next verse.
This is where the modulation exists and the downward modulaion is where the new verse comes in making you feel like new beginnings but slightly wistful. This makes perfect sense as the lyrics are about Pauls youth growing up in an impoverished bombed out Liverpool with WWII being in the minds of millions of people. The people were very poor because of 2 world wars also they were very much in debt and food rations were going on long after the war ended however there was a great community spirit and people found some happiness despite having to live through this. Penny Lane is one of the greatest songs ever written and is what I call a perfect song meaning there is nothing you can change to make it any better just like God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.
Excellent, and in making those moves with theory will be chromatic tonal music and modulation. Although Paul couldn't read, write or understand harmony in music, he worked exclusively with his ear. After all, what the piece sounds like is the "thing".
Right, I use music theory to explain things (use it as the shared language) but it's not necessary to write great songs. These moves are not revolutionary and Paul could have learned them from other artists' songs. In general, the better the ear and musical instincts, the less theory you need, though having both is really the ultimate.
If you're going to criticize and say someone is doing the wrong chords have the decency of pointing out what the correct chords are otherwise you're just a whiny bitch creating bad karma for yourself and wasting everybody's time with your negativity.
Thank you for the Great Explanation. The way the Beatles would overlap and Transition is something that Stunned me when I was 16 and 17.....and Stuns me today at 64. I cannot get enough of these ' Explanation Videos '. You did Well. thanks
Very interesting. It is also worth mentioning that he changes the final chorus from A to B as a direct transposition.
That's true! That sort of transposition is fairly common but still it adds one more harmonic twist to this already twisty song.
I'll add that the verses' keys oscillate between Bmajor and Bminor. And that the final chorus actually doesn't modulate down to Amajor but remains in Bmajor as credenza1 said. Many people incorrectly think it modulates up a key, which i suppose can be forgiven as it's modulated downwards up until the final repetition.
I feel as though the chorus key change downwards signifies a memory of Penny Lane and the final chorus is a musical statement that he's actually there. That's how i hear it anyway :)
Perhaps one of the most interesting songs by the Beatles. If you sit and immerse yourself in both music and lyrics you get a magnificent musician and a lyricist with a creative range usually reserved for master poets because Paul . just throws formulas in the garbage and invents his own stanza. . This is one of the greatest lyrics ever written because it is so difficult to phrase and resolve
"He likes to keep his fire engine clean,
It's a clean machine. (and there's also double meaning here)
The lyrics were a direct counter-tone to Strawberry Field. Paul saying "Hey , we also HAD good times ... ya know?
the rhymes are so childlike and yet poignant . "And the banker never wears a Mac... in the pouring rain .... " and he resolves it with a hell of a rhyme "pouring Rain ... Very strange" All the places mentioned WERE there and it was a Teen pick up hang out , so the song carries a few Liverpudlian ditties "
This is pure lyrical genius:
Penny Lane is in my ears and in my eyes.
A four of fish and finger pies < silly uh ? well not when you realize it means a boy fingering a girl"
Then that magnificent Piccolo Trumpet Paul had just heard the night before on the telly on a "Bach's concerto" But....
as if that is not enough. The trumpet player gets a call to do a small piece for The Beatles. And THAT piece was so high and so clean . no musician believed it had not been altered. Nope, just another average musician bringing out his very best in front of the boys.
Those are good insights, thanks for sharing Mick!
great video! very informative. I look forward to watching more my friend.
This was great. Very helpful. Thanks!
Hi Ari, I had my Carpal Tunnel Release Surgery, went well and I'm able to play as long as I like now without stopping and shaking out my hand. I'm going to have it done on the other wrist also. It gave me my life back. It's been about 3 months since the left hand has been worked on, can't even see a scar. A little numbness in my middle finger which they say will eventually go away. Hallelujah!
That's great to hear! Thanks for the update. Play on! :-)
Thank you. Great job Ari! Subscribed!
Thank you. Nice explanation.
The influence of Beach Boys' "God Only Knows" on Paul's writing is very clear here - the stepping motion of the root notes, and the gradual modulation throughout the verse, are both very reminiscent of that Brian Wilson song.
I knew they were influenced by their contemporaries like the Beach Boys and the Rolling Stones. I guess even they learn from their peers. Thanks for that insight, Tom!
Just because you see similarities doesn't necessarily mean that there was any influence. How do you know that Paul was influenced by "God Only Knows": when writing "Penny Lane"?
It's a pretty safe assumption - Paul heard Pet Sounds in 1966 and it had a profound impact on his songwriting and bass-playing. He and George Martin have acknowledged that without Pet Sounds there would be no Sgt Pepper - it's not a great leap to assume that this also includes the corresponding Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane single. Paul's also said he considers God Only Knows to be the best song ever written.
Then the actual similarity between the songs reinforces this - in addition to the chord progression and bass movement, the tempo and shuffle feel are almost identical between both songs.
It might be that he wasn't directly inspired by God Only Knows, but there's a lot of evidence for the possibility.
