Chord Progression(see score)
The song is in C major and uses lots of block chords. I have indicated the chord progressions on the score in pencil. By and large, the chords used in this piece are I,ii & V chord. There are lots of chord expansion, for example at bar 4 which is the tonic I expansion and at bar 19 (V expansion).
Harmonic Function(see score)
The harmonic function typically follows a T-PD-D-T pattern in each of the 8 bars.
Phrase structure
A simple period consists of an antecedent phrase and a consequent phrase. Each phrase is 8 bars. So, the antecedent phrase are bars 1-4 as it ends on an imperfect cadence. This is followed by the consequent phrase from bars 5-8 which ends on a perfect cadence. Similarly bars 9-12 are the antecedent phrases followed by the consequent phrase in bars 13-16.
2 sentences can form a simple period. The sentence structure is a short short long(2+2+4) (see score).
Form
I feel that the song is in a rounded binary form. This is because it features a return of the initial material from reprise 1 in the second section of reprise 2. The opening section of reprise 1 returns as the closing section of reprise 2. This thus follows:
Reprise 1 starts from bars 1-16 (the first 8 bars are repetitive).
Reprise 2 starts from bars 17-24 and it sounds like a development of the main thematic material as it is something new that we have not heard. It is on the dominant.
After that, we hear reprise 1 (bars 9-16) appearing again from bars 25-32 in which it is back in the tonic key of C.
Hypermeasure and hypermetre
The hypermeasure for the song is the typical four bars with a stress pattern similar to that of quadruple time.
This means that the hypermetric beat is a typical bar 1-strong, bar 2-weak, bar 3-medium and bar 4-weak.
At Reprise 2, instead of the standard crotchet beats in the bass, we hear quaver beats in the bass at bar 20 which helps to move the music faster when playing the sequence 1 tone higher (sequence at bars 19-20 vs 21-22).
Interesting Features
The texture is generally chordal.
There is a voice exchange at bar 3 where the right hand plays B-A-G and the left hand plays G-A-B.
There is an incomplete neighbour note at bar 4 (G-F#-G).
In the song, there are plently use of chromatic passing notes in the inner voices. One example is at bar 19 (A Bb B) and in the melody line, all the passing notes are similar to that of the decreasing D Dorian scale in bars 5-6, 13-14, 29-30.
There is a sequence between bars 19-20 and 21-22.
There is also the use of an augmented chord at bar 24 and is something unique as it signals the reprise 1. The chromatic notes (B-A-Ab-G) also helps to signal the repeat of the thematic material R1.
Finally, I feel that the form is rather interesting. Essentially, this 32-bar piece is very symmetrical, in that it can be split nicely into 8-bar periods and it is fascinating to note that the 1st, 2nd and 4th periods are identical. Perhaps this is because it is a popular music and by doing so, the producers hope to drill and get the tune stuck in consumers' heads so that they would want to buy the song.
