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(c) Ian Hammond 1999
All rights reserved

Across The Universe (2)

In Part 1 of this posting I discussed the evolution of the verse
lyric. Now it's time to look at the setting of those lyrics.

The verse music
The easy way to set the verse lines to music is to compose music for
A1, B2 and C3 and repeat the same music for A4, B5 and C6. That's what
Lennon does, with a slightly different setting for each line to
account for the differing number of accents.

Clearly, the lyric divides naturally into two groups of three lines
each (ABC, ABC). A chorus could easily be added to the song after C3
and C6. That so obvious that it hardly needs discussion.

But Lennon chooses a completely counter-intuitive arrangement: he
divides the lines into three groups of two lines each (AB, CA, BC),
inserting choruses after B2, A4 and C6. I find it difficult to
adequately explain how original Lennon's solution is. I cannot think
of another songwriter who would questioned the natural grouping.
Lennon packs his suitcase very carefully.

Verse 1
A1  Words are flying out... they slip away ATU
B2  Pools of sorrow, ...caressing me

Verse 2
C3  Images of broken light ... on and on ATU
A4  Thoughts meander like ... make their way ATU

Verse 3
B5  Sounds of laughter ... inviting me
C6  Limitless undying love ... on and on ATU

If you can't hear what I'm talking about then it might be time to 
listen to the track. I'm certainly been listening to it while I'm
writing this stuff. As road markers, listen to the ends of B2
(caressing me) and B5 (inviting).

Why did he choose this unusual grouping? Perhaps he found the group of
three lines to be too long for a verse. Perhaps he found it difficult
to come up with another set of three lines for a third verse.

The verse chord progression is based on the same famous Beatlemania
chords that fueled She Loves You, and, in a different order, I Want
To Hold Your Hand.  The chords are shown below, in C major, with the
irregular bars indicated.

                                (5/4)   length
A:      C   a   e       d       G       4(.25)
                2/4     4/4
B:      C   a   e       f min           3.5
C:      C   a   e       d       G       4

Each phrase begins with the same eight-note figure, one which is
similar to that of Please Please Me. The basic shape of the phrase
is also followed by "Norwegian Wood". I point out this rather
far-fetched connection only because all three songs have inverted
pointers back to his spouse Cynthia.

Lennon's phrases are necessarily long (thirty syllables). The end of
the first and third phrases fall into Lennonesque alternating notes.
The second phrase ends on a subdominant minor making the doo wop
origin of the verse just a little clearer. Lennon hasn't been in this
since long before Peppertime.

If you listen to the Anthology version you will hear Lennon rushing a
bit at the end of the first phrase (they slip away across the
universe). This problem was solved for the Let It Be version by
inserting a single extra beat, creating a bar of 5/4. Others would
have undoubtedly added a half or full bar, not just a single beat.

Lennon's phrases come out at 4.25, 3.5 and 4 bars in length, a laser
fit to the lyric. Others would produced uniform phrases of 4 bars
each. Lennon started trimming to the lyric as early as Ask Me Why.
A Day In The Life is another good example. Every bar was important
to Lennon.

The chord progression, and the song itself, didn't fit the Peppertime
style, which may explain why the Beatles struggled with the
arrangement -- usually their forte. 

Lennon had no problems when he recorded his similar Julia a few
months later, based on the same opening chords, alone on acoustic
guitar. Universe is a marker for the end of Peppertime, and
paradoxically, for the end of the Indian phase it may have intended
to inaugurate.

With the verses complete, Lennon could begin, or complete the link
mantra. This I discuss in next part.

copyright (c) ian hammond 1998. all rights reserved.