Top 5 Songs: Ringo Starr

Happy Hump Day bitches!;)




I figured for today's edition of the Top 5, I'd pick one of The Beatles, namely Ringo Starr.

Yep, good ol' Ringo gets the spotlight today, as I pick my top 5 favorite songs from his solo career. And yes he actually had a solo career you smart-asses;)















What really surprised me is, that Ringo is the one Beatle to have the most #1 hits. Yeah I know. I didn't believe it either, until I checked it out. My money was on Paul, but nope, ol' Richard Starkey(Ringo's real name) has that claim nailed down.

Now of course he didn't write all of his hit songs; that honor usually went to other writers, like his fellow ex-band-mates George and John just to name a few.

But that still shouldn't take away from the solo success he's enjoyed, and good on him for it.


















So let's get to it shall we?
And trust me, for me, it's not as easy as you'd think when you really go through his back catalogue of songs.

5).  No No Song/ Early 1970

Yes I picked a tie already, but I can because it's my blog;)

In all seriousness, it was hard to keep Early 1970 out of this list. Why you may ask? Simple really; I really dig the song because it was a fun bit of insight into the state of the former band-mates at the time. Remember that The Beatles had officially broken up by April of that year, and Paul wasn't really talking to Ringo, John, or George at the time. So that's why when Ringo mentions Paul 1st, he says "And when I get to town, I wonder if he'll play with me." 
He was still talking to the other guys at the time, thus why he goes in more detail about being able to play with them(not like that you perverts;)

The No No Song is just a purely funny song about Ringo's newly won sobriety and and a quick list of all the drugs he either used to do, or had done at one time. The gimmick here is that he's being offered all those drugs again, and comes up with a bunch of funny excuses to get out of it.

Here's the lyrics to give you a better clue as to the hilarity of it all:

Huh-huh! Huh-huh
(Ah-ah-ah-ah-ah)
(Aye-aye-aye-aye)

A lady that i know just came from Columbia,
She smiled because i did not understand.
Then she held out some marijuana, ha ha!
She said it was the best in all the land.

And i said,
"no, no, no, no, i don't smoke it no more,
I'm tired of waking up on the floor.
No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze,
And then it makes it hard to find the door."

(ah-ah-aye-aye)

A woman that i know just came from Majorca, Spain,
She smiled because i did not understand. (parazzi! Parazzi!) (ole!)
Then she held out a ten pound bag of cocaine,
She said it was the finest in the land.

And i said,
"no, no, no, no, i don't sniff it no more,
I'm tired of waking up on the floor.
No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze,
And then it makes it hard to find the door."

(aye-aye-aye-aye)
(aye-aye-aye-aye)
(aye-aye-aye-aye)
(aye-aye-aye)

A man that i know just came from Nashville, Tennessee, oh, (oh no!)
He smiled because i did not understand.
Then he held out some moonshine whiskey, oh ho,
He said it was the best in all the land. (and he wasn't joking!!!)

And i said,
"no, no, no, no, i don't drink it no more,
I'm tired of waking up on the floor.
No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze,
And then it makes it hard to find the door."

Well, i said,
"no, no, no, no, i can't take it no more,
I'm tired of waking up on the floor.
No, thank you, please, it only makes me sneeze,
And then it makes it hard to find the door."

Hey yeh!

"i'll just have another drink, barman, have you got a large brandy?"

4).  Back off Boogaloo

Had to include this classic hit single on the list.

Just listen to how hard Ringo's hitting the fucking drums man! Love the military-style beat too. 

It just goes to show you how damn good a drummer he is, and helps illustrate why Ringo was chosen by Rolling Stone Magazine as the 5th greatest rock drummer of all time.

3). Beaucoups of Blues

I really like this one, even though some of you, or most of you, may wonder what a song like this is doing in the Top 5 list. Simple really. I love it!

I don't like a lot of Country music, but there are a few I do like, and I think for a purposes this is Ringo's version of a country song.

It's slow tempo-ed, but easy on the ears. Not to mention pretty decent to listen to if you're feeling kinda' down.

Love it.

2). It Don't Come Easy

And it didn't come easy to put this song in the #2 spot either.

This is a damn good, classic hit from Ringo, and really, if you listen to it or really familiar with it, how could not love this one?

It's got such a great message about paying your dues in life to get where you want to go, and how the road/journey to get there isn't easy at all. But it's all presented in an uplifting, up-beat way.

God love Ringo for this one.

1). Photograph

The video I was finally able to use, doesn't really do this song justice. This one is tops because of how well it was written and crafted, and ultimately performed. Co-written by George Harrison, this one just has so many meanings attached to it. 

It can be about missing an old flame, a family member, beloved pet, anything. And to me, that's what makes this song such a classic, and keeps it enduring after all these years.

Of course when George passed away in 2001, the song had  a different meaning for Ringo whenever he performed it, like he did in the memorial concert for George in '02. 

But damn what a sweet, if somewhat sad song. Really, who can't relate to this one?

Well that's my Top 5 Ringo Starr songs. There's more of his hits I like to listen to, and if you're interested, his latest(well not super-latest) greatest hits album, Ringo Starr: Photograph, the very best of, has all of these songs and more. So give it a try, or do what I do, and download these fuckers in mp3 form for free;)

Have a good one people.......