The Beatles' - "A Day In The Life" An Analysis by Anda Mitchell-Dalla Bona

John Lennon wrote a song that had a beginning and an end, but no middle. Paul McCartney, who made John's song whole, provided that middle. John didn't like working hard over songs. He like to do it the lazy way. He took little pieces from everyday life, like from newspaper stories, and made them sound great. John's part of the song was taken from newspaper stories he read in the paper. Paul's part of the song was based on Paul's memories of rushing to school in the morning. The song was banned because of the words, "I'd love to turn you on" which was thought to have been referring to drugs. Today, it takes a lot of swearing and other bad things for a song to be banned. "A Day In The Life" would never be banned today and most people wouldn't even think that there is anything wrong with the words. John was an artistic guy who always did things differently. When he started the song, instead of counting 1-2-3-4, John said "Sugarplum fairy, sugarplum fairy". Only John Lennon could have devised so many demented ways of saying four simple numbers. There is one part of the song where an orchestra was asked to create a sound. The orchestra wasn't given any music to follow. Their instructions were "don't be a sheep and do what the person beside you is doing". They were told to go from the lowest note their instrument could play as quietly as possible to the highest note their instrument could play as loudly as possible. The Beatles left two 24 bar gaps that this orchestra filled with its sound. The night that the orchestra recorded these sounds, the Beatles filmed it all, but they never showed it because the song was banned. Song Analysis A John singing I read the news today, oh boy About a lucky man who made the grade And though the news was rather sad Well, I just had to laugh I saw the photograph A John singing He blew his mind out in a car He didn't notice that the lights had changed A crowd of people stood and stared They'd seen his face before Nobody was really sure if he was from the House of Lords A John singing I saw a film today, oh boy The English army had just won the war A crowd of people turned away But I just had to look Having read the book I'd love to turn you on... B no vocals Orchestral buildup C Paul singing Woke up, fell out of bed Dragged a comb across my head Found my way downstairs and drank a cup And looking up I noticed I was late Found my coat and grabbed my hat Made the bus in second flat Found my way upstairs and had a smoke And somebody spoke and I went into a dream... D John singing John sings "Ahhhh" A John singing I read the news today, oh boy Four thousand holes in Blackburn Lancashire And though the holes were rather small They had to count them all Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Albert Hall I'd love to turn you on... B no vocals Orchestral buildup E no vocals final crashing chord Rhythm: The whole song is in 4/4 time. It has a regular beat. The meter is 4/4 time. The syncopation changes from John's first 3 verses to the orchestra part, and then to Paul's middle part. Texture: "A Day In The Life" is monophonic because John and Paul are never singing at the same time. Form: The form is outlined above next to the lyrics. It is interesting that there is no chorus in this song, only verses so there are no words being repeated. Tempo and Dynamics: The tempo of the song gets faster (or at least seems to) as the song goes on until then end when it seems like it's building to something. The orchestra part is very dynamic because it's like it's pulling you along as it goes from very low and quiet to very high and loud. John's part stays pretty much the same volume. Paul's part changes volume along with the words. The orchestra part goes from the lowest possible note (quietly) to the highest possible note (loudly). Harmony: This song was written on a guitar so it is all based on chords. Even at the very end, it is one great big piano 'E' chord. There is no harmony in this song. Interval: John's part has very little interval and he stays pretty close to the same note. He voice slides all over the place and isn't really jumpy. Paul's part has a little more interval because his voice jumps around a bit - just like someone in a hurry to catch the bus. The orchestra part has no interval - or at least as little as their instrument can do because they were told to be as 'slidy' or 'slurpy' as possible. Consonance: The song has consonance since it flows nicely from one section to another. Melody: John's part doesn't have a lot of melody. There isn't a lot of range because his voice stays pretty close around the same notes. Paul's part has a lot of melody because his voice does change. It gets a little lower when he goes down the stairs and get's higher when goes back upstairs. The orchestra part has lots of melody and maximum range. They were told to use the maximum range of their instruments and start from the lowest note they could hit and go to the highest note they could hit. John's part stays about the same throughout the song; it doesn't ascend or decend too much. Paul's part goes up and down depending on the words. For example when he says 'grabbed my hat' his voice goes up. The orchestra part goes up, it ascends in a big way. The climax of the song, and of the album, is the second orchestra part right after John sings 'I'd love to turn you on' and before the final piano chord.

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