“Magic”: The song Ringo Starr wants The Beatles to be remembered for
Ringo Starr gets a lot of slack. Ever since the misquote attributed to John Lennon supposedly said Starr “wasn’t even the best drummer in the Beatles,” the idea has lingered that he wasn’t all that essential. Sure, he didn’t write as many songs as the others, but arguably, no member gave the band as much love and enthusiasm as Ringo did. That devotion is clear in his heartwarming argument over the song he believes they should always be remembered for.
First, let’s address the persistent idea that Starr was just the guy behind the kit. Countless iconic drummers have cited him as a key influence. While unassuming, Starr’s contributions were essential to the Beatles’ sound and success. Drawing from a jazz background, he took a big-picture approach—focusing on the song as a whole rather than chasing flashy drum moments. That mindset helped make the tracks immersive, memorable, and full of hooks. His playing didn’t demand attention; it served the song—and that’s exactly why it worked.
He certainly wasn’t a background player, though. Throughout the band’s discography, Starr’s risks are heard. Where other drummers might have kept things simple, Starr spruces it up, especially on tracks like ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’, ‘The End’ and even early works when he started to nail the unique groove that became known as the ‘Starr Shuffle’.
You only have to remember that The Beatles couldn’t get started without Starr to see his value. When George Martin first met the band—with Pete Best still on drums—he wasn’t convinced and wasn’t sure he wanted to work with them. But once Starr joined, everything shifted. That change sealed the deal—and history was made.
But still, despite all of that, the song that Starr wants the band to be remembered for is not an egotistical choice. He could easily have picked a track with a particularly impressive drumline or a moment where he gets to steal the spotlight. Instead, he selects a song that he doesn’t even play on: ‘Love Me Do’.
“We were on vinyl. We made a record,” he told Vulture decades later, still seemingly in awe and disbelief that those four lads were given a chance like that. To Starr and the rest of the band at the moment, that was the pinnacle. Here they were, making an album in a real studio that would be released into the ears of real people – all their dreams were coming true.
That memory is so strong within that special track that it doesn’t even bother Starr that he doesn’t actually play on the album version of it. “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,” he explained.
But none of that matters. As such a beautiful display of Starr’s love, pride and enthusiasm for the band, ‘Love Me Do’ has to be his number one choice for the song he wants to be remembered for because it’s the song that made the band’s name.
“We were just blessed that George Martin took a chance on us because many record labels sent us down,” he said as the song opened up the door to that collaboration. But it also made so many other dreams come true, like getting to hear themselves on the airwaves; “We’d all pull over and think, Wow, we’re on the radio. I mean, it was a really big moment,” he said, adding, “It was magic because we were on this piece of vinyl all to ourselves.”
While obviously there was even more greatness to come, Starr recognises the importance of that song and that moment. “There’s nothing quite like the first,” he said, wanting that history-changing, career-launching song to define them.
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