Fans Loved When Ringo Starr Played This Song About a Caveman
Ringo Starr became a Beatles legend, one of his signature tunes was a track about a caveman. Somehow, this all connects to "Monster Mash."
Before Ringo Starr became a Beatles legend, he played cover songs with lesser-known rock musicians. One of his signature tunes back then was a track about a caveman, but not just any caveman: a comic strip caveman. Somehow, this all connects to “Monster Mash.”
In a 2019 Rolling Stone article, Ringo and Nirvana’s Dave Grohl interviewed one another. Grohl asked Ringo if he would sing songs as part of his pre-Beatles bands. “I’d do ‘Watch Your Step,’ and I’d do ‘Alley Oop,'” Ringo replied. “Watch Your Step” is a blues-rock hit by Bobby Parker while “Alley Oop” is a novelty song about the comic strip caveman of the same name. Between “Alley Oop” and The Flintstones, cavemen appeared to be in vogue at that time.
Ringo discussed the reaction to “Alley Oop.” “In Germany, all the Germans would always [say], ‘Spielen’ Alley Oop,'” he said. “You know, substances came into play in Germany — that was good. A lot of alcohol, of course, but speed came in, and that kept us up all night.” During a 2017 interview with People, Ringo said German audiences enjoyed “Alley Oop” because its hook was the same in every language.
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
