The Clarinet in Did We Meet Somewhere Before

Background

Did We Meet Somewhere Before was written for the 1978 film Heaven Can Wait starring Warren Beatty and Buck Henry about a young man mistakenly taken to heaven by his guardian angel.

Unfortunately, McCartney’s recording was rejected and the composer Dave Grusin was called in to provide an alternate theme song

Cold Cuts

McCartney fans first came across the song in the late-1980s on the bootleg record Cold Cuts. Cold Cuts was originally intended to be an official release of unused McCartney and Wings recordings, but after being leaked as a bootleg, the project was shelved and several songs have crept up as B-sides over the decades. To this date, Did We Meet Somewhere Before remains unreleased in any official format.

Clarinet or Soprano Saxophone?

Did We Meet Somewhere Before was recorded at RAK studios in March 1978. It is a fine ballad and of particular interest due to the prominent role of the clarinet throughout the song. In the book Eight Arms To Hold You by Beatles experts Chip Madinger and Mark Easter, the point is made that the main character in the film plays the clarinet:

As Beatty’s character was part-time clarinetist in the film, the intro and link bit are played on clarinet.

However, on examination of excepts of the film on YouTube, it is apparent that it is a soprano saxophone being played rather than clarinet:

I am of the opinion that the solo part is played by the clarinet, but I am willing to revise my opinion if anybody else with more experience knows better!

Song’s Introduction

Because Did We Meet Somewhere Before has never been released, the sheet music can’t be found in any score or songbook. There are several interpretations of the chords on the internet, some of which are more accurate than others.

I have listened to the song and come up with my own interpretation of the chords. In addition, I attempted to transcribe the clarinet solo and it is presented here at concert pitch. My friend, Charles Gaskell, has better ears than me and made a few suggestions and corrections:

Harmony

As can be seen above, the chord sequence is based in the key of Bb major. The harmonic interest derives from many chromatic shifts, moving from the tonic Bb major, to Bb major 7 and then Ab diminished7. This style of move from chord I to Chord #I diminished (Ab diminished is an inversion of B diminished)) to chord ii (C minor) harks back to The Beatles arrangement of Till There Was You from Please Please Me (1963).

However, there are more harmonic surprises from the arrival on C minor. The inner-voice of C minor moves from through B natural and B flat to form C min/major7 and then C minor7. This is followed by the rather surprising chord of Ab7, which is formed from the flattened seventh degree in Bb major.

The chord sequence in the song certainly ranks among McCartney’s most sophisticated harmonic offerings. The fact that the chords weave a very natural and fluent shape are evidence of McCartney’s skill as a composer.

Clarinet Part

The clarinet part is based on a two-bar pattern that sequentially falls over the space of seven bars. After a short sixteenth-note/semiquaver decoration, the clarinet lands on a tone of each subsequent chord, descending from F5 to C5.

At bar eight (0:21) the clarinet adopts more of an improvisatory character, with a sudden flourish based on the arpeggio of Ab7 (with an added ninth- Bb). There is another clarinet fast run at bar ten, but this time ascending Eb4 to Gb5 over the chord of Ab7.

The Clarinet Register

It is often observed that the clarinet resembles four instruments in one!

This is because the clarinet’s range can be roughly divided into four different ranges, each having their own character. The lowest part of the clarinet’s register is the chalumeau. After the less expressive “throat tones”, the clarinettist accesses the clarino range by the use of a left-hand thumb on the “register key”. The very highest notes are in the altissimo range.

As can be seen, the majority of Did We Meet Somewhere Before is pitched in the middle or “clarino” range of the instrument.

Structure and Final Verse

Did We Meet Somewhere Before is in a refrain-verse form, with the song’s refrain occurring at the beginning of the first verse. The song’s bridge section is of a different character and begins on the chord of F minor.

The final verse is probably the highlight of the entire song. Here, the clarinet repeats its beguiling opening tune to form a counter-melody to McCartney’s vocal.

Counter-Melody

Crucially, the clarinet’s counter-melody is the perfect match for McCartney’s vocal. It conforms to the essential rules of an effective counter-melody as expounded in this advice taken from The Essential Secrets of Songwriting website:

Where the chorus melody is rhythmically active, allow the countermelody to be less active (i.e., use longer note durations). Where the chorus melody is rhythmically slower, allow the countermelody to become more active (i.e., use shorter, quicker note durations). That way, one melody stays out of the way of the other.

Just glancing at the notation from the final verse, it is clear that both melodies are the perfect match for one-another.

And very cleverly, this final joining of clarinet and vocals is a persuasive metaphor for the idea of “meeting” enshrined in the song’s title.