Ringo Starr wasn’t exactly known as the star songwriter of The Beatles. Paul McCartney and John Lennon had a solid songwriting partnership that led to most of the band’s most iconic tunes. Likewise, George Harrison started coming into his own as a songwriter toward the end of the band’s tenure. While Ringo wasn’t too interested in writing songs, he did contribute a tune or two, either entirely on his own or as co-writing efforts with his bandmates. Let’s look at a few Beatles songs that Ringo Starr wrote! The last entry might surprise you if you aren’t a diehard Beatles fan.
1. “Octopus’s Garden”
Ringo Starr wrote “Octopus’s Garden” for the 1969 album Abbey Road by himself. This track is one of only two songs that Starr contributed to the band that was entirely his own doing. George Harrison helped Starr a bit with the effort, and he went on to say that Starr was “writing cosmic songs” without even realizing it.
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2. “What Goes On”
“What Goes On” was written by Starr, along with the other three members of The Beatles, for the 1965 album Rubber Soul. Starr contributes lead vocals to the song, too.
3. “Flying”
“Flying” was a co-written instrumental effort between Starr, Paul McCartney, and John Lennon for the 1967 album Magical Mystery Tour. Starr contributes his talents on the drums as well as the maracas.
4. “Dig It”
Starr co-wrote “Dig It” with the other three members of The Beatles for their final album, Let It Be. Released in 1970, this lovely song is a great example of what the Fab Four could do with all of their heads together.
5. “Maggie Mae”
Like “Dig It”, “Maggie Mae” was a co-writing effort between Starr and the rest of the Fab Four, for Let It Be.
6. “Don’t Pass Me By”
This surprising entry on our list of Beatles songs that Ringo Starr wrote appears on the famed White Album from 1968. Along with “Octopus’s Garden”, it is one of just two songs that Starr wrote on his own for the band.
This little piece of work was Starr’s first solo composition, and he actually played it for the band upon joining back in 1962. It’s honestly a bit of an underrated gem in The Beatles’ discography, too.
Photo by Mark and Colleen Hayward/Getty Images
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