When you listen to any piece of music by The Beatles, regardless of whether it is something the Fab Four did together or on their respective solo ventures, you are getting a complete mosaic of musical influences. This means that, alongside the good songs, there are some bad, and amongst the pop music, there are hints at various genres.
The Beatles all grew up in similar environments, then, from a young age, were thrust into stardom and put in a position where they had the entire world at their fingertips. As such, they branched off into different things and developed various interests. The music they went on to make later in their careers was a combination of those home values paired with whatever they found of interest in their fame.
Consider John Lennon, who wrote a song like ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’, which was him remembering a garden from childhood but blending those memories with psychedelia. Paul McCartney managed to weave the music hall traditions of his home life into everything he did. Alternatively, George Harrison got into meditation and religion, so that became a massive part of the music he wrote. Still, he blended that influence with songs he had written for The Beatles in the early years, which were never recorded. Then, Ringo Starr’s love for country music and early introduction to the genre played a part in what he would write.
The drummer only has two writing credits for The Beatles, and one is arguably a lot more famous than the other. ‘Octopus’ Garden’ is a whimsical tune from Abbey Road, but the first song that Starr ever wrote for The Beatles was ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ from The White Album.
“I’d written other songs,” he recalled, “but they were always other people’s songs; I just rewrote the words. I used to say that I was rewriting Jerry Lee Lewis B-sides.” Despite not doing too much writing, Starr never held back on vocalising just how much he loved doing it. “It was a thrill,” he added. “I remember writing it at the piano at this home in England that we were living in at the time. Then for me, and ‘til this day, it’s still magic when I write a song and get together with other musicians, and we record it, and it turns into the track.”
Despite still having that unmistakable Beatles sound, ‘Don’t Pass Me By’ is one of the rare country songs they recorded. It sounds odd, but when you remember Starr wrote it, that country influence is to be expected. It’s a genre he grew up surrounded by and influenced a lot of his solo work, especially Beaucoups of Blues.
“I come from Liverpool, which is a port,” said Ringo, “So a lot of neighbours went to sea. In fact, Liverpool is sort of the capital of country music in England. So, I just came by it naturally, sailors who would play the records.”
One thing that The Beatles never lost throughout their fame was their individuality. It might have been paired with other things, but in everything the band have written, parts of what initially inspired them and that drove them to music are ever-present. With Ringo, a strong country influence can be heard clearly in his work with the band and as a solo musician.
