Motif

Name: The Beatles Tag Database
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

Thematic or lyrical motifs

values

2442

total uses

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Of the Beatles songs released in 1964, 31 of its 35 lean on the Love motif; by 1967 it is 5 of 24.

1964 1967 Love

Values Over Time

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All Values(92)

#	Value	Songs	% of total
1	Love Thematically centered on romantic love – declaration, pursuit, loss, or celebration of it	122	5.0%
2	Communication Letters, calls, conversations – the act of reaching across distance.	110	4.5%
3	Anatomy Body parts as imagery: eyes, hands, hearts, hair.	107	4.4%
4	Relationship Romantic partnerships, breakups, or interpersonal bonds as subject.	102	4.2%
5	Time Time as a theme in the lyric: its passing, memory, waiting, or aging.	99	4.1%
6	Plea Direct begging, supplication, or asking for something.	84	3.4%
7	Self reflection The songwriter reflects on their own identity, life, or creative process	76	3.1%
8	Childhood Themes of childhood memory, lost innocence, growing up, or looking back at youth	66	2.7%
9	Question The lyric poses a direct question, often to a 'you' addressee.	64	2.6%
10	Loneliness Themes of isolation, longing for connection, or emotional solitude	59	2.4%
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11	Women Women as the primary subject – addressed, described, or characterized.	57	2.3%
12	Sadness Direct expression of grief, melancholy, or sorrow.	57	2.3%
13	Weather Wind, storms, or atmospheric conditions as imagery.	49	2.0%
14	Nature Imagery drawn from natural landscapes, seasons, weather, plants, or the natural world	47	1.9%
15	Numbers Numbers, counting, or numerical references woven through the lyric.	47	1.9%
16	Home House, hearth, or domestic space as central imagery.	43	1.8%
17	Happiness Direct expressions of joy or contentment.	43	1.8%
18	Nostalgia The song looks back longingly at the past, childhood, or lost experiences	40	1.6%
19	Character The song portraits a specific real or fictional character in detail	36	1.5%
20	Color Specific colors used as imagery or emotional shorthand.	36	1.5%
21	Dialogue The song is structured as or includes a direct scripted conversation between characters	33	1.4%
22	Directions Compass points, left/right, or directional movement as imagery.	32	1.3%
23	Animals Animals appear as characters, symbols, or central metaphors within the lyrics	31	1.3%
24	Sunshine Sun, warmth, or bright daylight as central imagery.	30	1.2%
25	Philosophical Lyrics exploring abstract questions about existence, consciousness, or the nature of reality	30	1.2%
26	Social commentary Songs critiquing society, class structures, cultural norms, or contemporary life	29	1.2%
27	Sound Noise, music, or auditory phenomena described in the lyric.	29	1.2%
28	Truth Honesty, deception, or revelation as subject.	29	1.2%
29	Real people Named real individuals appear as characters or subjects within the lyrics	27	1.1%
30	Storytelling Lyrics structured as a narrative with characters, setting, and a clear arc	28	1.1%
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31	Food and drinks Specific food or drink references appear as imagery, symbols, or subject matter	27	1.1%
32	Found inspiration Lyrics drawn from found text – newspapers, product packaging, posters, or overheard phrases	25	1.0%
33	Music Songs, instruments, or the act of making music as subject within the lyric.	26	1.1%
34	Time reference A reference to a specific time, hour, day, or date in the lyric (e.g. 'five o'clock', 'Wednesday morning').	24	1.0%
35	Travel The song features travel, journeys, movement, or geographical displacement as a central element	23	0.9%
36	Autobiography The lyric draws on the songwriter's own life events or relationships.	23	0.9%
37	Death The song engages directly or metaphorically with mortality, dying, loss, or the afterlife	22	0.9%
38	Family Parents, children, siblings – family relationships as subject.	20	0.8%
39	Money Currency, wealth, or financial transactions as subject.	20	0.8%
40	Spiritual Lyrics exploring spiritual, religious, or transcendent themes and experiences	19	0.8%
41	Surrealism Dreamlike, irrational, or subconscious imagery that resists literal interpretation	19	0.8%
