Music · Vocal work
Aah vocals
Sustained 'aah' vocal sounds used as wordless backing.
31
songs
It turns up on 31 recordings, from 1963 to 1969, almost the length of their recording life. The Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album leans on it hardest, seven of its twelve tracks. 'Ask Me Why' came first, on the Please Please Me album, and 'Because' last, on Abbey Road. More of them come from 1967 on than from the first four years, twenty against eight. The singing splits John on nine, Paul on nine, Ringo on three and George on two. Three of them share it on 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)' and 'Because'. It sits on much the same share of each man's songs, 14% of McCartney's and 13% of Lennon's. On 'A Day in the Life': wordless vocalise on retransition. On 'Day Tripper', the wordless harmonies under solo.
See alsoVocal work:Vocal harmoniesVocal work:Ooh vocalsVocal work:Two-part harmonyRecurring words:ahAlbum:Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club BandChord literal:B → E → F♯mLyric shape:[VERB] me your [NOUN]Recurring words:me your
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Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band reaches for Aah vocals more than any other album does: 8 of its 13 songs, against 17% of the catalogue.
Analysis
By Year
Song count per year
By Songwriter
% of each member's catalogue with this tag (by writing credit)
By Era
Early1 · 4%
Mid-period14 · 54%
Late11 · 42%
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Songs(28 of 31)
Year
Album
Writer
Lead vocal(s)
Ask Me Why
1963·Please Please Me·John
Slow-triplet aahs in bridge
The Night Before
1965·Help!·Paul
Day Tripper
1965·Past Masters·John
Wordless harmonies under solo
Nowhere Man
1965·Rubber Soul·John
If I Needed Someone
1965·Rubber Soul·George
Eleanor Rigby
1966·Revolver·Paul
Fixing a Hole
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul
With a Little Help from My Friends
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Ringo
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·John
Lovely Rita
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul
Getting Better
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul
When I'm Sixty-Four
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·Paul
A Day in the Life
1967·Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band·John
Wordless vocalise on retransition
Flying
1967·Magical Mystery Tour
Revolution
1968·Past Masters·John
Helter Skelter
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·Paul
While My Guitar Gently Weeps
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·George
Revolution 9
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)
Dear Prudence
1968·The Beatles (The White Album)·John
Polythene Pam
1969·Abbey Road·John
You Never Give Me Your Money
1969·Abbey Road·Paul
Octopus's Garden
1969·Abbey Road·Ringo
Because
1969·Abbey Road·John
Verse openings and outro
Sun King
1969·Abbey Road·John
Chordal 'ah' phoneme
The End
1969·Abbey Road·Paul
Free as a Bird
1995·Reunion singles·John
Now and Then
2023·Reunion singles·John
Updated