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Kayla Bishop MMAJ 424 The Beatles Abbey Road Due: October 31, 2013

The album I chose to analyze for this paper is Abbey Road by the Beatles. The music of the Beatles during the mid 1960s

to the early 1970s is worth analyzing because they changed into a more mature and personal band. scene, Beatlemania was huge. When the Beatles came onto the There songs consisted of cute, They

romantic, love lyrics that attracted the young audiences.

finally broke away from Beatlemania and started writing about serious topics. Some of these topics included drug references Also after

or psychedelics, sex, and personal life situations.

Beatlemania they started including other instruments into their songs. For example, they started to put string sections into The Beatles also started to distort their guitars

some songs.

to make a raw sounding song and included a raw singing voice to accentuate that change. Understanding what the underlying meanings of the Beatles music will help us understand what the Beatles were trying to get across to their audience. This will also help us understand the different codes involved in their lyrics, for example, drug

references.

The content of this paper is important in many ways

and focused on the Beatles album Abbey Road. I will be giving a brief history of the Beatles band members and a brief history of their album Abbey Road. I will also be including the critical

reactions to this specific album, both old and new, and both good and bad. Before I give an analysis of the songs from the

album Abbey Road I will explain the semiotic critical framework. This will include concepts and definitions to help aid the understanding of the song analyses. The Beatles band members included John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. John Lennon was

born October 9, 1940 in Liverpool and was the founding member of the Beatles. His parents were Julia and Alfred Lennon. Lennon His

had a rough childhood and lived with his aunt for a while.

father took him away from his aunt. Eventually Lennons mother found him and gave him back to his aunt that he lived with for another 20 years. His mother was supportive of his musical

interests and eventually taught him how to play the banjo. Lennon went to Quarry-Bank High School in Liverpool. He then

went on to study in college at the Liverpool College of Art but unfortunately was thrown out his senior year. Lennon married In his

Yoko Ono in 1969 and they went solo together in 1970.

music he confronted the feelings he had about his mother and

included songs about social protests and anti-war movements. After he retired his second son was born and he was a devoted stay at home father. Lennon arose from retirement in 1980 and Lennon

released songs that he had written on a trip to Bermuda. was murdered by Mark Chapman December 8, 1980.

This was only

three months after the release of his album Double Fantasy (John Lennon). Paul McCartney was born June 18, 1942 in Liverpool. parents were Mary and James McCartney. His

McCartney met George

Harrison at the Liverpool Institute, the school they both attended. McCartneys mother was a midwife and supported the At the age of fourteen, his mother died of His

family well. embolism.

McCartneys father encouraged him to be musical.

father bought him his first acoustic guitar after his fourteenth birthday. McCartney mainly taught himself. His first live

performed song was Long, Tall Sally.

In July 2011, McCartney Also in

played two sold out concerts at the Yankee Stadium. 2011 he married Nancy Shevell.

In 2012 McCartney Closed Queen

Elizabeths Diamond Jubilee Concert, closed the summer Olympics and played with the closing act for The Concert for Sandy Relief (Paul McCartney). George Harrison was born February 25, 1943 in Liverpool. His parents were Louise and Harold Harrison. He lived a very

poor childhood.

He attended the Liverpool institute.

Harrisons father bought him his first guitar but at the same time was not very supportive of his sons musical interest. fathers friend taught him how to play the guitar and got him interested in rock and roll. Soon Harrison formed a skiffle Harrison On December Abram His

band with his brother Peter and a close friend. recorded solo work during and after the Beatles. 30, 1999 Harrison was attacked by Michael Abram.

punctured Harrisons lung with a knife and caused gave him head injuries. He was said to have more that 40 stab wounds. The lung

Eventually Harrison was diagnosed with lung cancer.

cancer called metastatic non-small cell lung cancer spread to his brain and eventually died from it (George Harrison). Ringo Starr was born July 7, 1940 in Liverpool. parents were Elsie and Richard Starkey. His

Starrs father was an Starr had a very

alcoholic and his parents eventually divorced. sickly childhood.

When he was six years old he had an

unbearable twelve month recovery from Appendicitis and Peritonitis. This twelve month recovery caused him to fall into a coma for three days. In 1953 he caught Tuberculosis and had The medical staff there

to stay in the hospital for two years. got him interested in drumming. stimulate his motor-activity.

