Ringo Starr Said This Beatles Song Could Have Been the End of Their Hits

It’s hard to imagine now, but the success of The Beatles’ songs was never a given. Ringo Starr said the band’s prominence could have ended after one of their most famous songs came out. Notably, the track in question was a No. 1 single in the United States but not in the United Kingdom.

Ringo Starr felt The Beatles would stop having hit songs after 4 years

During a 2019 article from Rolling Stone, Ringo and Grohl interviewed one another. Ringo reflected on his hits with The Beatles. “‘Love Me Do’ could’ve been the first and last, but it went on,” he said. “And there’s interviews of us, like, ‘Well, you know, it’ll probably last about four years.'”

In actuality, The Beatles lasted for 10 years together. Afterward, each had a string of hit tunes in the 1970s. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and George Harrison each managed to have hit singles in the 1980s. Paul even managed a big hit in the 2010s: “FourFive Seconds,” a collaboration between the former Beatle, Rihanna, and Kanye West.

Ringo Starr and Dave Grohl discussed how the public could have reacted to their songs

Grohl remembered his early days. “I worked in a furniture warehouse,” he recalled. “I never imagined that I’d become a famous musician. I played in bands. I would go on the road, come back, beg for my job back, go back to the factory, and I was happy with that. So when the whole Nirvana thing blew up, one of my first feelings was, ‘Wow, I don’t have to…’

“‘…go back to the factory!'” Ringo added. “But we don’t know: That first record you had, that could’ve been the first and last, you know what I mean?”

Grohl discussed his reaction to his success. “When the first check came in, my dad said, ‘You realize this isn’t gonna last, right? You have to treat every check like it’s the last one you’re ever gonna make.’ He scared the s*** out of me. It worked!”

How The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’ performed on the pop charts

The Official Charts Company reports “Love Me Do” became The Beatles’ first charting single in the United Kingdom. It reached No. 17 there and stayed on the chart for 18 weeks. Upon rerelease, the tune climbed to No. 4 and lasted another seven weeks on the chart. Finally, the track reached No. 53 for a single week.

“Love Me Do” was not The Beatles’ first charting single in the United States. According to Billboard, that honor goes to “I Want to Hold Your Hand.” “Love Me Do” was still a major hit, topping the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week and lasting on the chart for 14 weeks. It’s interesting that “Love Me Do” was a No. 1 hit in the U.S. but not the U.K. Perhaps American audiences responded more to the song because it has a bit of a country/Americana influence in its instrumentation.

“Love Me Do” was a juggernaut and, luckily, it was not the end of The Beatles’ chart dominance.