10 of the Best Ringo Starr Songs to Listen to on His Birthday
Ringo Starr has said for decades that he only ever wanted to be a drummer. Mission accomplished, sir. His steady backbeat helped make The Beatles the biggest band on earth. On a few occasions, he outshined his bandmates and came up big on their best songs. We didn’t know it at the time, but the world changed when Richard Starkey was born on July 7, 1940. To celebrate Ringo’s birthday, here are 10 of his best solo songs from his post-Beatles career to listen to.
Ringo Starr’s birthday coincided with some major Beatles events
There must have been something about early July that made it a special time for members of The Beatles.
John Lennon and Paul McCartney first met on July 6, 1957. Seven years later and well on their way to conquering the pop music world, the band premiered their first movie, A Hard Day’s Night. The album and titular single dropped four days later.
John, Paul, Ringo, and George Harrison escaped a disastrous tour stop in the Philippines on July 5, 1966.
The Fab Four released their “All You Need Is Love” single on Ringo’s birthday in 1967. The song put them back on top of the charts in England after “Penny Lane” topped out at No. 2 (per the Official Charts Company).
He was far from The Beatles’ best songwriter, but Ringo’s presence brought musicianship and chemistry that propelled them to great heights. The drummer found success with several memorable solo songs in the decades that followed the Fab Four fracturing.
1. ‘It Don’t Come Easy’
Starr’s first two solo albums — Sentimental Journey and Beaucoup of Blues — failed to produce a hit. His third effort, 1973’s Ringo, made up for lost time. The single for “It Don’t Come Easy” gave Ringo his first post-Beatles chart placement in England in April 1971, more than two years before his third solo record came out.
The horn blasts, hooky vocal melody, and Ringo’s stately drum fills distracted from the nonsensical lyrics. Even if the words didn’t make sense, the tune was strong enough to make the cut for our list.
2. ‘Photograph’
For someone with limited vocal range, Ringo turned in a strong performance in that department on “Photograph.” The string swells and sax solo hammered home the lovelorn sentiment of the song. George helped write this tune from Ringo, which gave the drummer his first Billboard No. 1. (“Photograph” rose to No. 8 in England).
3. ‘Early 1970’
Ringo never pulled any punches about his standing in The Beatles. He was brutally honest about his status as the fourth on the ladder. The drummer knew he got by with a little help from his friends, and he accepted it. “Early 1970,” another Ringo track, saw him reminiscing about his former bandmates and playing with them.
Ringo described his relationship with McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison, in just a few lines. He then made fun of his limited musical abilities (“I play guitar, A-D-E / I don’t play bass ’cause that’s too hard for me / I play the piano if it’s in C”) before plainly stating he hoped to keep playing with all three of his former bandmates.
4. ‘Back Off Boogaloo’
Just to be clear — we’re talking about the version that appeared on Ringo’s Goodnight Vienna album, not the butchered pseudo-disco from 1981’s Stop & Smell the Roses. T. Rex frontman Marc Bolan inspired Ringo to write the song. George’s hard-hitting slide guitar and Ringo’s shuffle drumming made “Back off Boogaloo” one of the drummer’s strongest solo songs from a musical standpoint.
5. ‘Goodnight Vienna’
Like “It Don’t Come Easy,” the lyrics to “Goodnight Vienna” don’t really make any sense. And yet it doesn’t really matter. It’s all about the music on the title song from Ringo’s 1974 album, and the insistent piano riff, hand claps, horn blasts, sighing accordion, and Hammond solo made the song a celebratory-sounding tune, a perfect song for Ringo’s birthday bash.
6. ‘Cryin’’
Ringo always professed his love for country music, and he nailed the genre on this original from 1976’s Ringo’s Rotogravure. The plodding piano carried the tune, but pedal steel and acoustic guitar chords helped “Cryin’” amble its way to becoming one of the best Ringo solo songs.
7. ‘After All These Years’
Ringo’s post-Beatles life saw him descend deeply into alcohol addiction. He knew he had a problem but still waited years to seek help. The drummer’s solo albums in the late 1970s and 1980s weren’t the strongest efforts. Ringo regained the magic touch with his music after he found sobriety. The autobiographical look back at the Beatles’ career on “After All These Years” was one of many highlights on Time Takes Time and a fine way to ring in Ringo’s birthday.
8. ‘Little Drummer Boy’
Ringo never wanted to play drum solos. His bandmates and George Martin begged him to play his only Beatles solo. Ringo’s gift to his fans was to put on a drumming showcase on his 1999 Christmas album, and it was awesome. Starr put on a three-minute drumming showcase — complete with an array of mini solos — on the muscular “Little Drummer Boy.”
9. ‘Rory and the Hurricanes’
The drummer mined his personal life on several of his 21st-century solo songs (see our honorable mentions), but “Rory and the Hurricanes” was the cream of the crop. Ringo’s musical shoutout to his first notable band was a flashback to the early brand of rock ‘n’ roll music they admired. There’s a sweet background organ riff, a straightforward chorus guitar lick, a middle eight carried by the piano, fantastic vocal melodies, and one of Ringo’s few drum solos.
10. ‘Coming Undone’
You have to give credit where credit is due. “Coming Undone” from Ringo’s 2021 Change the World EP capably mixed several of his favorite musical styles: A bit of big band horns here, country-tinged guitar strumming there, and a pinch of reggae attitude for good measure. The song perfectly summed up the sentiments many people felt in the depths of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Other Ringo solo songs to put on a playlist to celebrate his birthday
- “Simple Love Song” (from Ringo the 4th)
- “Attention” (Stop and Smell the Roses)
- “Weight of the World” (Time Takes Time)
- “Never Without You” (Ringorama)
- “Liverpool 8” (Liverpool 8)
- “In Liverpool” (Ringo 2012)
And hey, if you don’t want to listen to these solo songs to celebrate Ringo Starr’s birthday, then we’re pretty sure you could find a few Beatles gems to spin instead (sarcasm font).
For more on the entertainment world and exclusive interviews, subscribe to Showbiz Cheat Sheet’s YouTube channel.
