The Art of Deception – McCartney and the Interrupted Cadence
In Volume Two of Paul McCartney After The Beatles: A Musical Appreciation I quoted Clive James on McCartney’s songwriting. Here is what he has to say:
The key phrase is “he has the precious knack of making the unexpected sound inevitable”. But what does this mean in practice?
We can best hear this fine balance between the “expected” and the “unexpected” in his use of interrupted cadences.
What is an Interrupted Cadence?
An interrupted cadence (also known as a deceptive cadence) is where the songwriter prepares the listener for a certain chord, but then swiftly changes direction, prompting an element of surprise.
In order to understand the concept of an interrupted cadence, we need to bear two main points in mind:
- A cadence is the juncture of two chords at the end of a musical phrase
- The most important used gesture in Western tonal music is that perfect cadence, where chord V (the dominant) is followed by chord I (the tonic).
So let’s take a very obvious cadence at the end of a musical sentence. We all know the song Happy Birthday. It ends with a perfect cadence. In the key of C major, this perfect cadence (identified in green) involves the chords G7 (dominant) and C major (tonic):
Now just imagine that instead of landing on the chord of C major at the end, the song landed on another unexpected chord. This is what is meant by an interrupted cadence. Our expectations have been interrupted or thwarted.
Interrupted Cadences In The Beatles
The Beatles often made use of interrupted cadences, taking the listener on a different path from expected.
Have a listen to two different points in the 1968 song I Will (I have placed the timer in the right spot). In the first cadence we hear a perfect cadence, as we hear the chord of C7 (chord V in F major) being followed by F major (chord I) on the words “…to I will”.
Now, if we listen later in the song, McCartney throws in an interrupted cadence on the phrase, “you know I will”. Instead of following C7 with F major, he moves to Db7 – quite a daring move that wakes us up with a jolt.
This bold move is soon “made right” at 1:29, where McCartney gives us that F major tonic that we had been waiting for.
Do you agree that the use of an interrupted cadence makes this song so much more interesting?
I Will is in the style of a folk song – but by using an interrupted cadence, McCartney gives his “folk song” a mark of sophistication. He injects his song with classical levels of harmonic design.
Here, There And Everywhere
On the Revolver track Here, There And Everywhere (1966) McCartney uses an interrupted cadence to take the song in a whole different direction in the bridge section. The song is in the key of G major, and the chord of D7 is repeatedly used to move the song back to the home key. However, at 3:17 McCartney follows the chord of D7 with the unexpected chord of F7 which steers the song in a totally new direction.
I have used the performance from the 1984 film Give My Regards To Broad Street.
Musicians – please note that McCartney has de-tuned his guitar by a semitone here to play in Gb major.
To “make right” this unexpected detour to the key of G minor, McCartney uses a perfect cadence here. Can you feel the sense of relief as we return to the home key of G major on the word “everywhere”?
Finally, you might notice that something “funny” happens in the performance at 4:07. It’s not an interrupted cadence as such, but a change of key – to meet the following song, Wanderlust, which is in D major.
That’s all for now on the topic of interrupted cadences.
In a later blog I will cover McCartney’s use of interrupted cadences after The Beatles.
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