Ringo Starr Explains How The Beatles’ ‘Yellow Submarine’ Gave Him a ‘Career’
Ringo Starr didn’t sing often for The Beatles, but when he did, he made the most of it. Fortunately, one of the songs he performed was “Yellow Submarine”. While the track was admittedly meant for children, it turned into one of the band’s most iconic songs. Ringo Starr said “Yellow Submarine” became so popular with audiences that it gave him a “career” after The Beatles.
Ringo Starr said ‘Yellow Submarine’ gave him a ‘career’
“Yellow Submarine” debuted in 1966 on Revolver. While not one of the band’s more thought-provoking tracks, it became one of its most famous songs due to its infectious chorus and easily memorizable lyrics. Paul McCartney and John Lennon wrote it, but Starr delivered the vocal performance
In a 1999 interview for the Yellow Submarine movie home release (shared by meetthebeatlesforreal.com), McCartney said Starr still performs it today, and the drummer admitted that it’s given him a “career” post-Beatles.
“I think he sings it to this day,” McCartney said. “In fact, he tells me that when he’s in concert he gets the audience to do the chorus; Ringo shouts ‘Where do we live?’ and they all go ‘In a Yellow Submarine’ Oh, (laughing) I love that, the idea of Ringo going ‘where do we live?’”
“That song’s given me a career,” Starr added. “Everybody can sing that song. When I’m on tour, it’s all ‘this is one you all know, and if you don’t, you’re in the wrong place.’ Even fetuses know that song.”
McCartney wrote ‘Yellow Submarine’ for Starr to sing
McCartney wanted to write a song marketed to children, so he developed “Yellow Submarine”. He always tried to give Ringo Starr one song to sing on each album, and he assigned him “Yellow Submarine”. His reasoning was that Starr was always good with kids, so he would be suited to sing a song made for them.
“I was in bed one night in that little limbo moment just before you drift off to sleep. Because I’m a songwriter, one of the things I find myself doing in those limbo moments is thinking of ideas for songs. Somehow, in that moment, I thought it might be good to do a children’s song, for Ringo. Ringo was always very good with kids and John and I were always looking to write a Ringo song for each album. So, I was thinking that, and this idea of a yellow submarine, like a kid’s book or something, came into my mind. So, the next day I started writing it and we finished it up. Ringo sang it very well.”
George Harrison said it’s a song that does cause a divide within audiences
While “Yellow Submarine” is catchy, it’s not everyone’s cup of tea. The repetitive chorus and bizarre sound effects can get on people’s nerves. Harrison mentioned that it was, at one point, the most hated and the most loved song in Britain. Since it appeals to such a broad audience, almost every demographic has an opinion on it.
“The year that song came out I think it was voted the most popular and the most hated song in Britain, it’s one of those songs,” Harrison explained. “It’s the kids all love it, their grannies all love it, the people who just like The Beatles all love it, and the people who don’t like it, hate it. It’s not just that they don’t like it. They hate it. It’s one of those extremes. It’s one of those songs you can’t get out of your head once you hear it. It’s a pretty cute song, but it was a children’s song basically.”
