When one thinks of the drummer of the greatest band of the 20th century, one usually doesn’t think of his vocal tracks. Ringo Starr, the drummer of The Beatles, rarely contributed much outside of his percussive talents to the band, with only occasional songwriting credits for tunes like “Don’t Pass Me By” from 1968 and “Octopus’s Garden” from 1969. He also sang backup and harmony vocals occasionally, but his main duty was sticking to hittin’ the skins. Ringo Starr did provide at least one stellar vocal performance to The Beatles, though. One that made it to their iconic self-titled 1968, better known as the White Album.
Ringo Starr Delivered His Best Vocal Performance in The Beatles on the 1968 Song “Good Night”
“Good Night” by The Beatles was written by John Lennon and is featured on the band’s iconic self-titled album from 1968. Written as a lullaby for Lennon’s young son Julian, “Good Night” was not released as a single and remains a bit of a deep cut on that very album. And many a listener was surprised to hear that Ringo Starr sang lead on the song.
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In fact, Starr was actually the only Beatle to appear on the tune. Starr’s vocals were accompanied by an orchestra that was conducted by George Martin for the recording. “Good Night” is the closing song on The Beatles as well.
It didn’t start that way, though. In the original version of “Good Night”, the other three Beatles appear on the song. George Harrison and Lennon played guitar, and Paul McCartney sang harmony. The version of the song that featured Starr alone made it to the album.
There are a ton of elements that make this song so good. To start, the chords used are atypical of a Lennon arrangement. Just as well, the song is clearly inspired by Maurice Ravel, a composer beloved by Martin. Starr’s vocal performance, naturally, is another element that makes the song work so well.
Some would argue that “What A Little Help From My Friends” from 1967 was a better example of Starr’s vocal chops. But there’s something about “Good Night” that just sounds stronger with Starr’s vocals. Considering it follows the wild ride that is “Revolution 9”, Starr was tasked with delivering a performance that eased the listener down from the high of such a chaotic song. He did so beautifully. It’s corny (Lennon’s words, not mine) and loaded with super-sweet sentiment. But it works as a closer better than any other song could on the album.
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