The medical staff wanted to Starrs hospitalization caused

him to fall behind scholastically.

When Starr entered the work

force, he ended up as a machinist at a Liverpool equipment manufacturer. His musical interest sparked when he became

interested in the skiffle craze (Ringo Starr). Abbey Road was the Beatles eleventh studio album. album was the Beatles last recorded album. This

They recorded the Abbey Road was

album from February 22, 1969 to August 20, 1969.

released in the United Kingdom on September 26, 1969 and in the United States on October 1, 1969. George Martin agreed to

record this album with the Beatles after the death of Brian Epstein, the Beatles first manager. A bulk of this album was Though

recorded between the months of July and August 1969.

most of the Let It Be album was recorded before Abbey Road, Abbey Road was still released before the album Let It Be. Although this album was released before Let It Be, the Beatles still considered Abbey Road as their last album. There were

some issues between the band members during the recording of Abbey Road that was a sign of the bands dissolution. During

the recording, Lennon was working with another band at the same time. album. Lennon and McCartney both had different visions for the Lennon did not like Abbey Road and made a jab at The

McCartney saying that it was music for grannies to dig.

two eventually made a compromise (Abbey Road).

I think this

compromise was the reason for the mixed reviews of the album. Some people viewed this album as inauthentic and criticized the production. William Mann said that the album will be

called gimmicky by people who want a record to sound exactly like a live performance. Ed Ward called the album complicated Nik Cohn stated

and that the Beatles sound was artificial.

that individually the songs in the album are nothing special. Albert Goldman said this is not one of the Beatles greatest albums, but also thought that the two sides of the album seem symbolic to the Beatles. Robert Christgau said that the album The songs were He also states

was captivating and flawed but fine.

breathtakingly recorded stated John Mendelsehn.

that the Beatles unified seemingly countless musical fragments and lyrics into a uniformly wonderful suit. As you can see,

these reviews are from two different spectrums (Abbey Road). In retrospect, Abbey Road is said to be the Beatles greatest album. Nicole Pensiero said that the album is an

amazingly cohesive piece of music, innovative and timeless. One comment made from Neil McCormack is very interesting, the last love letter to the world. He also used expressive

adjectives to explain the album including lush, rich, smooth, epic, emotional and utterly gorgeous. Abbey Road was on the

list of the All-Time 100 Albums in Time Magazine in 2006.

In

the Rolling Stone in 2009, the readers named Abbey Road the greatest Beatles album. Also in the Rolling Stone, they ranked

Abbey Road number fourteen on the list of 500 greatest albums of all time (Abbey Road). What makes Abbey Road great to analyze is the fact that there have been so many mixed reviews about this album. Another

reason that this album is great to analyze is because of the conflict going on between the ban members which reflected the outcome of the album. Harrison and Starr temporarily left the

band at different points during the recording of the album. Their manager, Brian Epstein, died of a drug overdose. The

death of their manager affected all of the group members. Harrisons songs were rejected a lot and they all started to take on different musical tastes. This caused them to be What we can learn from

impatient with one another (Break-Up). all of this is how musicians evolve.

We can help define what We can

and who influences them as a group and as individuals.

also learn why this album, Abbey Road, is so different than the Beatles other albums. Signs in musical texts that help the aid of an analysis of an album include metonymy, metaphor, syntagmatic analysis, paradigmatic analysis, denotative meaning, connotative meaning,

synecdoche, irony, intertextuality and cultural codes. Semiotics is the study of signs verbal and visual. It involves

the study of signs in everyday speech and anything which stands for something else. Semiotics is concerned with everything that Signs take the form of words, images, Signs have shared meanings. For

can be taken as a sign.

sounds, gestures, and objects.

example, lyrics and music together can share a meaning (Introduction). A syntagmatic analysis of a text involves studying its structure and the relationships between its parts. This reveals

the underlying production and interpretation of texts (Syntagmatic Analysis). A paradigmatic analysis identifies the These are

various patterns which underlie the content of texts.

based on the contrasts between two things that belong to the same set. This involves comparing and contrasting text choices.

These choices include words, images, sounds, styles, genres, and mediums (Paradigmatic Analysis). Denotation is the definitional, literal, obvious, commonsense meaning of a sign. attempts to provide. This is what the dictionary

A connotation is used to refer to the

socio-cultural and personal associations of the sign. Connotations are more open to interpretation than denotations.

