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TL;DR:

  • Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote some of The Beatles’ songs for Ringo Starr to sing.
  • Paul named his favorite Fab Four song meant for Ringo.
  • He said the song was more mature than another Beatles hit.
The Beatles' Ringo Starr wearing a suit
The Beatles’ Ringo Starr | John Pratt / Stringer

Paul McCartney said some of The Beatles’ songs were written for Ringo Starr. Paul felt one of the songs he and John Lennon wrote for Ringo was relatively mature. Despite this, the lyrics of the track made Paul giggle.

Paul McCartney said Ringo Starr played a character in 1 of The Beatles’ songs

In the 1997 book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now, Paul discussed “With a Little Help From My Friends.” “This was written out at John’s house in Weybridge for Ringo; we always liked to do one for him and it had to be not too much like our style,” he recalled.

“I think that was probably the best of the songs we wrote for Ringo actually,” Paul added. “He was to be a character in this operetta, this whole thing that we were doing, so this gave him a good intro, wherever he came in the album; in fact it was the second track. It was a nice place for him, but wherever it came, it gave us an intro.”

Paul McCartney said 1 of the lyrics from the song made him giggle

Paul found the track humorous. “I remember giggling with John as we wrote the lines ‘What do you see when you turn out the light? I can’t tell you but I know it’s mine,'” he said.

Paul interpreted the lyric. “It could have been him playing with his w***** under the covers, or it could have been taken on a deeper level,” he opined. Paul felt the song was more mature than The Beatles’ “Yellow Submarine,” which Ringo also sang.

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How The Beatles’ ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“With a Little Help From My Friends” never became a hit in the United States, therefore it didn’t chart on the Billboard Hot 100. The Beatles included the tune on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. The album topped the Billboard 200 for 15 weeks, remaining on the chart for 233 weeks in total.

The Official Charts Company reports “With a Little Help From My Friends” was a single in the United Kingdom. It was released as a double A-side with “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.” The songs reached No. 63 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for three weeks. Meanwhile Sgt. Pepper was No. 1 for 28 weeks. It remained on the chart for 277 weeks altogether.

“With a Little Help From My Friends” was a minor hit — and Paul was fond of it.

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