Norms of Textual Scansion and Rhyme in Beatles AABA forms

Abstract

In AABA songs (sometimes called verse–bridge songs) written and performed by the Beatles, the song texts’ scansion and rhyme show significant contrasts between different sections, and these contrasts often have important formal and narrative functions. Combining rock Formenlehre with phonetic analysis, this article shows that A modules tend to have irregular scansion and frequent rhyme, while B modules tend to show regular scansion and less frequent rhyme. In the unusual cases where A modules have infrequent rhyme, the B modules tend to offer contrast by showing greater rhyme frequency. These contrasts represent an independent, recurring formal device in the Beatles’ catalogue that does not entirely comport with other well-defined formal processes, such as the loose-verse/tight-chorus schema. The scansion and rhyme have various narrative and formal functions: They often suggest a contrast between an active and passive state in the song’s protagonist, and disruptions to regular patterns or conflict with grammatical boundaries can play a critical role in shaping phrases. B modules that thwart the norm can connote an especially high emotional arousal or suggest a process of intensification and conclusion, linking the form to an expanded statement–response–departure–conclusion form. The analyses demonstrate the central role that prosody often plays in popular song and show the importance of considering its relation to other musical patterns.