Beatles History - “Rocky Raccoon” - 10 Things That You Didn’t Know

[@howardwilburn9066]

I was 9 when this came out. I remember every word to this day. I've always loved this song.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for the view!

[@jaelge]

I´ve never let critics decide what is and isn't good. I like Rocky Raccoon. I also played it for my kids when they were young. And it´s one of the few Beatles songs that´s easy to play. Laugh, if you will, but I also love Don´t Pass Me By.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Ya. They both have a charm to them.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

I'm not laughing. I like Don't Pass Me By too.

[@jaelge]

@@Mick_Ts_Chick: Three chord progression in C, easy to play and fun lyrics, easy to sing. ¨You were in a car crash and you lost your hair¨. 😆 Only Ringo, like when he coined the term A Hard Day´s Night.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

@@jaelge Ringo's awesome. The older I get the more I like him! 😎🥁

[@jaelge]

@@Mick_Ts_Chick: Ringo´s the best human being that came out of the Beatles. 👍

[@michaelgutman4910]

A song about the American Wild West, lyrics and matching music by a British musician, including an American accent. I bought the White Album as a 10 year old in 1968. I quickly learned the lyrics and loved to sing along. I still love to sing it at 65 years old A work of genius!

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for the view and the post!

[@njriley55]

What has been the source of much discussion on Paul’s official forum is the fact that the lyrics which were printed on the back of the poster that came with the album (I still have mine + the 4 color photos) say “black MOUNTAIN hills” whereas apparently it is “black MINING hills.” I only just discovered this after singing the wrong word for 45 years!! I listened to the remastered album with earbuds and had to concede it was “mining!” Love your videos!

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Mining it is! Thank you very much for the view and the comment! Stay tuned!

[@kelf114]

My dad loved the White Album and this was one of his favorites (the other being Happiness Is A Warm Gun 😄). As a matter of fact, he loved it so much that I had to get a second copy of the album for myself! 😄 It's hard to rebel when your dad keeps borrowing your albums. Had a hard time getting my Queen albums back from him, too. 😄 Even my grandmother....she loved Stairway to Heaven, and thought Rod Stewart was the sexiest guy ever. 😄 The whole family loved music. 😊

[@the_guitar_trooper]

HA! My son was a Led Zep fan by the age of 12.

[@jaelge]

That´s great! We came up with music in the house as well. Anything from military marching band music to The Kinks, and Sinatra. We even had an album called Sing Along With Mitch, (Mitch Miller) that had printed lyrics on the album sleeves and a stereo that had a mic that plugged into it to sing through. And we were ¨bologna sandwich poor¨ too. 🤣 Oh, yeah, I almost forgot, The Beatles.

[@jaelge]

@@the_guitar_trooper: My son was born in ´86, loves Queen, Uriah Heep, and Zappa. Then he turned me on to bands like Ween, Cake, and The Uninvited.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

My parents and I liked a lot of the same music. The Eagles, Doobie Brothers, BTO, etc. I also liked a lot of their music from the 50s like Little Richard, Elvis, Chuck Berry, etc.

[@RoosterLozz]

The 60’s were very different times with very different values. What was cutting edge back then can sometimes seem passé now. That’s all there is to it. I loved the White Album from the day it was released. It has several classic tracks. It also has the experimental Rev 9 and some stuff that would appeal to ‘moms & dads’. That’s what some thought was so great about the Fabs. They had a very wide fan base. A great album I still listen to it occasionally.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for the view and comment! Please share it!

[@michaelgastright8867]

My opinion only…”Leave my kitten alone”…a kickass rocker that wasn’t released until Anthology…but apparently recorded during ‘Beatles for Sale’…their true ‘change’ album!

[@RoosterLozz]

I guess we're all just fans with our own opinions Michael, there is no right or wrong. Because of the covers on Beatles For Sale Ive always thought it was a bit too similar to what had come before. Help was great but I've always thought the 1965 Christmas Album Rubber Soul was the true turning point. Not just musically but also technically in their use of the studio as an instrument etc. Of course these things are relative. I was only 12 at the time, my older brother had bought Rubber Soul on the day of its release and he allowed me to play it during my school holidays whilst he was at work. Which I did over and over. Maybe thats why its my favourite...