42	Cultural snapshot A specific moment, scene, or social setting captured in detail.	19	0.8%
43	Softness Tenderness, gentleness, or yielding surfaces as imagery.	19	0.8%
44	Freedom Liberation, escape, or unbounded movement as theme.	19	0.8%
45	Place names Specific real locations – streets, cities, neighborhoods, or landmarks – are named in the lyrics	18	0.7%
46	Work The working life – jobs, labor, commuting, the Monday-to-Friday grind – appears as subject matter	18	0.7%
47	Transportation Cars, buses, planes, or movement between places as imagery.	18	0.7%
48	Clothes Clothing, fashion, or wardrobe details as significant imagery.	18	0.7%
49	Darkness Night, shadows, or absence of light as central imagery.	16	0.7%
50	Anger Direct expressions of rage, resentment, or aggressive feeling.	17	0.7%
51	Light Sunshine, illumination, or radiance as central imagery.	17	0.7%
52	Containers Boxes, bags, glasses, cups – vessels as imagery.	17	0.7%
53	Street Roads, walking, or urban thoroughfares as central imagery.	16	0.7%
54	Drugs References to recreational substances or altered states.	15	0.6%
55	Counting Numerical sequences, counting, or numbers used as structural or thematic elements	15	0.6%
56	Rain Precipitation as central imagery, often emotional weather.	14	0.6%
57	Madness Insanity, breakdown, or mental dissolution as theme.	13	0.5%
58	Absurdist humor Comic non sequiturs, nonsense imagery, or surreal punchlines.	13	0.5%
59	Friendship Friends, companionship, or chosen-family bonds as subject.	13	0.5%
60	Sex The song contains overt or coded sexual language, double entendres, or erotic imagery	13	0.5%
61	Dreams Sleep, dreaming, or the blurred boundary between reality and fantasy inform the lyric	12	0.5%
62	Hardness Toughness, hardship, or unyielding surfaces as imagery.	12	0.5%
63	Religion Faith, scripture, prayer, or spiritual practice as theme.	12	0.5%
64	Dance Dancing as activity, metaphor, or invitation.	12	0.5%
65	Americanism American place names, slang, or cultural references – often consciously affected.	11	0.5%
66	Instructional The lyric tells the listener what to do – imperatives as the core mode.	11	0.5%
67	Greetings Hellos, goodbyes, or other ritual openings and closings.	11	0.5%
68	Sleep Dreams, beds, or rest as central imagery.	11	0.5%
69	Media Newspapers, films, TV, or broadcasting referenced in the lyric.	10	0.4%
70	Self deprecation Narrator mocks or belittles himself rather than the addressee.	10	0.4%
71	Jewelry Rings, diamonds and other jewellery in the lyrics, usually standing for love, wealth or commitment.	9	0.4%
72	Political Lyrics engaging directly with political power, protest, war, or social ideology	8	0.3%
73	Luck Fortune, chance, or fate as subject.	8	0.3%
74	Mother The song addresses or evokes a maternal figure – tender, complicated, or absent	8	0.3%
75	Telephone Calls, ringing, or phone lines as imagery.	8	0.3%
76	Nursery rhyme Childlike sing-song imagery or direct allusion to nursery-rhyme texts.	8	0.3%
77	War Conflict, soldiers, or armed struggle as subject.	7	0.3%
78	Royalty Kings, queens, crowns, or aristocracy as imagery.	7	0.3%
79	Space Outer space, stars, planets, or cosmic imagery.	7	0.3%
80	Seasons Spring, summer, autumn, winter as imagery or temporal frame.	6	0.2%
81	Smoking Cigarettes, tobacco and the act of smoking, including its coded and metaphorical uses.	6	0.2%
82	Sea life Oceans, fish, or marine imagery.	5	0.2%
83	Magic Spells, wonder, or supernatural transformation as imagery.	5	0.2%
84	Fire Flame, burning, or heat as central imagery.	5	0.2%
85	Sports Games, competition, or athletic activity referenced.	5	0.2%
86	Acronym Initialisms or abbreviated names treated as a hook.	5	0.2%
87	Violence The lyrics reference or describe physical violence, aggression, or harm	5	0.2%
88	Revolution Political upheaval, protest, or social change as subject.	4	0.2%
89	Meditation Inward contemplation, mantra, or transcendental stillness as subject.	4	0.2%
90	Musical instruments Specific instruments named in the lyric.	4	0.2%
91	Movies Films, cinema, or movie-going referenced in the lyric.	4	0.2%
92	Letter Written in the form of a letter, postcard, or direct personal message addressed to someone – P.S. I Love You, Paperback Writer, When I'm Sixty-Four	4	0.2%

Motif

Values Over Time

All Values(92)

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