A connotation is a meaning other than the actual definitional word (Denotation, Connotation and Myth). The Rhetorical Tropes used in a semiotic analysis include metaphor, metonymy, synecdoche and irony. used to include other figures of speech. A metaphor is often Understanding and

experiencing one kind of thing in terms of another is a metaphor. In other words a metaphor consists of a literal Some kind

subject expressed in terms of a figurative subject.

of resemblance must be apparent for the metaphor to make sense (Rhetorical tropes). A metonymy is a function which involves using one signified to stand for another signified which is directly related or closely associated with it in some way. makes an abstract referent more concrete. The use of a metonymy A metonymy includes

the substitution of effect for cause, object for user, substance for form, place for event, person for institution or vice versa. A metonymy may influence our thoughts, attitudes, and actions (Rhetorical Tropes). A synecdoche is the substitution of a part for a whole. For example, using the statement we need to hire some more hands means, we need to hire some more people. Another example

would be using the statement I was stopped by the law means a

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police officer stopped me (Rhetorical Tropes).

Irony is the

reflection of the opposite of the thoughts or feelings of the writer. Sometimes this is difficult to identify because the For example if someone could say

statement may sound truthful.

that the room is crowded when really there is no one in the room (Rhetorical Tropes). Intertextuality is the influences of writers on each other. This also includes the relationship of that text to the person influenced (Intertextuality). This involves brining elements This could include

into music that were not used in the past.

the use of social, sexual and personal lyrics, the beat of the song, the instruments used, and the way the instruments are played. Culture codes are verbal language. These include bodily

codes that deal with proximity, physical orientation, appearance, facial expression, and gestures. These codes also A

include descriptions of fashions, clothing and cars (Codes). culture code is an explanation of a code that was or is in culture.

These codes could be about a specific group of people

and how they act. Understanding the connotative and denotative meanings in the lyrics and music will help me determine if the use of a word

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is meant to be the definitional term or if it should be interpreted. This will also help me by seeing different way of

interpreting lyrics or how others may interpret them. Understanding connotative and denotative meaning will also help determine the issues in the lyrics that may be related to socioculture and personal associations. Understanding rhetorical tropes in the songs of this album will aid my analysis because they will help me understand how the Beatles saw certain situations related to love and relationships, culture and social issues. These will also aid

my analysis by knowing that a word has been replaced with another. Lastly, rhetorical tropes will aid my analysis by This will

understanding that some of the lyrics are sarcastic. help me by understanding the point of the message.

The songs I chose to analyze from the Beatles album Abbey Road are Something, Come Together, Here Comes the Sun, I Want You (Shes So Heavy), Oh! Darling, and Polythene Pam. This album is full of happiness, love, heartbreak and irony. The reason I chose the songs I did is to demonstrate these themes. In the song Something the introduction is short. The

drums are regressing down scale and there is a note progression

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into the first verse. In the first verse he sings the lyrics the way she moves while the cymbals fade out. the keyboard drive the song. guitar comes in strong. The bass and

After the lyrics are finished the

To show excitement the guitar The keyboard is

progresses when he sings she woos me.

repeatedly hit with the same chord during the lyrics dont want to leave her now to believe and how. sadness. To me, this represents

In the second verse the bass continues to drive song.

During the lyrics that I dont need no other lover the string instruments are noticeable. When he sings the lyrics that shows me the bass, guitar, and string instruments progress. symbolizes that he is happy thinking about her. This

During the the

lyrics dont want to leave her now and believe and how string instruments are louder and hit higher notes than the previous verse.

In section B, when he sings youre asking me The drums are also more

will my love grow, it is more upbeat. noticeable in the section.

There are string instruments During the lyrics I

repeating the same combination of notes.

dont know the instrument regress showing his frustration in not knowing. He screams to the lyrics to reinforce that he In section c there is a guitar

doesnt know about his feelings.

solo and the bass still drives the song. There is soft string instruments included. The cymbals keep the beat. The drums

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come in rapidly but quietly.

The keyboard finally comes in In verse three when he

repeatedly hitting the same chords.

sings all I have to do is think of her the guitar comes in heavy. From the lyrics something to shows me the string is Next the introduction repeats and then fades out to

very loud.

end the song. In the song Come Together the introduction starts out with the bass coming in first. The bass repeats the note Next the cymbals come in. In the first verse the drums

combination for the first 8 bars. Finally, the drums come in last. start a steady beat.

