The Beatles – Rocky Raccoon – Verse 5
Rocky Raccoon < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’]
Chord Progression Analysis
Here are the full chord names, their roman numerals and borrowed chords code block:
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Am7 (‘ii7’), D7sus4 (‘V7sus4’), D7 (‘V7’), G7 (‘VII7’ – borrowed from G major), C (‘I’), C/B (‘I/A’),
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Similar Chord Progressions
Bob Dylan’s “Like a Rolling Stone” and Mumford & Sons’ “Little Lion Man” share a similar chord progression with “Rocky Raccoon”. These songs also make excellent use of switching between major and minor, creating a poignant depth even within a simple song structure.
– “Like a Rolling Stone”: [Cm9, D7sus4, D7, G7, C, C/B…,]
– “Little Lion Man”: [Am7, D7sus4, D7, G7, C, C/B, …]
However, it’s the artists’ creative touch on these progressions that gives each song its unique vibe, underscoring the infinite possibilities these simple building blocks can offer.
Musical Analysis
Starting with the Am7, functioning as the ‘ii7’ chord in the key of G major, the progression moves to a D7sus4 and D7, acting as the ‘V7sus4’ and ‘V7’ chords that drive to the G7, borrowed from the G major parallel scale. The G7 adds a bluesy touch before resolving back to the home chord, C, which is the ‘I’ chord in this key. The C/B, labeled as ‘I/A’, functions as a passing chord to create a smooth voice leading back to the Am7, completing the cycle.
These movements from minor to major and vice versa give the song its unique emotional quality and are characteristic of the Beatles’ innovative approaches to harmonic progression.
Overall Analysis
The song “Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles features a intriguing chord progression typically employed in blues and folk music that creates a captivating storytelling-style musical framework. The verse using the provided chords weaves an interesting tale via major and minor fluctuations giving an emotional depth to the lyrics.
Style Analysis
The chord progression of “Rocky Raccoon” strongly reflects the Beatles’ unique melodic tendency. They often reference the folk and blues traditions, which is evident in the use of the dominant 7th chord (G7), and in their stylistic approach of making use of borrowed chords to add a compelling flavor to their songs.
Twists such as these differentiate The Beatles’ style from other artists of the time, showcased not only in the complexity of their melodies and chord progressions but also in the depth of their lyrics.
What are the chords in: The Beatles – Rocky Raccoon – Verse 5?
[‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’]
