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11.55am
31 March 2008
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Written by: Lennon-McCartney
Recorded: 15 August 1968
Producer: George Martin
Engineer: Ken Scott
Released: 22 November 1968 (UK), 25 November 1968 (US)
Paul McCartney: vocals, acoustic guitar, bass guitar
John Lennon: backing vocals, harmonica, harmonium, six-string bass
George Harrison: backing vocals
Ringo Starr: drums
George Martin: piano
Available on:
The Beatles (White Album)
Anthology 3
A jokey song…
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1.30am
8 January 2015
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Another great singalong from the White Album . Just like The Continuing Story Of Bungalow Bill , the hero is intent on shooting someone/some creature, and is equally inept. TWO bass guitars, that’s why the riff sounds so great, played in tandem, especially the mono version which is well separated. I love the tinkly piano “solos”, for there is no solo, sorry George. Also the expertly mixed backing vocals on the last verse, slotted in there. If anything palls its that Paul might have been encouraged to go doo doo doo on one too many songs.
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10.36am
20 January 2016
Offline I used to think I didn’t like this song, but I heard someone perform this at karaoke a few nights ago and I really liked it then. I’m gonna have to give this one a second chance.
10.40am
5 November 2011
Offline This used to be my favorer song, but not so much anymore. I still enjoy it, but I just wouldn’t want to listen to it on repeat for two hours like I used to.
All living things must abide by the laws of the shape they inhabit
12.47pm
26 January 2017
Offline Rocky Raccoon is a song that has become more popular over time. Its a great song, and I see a lot of young people isolating it from The Beatles and adding it to their playlists, with little playtime given to any other Beatles songs.
If all of my prior Beatles knowledge was removed, I am fairly certain that Rocky Raccoon would be one of the first songs I would discover.
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1.13pm
26 January 2017
Offline Rocky Raccoon has a really nice melody and acoustic guitar playing, but the lyrics are just irritating. I can tolerate some of their quirkier lyrics but often they ruin otherwise great songs.
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Jules, JulesI've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
12.12pm
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20 August 2013
Offline She called herself Lil…
I wonder if Paul was giving a nod to Lily Evan’s (Mal’s wife) who was called Lil.
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12.20pm
18 December 2017
Offline i don’t know if this has been answered but is the song about an actual raccoon doing human things or just a person with a silly name?
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1.01pm
11 June 2015
Offline I think Paul thought Rocky Raccoon sounded cowboy-like. I don’t believe that was the original name of the song. This song reminds me of one of the great things about the White Album , there were songs you could actually recreate. Rocky Raccoon in particular was one we would play and sing, including the odd accent. If we messed up we would start again until we got it perfect 
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1.13pm
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1 May 2011
Offline It was originally Rocky Sassoon but got changed to Raccoon to be more cowboy sounding.
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4.12pm
18 December 2017
Offline thank you both!! i liked the image of raccoons in pants and skirts in a little town, though. 
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Beatlebug, WeepingAtlasCedars| | I don’t know how to put it here. hello for the love of god hello
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The Concert for Bageldesh
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Walrian here! Not Fiddy, or anyone else, actually.
4.21pm
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15 February 2015
Offline I always pictured Rocky as an oversized vest-wearing anthropomorphic raccoon who fell in love, had rivalries, and generally dealt with regular humans… and this was totally normal in my 8-year-old mind because why not? 
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4.24pm
18 December 2017
Offline Beatlebug said
I always pictured Rocky as an oversized vest-wearing anthropomorphic raccoon who fell in love, had rivalries, and generally dealt with regular humans… and this was totally normal in my 8-year-old mind because why not?
i was discussing the human vs raccoon issue with my friend earlier and he suggested this exact thing
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Beatlebug, WeepingAtlasCedars| | I don’t know how to put it here. hello for the love of god hello
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~~~
Walrian here! Not Fiddy, or anyone else, actually.
5.15pm
26 January 2017
Offline Beatlebug said
I always pictured Rocky as an oversized vest-wearing anthropomorphic raccoon who fell in love, had rivalries, and generally dealt with regular humans… and this was totally normal in my 8-year-old mind because why not?
Heh, I was never really sure whether Rocky was supposed to be a human or not. I always like to imagine him similar to the way you do, it makes the whole story a lot funnier.
As a whole, I like this song because it’s musically interesting and melodic without being particularly serious. I love the vocal adlibbing section in particular.
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TheWalrusWasBrian, lovelyritametermaid, Beatlebug, Into the Sky with Diamonds, WeepingAtlasCedarsI've been up on the mountain, and I've seen his wondrous grace,
I've sat there on the barstool and I've looked him in the face.
He seemed a little haggard, but it did not slow him down,
he was humming to the neon of the universal sound.
9.04am
14 June 2016
Offline Always thought it was a human with a weird name. Great song…pure Paul.
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6.39pm
11 June 2015
Offline Yeah, I never imagined Rocky as an actual raccoon. Perhaps there is some Guardians of the Galaxy influence happening here?
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10.16pm
Moderators
15 February 2015
Offline I certainly couldn’t have been influenced by Guardians of the Galaxy, as I grew up under a rock (where I still live, albeit with internet access) and still have very little idea what it is about (I’m vaguely aware that there’s some kind of raccoon character in it, but that’s it). I was just a child with a very overactive imagination, and those initial impressions are hard to shake. 
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10.17pm
11 April 2016
Offline Beatlebug said
I always pictured Rocky as an oversized vest-wearing anthropomorphic raccoon who fell in love, had rivalries, and generally dealt with regular humans… and this was totally normal in my 8-year-old mind because why not?
That’s exactly how I’ve always imagined it! It never occurred to me that it might have been any other way. 
sigh butterfly said
Perhaps there is some Guardians of the Galaxy influence happening here?
I don’t think so, at least in my case. Raccoons are one of my favourite animals, so I’m assuming part of it probably stemmed from that bias.
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10.50pm
14 June 2016
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sigh butterfly said
Yeah, I never imagined Rocky as an actual raccoon. Perhaps there is some Guardians of the Galaxy influence happening here?
The honky tonk piano section is the best part. Legend says it was actually a raccoon jumping on the keys excitability, and not George Martin.
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11.00pm
5 December 2019
Offline This thread reminds me of the time where I first heard “Rocky Raccoon ” during my first White Album listen, very naive in my knowledge of the Beatles, and the first thing I did when I heard the opening lines was rush to my drama teacher and go “Doesn’t this sound exactly like [name of the lead actor in that year’s musical] doing a terrible American-western accent?” and my drama teacher just deadpan said, “No it’s just Paul McCartney doing a terrible American-western accent.”
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