Ringo Starr Was ‘Stoned’ When He Had the Idea for The Beatles’ ‘Octopus’s Garden’
Ringo Starr said he was “stoned” when he had the idea for The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden.” He revealed he was on a famous comedian’s boat when he thought up the track. In addition, Ringo felt the tune could just as easily have been about “happy-go-lucky sharks.”
The Beatles’ ‘Octopus’s Garden’ was inspired by Ringo Starr’s trip on Peter Sellers’ boat
During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Ringo discussed the origin of “Octopus’s Garden.” “I’d actually left the band and gone to Sardinia for a holiday in 1968, and Peter Sellers’ boat just happened to be there,” he recalled. For context, Sellers was a comic actor most known for portraying Inspector Clouseau in the Pink Panther films from the 1960s and 1970s. “[Ringo’s then-wife] Maureen [Cox] and I and the kids went on his boat, and the captain was talking to me. I’m afraid we were smoking a bit of dope in those days — a bit of grass.
“So it was all so nice and beautiful, and he told me the story about how octopuses have their own special gardens under the sea,” he added. “When you’re stoned, how do you react? ‘Wow! Wow!'” Ringo was then asked if “Octopus’s Garden” was the best Beatles tune to listen to while stoned. He wasn’t sure, but listening to the song on drugs worked “fine” for him.
Why Ringo Starr felt The Beatles could have had recorded a song about sharks instead
The “You’re Sixteen” singer gave fans more insight into how “Octopus’s Garden” came together. “On the boat, I had a guitar, and I could play anything you’d like in that as long as it was in E,” he said. “It was the only chord change I knew.
“‘I’d like to be under the sea in an octopus’s garden in the shade’ just came to me,” Ringo recalled. “It was just one of those magic moments. I mean, what if the captain said, ‘Sharks like live dogs for dinner?’ Happy-go-lucky sharks.” Considering The Beatles wrote a comedy song about a serial killer, Ringo might’ve been able to write a good tune about happy-go-lucky sharks.
How ‘Octopus’s Garden’ and ‘Abbey Road’ performed on the pop charts
The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” was never a single in the United States, so it didn’t hit the Billboard Hot 100. The track appeared on The Beatles’ Abbey Road, becoming one of the band’s most famous country and western songs. Abbey Road reached No. 1 for 11 weeks on the Billboard 200, lasting on the chart for an incredible 490 weeks. In the U.S., it was the band’s most successful studio album.
The Official Charts Company says “Octopus’s Garden” didn’t hit the United Kingdom pop chart either. On the other hand, Abbey Road topped the U.K. chart and stayed on the chart for 97 weeks. Upon rerelease, the record reached No. 1 again and spent 45 weeks on the chart.
“Octopus’s Garden” is a great kid’s song and it wouldn’t be the same if a certain sea captain mentioned sharks instead.
