Album: Abbey Road
Year: 1969
Written by: Richard Starkey (aka Ringo Starr)
"It's Ringo Starr Time!"* Ringo sang lead on only 11 Beatles studio-recorded songs, and he only wrote two of them (plus, he co-wrote one more). Octopus's Garden is generally considered the greatest of his songs.
The inspiration for this tune was a 1968 vacation to the Italian island of Sardinia. The band was recording The White Album at the time, and Ringo felt unhappy because the other three Beatles were working more independently rather than together as a group. He felt unloved by his musical brothers, so he took a trip to feel better. Ringo explains how he was out on a boat one afternoon, and "I stayed out on deck with [the captain] and we talked about octopuses. He told me that they hang out in their caves and that they go about the seabed finding shiny stones and tin cans and bottles to put in front of their caves like a garden. I thought this was fabulous, because at the time I just wanted to be under the sea too."
While in Sardinia, he received a telegram from the other Beatles, begging him to come home and telling him they thought he was the greatest drummer in the whole world. When he returned to Abbey Road Studios in London to continue working on the album, he found that his drum kit was covered in flowers and that everyone was happy to see him. Ringo had a great time for the rest of the recording, and he wrote the song Octopus's Garden a few months later.
Ringo sings lead, with Paul and George providing the memorable backing vocals. Listen for the sound of bubbles that George makes by blowing a straw into a glass of milk.
* = Before joining The Beatles in 1962, Ringo, who had the reputation of being the best drummer in Liverpool, played with a group known as Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. During each of their shows, Ringo got to sing in a featured spot called "Ringo Starr Time." Although John and Paul did most of the singing in The Beatles, Ringo continued his tradition by singing lead in a song an average of once per album.
The inspiration for this tune was a 1968 vacation to the Italian island of Sardinia. The band was recording The White Album at the time, and Ringo felt unhappy because the other three Beatles were working more independently rather than together as a group. He felt unloved by his musical brothers, so he took a trip to feel better. Ringo explains how he was out on a boat one afternoon, and "I stayed out on deck with [the captain] and we talked about octopuses. He told me that they hang out in their caves and that they go about the seabed finding shiny stones and tin cans and bottles to put in front of their caves like a garden. I thought this was fabulous, because at the time I just wanted to be under the sea too."
While in Sardinia, he received a telegram from the other Beatles, begging him to come home and telling him they thought he was the greatest drummer in the whole world. When he returned to Abbey Road Studios in London to continue working on the album, he found that his drum kit was covered in flowers and that everyone was happy to see him. Ringo had a great time for the rest of the recording, and he wrote the song Octopus's Garden a few months later.
Ringo sings lead, with Paul and George providing the memorable backing vocals. Listen for the sound of bubbles that George makes by blowing a straw into a glass of milk.
* = Before joining The Beatles in 1962, Ringo, who had the reputation of being the best drummer in Liverpool, played with a group known as Rory Storm and the Hurricanes. During each of their shows, Ringo got to sing in a featured spot called "Ringo Starr Time." Although John and Paul did most of the singing in The Beatles, Ringo continued his tradition by singing lead in a song an average of once per album.
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