[@n.miller907]

Rocky Racoon was a popular part of my guitar-playing repertoire for years. As a fairly decent amateur player, I entertained a lot of my wife's family members during numerous family occasions, and Rocky was one of my most requested tunes. It was also humorous to learn that my wife's niece (a young girl at the time) mistakenly though I wrote it. LOL! I only wish my songwriting talent was that good. Otherwise I wouldn't be as broke as I am. Ha, ha, ha! I didn't know too many people who were familiar with the original recording. And that line about "Her name was Magil, but she called herself Lil, and everyone knew her as Nancy" is something I encountered in real life numerous times. People having several monikers is such a strange to me. Anyway, once again, you cover Beatles material in such a unique way. I always look forward to each episode. BTW, my daughter bought me Paul's lyrics book for my birthday and can't wait to find time to delve into his musical genius.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for the view and the GREAT post! Don’t forget that you can upgrade your subscription to Channel Member status and see new videos DAYS before they are released to the public. This one was Members Only from 2/20 through 2/23.

[@braemtes23]

I have always loved Rocky Raccoon. Recently I have been on a Beatle's kick, but when I would take a break and listen to other favorites, I found myself getting a bit bored 3/4s the way through the album. It was mostly the same voice singing songs that were somewhat similar. That never happened with the Beatles. Four different voices singing a multitude of genres and concepts. One never loses interest. All the Beatles contributed to this, but Paul most of all. He is the man of a thousand voices and you never knew what was coming next.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Great post! Ya - I believe that the eclectic nature of the album is one reason for its staying power.

[@BadeMillsap]

When we took our kids to a Colorado dude ranch (several times) they always had a guest "talent show"... I usually did Rocky and people always joined in... Great fun

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Ya. Those in my family who know that I once played it occasionally ask me to perform it.

[@michaelgastright8867]

New viewer…70 years old, saw Beatles in 1966 at Crosley Field, so appreciate anything Beatle…little known Beatle FACTOID…their payroll was robbed also in Cincinnati at the Gardens in ‘65…reportedly $87k

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Welcome Michael! What a Great post!! Thanks!

[@dianesaari3034]

I have a raccoon that visits my back yard. I call him Rocky, of course😊

[@the_guitar_trooper]

That would be my first choice.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

When I hear this song I think of a fat little raccoon with a cowboy hat, boots, and a gunbelt. 😂

[@the_guitar_trooper]

@@Mick_Ts_Chick Yeah - even though I understand his reference to a cowboy with a coonskin cap.... it still sounds like an animal character.

[@HectorHernandez-qp4wf]

Love the long form video!!!

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Yay! Thank you! Stay tuned! Become a member!

[@Music_is_Breathing]

I adore this fun song!! Fun to listen and fun to play :) Once again I am amazed at the amount of material George Martin contributed not only to this song but to the Beatles catalogue as a whole.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

I played it a lot back in the day.

[@stuartwiner7920]

You are a charming, mellow presence. Kudos to you.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Well Thanks, Stewart! And Thanks for the view!

[@briantravolta]

1:40-- I believe Donovan's contribution to this and "Julia" was his Guitar Picking style. Apparently he gave lessons to John and Paul (separately). Then they each crafted songs incorporating their new skill

[@mcarp555]

But this song doesn't use the fingerpicking style Donovan taught them. It's clearly flatpicking.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

You’re correct about the picking technique from Donovan, but it wasn’t used here. Donovan’s picking technique was used by John for example on “Julia” and the opening part of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”. This song illustrates Paul’s own picking technique.

[@drvee1983]

No. Paul never bothered with Donovan's picking technique. He did his thumb and nail strumming that he does to this day.

[@susanjoyce-yq2mg]

Another excellent lesson, Guitar Trooper. Thank you.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

My pleasure, Susan!

[@ypaulbrown]

always wonderful Guitar Trooper.....

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks, Man!!

[@Condon1972]

What a voice ❤

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks! And thanks for the view!

[@Foul_Quince]

When my kids were born, each time, I ran a little thought experiment that said if i put The White Album on repeat play the minute we called for the ambulance to take us to hospital, which song would be playing when the child was born. My second son was a "Rocky Raccoon" (First was a "Sexy Sadie", third who shot straight out was an "Ob La Di Ob la Da"). Oddly enough, all three of them dislike their birth-songs.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Ha! Well, it was a good game anyway.

[@Spitnchicklets]

Good 👍 job

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks, Shelly!

[@dennistate5953]

Groovy!❤

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Right On!

