Ringo Starr Needed George Harrison’s Help to ‘Sound Like a Genius’ on 1 of His Biggest Solo Songs
Ringo Starr achieved worldwide fame as a member of The Beatles. Even though he copied another drummer for his famous solo on “The End,” Ringo made a huge impact on rock ‘n’ roll music and earned praise from Elvis Presley’s drummer and other professional musicians. Still, he always relied on a little help from his friends, and in one situation, George Harrison made Ringo sound like a genius on one of his biggest solo songs.
Ringo Starr and George Harrison worked together a lot after The Beatles broke up
Acrimony and intraband squabbling brought The Beatles to an end at the beginning of the 1970s. That didn’t stop Ringo and George from collaborating soon after the Fab Four disbanded.
George forgot about his contributions, but Ringo played drums on two-thirds of George’s 1970 solo debut, All Things Must Pass. The former Richard Starkey later played on George’s albums Living in the Material World, Dark Horse, Somewhere in England, and Cloud Nine, per All Music.
George returned the favor to Ringo. The guitarist collaborated with his trusted drummer on the solo albums Ringo, Goodnight Vienna, Blast From Your Past, Ringo’s Rotogravure, and Stop & Smell the Roses.
The former Beatles bandmates remained close, including when Ringo needed George’s help to sound like a genius on one of his biggest solo hits.
The time George made Ringo sound like a genius on one of his most popular solo songs
Ringo didn’t write many songs with The Beatles. He never possessed great musical talent aside from the drums, but he wasn’t totally inept. At the very least, he was smart enough to know when he needed help on a song.
As Michael Seth Starr (no relation) writes in With a Little Help, Ringo needed George’s help fleshing out his basic melody on “Back Off Boogaloo:”
“I’m a limited guitar player; I can only play three chords. I’d got the melody down with my three chords and took it over to George’s. ‘Would you put in a few more chords?’ It makes me sound like a genius.”
Ringo Starr describes how George Harrison made him sound like a genius
Ringo needed George’s help — and melodic touch — to sound like a genius on “Back Off Boogaloo.” Some praise should go to Ringo and his friend Marc Bolan, too.
Bolan’s good-natured “Back off, boogaloo” phrase, uttered over dinner at Ringo’s house, resonated with the drummer. Starr writes that the drummer jumped out of bed to demo the song in the middle of the night. The next stroke of genius belongs to Ringo — he raided his kids’ toys when he realized his tape recorder was out of batteries.
It all came together in memorable fashion. Bolan’s phrase gave Ringo an instantly recognizable song title. His melody might be one of his strongest, his shuffle drumming is as impressive as ever, and George’s slide guitar work is excellent. It’s easy to see why “Back Off Boogaloo” became one of Ringo’s biggest solo hits.
How ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ performed on the charts
Ringo needed George’s help to truly sound like a genius on “Back Off Boogaloo.” The song’s chart performance indicates that the drummer’s idea for the tune was solid from the start.
“Back Off Boogaloo” was one of Ringo’s best-performing singles in both the United States and England. It spent 10 weeks on the Billboard singles chart in 1972 and climbed as high as No. 9. The song did even better in England, where it hit No. 2 to become Ringo’s highest-charting single, per the Official Charts Company.
Ringo included “Back Off Boogaloo” on his 1974 solo album Goodnight Vienna, which became one of his most successful records. It peaked at No. 8 as it spent 25 weeks on the Billboard 200, reached No. 30 in England, and earned gold status from the Recording Industry Association of America.
Ringo Starr needed George Harrison’s help to sound like a genius on “Back Off Boogaloo.” Still, the drummer showed incredible smarts in knowing he required assistance on a solo song that became one of his biggest hits.
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