The Beatles – Rocky Raccoon – Verse 2
Rocky Raccoon < All Analyses
Chord Progression
[‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’]
Chord Progression Analysis
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Am7 (ii7)
D7sus4 (V7sus4)
D7 (V7)
G7 (VII7)
C (I)
C/B (I/7)
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The ii7-V7-I progression is a classic in jazz music and its usage in “Rocky Raccoon” provides a slight jazzy feel. The addition of sus4 in the V7 chord adds tension before resolving it back to a normal V7. The G7 is a borrowed chord from the parallel minor key of C minor providing a brief modal mixture.
Similar Chord Progressions
“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” by Led Zeppelin has similar progression:
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Am (ii)
C/G (IV/6)
D (V)
F (bVII)
Am/C (ii/7)
Am (ii)
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This song uses similar chords and features the use of sevenths and suspensions. The D to F transition can be seen as a parallel to the D7 to G7 transition in “Rocky Raccoon” – both progressions feature a mix of major and minor tonalities and engage with the folk-blues palette.
Musical Analysis
The melody mostly follows the harmony provided by the chord progression, providing a pleasant, catchy, and easily singable line. The rhythm combined with the harmonic rhythm gives the song an interesting and driving feel.
Overall Analysis
“Rocky Raccoon” by The Beatles incorporates chords commonly associated with the genre of folk or country music. It is primarily built on a repetitive chord progression which consists of Am7, D7sus4, D7, G7, C, and C/B. There’s also a use of plenty of sevenths and suspensions to create a slightly jazzy feel. It’s also worth noting The Beatles’ penchant for chords that provide a mix of major and minor tonalities.
Style Analysis
“Rocky Raccoon” has a country and folky feel, especially emphasized by the guitar plucking style and the piano accompaniment. Inspired by Appalachia, the use of minor and seventh chords lends a bluesy-jazz feel which is a style that The Beatles often experimented with.
What are the chords in: The Beatles – Rocky Raccoon – Verse 2?
[‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’]
