The 1960s was one of the most transformative decades of the 20th century, partly down to the influence of four young men from Liverpool. The Beatles emerged at the beginning of the ’60s with their matching suits and mop-top haircuts, typically singing sweet love songs with a youthful appeal.
Yet, within a few years, the band had rapidly evolved. They experimented with new instruments and recording techniques sparsely used in mainstream popular music. The songwriting duo of Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote the bulk of The Beatles’ songs, although George Harrison sometimes contributed solo compositions, which were always incredible. Then there was Ringo Starr, the band’s faithful drummer.
For Starr, real name Richard Starkey, songwriting wasn’t a major preoccupation of his, and he only wrote two songs for the band without the assistance of other members. Although he occasionally assumed lead vocals on certain tracks, these songs were more often than not written by Lennon-McCartney.
However, Starr’s lack of original contributions hasn’t prevented him from earning the respect of Beatles fans. With the other members proving more than capable of writing stellar songs, Starr allowed them to take the songwriting reigns, contributing his own ideas when he felt necessary.
What was the first song Ringo Starr wrote for The Beatles?
Although Starr contributed a line to ‘What Goes On’ from Rubber Soul, earning him his first joint writing credit, he didn’t contribute his first solo composition until 1968’s ‘Don’t Pass Me By’. The song appeared on the band’s self-titled album, better known as The White Album.
Starr once explained the process of writing the song via Anthology: “I wrote ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ when I was sitting ’round at home. I was fiddling with the piano – I just bang away – and then if a melody comes and some words, I just have to keep going. It was great to get my first song down, one that I had written. It was a very exciting time for me, and everyone was really helpful, and recording that crazy violinist was a thrilling moment.”
Did Ringo Starr ever write a single for The Beatles?
The drummer might have sung lead vocals on the single ‘Yellow Submarine’, but he did not pen the track. None of Starr’s compositions, joint or solo, were released as singles.
What was the final song Ringo Starr wrote for The Beatles?
The Beatles came to an end after they recorded Let It Be, which was released in 1970, a month after they announced their breakup. Starr’s final songwriting contributions were ‘Dig It’ and ‘Maggie Mae’. However, his final solo composition was the childlike ‘Octopus’s Garden’ from Abbey Road.
Starr famously wrote ‘Octopus’s Garden’ while there was hostility among the band, wishing he could live as simply as an octopus under the sea. He came up with the idea while travelling on a boat. In 1981, Starr explained, “He [a ship captain] told me all about octopuses – how they go round the sea bed and pick up stones and shiny objects and build gardens. I thought, ‘How fabulous!’ because at the time I just wanted to be under the sea, too. I wanted to get out of it for a while.”
Every songs Ringo Starr wrote for The Beatles:
Starr wrote four joint compositions with The Beatles, including the instrumental ‘Dig It’ and the band’s adaptation of the traditional ‘Maggie Mae’. He wrote two songs independently.
