A flattened third, fifth or seventh sounded against a major harmony, giving a bluesy colour to a song that is not a blues.
The Beatles use 2 melodic devices on their 1962 songs and 7 by 1969, having picked up ostinato, musical quotation, and blue note along the way.
Song count per year
% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)
| # | Title | Year | Album | Lead Vocal(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Hard Day's Night | 1964 | A Hard Day's Night | John, Paul | the verse leans on the flat seventh while the third stays major |
| 2 | Tell Me What You See | 1965 | Help! | John, Paul | the flat seventh opens each bridge |
| 3 | Another Girl | 1965 | Help! | Paul | the flat third is stressed hard enough to leave the mode ambiguous |
| 4 | Run for Your Life | 1965 | Rubber Soul | John | the opening guitar riff works the flat third and seventh; the tune touches the third in passing |
| 5 | Paperback Writer | 1966 | Past Masters | Paul | the Mixolydian flat seventh against a twelve-bar verse |
| 6 | Tomorrow Never Knows | 1966 | Revolver | John | Lennon's vocal alternates a bugle-call triad with a bluesy flat seventh |
| 7 | She Said She Said | 1966 | Revolver | John | a bent blue third in the vocal, the one thing that breaks the modal surface |
| 8 | Within You Without You | 1967 | Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band | George | – |
| 9 | I Am the Walrus | 1967 | Magical Mystery Tour | John | bluesy licks break up the tune's hammering on a single pitch |
| 10 | Lady Madonna | 1968 | Past Masters | Paul | the tune leans on the flat third and the flat seventh |
| 11 | Yer Blues | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | John | – |
| 12 | Birthday | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | Paul, John | the sung verse figure emphasises the flat third and seventh |
| 13 | Cry Baby Cry | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | John | a pentatonic tune touched by the flat third in the instrumental interlude |
| 14 | Don't Pass Me By | 1968 | The Beatles (The White Album) | Ringo | the flat third arrives late in both the verse and the refrain |
| 15 | The Ballad of John and Yoko | 1969 | Past Masters | John | heavy use of the flat seventh, lighter use of the flat third |
| 16 | Oh! Darling | 1969 | Abbey Road | Paul | heavy stress on the flat third, and lighter on the flat seventh |
| 17 | For You Blue | 1970 | Let It Be | George | the tune is inflected throughout with the flat third and seventh |
| 18 | Dig It | 1970 | Let It Be | John | flashes of the flat third and seventh against a talking-blues tune |
the verse leans on the flat seventh while the third stays major
the flat seventh opens each bridge
the flat third is stressed hard enough to leave the mode ambiguous
the opening guitar riff works the flat third and seventh; the tune touches the third in passing
the Mixolydian flat seventh against a twelve-bar verse
Lennon's vocal alternates a bugle-call triad with a bluesy flat seventh
a bent blue third in the vocal, the one thing that breaks the modal surface
bluesy licks break up the tune's hammering on a single pitch
the tune leans on the flat third and the flat seventh
the sung verse figure emphasises the flat third and seventh
a pentatonic tune touched by the flat third in the instrumental interlude
the flat third arrives late in both the verse and the refrain
heavy use of the flat seventh, lighter use of the flat third
heavy stress on the flat third, and lighter on the flat seventh
the tune is inflected throughout with the flat third and seventh
flashes of the flat third and seventh against a talking-blues tune
Updated
Book
The Beatles: Complete Scores
Hal Leonard
Book
All the Songs
Margotin & Guesdon
Sheet music
Musicnotes – Beatles Piano/Vocal/Guitar
Musicnotes
affiliate link – supports this wiki