During the lyrics he got hair down to his Only the drums play while the Right after this, the

knee the bass is very bluesy.

lyrics got to be a joker are sung. introduction plays again. bass and drums.

In the second verse there is a steady

The bluesy bass continues through the lyrics I The drums are syncopated through the lyrics In the chorus

know you know me.

one thing I can tell you is you got to be free. the guitar is distorted.

The guitar repeats the same chord

riffs that regress during the lyrics come together, right now, over me. As soon as the lyrics over me are sung, the drums In the third verse there is a

come in on top of his words. steady bass and drums.

The first eight bars the third and forth The bluesy bass

notes are progressed compared to the beginning.

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continues through the lyrics he bag production. forth notes are still progressed.

The third and

During the lyrics hold you

in his arm chair you can feel his disease the drums are syncopated. way. The chorus repeats again and is done in the same

The b section is somewhat long and starts at 2:02 and ends The keyboard plays the same combination of chords The bass plays the same notes. I think

at 2:31.

throughout this part.

this signifies coming together. twang that is very noticeable.

The guitar adds a high pitched This sections ends with the In the forth

keyboard and bass again playing the same notes. verse the drums and bass are still steady.

The bluesy bass is

continued through the lyrics one and one and one is three. The syncopated drums also continue. In this next section the drums are no longer steady and the cymbals are utilized more. keyboard is louder. The

They added in a twangy guitar after every The bass

fourth bar right after the lyrics come together. continues to drive the song until it fades out.

In the song Here Comes the Sun the beginning starts out as only guitar. It is very happy sounding and reminds me of A The

someone walking through a field on a bright, sunny day. keyboard is added playing the same melody as the guitar. guitar and keyboard slowly descend to lower notes.

During the

chorus the lyrics here come the sun are sang very lightly.

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The second here comes the sun, more people are singing.

think that this was done to show that people are starting to notice the happiness. are the introduction. The guitar and the keyboard are the same The drums are finally added in. I think

this was done to reinforce that its all right.

During the

first verse he signs its been a long cold winter and it feels like years sing its been here. These lyrics do not

actually mean that it feels like years since he has seen the sun. These lyrics mean that it has been years since he has felt This verse starts off with a cymbal. The drums

alright.

continue and the bass is added.

The string section starts and The second time he

makes the verse sound smooth and happy.

sings little darling it is sang up a note and makes it sound as though he really wants this girl to listen to him. During

the next chorus the lyrics here come the sun goes from major to minor. I think this was done to exaggerate how much of a Next is section B. This is

difference it is to feel all right. a very short section. the pace at the end.

The guitar is soft and the drums pick up I think this was done to show how fast In the second verse he continues The lyrics

happiness is coming upon him.

to have a conversation with little darling.

smiles returning to the faces means not only can he feel happiness but he can see it too. When he sings it seems like

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years since its been here he is reinforcing that he has not seen happiness in a long time. to a weird sound. The keyboards sound has changed The The

I think that this represents change.

next chorus sounds like the guitar is more distorted.

guitar is emphasized during the lyrics here comes the sun. Next in section c the drums are guitar continue. A brass

section is added during the repeat of the lyrics sun, sun, sun, here it comes. There are distinctive hand claps. I think this

was done to make it feel as though people were clapping because they are happy. noticeable. The keyboard sound is changed and is very Flutes are

All the instruments climb the scale.

also added in.

In verse 3 the lyrics change from here to clear.

This is showing that now all things to look forward to are good. The chorus repeats twice more with the sound of the keyboard changed once again. It ends with only the sound of the guitar.

This song is mainly about what it feels like to become a happy person. In the song I Want You (Shes So Heavy) the introduction includes a bass and a guitar that both climb up scale. The

guitar and bass both play in minor which gives the song a somewhat uneasy feel. This makes it sound like someone is lost.

The lyrics that repeat throughout the entire song include I want you so bad, Its driving me mad, and Shes so heavy.

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This song is very long but simple.

The girl he loves has such a These

huge impact on him, hence the lyrics Shes so heavy.

lyrics also mean that she takes up most of his time and his thoughts. The lyrics its driving me mad means, that she is I think the length of this song

the only thing he thinks about. also has meaning.

