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Ringo Starr might have been the overlooked Beatle at times, but his voice carried a lot of weight when he spoke. He had a genuine, pure Ringo reaction when John Lennon brought Yoko Ono into The Beatles’ inner circle. The drummer spoke frankly when he relayed his disgust about fan reactions to John’s death. Speaking of death, Ringo wants “Octopus’s Garden” to play at his funeral, and that makes complete sense.

Ringo Starr, who wants 'Octopus's Garden' to play at his funeral, performs with his All-Starr Band in New York in 1999.
Former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr | Bill Davis/Newsday RM via Getty Images

Ringo Starr didn’t get many songs onto Beatles’ records, but ‘Octopus’s Garden’ was one of them

Ringo was the only one who could put the beat in The Beatles. His immense but understated drumming skills provided the backbone of some of the biggest hits of all time. Without Ringo’s talents, the Fab Four wouldn’t have been able to push their sound forward in the 1960s with songs such as “Rain” and “Tomorrow Never Knows.”

Yet with the tandem of John and Paul McCartney writing most of the songs (while giving George Harrison an allowance of a few tunes), Ringo rarely got songwriting credits on Beatles albums. Out of the dozens of album tracks, only two belonged to Ringo — “Octopus’s Garden” and “Don’t Pass Me By.”

It shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that “Octopus’s Garden” earns a nod on Ringo’s funeral playlist.

Ringo wants ‘Octopus’s Garden’ played at his funeral, which makes sense

Ringo might have been overlooked during the peak of The Beatles’ fame, but he always seemed to be having fun. Well, except for the time he received death threats before a concert. And when he walked out on the band during the White Album session.

Yet that second episode led to him writing “Octopus’s Garden,” which is Ringo through and through. It’s little wonder the drummer wants it played at his funeral. 

“I don’t know what we’d have playing, so I’ll say [“Octopus’s Garden”] because it’d be nice to have everyone singing along,” Ringo said, per NME. 

For anyone who has read about Ringo’s life story or followed him on social media, it makes total sense that he wants “Octopus’s Garden” played at his funeral.

Many of Ringo’s solo songs touch on subjects such as togetherness, friendship, love, and harmony. The drummer signs off on social media and ends his interviews with what has become his signature phrase — “Peace and love.” The lyrics to “Octopus’s Garden” touch on those themes: “I’d ask my friends / To come and see / An octopus’ garden / With me” and “We would be warm / Below the storm / In our little hideaway / Beneath the waves,” for example. 

It’s a fun song and a good sing-along. If one aspect of a funeral is celebrating the deceased, then “Octopus’s Garden” would be an ideal song to play at Ringo’s send-off.

Our nominations for other Ringo songs to play at his funeral

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“Octopus’s Garden” seems destined to play at Ringo’s funeral, whenever that happens. But one three-minute song won’t cut it for a playlist, so we’d like to nominate some other Ringo songs to play at the celebration of his life.

  • “Liverpool 8” takes Ringo’s life story and condenses it into a five-minute tune that includes a surprisingly powerful and earnest vocal turn from the drummer.
  • With lines such as “Let the dawn break / Without heartache” and “Never lonely / Dream and I’ll be / By your side,” the song “Imagine Me There” from 2003’s Ringorama album seems tailor-made for a funeral playlist.
  • Ringo’s funeral would need to have at least a slight nod to some of the crooners who preceded The Beatles. The drummer had a soft spot for that kind of music; his first solo album, Sentimental Journey, was an homage to that musical style. “Stop and Take Time to Smell the Roses” is hardly the best solo Ringo song. Still, the musical style of the 1981 tune coupled with lines such as “Take the time to smell / Have a good time in life” would fit in nicely at Ringo’s funeral.
  • “(You and Me) Babe,” in which he verbally thanks the many musicians who contributed to his third solo album, encapsulates Ringo’s attitude of selflessness and gratefulness for the success he achieved in his career. It should be mandatory at Ringo’s funeral.

Ringo Starr’s funeral will likely be soundtracked by “Octopus’s Garden,” but several of his solo songs should appear on the playlist.

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