Ringo Starr Is Wrong About The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’
Sometimes, classic rock stars don’t understand their own work. Ringo Starr said some things about The Beatles’ “Love Me Do” that are just plain wrong. His comments don’t make sense in light of The Beatles’ career or Ringo’s career as a solo artist.
Ringo Starr said The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’ is his defining song
During a 2023 interview with Vulture, Ringo was asked to name the defining song of his career. “Because it was the first song, my answer is ‘Love Me Do,'” he said. “We were on vinyl. We made a record.
“Even though when I got to the studio, George Martin had a session guy for the drums, Andy White, but I played on it anyway,” the “Photograph” singer added. “He played it, I played it — he’s on the album, I think, and I’m on the single, so go figure. We were just blessed that George Martin took a chance on us because many record labels sent us down. But the fun was the fact that we were still touring. And only the BBC was playing the song. It would say, ‘Oh, at 3:14 p.m., this song will be on the BBC.’ So we’d all pull over and think, ‘Wow, we’re on the radio.’ I mean, it was a really big moment. It was magic because we were on this piece of vinyl all to ourselves.”
Ringo opined that the Fab Four made many fabulous tracks after “Love Me Do.” However, that tune would always be important to him because it was his first. He seemed proud that The Beatles wrote many songs without being able to read music.
Why Ringo Starr is so wrong
Starr’s take on “Love Me Do” is abysmal. The tune is far from The Beatles’ best work. It’s not even the best song to come out of the band’s bubblegum rock ‘n’ roll era. If “Love Me Do” was The Beatles’ only song, we wouldn’t be talking about them decades later. Aside from being cute and catchy, it doesn’t have a lot to offer.
It’s hard to name the defining song of The Beatles’ career. Maybe it’s a big hit like “I Want to Hold Your Hand” or “Hey Jude.” Perhaps it’s an enduring standard like “Yesterday” or “Here Comes the Sun.” It might even be a revolutionary psychedelic tune like “Strawberry Fields Forever” or “A Day in the Life.” But it’s not “Love Me Do,” as memorable as its harmonica riff is.
Ringo’s solo career is another matter. The defining song of his solo career is probably one of three songs: “Back Off Boogaloo,” “Photograph,” or “It Don’t Come Easy.” Each of those songs had a mix of quality and popularity that made them plausible candidates for Ringo’s solo peak.
The Beatles’ ‘Love Me Do’ rocketed to the top
“Love Me Do” topped the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week. It stayed on the chart for 14 weeks in total. The song appeared on the album Introducing… The Beatles. That record peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 49 weeks.
“Love Me Do” is perfectly loveable — but let’s not overstate its importance.
