Middle Eight

Is this an example of a Middle Eight?

"Rain, rain all day long
You've made it pay, you can do no wrong tonight"

Is this an example of a Middle Eight?

"Rain, rain all day long
You've made it pay, you can do no wrong tonight"

[TheCromulentChipster]

I guess you could call it a middle eight. It has no counterpart anywhere else in the song. I'm not sure what else to call it, but it seems more like an extension of the bridge. See below:

Verse 1:
There's a little room on my list for tonight
Will ya be the one to fill it in
Toss around what is up, what is down

Bridge:
In between, would ya like to dream

Chorus:
Step on in, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Verse 2:
There's a little song on my list for tonight
Would ya like to try and make it rhyme
Sing and sway, if your heart feel that way
We can leave the blues behind

(The verse above does not move into a bridge/chorus, which is a little unusual. As you can see it repeats the pattern of the two previous lines and then heads right into another verse.)

Verse 3:
There's a little lovin' on my list tonight
With a bit of luck, I'll check it off
Toss around what is up, what is down

Bridge:
In between, d' ya know what I mean

Middle Eight?:
Rain, rain all day long
You've made it pay, you can do no wrong tonight

(Just as the verse was extended earlier, this might be an extension of the bridge, except that it's markedly different from the bridge. What makes me think it's not a middle eight is that it's so short and it feels very spontaneous, which doesn't usually accompany a middle eight. M8s are like you're driving along the road and then you pull off to the side to talk about something serious and then pull back onto the road. This is more like looking straight ahead at the road and then something you're driving by catches your eye and you look at it as you keep driving.)

Chorus:
Pick and grin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Repeat Chorus w/ var.
Thick and thin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Verse 4:
There's a little room on my list for tonight
Will ya be the one to fill it in
Toss around what is up, what is down

Bridge:
In between, would ya like to dream

Chorus:
Step on in, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Repeat Chorus w/ var.
Thick and thin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

(I am a self-taught guitar player, so I could very well be wrong about some aspect of this. If anyone reading this sees something amiss with my analysis, I'd love to hear about it.)

[Big Blue]

I guess you could call it a middle eight. It has no counterpart anywhere else in the song. I'm not sure what else to call it, but it seems more like an extension of the bridge. See below:

Verse 1:
There's a little room on my list for tonight
Will ya be the one to fill it in
Toss around what is up, what is down

Bridge:
In between, would ya like to dream

Chorus:
Step on in, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Verse 2:
There's a little song on my list for tonight
Would ya like to try and make it rhyme
Sing and sway, if your heart feel that way
We can leave the blues behind

(The verse above does not move into a bridge/chorus, which is a little unusual. As you can see it repeats the pattern of the two previous lines and then heads right into another verse.)

Verse 3:
There's a little lovin' on my list tonight
With a bit of luck, I'll check it off
Toss around what is up, what is down

Bridge:
In between, d' ya know what I mean

Middle Eight?:
Rain, rain all day long
You've made it pay, you can do no wrong tonight

(Just as the verse was extended earlier, this might be an extension of the bridge, except that it's markedly different from the bridge. What makes me think it's not a middle eight is that it's so short and it feels very spontaneous, which doesn't usually accompany a middle eight. M8s are like you're driving along the road and then you pull off to the side to talk about something serious and then pull back onto the road. This is more like looking straight ahead at the road and then something you're driving by catches your eye and you look at it as you keep driving.)

Chorus:
Pick and grin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Repeat Chorus w/ var.
Thick and thin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Verse 4:
There's a little room on my list for tonight
Will ya be the one to fill it in
Toss around what is up, what is down

Bridge:
In between, would ya like to dream

Chorus:
Step on in, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

Repeat Chorus w/ var.
Thick and thin, ya don't have to play to win
But then you might

(I am a self-taught guitar player, so I could very well be wrong about some aspect of this. If anyone reading this sees something amiss with my analysis, I'd love to hear about it.)

[Steve DeRosa]

What's a "middle eight"?

[Oma]

What's a "middle eight"?

[SeattleRain]

quote:The middle eight is that part of a song which is not a verse, a chorus, an introduction or a bridge (although the two are virtually identical, a bridge is often played to fill a gap between each verse and chorus, whilst a middle eight stands on its own); it typically comes towards or just after the middle of a song, and may or may not last eight bars (or a multiple thereof). It is often occupied by an instrumental solo and can simply consist of a repeat of an instrumental repeat of the verse, but the classic middle eight is an entirely new piece of music. Middle eights are typical of classic rock/pop songwriters; drum'n'bass artists do not go over large on such things.
For an example, the section of The Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' which goes "And when I touch you I feel happy inside / It's such a feeling that my love / I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide" (which Bob Dylan supposedly heard as 'I get high') is a middle eight, and a good one too; the 'Pour your misery down on me' section of Garbage's 'Only Happy When it Rains' is an example more familiar to modern youth. Middle eights have provided some of the best moments in music ever.

[Jim Nasium]

quote:The middle eight is that part of a song which is not a verse, a chorus, an introduction or a bridge (although the two are virtually identical, a bridge is often played to fill a gap between each verse and chorus, whilst a middle eight stands on its own); it typically comes towards or just after the middle of a song, and may or may not last eight bars (or a multiple thereof). It is often occupied by an instrumental solo and can simply consist of a repeat of an instrumental repeat of the verse, but the classic middle eight is an entirely new piece of music. Middle eights are typical of classic rock/pop songwriters; drum'n'bass artists do not go over large on such things.
For an example, the section of The Beatles' 'I Want to Hold Your Hand' which goes "And when I touch you I feel happy inside / It's such a feeling that my love / I can't hide, I can't hide, I can't hide" (which Bob Dylan supposedly heard as 'I get high') is a middle eight, and a good one too; the 'Pour your misery down on me' section of Garbage's 'Only Happy When it Rains' is an example more familiar to modern youth. Middle eights have provided some of the best moments in music ever.

