The song that defines Ringo Starr’s entire career: “We made a record!”
Ringo Starr has received unfair ridicule for many decades, but thankfully, most people now accept that he was a pivotal component that made The Beatles tick. He may have never been the flashiest drummer in the world, but that’s precisely the attribute which made him a perfect fit for the Fab Four. They didn’t need a drummer who wanted to perform ten-minute solos during concerts. Instead, they required a Ringo who was happy to quietly go about his business.
Joining The Beatles changed Starr’s life in ways he could never have imagined when he first performed with John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison. Even in his wildest dreams, what they achieved as an active band seemed far-fetched because it had never been done before by any group, let alone four ordinary boys from the banks of the Mersey. Ringo was the missing part of the jigsaw for the Fab Four, and once he joined, everything fell into place.
Starr was established when he accepted the invitation to play with The Beatles, albeit only in the Liverpool music scene rather than nationwide. However, he was no stranger to the band and had already established a personal relationship with them. Eight months before formally becoming a band member, he spent considerable time with the group in Hamburg as his band Rory Storm and The Hurricanes were booked to share a residency in the German City with The Beatles.
The Hamburg residencies were incredibly physically and mentally demanding but also acted as a crash course in the art of performance. While the pay was inadequate and the working hours were unreasonable, they allowed The Beatles to gain a priceless amount of stage time. When it was time to come home, they were operating on a different wavelength from anybody, which meant they blew their competition out of the water when they returned to the Bthe circuit.
Watching Starr perform with The Hurricanes nightly left a strong impression on The Beatles. When their relationship with drummer Pete Best became fractured beyond repair, Brian Epstein asked Starr to perform with The Beatles at The Cavern in Liverpool. Due to their existing affinity, it was a straightforward decision regarding Best’s replacement.
After his position became official, Ringo entered the studio with the band shortly afterwards to record his first song, ‘Love Me Do‘. The release put The Beatles on the map and became their first hit. Although it didn’t top the charts in the United Kingdom, it was the first brick in the wall and set the foundations for their cultural takeover.
As it was his first recording with The Beatles and changed his life, Starr described ‘Love Me Do’ as his most “career-defining” song. He said to Vulture: “Because it was the first song, my answer is ‘Love Me Do.’ 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. He played it, I played it — he’s on the album, I think, and I’m on the single, so go figure”.
At this point, Starr’s future in the band was uncertain, as George Martin brought in a session drummer to record another version of the track, which featured on Please Please Me and was released in the US as a single. Nevertheless, Starr holds precious memories from the song that started their journey to superstardom, adding, “We were just blessed that George Martin took a chance on us because many record labels sent us down.”
While he only appears on the original single version, Starr’s fondness for ‘Love Me Do’ is unmatched. His love is not necessarily for the song itself but due to the sentimentality he holds for that precious chapter in his life. As a drummer, Starr has previously said that ‘Rain’ is his best moment from a technical perspective, yet his emotion for ‘Love Me Do’ supersedes it in his heart.
Starr concluded: “A lot of tracks we did after that I loved, of course. The ‘Love Me Do’ arrangement just came out of our heads. We didn’t read music. We were buskers. There’s nothing quite like the first. George Martin apologized every time I met him after we recorded that song. He would say, ‘I’m sorry, Ringo,’ because he didn’t know that we changed drummers.”
Martin and Starr’s relationship may have begun on rocky ground, but the ‘Love Me Do’ saga quickly became water under the bridge. Yet, instead of becoming a song that Starr resented because he was replaced on the second recording, it is a poignant reminder of those cherished days. Shortly after, everything changed forever, and the Fab Four became worldwide recognised superstars.
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