An Octopus Wrapped Itself Around Ringo Starr’s Nanny Just Before He Wrote ‘Octopus’s Garden’
Most Beatles songs were written by Paul McCartney and John Lennon. Still, Ringo Starr showcased his creativity with the “cosmic song” “Octopus’s Garden,” which was actually inspired by an actual octopus encounter. Here’s what we know about this song from Abbey Road.
Who wrote ‘Octopus’s Garden’ by The Beatles?
He’d like to be under the sea. This Abbey Road hit was written primarily by the Beatles’ drummer, Ringo Starr (real name Sir Richard Starkey). He was assisted by George Harrison, with the song eventually performed by all four members of the rock band.
“‘Octopus’s Garden’ is Ringo’s song,” Harrison said, according to TheBeatles.com. “It’s only the second song Ringo has ever written, mind you, and it’s lovely… I suppose Ringo is writing cosmic songs these days without even realizing it.”
An actual octopus inspired ‘Octopus’s Garden’ by The Beatles
On Jimmy Kimmel Live in 2022, Starr explained the writing process behind “Octopus’s Garden.” Part of it was informed by a trip to Sardinia, where the artist borrowed actor Peter Sellers’ yacht and spent time with his family.
“Two things happened,” the drummer began. “One was the nanny we had with us was carrying Jason [who] was a little kid and she — we were just climbing over rocks and then she stopped, and she said ‘take the baby…’ so I took my son and I said, ‘well what’s going on,’ and there was an octopus wrapped around her leg.”
After breaking for lunch and having some octopus and chips (presumably not the octopus from the nanny’s leg.) After smoking and enjoying the “great” weather, Ringo Starr chatted with the Captain about how octopuses collect tins and pretty rocks to make gardens.
“Well, when you’re stoned, that’s the best idea,” the artist said, receiving applause from the audience. “And so, I did start because I had my guitar there, and I played three chords, so everything’s in three chords.”
The artist described another piece of footage from The Beatles: Get Back, when he’s playing the piano and shouting out the chords to Harrison. He could only play in C, but that was part of the creative process for “Octopus’s Garden.”
‘The Beatles: Get Back’ showed some of the creative processes behind ‘Abbey Road’ songs
The Disney+ documentary series highlighted new footage of this band as they rehearsed for the rooftop concert of their Apple Corps headquarters in London. It also offered insight into their songwriting process for Abbey Road. The group even rehearsed “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” while on set.
Of course, the band spent time writing new music for their performance, including “Don’t Let Me Down,” “Get Back,” “I’ve Got A Feeling,” “One After 909,” and “Dig a Pony.” Today, music by Ringo Starr and the Beatles is available on most major streaming platforms.
