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.