[@mcarp555]

I believe Martin used the "jangle" or "tack" piano for this, as it has brass tips over the felt hammers to give the piano a more percussive tone. It's also known as the "Mrs. Mills" piano as she was a well-known musician to use the piano on her own albums.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

I know what you’re describing, and have read an article on it somewhere as well, but I could find no evidence of that for this particular song. I did an AI search just now though, and think that it is quite possible that the upright piano used had been deliberately detuned slightly. There is a recognized technique called “detuning” or “mistuning”, which involves slightly changing the pitch of some strings to create a more “honky-tonk” effect. That technique was used on some other pop recordings by Elton John and Billy Joel.

[@mcarp555]

@@the_guitar_trooper Ken Townsend, the director of EMI studios at Abbey Road, also mentions detuning the tack piano to give it more of a Honky-tonk sound. So even though it may not be documented anywhere, I'm pretty certain this is the piano used here. Especially since it sounds nothing like the wound-up piano on _In My Life,_ which was probably the Challen piano (also used on _The Fool On The Hill_ among others). Also, the tack piano uses copper tips, not brass as I mistakenly said earlier.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

@@mcarp555 Great Post! Thanks! That sounds authentic to me as well.

[@fredfox3851]

Ooooooh...Is that someones brand new Casino hiding behind your left shoulder? Thanks for another set of little known factoids, Mr. Guitar Trooper.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Yep. Review video coming soon.

[@garyp9142]

Good information. I'm just saying the song Rocky Raccoon was the inspiration for Rocket name in the Guardians of the Galaxy.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks as always, Gary!

[@tyroneg.3819]

Nice take on the song, I only have the cassette tapes of the Beatles White album, I may one day get the CDs, I always thought Rocky Raccoon is more like was a children's song for an audience of children played live.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Yeah - as I said - difficult to classify. Thanks for the view!

[@sapelesteve]

Excellent & informative video as usual. Leave it to Paul to construct an awesome song like Rocky Racoon. Pure musical genius! 👍👍

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Good to see you again! And Thanks for the kind words! I always mention to you frequent flyers that you can join the channel and, as a member, have the opportunity to see new videos days before they are released to the public! This one has been in the Members Only area since 2/20 and was just released to the public today.

[@gordonmorris6359]

I was a ten year old Beatlemaniac when the 'White Album' came out and I loved Rocky Raccoon as much as everything else! I never heard anyone disparage it or any other song, it was only the 'establishment' that hyped up the narrative about dissatisfaction at the rapid changes musically from '64 to '67.

[@BlueLightSpecial2023]

I would like to offer up Number 11: In the Guardians of the Galaxy film franchise, the furry little fellow known as Rocket got his name directly from this song. His full name in the series is Rocket Raccoon.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Great post!

[@BlueLightSpecial2023]

Thanks. 🙂

[@BeatlesCentricUniverse]

The album is a MASTERPIECE. I love every song. (I only like Don't Pass Me By.🙂)

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Many a stylus was destroyed trying to play Revolution 9 backwards.

[@BeatlesCentricUniverse]

@@the_guitar_trooper Yes! "Turn me on, deadman..."

[@susanholiday7347]

It was an interesting number

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Hi, Susan! A totally unique track for sure.

[@ceat700]

Just thank you! Another great video ❤

[@the_guitar_trooper]

You are so welcome!

[@3-meo-2-oxo-pce]

you got a sub from me! my dad got me into the beatles, and the white album and its air of mystery were one of the first things that really intrigued me. I swear, I could not listen to revolution 9 all the way through until I was older, that truly scared me lol 😂 I was way into the Paul is dead lore. this and mother nature's son were his favorites off this album, he usually preferred Paul's songs. he died in a drowning accident last year... although funnily enough, it was only a few weeks after his 64th birthday! anyway, I like these videos! liked and subbed 😊

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Hey! Thanks for the view and sub!! Remember - You can see new videos days before the public if you join the channel. Only 99cents per month.

[@brucetowell3432]

For what it's worth, I was in a cover band in the late 1960's and had a small (heavy) spinnet piano we used to carry around for gigs...I recall 3 of us hoisted the piano into a shot and beer place in the Flats near downtown Cleveland, Ohio up on a small stage platform as well!!:-) LOVED playing and singing the song!!!

