The Beatles songs by Ringo Starr

The Beatles - The magnificent foursome that immortalized themselves while still at the height of their fame. The driving force is considered to be John Lennon and Paul McCartneywho composed almost all of the band's hits, and performed almost all of the vocal parts. But absolutely every member made his or her own undeniable contribution to the legacy... And the "quietest" one Ringo Starrwhich is the least frequently mentioned in the media, is no exception.

The Beatles' arsenal includes at least 10 tracksThe lead vocals of which were performed by Ringo! A little bit about his most famous compositions...

Boys (1963)

Ringo first performed lead vocals as part of his debut album «Please Please Me» - it's about the song «Boys»which is a cover of a popular women's band of those years The Shirelles. Remarkably, it only took Ringo one studio take! But it wasn't just skill...

In fact, the band and their producer had an almost impossible task: to release the record in one day! That's why the studio didn't throw precious time away, and the track list itself represented both previously released singles and various coversThe band has been playing in clubs in Liverpool since its early days.

I Wanna Be Your Man (1963)

Song «Boys» The drummer's performance was very good, so when work began on the second album, Lennon and McCartney made every effort to write another hit for Ringo. And that hit was. "I Wanna Be Your Man".

However, before Ringo recorded his own version, "I Wanna Be Your Man" has managed to become a gem The Rolling Stones. "The Beatles and the Rollings met when the song was almost written but not yet recorded. The Rollings liked it very much, and they asked the Beatles to give it to them because it fit their repertoire perfectly.

As a result, "I Wanna Be Your Man," written right as they were talking, became a big hit for the Rolling Stones!

Matchbox (1964)

Strengthening Ringo Starr's reputation as a reliable performer rockabilly numbers, the next Beatles track in which the drummer took over the vocal duties, was "Matchbox.", a cover version of a 1957 song by a pioneer rock musician Carl Perkins. By the way: Perkins was a big idol of the Beatles, and before they released their debut album - they played 12 of his songs live!

However, Lennon and McCartney still did not consider Ringo a strong vocalist. In his interview John openly said:

"We weren't going to give him anything good..."

For this reason "Matchbox." was hidden at the very end of the album "Long Tall Sally.". Nevertheless, the song was released as a single in the USA, and Perkins himself appreciated it! Later Ringo was lucky enough to perform "Matchbox" on the same stage with his idol and also with George Harrison and Eric Clapton in 1985.

Yellow Submarine (1966)

One of the most memorable songs psychedelic '60sThe first moment of Ringo Starr's career may also be the highlight of his career. "Yellow Submarine was conceived as a song that would appeal primarily to children, but also as a reminder of the band's roots - that is, the Liverpool, a major port city.

The composition was included in the album "Revolver." and became a hit on both sides of the Atlantic, reaching No. 1 in the U.K. charts and No. 2 in the U.S. charts. At the time, the public perception of the Magnificent Four in the U.S. was tainted by John Lennon's infamous statement that the band "more than Jesus."The single's popularity in the U.S. market is likely to have been harmed by this, according to critics.

Don't Pass Me By (1968)

Although Ringo was never known as a brilliant songwriter, the music and lyrics "Don't Pass Me By" were quite easy for him! The musician later recalled:

"I sat at home and fiddled with the piano and the guitar out of boredom. I only played three chords on the guitar and three on the piano. And somehow it all came together - a song was born!"

In fact, this song was written long before its release. The fact that it had been gathering dust on the shelf for years was long attributed to Lennon and McCartney's desire to protect your ego. However, the truth, revealed to the world many years later, turned out to be much more prosaic: when writing "Don't Pass Me By" Starr unconsciously borrowed music from the song Jerry Lee Lewis. Only in the last years of The Beatles' career, when they and producer George Martin experimented with orchestration and studio effects, did the original song become unrecognizable.

Octopus's Garden (1969)

When The Beatles began their move toward disintegration, Starr was the first Beatle to leave the band. He did it right during the session, when his anger at the increasingly controlling McCartney, who openly insulted Ringo's drumming, reached an all-time high. Ringo left London completely for a few weeks and basked in the sun on the Italian island of Sardinia, where, relaxing on the ocean, he became deeply interested in the behavior of sea creatures on the seabed, genuinely envious of their seemingly carefree way of life.

On returning to the studio Abbey Roadwhere he found his drum kit decorated with flowers as a gift from his apologetic bandmates, Ringo introduced the song to his colleagues!

And a few more Beatles songs with Ringo Starr on lead vocals!

Act Naturally (1963)

Good Night (1968)

What Goes On (1965)

With A Little Help From My Friends (1967)

Honey Don't (1964)

That's how diverse the selection is. All of these tracks allow us to judge that Ringo was very talented vocalistMany of these compositions are considered classics of their time and genre.