Ringo Starr's 'Back Off Boogaloo' Was Inspired by a 1970s Rock Star
Contrary to rumor, there is no reason to believe a member of the band T. Rex helped write Ringo Starr's "Back Off Boogaloo."
Ringo Starr’s “Back Off Boogaloo” was inspired by a 1970s rock star who was close friends with Ringo.
Contrary to rumor, the 1970s rock star in question did not co-write the song.
The tune was Ringo’s highest-charting single in the United Kingdom.
Ringo Starr‘s “Back Off Boogaloo” became one of the most famous songs by a former Beatle. Ringo revealed a rock star from the 1970s inspired the song. In addition, the “Photograph” singer said he had to use a child’s toy to complete the hit.
According to the 2015 book Ringo: With a Little Help, Ringo said Marc Bolan, the lead singer of the glam rock band T. Rex, inspired “Back Off Boogaloo. “Marc was a dear friend who used to come into the office when I was running Apple Movies, a big office in town, and the hang-out for myself, Harry Nilsson, and Keith Moon,” he said.
“We’d go on to various venues, but we’d always start down in the office, and Marc was so much fun; he’d tell us how many he was gonna sell and what chart position he’d have,” he said. “We were only 30, then, but we were looking at him like he was some crazy kid.”
Source: Matthew Trzcinski/cheatsheet.com