Yeah, of course there was mutual influence. Pet Sounds was influenced by the Beatles too (by Rubber Soul).
Tom Christie very true and insightful!
All you needed to say was before the chorus there is a downward shift modulation having the effect there is a fresh feeling and when the 2nd verse begins there was an upward modulation which greets us like a new day. Also finally there is now an upward shift for the last chorus which accompanied with piccolo and french horn or the like sounds celebratory and joyous :)
Spot on Mickey! Indeed, you said it much more succinctly. Thanks!
I'd love to hear critics like this more often.
Beautiful analysis. Thank you!
very well done ...love your clarity on the chord changes...I wonder if you seen The Beatles: a musical appreciation and analysis, by composer, Howard Goodall CBE...hes a classical composer and music historian and extremely well spoken, it's not long but very in-depth...he has a wonderful breakdown of Penny Lane which I am sure you will love and appreciate and yes "understand" more fully than I... thanks again Cheers
Thanks Richard, I'll have to check it out. The Beatles sure had some sophistication.
Extraordinary documentary indeed. Very deep insight there.
It's worth noting also that his walk down to F# (starting at 3:25) creates a sense of instability, as small as the changes are. That instability sets up that wonderful feeling of resolution when the key change and chorus comes around. That tension and release is something that's really missing from pop music today.
You are absolutely right. Tension and release create the sense of drama, and dramatic music takes you on a journey, as opposed to more static music which just creates and then sustains a particular mood. Dance music is an example of the latter, which is a perfectly valid approach, given that it's meant to create an environment in which people want to dance to. But for listening, it's less interesting. Music can serve more than one purposes and there are ways to optimize it for a given purpose.
Really good analysis. Straightforward enough even I can understand
Thanks Matt! Check out the new one I just posted on I am the Walrus!
Ari Koinuma I will!
Very much appreciate this kind of thing sir!!!! Thank you. It's the kind of thing I really only began thinking about around 10 years ago and I am 57. I can hardly play because I never dedicated myself sufficiently but I am a nuts and bolts kind of guy and even though I don't play that well I still study theory just for the joy of learning it. Thanks again!!!!
You're welcome, it's never too late to learn something new!
One of my favorite parts of Penny Lane I now know is a key change. That is pretty kick ass and thank you for explaining that to us.
Really Great Teaching!
🙏🙏🙏
I'm trying to do something like this in one of my own songs since the verse melody is too low in keys that are comfortable for the chorus, and vice versa. Thanks for breaking it down... I'm on the right track in working in those modulations!
Modulations always add interest to a song, as long as it's incorporated competently. Good luck with your song!
Great analysis !
I feel the reason why Paul uses an E at 1:27 is to get down from the key of B in the verse to the A key for the chorus, which he needs to sing in A because this transitions naturally back to the B key again. If he didn't go down to A for the chorus he would end up at C# for the next verse.
That may be so -- maybe he was just trying to solve a problem. The solution turned out great.
This is where the modulation exists and the downward modulaion is where the new verse comes in making you feel like new beginnings but slightly wistful. This makes perfect sense as the lyrics are about Pauls youth growing up in an impoverished bombed out Liverpool with WWII being in the minds of millions of people. The people were very poor because of 2 world wars also they were very much in debt and food rations were going on long after the war ended however there was a great community spirit and people found some happiness despite having to live through this.
Penny Lane is one of the greatest songs ever written and is what I call a perfect song meaning there is nothing you can change to make it any better just like God Only Knows by the Beach Boys.
Excellent, and in making those moves with theory will be chromatic tonal music and modulation. Although Paul couldn't read, write or understand harmony in music, he worked exclusively with his ear. After all, what the piece sounds like is the "thing".
Right, I use music theory to explain things (use it as the shared language) but it's not necessary to write great songs. These moves are not revolutionary and Paul could have learned them from other artists' songs. In general, the better the ear and musical instincts, the less theory you need, though having both is really the ultimate.
very cool vid here friend
awesome channel
Fantastic. I just subscribed.
very good.
A for Effort, but I would have preferred a shorter clip that explains the brilliance succinctly.
Agreed, my more recent videos are shorter. Thanks for the feedback.
LOL....hee hee hee heee....Other than that, great explanation.
LOL thanks!
does it greek mode?
???
Niiiice job!!! Do the gloves help???
Thanks! I like to wear gloves to keep my hands warm.
"Penny Laney"
great vid, but kinda nasally vocals
yeah I'm aware of that. My singing is still a very much work in progress.
Try singing an octave down, you're hitting all the right notes anyway :) Great video.
Learn to play by ear and you can forget all this rubbish.
I agree on the learn to play by ear part. But music theory is pretty useful! th-cam.com/video/s-XsTSsw95Q/w-d-xo.html
Totally BS analysis. And John is not the weird one. You are :) You don't even know the right chords. You're playing the wrong chords.
If you're going to criticize and say someone is doing the wrong chords have the decency of pointing out what the correct chords are otherwise you're just a whiny bitch creating bad karma for yourself and wasting everybody's time with your negativity.
😵💫