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thus- you were trained to be a roadie and the rest is history? LOL

[@brucetowell3432]

@@the_guitar_trooper yes:-)

[@TimesTimes3]

Today, I am surprised by the negativity from Rock historians and critics about the Beatles White Album. But then again, most are listening with today's ears. Back when the album was first released, it was indeed vastly different for the Fab Four but for some reason, it absolutely fit into the space we were all living in at that time. They just had the ability to deliver the right soundtrack that fit the world politics and public sentiment that we were experiencing in that year. It was not an easy time and there was great turmoil in most people's lives. A double Beatles album of fantasy was just the right panacea. I am so glad they did even if it cost them their band.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Well said! Thanks for watching.

[@Ziraffe2]

~ Keep the spirit winging ~

[@josephr.lejeune4539]

Thank you for the wonderful insights. 60 years ago last month the Beatles opened up my mind. And I still like it.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thank YOU for the view!

[@Music_is_Breathing]

Back again. Love this song!!! Totally fascinating, as always. I sort of wonder why there is so much studio footage for The Beatles, but rarely is any for any other group. Just because they're the Beatles??? Not that I'm complaining about all that great footage.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

My take is this: The Beatles were a one-off phenomenon and garnered a lot of attention for documentary photos and film that was shot with the intent of being offered for sale.

[@Music_is_Breathing]

@@the_guitar_trooper That makes sense!!

[@Lizzibabi]

Your glasses are awesome. Also Thank you for the review ❤

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Hey! Thanks for the view and kind words, Lizzi!

[@dokukarmagad12578]

Wild Honey Pie may be studio trash to some, but to me it reminds me of the bits and pieces that were recorded on those fan club-only Christmas singles, so I like it. Some of the most creative music by the Beatles came off of those records, maybe not "classics" but wonderful pieces.

[@jeffjeff4477]

Another great episode. Thank you

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thank YOU for the view, Jeff! Please share the videos for me!!

[@billthecat666]

Rocky Raccoon is from Minnesota, he lived the Dakotas.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

He said that in an interview?

[@hankwedelmusic9965]

Enjoyable as always but I think it’s important to also understand that “Rocky Raccoon” is a DIRECT tribute to/parody of Bob Dylan’s outlaw ballad “John Wesley Harding” which had emerged in early 1968… From the reference to Minnesota (where Bob was from) in the deleted preamble to John’s short harmonica blast… it’s a nod to what Bob was sounding like to their ears in 1968… From Jimi Hendrix covering “All Along The Watchtower” to The Stones rootsy “Beggars Banquet” album and beyond, the whole music world was in awe of the writing and sound of Bob’s “John Wesley Harding” Album

[@the_guitar_trooper]

GREAT POST, Hank! And Thank You for the view!

[@brgreg8725]

It’s funny how many animals are mentioned or the inspiration (Martha My Dear, Why Don’t we do it in the Road) for side 2 of The White Album

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Too bad Piggies didn’t end up on that side.

[@brgreg8725]

@@the_guitar_trooper it is, along with Blackbird

[@the_guitar_trooper]

@@brgreg8725 So it is!! lol

[@iznot2]

At the time of the White Album's release a friend in the music business had told me that the different musical styles were an attempt by the Beatles to show that they could succeed at such a task. Supposedly Rocky Racoon was an attempt to write a successful country western song. Back in the USSR was made as a homage to Chuck Berry and the Beach Boys who used Chuck Berry's music to make their Back in the USA. It sounded reasonable at the time however I yield to the guitar troopers knowledge of Beatles facts.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for the view and the post!!

[@rgnyc]

"He came from Minnesota" would have been a veiled reference to Bob Dylan, who came from Hibbing MN. In fact, the simple guitar strum and the harmonica are decisively Dylanesque. In my college dorm we all thought the song was a sendup of Dylan's folksy persona.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Yeah, it does sound like a Dylan song alright

[@bamacopeland4372]

If i remember right, Donovan contribution was that he helped teach finger picking technique.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

That is true! But NOT on Rocky - Paul had his own pattern. Donovan’s alternate picking technique was used by John on tunes like “Julia”, “Dear Prudence” and the beginning of “Happiness Is A Warm Gun”. He was also a collaborator for lyrics. For example, John specifically asked him to help with the lyrics of “Julia”. From one of my sources: “He said, "Donovan, you're the king of children's songs. Can you help me? ... I want to write a song about the childhood that I never really had with my mother." He asked me to help him with the images that he could use in lyrics for a song about this subject. So I said, "Well, when you think of the song, where do you imagine yourself?" And John said, "I'm at a beach and I'm holding hands with my mother and we're walking together." And I helped him with a couple of lines, "Seashell eyes / windy smile" - for the Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland feel that John loved so much.”

