John Lennon and Paul McCartney were the most successful and influential songwriting partnership of all time, so Ringo Starr and George Harrison did not always have much space to work on their compositions in the band, since they would always be convinced to work in what John and Paul had written first.
But they still had the chance a few times to compose and record their songs with The Beatles and once Harrison even revealed which was one of Ringo’s songs that he liked. They were always good friends and helped each other on their solo careers. George helped Ringo to write and record many solo songs and Ringo played in many famous tracks released by George.
The Beatles song written by Ringo that George Harrison loved
Back in 1969, when The Beatles were still active and promoting their eleventh studio album “Abbey Road”, Harrison gave an interview to Ritchie Yorke. He was asked about each track of the album and one of them was “Octopus’s Garden”, which was written by Ringo Starr, who also recorded the vocals.
“(…) Is Ringo’s song. Is the second song Ringo wrote. And it’s, um… it’s lovely, y’know. It’s again, like Ringo, he gets bored, y’know, playing the drums. At home he plays a bit of piano, but he only knows about three chords. And he knows about the same on guitar. And so… uh, his main – the main music he likes is country and western.”
He continued:
“So it’s really got a country-western feel, y’know. And, uh… it’s – actually, it’s – I think it’s a really great song, because… um, on the surface, it just – it’s like a daft kids’ song. But the lyrics are great, really. For me, y’know, I find ve- very deep meaning in the lyrics, which Ringo doesn’t – probably doesn’t see, but all the thing like ‘resting our head on the sea bed’ and something, ‘We’ll be warm beneath the storm’.”
“Which is really great, y’know, because it’s like this level is a storm, and it’s always – y’know, if you get sort of deep in your consciousness, it’s very peaceful. So Ringo’s writing his cosmic songs without noticing!” George Harrison said.
Ringo Starr once explained the origin of “Octopus’ Garden”
In an interview with Jimmy Kimmel in 2022, Ringo Starr recalled how he wrote “Octopus’ Garden” back in the late 60s. “On the White Album, I left the band. And I left the band because I didn’t think I was being part of it, I was playing great.”
He said that he then went to talk with John Lennon, who said: ‘And he goes, ”I thought it was you three’. I said, ”You three are really close.’ He said, ”I thought it was you three”.
“So I flew to Sardinia. I said I’m getting out of here, went to Sardinia. I worked with Peter Sellers and his boat was there. So he lent us his boat. Two things happened. One was the nanny we had with us was carrying Jason, a little kid, …we were just climbing over rocks. Then she stopped and said, ‘Take the baby.'”
He continued:
“What? Take the baby? She said, ”Take the baby.’ So I took my son and I said, ‘What’s going on?’ There was an octopus wrapped around her leg. I would have thrown that kid a mile. But also we went and had lunch on Pete’s boat. And they gave us some fish and chips. And they gave us, what the hell is this. It was octopus and chips’.
‘In those days, you know, it was freedom when you were in Sardinia to smoke dope. And I’d gotten into a really great mood, and the weather was great.” (Then the boat captain said) ‘You know what octopus do? They find, on the ocean bed, pretty rocks and tins, actually, that are being thrown from the boats. They put like a garden around them.” Well, when you’re stoned, that’s the best idea I’ve ever heard in my life.”
‘Anyway, that’s how it ended up being “Octopus’s Garden.” At that moment I’d love to be under the sea with an octopus, you know,’ Ringo Starr said.