"Ticket To Ride"
Help!
The Beatles’ breakthrough in America sparked an unprecedented wave of commercial success. By April 1964, they dominated the U.S. pop charts like no other act before them. Multiple record labels—Capitol, Vee Jay, Swan, among others—were releasing Beatles material, saturating the market with their music. “I Want to Hold Your Hand” hit number one on February 1, 1964, holding the top spot for seven weeks. It was then succeeded by “She Loves You” on March 21, which itself was overtaken two weeks later by “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Remarkably, on March 28, the Beatles broke chart records by having ten singles simultaneously on the Billboard Hot 100, surpassing the previous record of nine held by Elvis Presley. By mid-April, they had an astonishing fourteen singles on the Hot 100. The week of April 4, 1964, saw them hold the top five chart positions at once—a feat unmatched until Taylor Swift claimed all top ten spots in 2022.
Following in the footsteps of American rock and roll pioneers like Alan Freed, Bill Haley and the Comets, and Elvis Presley, the Beatles expanded their cultural reach through film. Their first feature film, A Hard Day’s Night (summer 1964), directed by Richard Lester, was a critical and commercial hit. It portrayed a fictionalized day in the band’s life, combining documentary realism with quick-cut editing, visual humor, and musical performances. The film’s innovative style influenced the development of the modern music video. The Beatles’ natural charisma, comedic timing, and energetic performances captivated audiences worldwide, broadening their fanbase even further.
Humor had long been central to the Beatles’ appeal, as seen during their 1963 Royal Command Performance in London. Performing for an audience that included Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother and Princess Margaret, John Lennon closed with a cheeky line: “Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? And the rest of you, if you’ll just rattle your jewelry.” This remark perfectly captured Lennon’s irreverent wit and the band’s subversive charm, endearing them to both fans and the press.
The Beatles’ second film, Help! (1965), also directed by Lester, took a more colorful and surreal approach. Parodying the spy film genre, the plot involved a fictional cult chasing Ringo Starr over a ceremonial ring. With exotic locations, absurd humor, and higher production values, Help! was another commercial success. Although less critically acclaimed than A Hard Day’s Night, it reinforced the Beatles’ status as cultural icons. Musical sequences featuring songs like “Ticket to Ride,” “You’ve Got to Hide Your Love Away,” and “Help!” showcased the band’s evolving sound.
“Ticket to Ride”
“Ticket to Ride” marked a clear progression in the Beatles’ evolving sound, showcasing a heavier, more intense instrumental approach compared to their earlier Merseybeat styled recordings.. While John considered the song largely his own creation, Paul McCartney remembered a collaborative effort between the two that involved several hours of songwriting and arrangement, and proposed a 60/40 songwriting credit favoring John.
The origin of the song’s title remains somewhat uncertain. Paul recalled that the name was inspired by the town of Ryde on the Isle of Wight, linked to a pub his cousin ran. John offered a different explanation, relating it to the term “ride,” which in Hamburg referred to a prostitute’s work permit. Regardless of its source, “Ticket to Ride” clearly signaled a shift toward a harder-edged, more experimental sound. This was reflected in the song’s instrumental attack but also in its structure, which included an unusual tempo change during the fade-out — an approach that Paul described as radical for its time and that anticipated broader changes in rock music later in 1965, alongside releases such as the Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction.”
Musically, “Ticket to Ride” is set in the key of A major and follows an extended AABA song form. AABA form is a common structure in popular music where two similar sections (A) present the main theme or melody, followed by a contrasting bridge section (B), and then a return to the original A section. This form helps create balance and variety within the song’s overall progression.
Its verses revolve around a sustained A major chord that acts as a drone, a continuous or repeated note or chord held throughout a passage, providing a harmonic foundation over which melodies can unfold. This technique is reminiscent of Indian classical music. In Indian music, a raga is a complex melodic framework featuring specific note patterns, motifs, and emotional expressions, all typically supported by a continuous drone that anchors the melody. This drone creates a hypnotic, meditative atmosphere and allows for nuanced melodic exploration. In “Ticket to Ride,” the sustained A chord provides a similar tonal foundation, giving the melody a raga-like quality that emphasizes modal and ornamental phrasing rather than traditional Western harmonic movement. Music scholar Ian MacDonald highlights this aspect as an early example of the Beatles’ interest in non-Western music. This exploration would become more explicit in their later work, particularly on tracks like “Norwegian Wood,” “Within You Without You,” and “Love You Too,” where Indian instruments and modes play a prominent role.
The song is set in the key of A major and follows an expanded AABA form. In this analysis, we focus on the first verse and chorus (0:07–0:37), skipping the second verse to move directly to the bridge (1:09–1:23). The verse, or A section, features a prolonged tonic A major chord held for six measures, followed by a brief progression through B minor and E major chords. This extended tonic vamp creates a drone-like effect that complements the raga-inspired melodic lines.
A Section Chords
I – I – I – I – I – I – ii – V – vi
(A – A – A – A – A – A – Bm – E – F#m)
Chorus Chords
vi – IV7 – vi – IVmaj7 – vi – V – I – I
(F#m – D7 – F#m – Gmaj7 – F#m – E – A – A)
Instead of following the traditional ii–V–I progression at the end of the verse—a staple in Western popular music, especially jazz and the Great American Songbook—the Beatles employ a ii–V–vi sequence. The ii–V–I progression moves from the supertonic minor chord (ii) to the dominant (V), before resolving to the tonic (I), creating a strong sense of harmonic resolution and forward momentum. This progression has been fundamental across jazz, blues, and many popular genres, often used to establish or reaffirm the tonal center.
By replacing the expected tonic (I) with the relative minor (vi), the Beatles introduce a subtle but significant harmonic twist. This ii–V–vi progression shifts the focus away from a definitive resolution, instead moving toward the relative minor key area. Since the vi chord shares many of the same notes as the tonic key, this creates a smooth but emotionally nuanced shift, lending the music a contemplative or slightly wistful character. This choice reflects the band’s increasing harmonic sophistication and willingness to explore beyond standard pop conventions.
The chorus expands the harmonic palette, cycling through F# minor, D7, Gmaj7, and E major before resolving back to A major. This progression introduces emotional contrast and complexity, with the IV7 and IVmaj7 chords adding color and tension that enrich the overall sound.
Bridge (B Section) Chords
IV7 – IV7 – IV7 – V / V7 / | IV7 – IV7 – IV7 – V
(D7 – D7 – D7 – E / E7 / | D7 – D7 – D7 – E)
In the bridge, the harmonic focus centers on a dominant pedal tone on the subdominant seventh chord (IV7), alternating with the dominant (V) and its dominant seventh (V7). This harmonic tension is paired with a shift toward a more conventional backbeat-driven rock rhythm, building momentum and setting up a two-bar guitar interlude that leads back into the verse. This section’s persistent dominant harmonies create a sense of anticipation and release,