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Related Music Theory Alchemy

“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.

“Dont Let Me Down” by The Beatles is a song that’s heavily grounded in the key of E Major, with some interesting use of borrowed chords for a richer, more emotional harmonic texture. The song is a fine example of The Beatles’ songwriting style, which often involves mixing diatonic chords with chromatic passing chords, borrowed chords, and secondary dominants.

“Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” by The Beatles features a popular song structure and a mix of common chord progression techniques. The distinct progressions within the verse repeat throughout the song, but the chords and structures themselves are fairly common within rock and pop music. It mixes the standard I-IV-V (in this case, D-A-G) progression with the ii-V-I progression (in this case, Em-A-D), both of which are staples of songwriting in a variety of genres.

This song, “Boulevard Of Broken Dreams”, is arguably one of Green Day’s most iconic hits off their album “American Idiot”. Musically, it is set in the key of E minor, with an intermediate tempo. Its chord progression is simple but effective, proven by the song’s tremendous success.

“Stairway to Heaven” by Led Zeppelin is recognized for its use of modal interchange, specifically borrowing chords from the parallel minor, and its distinct way of blending rock and folk music elements. This piece is in the key of A minor and the chord progression in Verse 5 is simple but quite effective.

The Beatles – Rocky Raccoon – Verse 5

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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:

“`
Am7 (‘ii7’), D7sus4 (‘V7sus4’), D7 (‘V7’), G7 (‘VII7’ – borrowed from G major), C (‘I’), C/B (‘I/A’),
“`

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.

Chords in the Verse 5 section of Rocky Raccoon by The Beatles are:

[‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’, ‘Am7’, ‘D7sus4’, ‘D7’, ‘G7’, ‘C’, ‘C/B’]