Rich here to discuss how some songs deviate from typical rock protocol by having an odd number of beats.
The vast majority of rock-oriented music has four beats in every measure with an emphasis on the 2nd and 4th beats (which are called the "back beat"). This makes it easy to dance to rock music. But, occasionally, an artist may throw in an extra beat or two, which can make you feel off-kilter, especially if you're trying to find the song's groove, or want to dance to it.
Van Morrison has always been a traditionalist at heart, and his dedication to the bedrock of four-beat R&B grooves unquestioned. However, on his 1978 album "Wavelength," Van included an ode to sexual desire that you may have heard in the movie soundtrack to "An Officer and a Gentleman." The introduction to "I'm Hungry For Your Love" started out in perfect 4/4 time, but once Van started singing the verse, it was difficult to determine where the beats were located. As near as I can tell, there are actually 6 beats in each of the measures of the verses, but it's hard to pinpoint where to start counting! And further complicating things, I'm not sure how many beats are in each measure of the Bridges.
Pity the drummer who had to accompany this song!
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