The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” includes some of Ringo Starr‘s most inventive drumming. The “Back Off Boogaloo” singer explained what he was thinking when he made his contribution to the track. Interestingly, “Strawberry Fields Forever” was a bigger hit in the United Kingdom than it was in the United States. While the tune became famous, Ringo said fame was not the motivating factor for the Fab Four.
Ringo Starr’s drumming in The Beatles’ ‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ wasn’t planned
During a 2015 interview with Goldmine, Ringo was asked about the drum pattern at the end of “Strawberry Fields Forever.” “You know, what you’re talking about just happens,” he said. “There was no plan for that. I can play basic patterns and the freedom is the fills.
“To move it to where you can put it in a different space as a drummer, especially with The Beatles, only came at the end because the songs were so set up that there was two verses, a chorus, a verse, a middle eight and a chorus and something like that,” he added. “Then at the end we’d all be allowed to blow our tops, which we did. And we still did that under three minutes.”
‘Strawberry Fields Forever’ was a hit twice in the United Kingdom
Even though it’s far more avant-garde than most top 40 music, “Strawberry Fields Forever” became a hit in the United States. It reached No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks. The tune appeared on the LP version of The Beatles’ Magical Mystery Tour. That LP topped the Billboard 200 for eight weeks, staying on the Billboard 200 for 93 weeks in total.
According to The Official Charts Company, “Strawberry Fields Forever” was released as a double A-side single with “Penny Lane” in the United Kingdom. There, the tunes reached No. 2 and stayed on the chart for 11 weeks. Upon rerelease, the songs hit No. 65 and had another two weeks in the spotlight. The LP edition of Magical Mystery Tour reached No. 31 in the U.K. and lasted on the chart for 10 weeks.
Ringo Starr explained what The Beatles were trying to accomplish with their music
The Beatles were a hitmaking factory. However, Ringo felt The Beatles were more interested in making great music than being famous. “We didn’t sort of sit around and say, ‘Let’s be famous,’” he recalled. “We said, ‘Let’s be musicians’ and you all know, unless you’re from another planet, The Beatles became very famous. That was part of it, but the music is the most important thing we did.”
Ringo was asked what he thought about The Beatles’ musical legacy. “I’m really proud of the music that we made,” he said. Ringo revealed that he had his bad days during his time with The Beatles. Regardless, he had an overall positive experience as a member of the Fab Four.
The Beatles’ “Strawberry Fields Forever” is a great tune and it wouldn’t be as impressive without Ringo’s spontaneity.
