Ringo got sole writing credit for two Beatles songs: Don’t Pass Me By (The White Album) & Octopus’ Garden (Abbey Road).
Which composition do you prefer? (Poll below.)
- Don’t Pass Me By
- Octopus’ Garden
0 voters
They’re very similar songs. I prefer “Octopus’ Garden” because it’s the more upbeat of the two. You can tell it was written after “Don’t Pass Me By.”
I don’t remember ever hearing “Don’t Pass Me By.” I have heard “Octopus’ Garden” many times over the years.
ditto. But having just listened to “Don’t Pass me By”, I see why Octopus’ Garden" gets played more.
I’m a sucker for Ringo singing country, so i voted for Don’t Pass Me By.
In fact, i always thought he should’ve pursued a country career after The Beatles. It would’ve put him in a different class than the other guys, with less room for comparisons.
Eta: i know OG is the better song, and is actually a bit profound lyrically once you know Ringo’s state of mind when he wrote it, but i still prefer DPMB.
Best Ringo song?
You know about Beaucoups of Blues, right?
I like Octopus’s Garden. Not just as a Ringo song, but as a Beatles song.
Yeah, that’s why i think he should’ve pursued a country career. It’s better than any other album he ever did imo.
I like this one but I can see how people who don’t like metalcore might differ. Although the chorus is pretty anthemic.
I’ve never listened to any of the Beatles solo albums except for All Things Must Pass from George, which is outstanding.
Were Ringo’s any good? I’ve heard some Paul songs and he is wildly up and down in quality. I have never liked John’s brief solo career, though he may have done better in the 80’s-present.
They were fun. I thought these were good: It Don’t Come Easy, Photograph, Back Off Bugaloo and Oh My My. I don’t hate The No No Song, but it’s not a favorite.
But he had help. George contributed a lot.
I voted for Octopus’ Garden, but one of my favorite lyrics from the White Album is from Don’t Pass Me By.
I’m sorry that I doubted you, I was so unfair
You were in a car crash, and you lost your hair
Hearing the song for the first time, my reaction was, what the hell?!?! But eventually I figured he was just having a laugh with the whole thing.
Yep, got it when it first came out. I really liked Sentimental Journey, too. Kind of corny in spots, but that’s ok. Interesting that he had the idea to do an album of American Standards 40 years before Paul recorded Kisses On The Bottom.
How could anyone vote for Octopus? That song is the reason the Beatles had to end. The other three knew he would insist on getting more writing credits (and thus royalties, piggybacking his horrible material on future hit albums), the thought of it must had provoked a sort of gag reflex, “Look mate, we like you and all, but this has to end, bye”.
Don’t Pass Me By wins by default. It’s harmless and forgettable, tucked away on side 3 of a double album, can’t hurt, whereas Octopus is exactly what the Yellow Submarine guy thought would be a great Beatle song, nobody wanted to tell him the truth, so let George Martin tart it up with sound effects and let’s quit.
Ringo had the most succesful solo career of any of the Beatles for the first few years after the group broke up. Some of his songs were pretty good, and a couple were great.
I’m not sure the facts support that.
McCartney (1970) went No 1 in the US
Ram (1971) UK no 1, US top 5
Wild Life (Wings) (1971) ok not so well received
All Things Must Pass (1970) went number 1
Concert For Bangladesh (1970-71) went number 1
Plastic Ono Band (1970) number 8 UK number 6 US
Imagine (1971) number 1
and Ringo:
Sentimental Journey (1970) top 10 UK, 22 US
Beaucoups of Blues (1970) US #35 on the country chart, did not chart in the UK
Ringo (1973) 7 UK 2 US
I like Ringo’s material, but let’s not make him out to be what he isn’t.
“You were in a car crash and you lost your hair.” That lyric puts Don’t Pass Me By on top.
I was thinking about singles, not albums. And I did say ‘in the first few years after the breakup.’. And I did say solo career to intentionally exclude Wings, as that’s a different band. Same with the Plastic Ono band and the concert for Bangladesh.
Looking at the Billboard singles charts…
Ringo had 2 #1 hits and 7 songs in the top 10, and 12 songs in the top 40, with almost all being between 1973 and 1975.
George Harrison scored two #1 songs from ‘All Things Must Pass’ but nothing else in the top 10 for the rest of the 70’s.
John Lennon had one #1 in the 70’s and five songs in total in the top 10.
Paul McCartney (without Wings) only had one #1 hit in the early 70’s with ‘Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey’. All the rest were with Wings.
If we are going to count Wings, then McCartney leads by a mile. It was one of the most commercially successful bands of the 70’s. They had six #1 singles.
So if we are looking at singles charts and not counting ‘Wings’, it’s true that Ringo had the most thriving career in the years right after the Beatles broke up. At least in terms of the American Billboard chart. If we include Wings, then McCartney runs away with it.
One of my favorite sequences in the Get Back film is the beginning of Part 3. Ringo and George are the only two Beatles in the studio, and Ringo plays what he has (not very much) of “Octopus’s Garden.” George starts helping him out with the chords and the melody. As first George Martin, and then John and Paul, arrive, they’re all delighted by this cute little Ringo song. But yeah, George helped quite a bit.
Ringo also said, sometime later, that George probably also deserved a co-writing credit for “It Don’t Come Easy.”