Showing posts with label Rocky Raccoon. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rocky Raccoon. Show all posts

Saturday, May 2, 2026

"Rocky Raccoon"

After the line "But Daniel was hot; he drew first and shot" in "Rocky Raccoon," the drums are struck more forcefully, apparently meant to represent the shot.  I didn't write about this previously (probably because it's pretty obvious), but when I heard it again recently, I realized that this specific sort of musical representation has precedent in a couple Buddy Holly songs (which may have influenced the Beatles).

Holly's version of Chuck Berry's "Brown-Eyed Handsome Man" contains a similar stronger drum hit after the line "Well, two-three the count, and nobody on; he hit a high-fly into the stand" (representing the bat striking the ball), and Holly's own "I'm Looking for Someone to Love" features a programmatic drum beat after "Foot slip" (apparently the drunk man falling down).  While the drums in "Rocky Raccoon" portray a different element, the idea is the same.