How George Harrison and Ringo Starr Wrote The Beatles' 'Octopus's Garden'
Ringo Starr revealed what it was like to watch footage of himself and George Harrison composing The Beatles' "Octopus's Garden" together.
The Beatles‘ “Octopus’s Garden” is one of the most famous songs Ringo Starr wrote. George Harrison helped him write the track. Despite this, George said the tune was entirely Ringo’s.
During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Ringo was asked what it was like for him to view the scene in the documentary The Beatles: Get Back where George helps him write “Octopus’s Garden.” “It’s emotional for me to watch,” he revealed. “The first time I watched that scene … well, I can play any song you’d like as long as it’s in C on the piano. Keep that in mind.”
Ringo gave fans more insight into the way the tune came together. “I got a few of those verses, and when I went back to the studio — because it was in C — George was sitting there and took an interest,” he said. “He said, ‘F flat, D minor,’ whatever. Nowhere I could go. I don’t know these chords. I’m a 12-bar guy. And then, he gets up, and you see that footage you’ve experienced. He always helped out, George. It was great. I miss him every day.”
The book George Harrison on George Harrison: Interviews and Encounters features an interview from 1969. In it, he revealed why he liked “Octopus’s Garden,” which he attributed to Ringo alone. “I mean, most people say, ‘Oh, well, it’s Ringo,’ or you know, ‘Ha-ha,’ or something,” he said. “But it’s great that Ringo should do it. You know, why shouldn’t he do it. And it’s just like a country and western tune anyway. And it’s a happy tune and it’s all that.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
