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you anymore") before the foreboding, martial drum beat leads into the verse. Structurally, there are several different
verses at work. The second is more complex and features a classic early 1960s chord change when F Am Dm Bb is
followed by G and then C (IV IImaj V), creating momentary confusion as to whether the music has changed from F
major to C major – or not. This key change is accomplished in the bridge, which starts on Em (a chord not found in
F major), moves repeatedly from Em to F and then forward to G (chords III, IV and V in C major). The first climax
comes with the establishment of C major at 1:32, the title line and a bar of 6/4. There are bars of 6/4 in the verse as
well at the end of some lines. Notice how the melody creeps higher at the end, as the rhythm intensifies.
3—
John Barry/Don Black:
'Goldfinger' (1965)
John Barry invented a distinct harmonic language for the James Bond films, full of strange chord changes, melodies
with unusual notes and dissonant effects. Songs such as 'Thunderball', 'You Only Live Twice' and 'We Have All The
Time In The World' all deserve study. 'Goldfinger' is structured ABABA and opens with a harmonically ambiguous
and spacious I-bVI in E. This becomes the first change of the verse, which then compounds the ambiguity by going
from C to Bm (the minor form of chord V in E), leading to a brief change into A major:
The stability of A major as a key is immediately undermined by the D#, which finds its way to B – which functions
as chord V in E for the next phrase. The bridge section further confuses things by going to D#m, G#m and A#. The
shifting harmonies express the untrustworthy nature of the villain.
4—
The Beach Boys:
'God Only Knows' (1966)
'God Only Knows' may not match 'Good Vibrations' in the experimental stakes, but for sheer perfection of form it is
perhaps even better. At a time when many songs seem to take take forever to get going, it is a powerful example of
how inspiration and craft can evoke another world in a matter of seconds.
The short instrumental intro has a soaring horn melody that returns later in the song. A one-bar interruption to the
quarter-note rhythm sets off the intro from the first verse. Our attention is immediately caught by the provocative
lyric: "I may not always love you." The music has established a romantic atmosphere, and we are not expecting such
an apparently negative statement. We listen to hear if the speaker will backtrack on this pronouncement – and, sure
enough, he eclipses this blunt realism with a touching romantic promise.
'God Only Knows' does not have a separate chorus – the hook is beautifully incorporated into the verse itself. Notice
the unexpected intervals in the melody (it keeps landing on notes that are not quite what we expect) and the
inversions in the harmony. These inversions play a big role in making the progression so expressive. Verse 2 is
prefaced by a one-bar link that is the same as the one that connected the intro and Verse 1, except it is played on
different instruments. Strings thicken the arrangement of Verse 2.
No less than two verses and two hooks have passed by the time we get to 1:40-12. Here the song surprises us by
changing its rhythm. This is a fine example of asymmetry. This makes the resumption of the verse form with "scat"
vocals and the hook seem fresh. The coda is reached at 1:59. There is a brief lull in the