"Taxman"
The bass in “Taxman” serves as the rhythmic and structural backbone of the track, simultaneously driving its syncopated groove while outlining the harmony. Rooted in D major, the line emphasizes the root and flat seventh, giving the riff a modal, blues-inflected quality common in funk and R&B. Its rhythm deliberately delays accents, pushing against the beat rather than simply following it, which creates a tension that underpins the track. At moments such as the vocal exclamation of “Taxman!” the bass temporarily abandons its syncopation to play straight quarter note hits, aligning with the lyrical shout before returning to its irregular groove. Even in the B section, when the drums shift into a more conventional backbeat with snare hits on 2 and 4 and a steady eighth-note hi-hat, the bass maintains its original riff. This continuity positions the bass as the true foundation of the song. In 1966, this reliance on a bass-driven groove over harmonic or melodic elaboration was unusual in british rock and was borrowed directly from American R&B music, making the song’s rhythmic drive a defining feature of its identity.
The bass line in “Taxman” functions as a riff—a short, repeated musical phrase that emphasizes rhythm over melody. Let’s take for example the work of James Brown, often called the godfather of funk. In his songs, such as “Cold Sweat,” each instrument in the band would play its own riff, and the interlocking lines created dense, syncopated textures. Unlike in blues or early rock, where a single riff often anchors the entire song, each riff held independent interest. When combined, these riffs established a groove: a repeated rhythmic and harmonic pattern that served as the organizing principle of the performance. The bass riff in “Taxman” operates in this way, repeating insistently while interacting with drums and guitar to create an interlocking, syncopated rhythm that drives the track forward.