I just listened to Hey Ya again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw To me the drums have no cycle of 4, i

I just listened to Hey Ya again - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PWgvGjAhvIw To me the drums have no cycle of 4, it's a "double time" beat, a cycle of 2 But I can see where people are getting the 4 from in the vocals -- there is 4-beat repetition in the vocals But I would still say the song has a cycle of 22. That's the salient feel. --- Also a cool thing is that the "Hey Ya" background goes in 12 beats and then 10 beats. That actually supports my point. It's 22 - Drums are 11 repetitions of 2 - Background vocals are 12 + 10 -- I hear the 10 as shortened - Main Vocals are something like 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 6 -- I actually hear the last one as lengthened, not shortened So yeah it definitely has a polyrhythmic feel to me; calling it 4/4 and then 2/4 is imposing too much theory on reality :) --- I hear the vocals as a variation on - 2 cycles of 12 = 24 - 6 cycles of 4 = 24 These ratios are very common for "12/8" or "12/4" polyrhythms. But the second cycle of 12 is shortened; the last cycle of 4 is lengthened. Great song!