From what I’ve read, the Beatles called their bridge-like structures “middle eights,” and they are typically repeated in the song. For example, the part in “A Hard Day’s Night” that begins with the lyrics, “When I’m home,” would be the middle eight, which is heard twice in the song. This is a pretty standard pop/rock structure.
I tried to think of a Beatles song with a bridge bridge, however, and I couldn’t come up with one. A “real” bridge occurs typically once in the song.
Please note: I’m not saying that a Beatles “middle eight” is worth less than a “real” bridge. I just happened not to be able to think of one.
While we’re on the topic, what Beatles songs have unusual structures–either unusual for them or unusual, period?
One song I like that employs a neat trick is “Happy Just to Dance with You,” which begins with part of the middle eight as an introduction.
Songs that I don’t think count as having unusual structures (and which I don’t like much) are the usually Paul-led medley-style songs. Their structures are, well, medleys and thus don’t typically have much more to them than that. “Happiness is a Warm Gun” is one I like, however. (You can talk about “Mean Mr. Mustard” if you want…)
IIRC, the bridge is sung only once in “Not a Second Time” (although it’s immediately repeated as an instrumental break, which is a bit of an unusual structure, as the instrumental break is typically the verse).
“No Reply” (“If I were you …”)
“I Am the Walrus” (“Sitting in an English garden …”)
“Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite!” (instrumental waltz-time section)
“This Boy” (“Oh, and this boy would be happy …”)
“Julia” (“Her hair of floating sky …”)
Does “Day Tripper” count? There’s a non-repeated instrumental bridge. It is based on the riff of the main verse, so not melodically different, but raised up a fifth (based on a B instead of E chord).
The trumpet part in “Penny Lane” is just a solo over the verse chord progression, so I’d count it as an instrumental verse. Same with “In My Life.” The solo is played over the main verse chord progression, with a bit of baroque-y counterpoint below.
“Octopus’s Garden” I would definitely count as an instrumental bridge.
This is the one that immediately came to mind for me.
It’s actually interesting to me how few Beatles songs fit into the Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-(solo or verse)-Chorus (ABABCAB) mold or an AABA-type form that many pop songs fit into.
The solo in “All My Loving” is a bridge, not just a repetition of the prior chords.
BTW, I am no expert, but I never understood a bridge to be something that typically occurred only once. I thought it was any contrasting progression that leads to a return to the “main” progression. So, a song could have a couple of bridges.
Got it. “Tell Me Why” has the “I beg you my bended knees” bridge, as another one. Also, “Here Comes the Sun,” with the “Sun, sun, sun, here it comes” part.
“Good Morning, Good Morning” has a pretty unusual structure, in terms of the rhythm. But I’m not musicological enough to describe it. It seems to be skipping a beat here and there, in a way that is jarring, but still works.