[@bobleroe3859]

I like what I assume is the Em7 chord opening. Fun song.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Am7 actually, but, no matter!

[@davidthompson4649]

Love your use of the J37 Waves image...I use it often... do you ever post any of your recordings?

[@the_guitar_trooper]

In a word - no. I haven’t recorded songs since around 45 years ago. I had a TEAC A-2340 sound on sound and created some multitracked covers. I don’t follow you on “J37 Waves image” though. What do you mean?

[@crazybeatlefan]

@@the_guitar_trooper this is my other sign in..you got two likes from me that way..lol..the software version of the J37 by Waves, I use it on my recordings to "warm up" the sound... I also use the Abbey Road plate reverb,

[@benmeltzer]

Was it John's last recorded harmonica even beyond the Beatles? I don't recall his using the instrument in his solo work.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

I wasn’t sure and so added the qualification.

[@sansundertale4832]

Oh Yoko. Imagine album

[@benmeltzer]

@@sansundertale4832 Thanks.

[@davidkemery7216]

I seem to remember that on flip Wilson's show that the entire song was played while Wilson did this goofy kind of acting out the song thing it was appropriately silly as was most of flips comedy does anybody else remember this

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Wow. I don’t remember anything about the Flip Wilson Show except the show’s logo. LOL

[@brucetowell3432]

yes, I saw it here on youtube maybe a few months ago, hope it's still here, check it out folks it's wonderful!!!

[@drewcampbell8555]

I'm sure it's true about the Dangerous Dan Magrew link, but it always felt very obvious to me that Bob Dylan's John Wesley Harding album - which cane out shortly before the Beatles left for India - began the shift away from psychedelia and freak out rock to the simpler, folksy western ballad style so prevalent in that LP. Don't think it's ever been acknowledged, but surely Dylan collection mythologising the old West must have put Paul on the trail to Rocky Raccoon?

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Certainly could have been

[@walrus0972]

Wild Honey Pie is not really a song as much as it was a link between songs. It's weird and trippy and I prefer it to Goodnight. Rocky Raccoon is one of my favorite songs on the Album. I cringe when people rag on either song, as I see them as essential parts of the album.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Great post! Thanks!

[@jimwalshonline9346]

Dylan takeoff?

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Interesting thought.

[@jimwalshonline9346]

It kinda sounds like something from "John Wesley Harding"...

[@VictorSamuelson-nk5nw]

I don’t believe that all of this information that you’ve acquired is done by you alone I think it’s a compilation and eventually you start asking money for it you start it out for free and then you’re creeping up on contributing money with the amount of people who watch these videos if everyone can fit If everyone contributes $20 $50 even $10 it comes out to quite a bit of money I’m sure if I had a chance to lay a bit somewhere you are not the soul guitar trooper

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for watching! Dream on, it’s just me, 100%, and the channel is an income source strictly for me, so I ask those who appreciate the content, and my approach, to support what I do. Nobody has to do it, just subscribing and sharing the content helps to promote the channel.

[@kevinwaters5872]

As a Beatles fan , I must admit that Rocky Raccoon is on my NEVER play list. It stinks.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Enjoy 3 tall cocktails. Then listen to it. LOL

[@thehaughtcorner]

For God’s sake, get your eyes fixed if you’re going to use right shots of yourself. They track in different directions and it’s really distracting.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for noticing! It’s just me, Man. Look away and just listen LOL.

[@adamcarrey9115]

Not one of McCartney's best.

[@the_guitar_trooper]

Thanks for the view, Adam!

[@brucetowell3432]

It's a darn good number, clever, original and shows the multi talent /composer that Macca is. Try to name another pop writer who can go from a number like this to 'Honey Pie" "Maxwell's Silver Hammer" "She's leaving Home" Yesterday" "Heart of the Country" "Oh Darling" "Mother Natures Son" "Rock Show" "Magnetto and Titanium Man" "Warm and Beautiful" "My Brave Face" "I've Just Seen A Face" "You Gave Me The Answer" "Country Dreamer" "Sally G" "Mary Had a Little Lamb" "Wanderlust" "Listen To What The Man Says" "Lonely Old People" "And I Love Her" well that's 20, care to answer my challenge? Paul can write music in Vaudeville/Music Hall style/Country and Western/ Pop/Rock and Roll/ Ballad style/...even his children's songs are GREAT!!!!

[@gregshirley-jeffersonboule6258]

Ridiculous song

[@the_guitar_trooper]

And yet - still around!