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TL;DR:

  • Ringo Starr said The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden” was inspired by real-life octopus behavior.
  • In retrospect, he felt the tune could have been a lot more twisted.
  • It appears Paul McCartney approved of “Octopus’s Garden.”

The Beatles‘ “Octopus’s Garden” is one of the most famous songs Ringo Starr sang. During an interview, he said the track could have been about happy sharks instead. As odd as it sounds, that might have worked.

The Beatles’ ‘Octopus’s Garden’ was inspired by a conversation on Peter Sellers’ boat

During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Ringo discussed the origin of “Octopus’s Garden.” “I’d actually left the band and gone to Sardinia for a holiday in 1968, and Peter Sellers’ boat just happened to be there,” he said. “[Ringo’s then-wife] Maureen [Cox] and I and the kids went on his boat, and the captain was talking to me. I’m afraid we were smoking a bit of dope in those days — a bit of grass. So it was all so nice and beautiful, and he told me the story about how octopuses have their own special gardens under the sea.

“When you’re stoned, how do you react?” he asked. “‘Wow! Wow!’ On the boat I had a guitar, and I could play anything you’d like in that as long as it was in E. It was the only chord change I knew.

“‘I’d like to be under the sea in an octopus’s garden in the shade’ just came to me,” he recalled. “It was just one of those magic moments. I mean, what if the captain said, ‘Sharks like live dogs for dinner?’ Happy-go-lucky sharks.”

The Beatles wrote twisted songs, so they could’ve done a track about sharks

Ringo’s comment on sharks was facetious, but The Beatles could have made a fun song about happy sharks. Abbey Road, the parent album of “Octopus’s Garden,” includes a music hall number about a serial killer: “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.” That’s one of the more controversial tunes in the Fab Four’s catalog, but if “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” has fans, they could have made a decent shark track.

After all, The Beatles had a twisted sense of humor. Tracks like “Piggies,” “A Day in the Life,” and “Run for Your Life” all go to dark places.

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Paul McCartney appeared to enjoy ‘Octopus’s Garden’

“Octopus’s Garden” could have been about a different animal, it seems to have impressed Paul McCartney as it is. During a 2020 interview with GQ, he was asked if he ever reflected on the “uniqueness” of his life. Paul said he did so all the time.

Paul recalled when Keith Richards said The Beatles were lucky for having four singers while The Rolling Stones only had one. In addition, Paul was in awe of the band’s songwriting abilities. In Paul’s opinion, he, John Lennon, and George Harrison were talented songwriters while Ringo positively contributed to the group’s repertoire with songs like “Octopus’s Garden.”

“Octopus’s Garden” is a lot of fun even if it isn’t the morbid tune it could have been.

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