8 of My Favorite Ringo Starr Songs
Ringo Starr exists in a type of fame paradox; widely regarded as the least important member of the most famous band of all time, he is incredibly well-known and yet often overlooked and underappreciated. Many people have already written about how he actually contributed a lot to the Beatles and their signature sound, but far fewer people come to the defense of his solo career. I’ve heard people who are huge Beatle fans admit to never listening to his solo songs. Part of the sigma might come from the fact that he doesn’t write all of his own songs, but that’s true of many famous pop performers.The fact of the matter is Ringo Starr’s solo career is extremely varied, and it contains many songs that are criminally underrated. So, to celebrate Ringo’s 80th birthday, here are 8 of my favorite Ringo Starr songs, in no particular order.
1. Snookeroo
Written by the iconic duo of Elton John and Bernie Taupin, this piano-based rocker is extremely catchy. Featuring whimsical lyrics, the song is allegedly a biography of Starr himself. While the character described by the song isn’t exactly like him, Starr is the only person who could sing a song like this and make it work perfectly, bringing just the right mix of humor and sincerity.
2. Weight of the World
Ringo Starr’s music has a reputation for being silly and lighthearted, but in truth about half of his solo songs are extremely sad in nature. This melancholic ballad, written Brian O’Doherty and Fred Velez, touches on heavy themes of neglect and recovery. Ringo’s vocal delivery really sells the sadness of the song, while the beautiful wall-of-sound style instrumentation adds a heavy dose of hope.This song was not much of a hit when it came out, but I truly believe it is one of the best sad Ringo songs.
3. Back Off Boogaloo
This glam-influenced rocker is shockingly heavy for Starr. It prominently features his drumming as well as George Harrison’s slide guitar, resulting in a kind of bluesy march that almost feels ahead of its time. With lyrics that seemingly criticize Paul McCartney, it’s also one of the most aggressive and confrontational Ringo songs.
4. La De Da
This may be my favorite Ringo Starr song ever. Extremely Beatlesque with it’s slow acoustic opening, energetic verses, and anthemic chorus, the song also mixes in unexpected elements like the Electric Light Orchestra-eque backing vocals. The end result is something that sounds extremely appealing to Beatles fans without feeling like a rehash of something we’ve already heard. The song name checks Doris Day’s Que Sera, Sera and borrows its central theme, while Ringo’s singing style brings a bittersweet sadness to the subject. Starr has a writing credit on this song along with Mark Hudson, Dean Grakal and Steve Dudas, while Paul McCartney contributed bass and backing vocals.
5. Wrack My Brain
This short high-energy song sounds like something the Beatles would record in the early 60s, right down to the pseudo-ska guitar. It was written by George Harrison, joining many other songs he wrote for Starr. With lyrics that slyly poke fun at the struggles of songwriting, it strikes a good balance between silly and genuinely catchy.
6. Six O’ Clock
A simple love ballad, this song feels like an old standard that’s existed forever. It’s the kind of song you hear for the first time and swear you’ve heard it before. In truth it was written for Ringo by Paul McCartney and Linda McCartney. You can actually hear Linda’s backing vocals pretty clearly, making it feel like a Wings song. Still, Ringo is once again the perfect fit for the maudlin lyrics, giving the song just enough pitiable charm to feel sweet instead of boring.
7. Gone Are The Days
Most of Ringo’s songs land clearly in the pop category. Not this one. Opening with an experimental techno-rock soundscape, the song chugs along with dark synths, wild guitar and Ringo singing through heavy electronic distortion. At the halfway point the song unexpectedly solidifies into a recognizable chorus, almost shockingly upbeat after what we heard before, though the alt-rock elements don’t completely go away. The effect is comparable to that of The Beatles’s own Happiness is a Warm Gun, though perhaps even weirder due to how unexpected it is. Still, a lyrical callback to It Don’t Come Easy stops the song from feeling too alien and imbues it with a sense of nostalgia. It was written by Starr, David A. Stewart and Mark Hudson.
8. Ok Ray
This song is inherently silly. The chorus is almost gibberish. And yet it’s one of the most catchy pop songs I’ve ever heard. Written by Starr and Hudson along with Steve Dudas, the backing riff is kinda similar to Wrack My Brain, but spliced with a bunch of different oldies hooks until it’s almost unrecognizable. And while the lyrics seem silly at first, the references to John Lennon and George Harrison, the later who had just recently died, give it an emotional edge. This is a song about coping, hidden under a bunch of hooks and silly rhymes.