[Borderstone]

Being demonstrated above^..."Baby Step Back"!

------------------
Borderstone (Hello! )

[Steve DeRosa]

Thanks for the info, Jim!

[Oma]

Thanks for the info, Jim!

The reason I thought that was a middle eight was because it is near the middle of the song and different.
Would you give me an example of a middle eight?

The reason I thought that was a middle eight was because it is near the middle of the song and different.
Would you give me an example of a middle eight?

[TheCromulentChipster]

Example of a middle eight. Believe it or not, John Lennon was not the only guy to ever write middle eights. He just wrote some very memorable ones.

"Girl" by the Beatles (John Lennon)

(Verse)
Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
All about the girl who came to stay?
She’s the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,
Still you don’t regret a single day.

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

(Verse)
When I think of all the times I tried so hard to leave her,
She will turn to me and start to cry.
And she promises the earth to me and I believe her,
After all this time, I don’t know why.

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

(Middle Eight)
She’s the kind of girl who puts you down
When friends are there, you feel a fool,
When you say she’s looking good,
She acts as if it’s understood,
She’s cool - ooh, ooh, ooh,

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

(Verse)
Was she told when she was young the pain would lead to pleasure?
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure,
Will she still believe it when he’s dead?

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

[Big Blue]

Example of a middle eight. Believe it or not, John Lennon was not the only guy to ever write middle eights. He just wrote some very memorable ones.

"Girl" by the Beatles (John Lennon)

(Verse)
Is there anybody going to listen to my story,
All about the girl who came to stay?
She’s the kind of girl you want so much it makes you sorry,
Still you don’t regret a single day.

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

(Verse)
When I think of all the times I tried so hard to leave her,
She will turn to me and start to cry.
And she promises the earth to me and I believe her,
After all this time, I don’t know why.

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

(Middle Eight)
She’s the kind of girl who puts you down
When friends are there, you feel a fool,
When you say she’s looking good,
She acts as if it’s understood,
She’s cool - ooh, ooh, ooh,

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

(Verse)
Was she told when she was young the pain would lead to pleasure?
Did she understand it when they said
That a man must break his back to earn his day of leisure,
Will she still believe it when he’s dead?

(Chorus)
Ah girl, girl.

[TheCromulentChipster]

Another example of a great middle eight.

"It's Only Rock N Roll To Me" by Billy Joel

(Verse)
What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
"Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?"
Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?
"Welcome back to the age of jive

(Bridge)
Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money"

(Chorus)
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me

(Verse)
What's the matter with the car I'm driving?
"Can't you tell that it's out of style?"
Should I get a set of white wall tires?
"Are you gonna cruise a miracle mile?

(Bridge)
Nowadays you can't be too sentimental
You best bet's a true baby blue Continental"

(Chorus)
Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk
It's still rock and roll to me

(Middle Eight)
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers
'Cause it's always been the same old scene
There's a new band in town
But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine...
Aimed at your average teen

(Verse)
How about a pair of pink sidewinders
And a bright orange pair of pants?
"You could really be a Beau Brummel baby
If you just give it half a chance

(Bridge)
Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers"

(Chorus)
Next phase, new wave , dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me

(Verse)
What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing?
"Don't you know that they're out of touch?"
Should I try to be a straight 'A' student?
"If you are then you think too much

(Bridge)
Don't you know about the new fashion honey?
All you need are looks and a whole lotta money"

(Chorus)
It's the next phase, new wave , dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me

[Big Blue]

Another example of a great middle eight.

"It's Only Rock N Roll To Me" by Billy Joel

(Verse)
What's the matter with the clothes I'm wearing?
"Can't you tell that your tie's too wide?"
Maybe I should buy some old tab collars?
"Welcome back to the age of jive

(Bridge)
Where have you been hidin' out lately, honey?
You can't dress trashy till you spend a lot of money"

(Chorus)
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me

(Verse)
What's the matter with the car I'm driving?
"Can't you tell that it's out of style?"
Should I get a set of white wall tires?
"Are you gonna cruise a miracle mile?

(Bridge)
Nowadays you can't be too sentimental
You best bet's a true baby blue Continental"

(Chorus)
Hot funk, cool punk, even if it's old junk
It's still rock and roll to me

(Middle Eight)
Oh, it doesn't matter what they say in the papers
'Cause it's always been the same old scene
There's a new band in town
But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine...
Aimed at your average teen

(Verse)
How about a pair of pink sidewinders
And a bright orange pair of pants?
"You could really be a Beau Brummel baby
If you just give it half a chance

(Bridge)
Don't waste your money on a new set of speakers
You get more mileage from a cheap pair of sneakers"

(Chorus)
Next phase, new wave , dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me

(Verse)
What's the matter with the crowd I'm seeing?
"Don't you know that they're out of touch?"
Should I try to be a straight 'A' student?
"If you are then you think too much

(Bridge)
Don't you know about the new fashion honey?
All you need are looks and a whole lotta money"

(Chorus)
It's the next phase, new wave , dance craze, anyways
It's still rock and roll to me
Everybody's talkin' 'bout the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me