Yes, not every pop music track has a 4/4 time signature. Sometimes you have to think deeper. Take your time and listen to the song several times. This song is definitely one of those exceptions. But the issue of its time is more complex than it may seem. Of course, one should listen to the whole thing and determine the time signature of each part separately. After all, no one said the meter must be identical throughout the whole piece. For the sake of yourself and your musical development, do not google it. Check with your own ear. Specify where is the first beat, is there an upbeat? Is the time signature variable or not? What is the form of the song?

Sooner or later you will confront your thesis with what the internet says. And good. But remember, hardly any musician in those days actually used sheet music. It is possible that the creators never notated the work in the traditional way. This means that they could compose a piece without being aware of the meter in which they compose it. Feeling mattered.

When questions are asked about the process of composition, or details of the form, or precisely the metre – the answers that we treat as the only and most accurate ones arise.

The cover of today’s post is an analog double exposure from Chicago. Smena 8m and 35mm film.