This want for this woman will go on forever.

The long, drug out guitar solo at the end of the song repeats the same chords over and over again. want for this woman forever. In the song Oh! Darling the introduction is short and piano chords are played lightly. speaking to his lover. Verse one is the singer Again, this symbolizes the

He is speaking in a soft voice, like how He is telling his

people in love would speak to each other.

lover how he will be faithful in these lyrics, believe me when I tell you, I will never do you no harm. bluesy. The sound is very The

The guitar chords are short and used percussively. In verse two he is telling his lover

piano drives the song.

that he wont make it without her, Ill never make it alone. He sings the word alone in a deeper voice to show how sad he would be. During the transition to the chorus the piano speeds

up and the drums are louder, this gives the song a more intense feel. The guitar continues to be percussive. During the chorus This shows

he screams the lyrics.

His voice is raspy and raw.

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that he is mad and sad about this woman.

The breaks between the

lyrics make it seem as though he is trying to catch his breath from yelling at this woman. from high to low chords. second verse. The piano is heavy and descends

The third verse is a repeat of the He is realizing that he

Now his voice is raw.

might actually lose this woman.

He doesnt know what else to The piano and percussive This

say except what he has said already. guitar continues.

There are ahhs in the background.

symbolizes that its actually hurting him.

When he sings

believe me darling, he really wants her to believe that he will not make it without her. lyrics when you told me. high pitch. The next chorus includes the

He screams a wooh that is loud and

This was done because he wasnt expecting her to He accentuates the lyric cried. He

ever be this way to him.

descends his voice down the scale and makes it sound like he is whimpering. During the lyrics broke down and died the piano The forth verse is a repeat of the first

is more intense. verse.

In this verse his voice is raw during the lyrics let He really sounds like he

you down and never do you no harm. means what he is saying.

In the song Polythene Pam the introduction starts off with a guitar hitting three different notes that descend on the scale. The guitar then repeats a chord several times with the

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drums hitting hard.

This introduction sounds intense.

In the

first verse it sounds like he is describing a person to a close friend. When he sings the lyrics you should see Polythene The lyrics

Pam, he is saying that she is something different.

shes good-looking but looks like a man and see her in her drag dressed mean that he is talking about a drag queen. guitar twangs a little after these lyrics. The

This reinforces how

different this Polythene Pam actually is. The beat of the drums is fast. Ahhs are added in. These ahhs sound almost This

angelic, like he would be talking about an actual woman.

is ironic because he is talking about a man dressed as a woman. The lyrics yeah, yeah, yeah descend the scale. this, the guitar also descends the scale. Right after

This shows that he is In the

disappointed because he thought this man was a woman.

second verse he sings get a dose of her in jackboot and kilt. This describes the manly looking features Polythene Pam has. The lyrics you could say she was attractively built are ironic because a person usually does not talk about a woman as being built. The guitar twangs and ahhs are used again. still keep a fast beat. The drums

In the b section the guitar chords are The tambourine

descending and the drums hit with the guitar. and the cowbell come in.

There is a twangy guitar solo that is

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not fluid. abruptly.

This paints a picture of confusion.

The song ends

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Bibliography
Abbey Road. (2013, October 28). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abbey_road Break-Up of the Beatles. (2013, October 25). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breakup_of_the_Beatles Codes. (2013, March 1). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Semiotics for Beginners: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem08.html Dennotation, Connotation and Myth. (2013, March 1). Retrieved October 2013, 2013, from Semiotics for Beginners: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem06.html George Harrison. (2013, October 27). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Harrison Intertextuality. (2013, March 1). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Semiotics for Beginners: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem09.html Introduction. (2013, March 1). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Semiotics for Beginers: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem01.html John Lennon. (2013, October 31). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_lennon Paradigmatic Analysis. (2013, March 3). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Semtiotics for Beginners: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem05.html Paul McCartney. (2013, October 30). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_McCartney Rhetorical Tropes. (2013, July 10). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Semitics for Beginners: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem07.html Ringo Starr. (2013, October 20). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ringo_starr Syntagmatic Analysis. (2013, March 3). Retrieved October 17, 2013, from Semitiotics for Beginners: http://users.aber.ac.uk/dgc/Documents/S4B/sem04.html

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