Remembering When Ringo Starr Got His First Songwriting Credit With The Beatles in 1965

If you’re even a casual Beatles fan, you can probably reel off the names of some of the songs sung by Ringo Starr without any trouble. But songs that were actually written by Starr (at least partially) are much fewer and farther between.

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In 1965, Starr finally received a songwriting credit on the song “What Goes On”. Even on that one, his contributions were likely on the minimal side.

Slow Start as Writer

When Ringo Starr joined The Beatles in 1962, he proved a perfect fit with his exquisite musical timing and affable personality. He could also step out in front and sing when asked. The group gladly utilized that latter skill when they played live.

In addition, they made sure that Starr would also get a chance to provide at least one lead vocal on each of their studio albums. Often, they chose cover songs for him to sing. Occasionally, John Lennon and Paul McCartney would work up an original like “I Wanna Be Your Man” for him.

But Starr didn’t write his own material in those early days. Since he didn’t have much facility on guitar and piano, it was difficult for him to get it done in a musical sense. And, as George Harrison also discovered in the early years of the group’s recording career, Starr struggled to find his footing when Lennon and McCartney had already established themselves as unparalleled writers.

Say “What”

Starr often lamented that the songwriting ideas that came to him turned out to be unconscious rewrites of others’ songs. Perhaps it’s unsurprising, then, that the first songwriting credit that he received with The Beatles came with the song that he didn’t originate.

John Lennon first brought “What Goes On” to the studio in 1963, although he’d started writing it in his pre-fame days. But the band didn’t think it was worth pursuing further at that time. It sat around on the back burner for another two years before it was time to revisit it as a possible song for Ringo on the 1965 album Rubber Soul.

Paul McCartney helped flesh out Lennon’s original idea. He then made a thorough demo of the song and gave it to Starr to learn. At that point, Starr added his own input to the recording before “What Goes On” was finally complete.

Ringo’s Additions

In subsequent interviews, Starr related that he had only really added a few lines to the song as constructed by Lennon and McCartney. But the other two men felt he’d done enough to receive credit. “What Goes On” showed up on the back cover of Rubber Soul as a Lennon/McCartney/Starkey song. (Starr’s real name is Richard Starkey.)

“What Goes On” was far from single-material. It’s a quirky number that was even recorded in an offhand fashion. Focus on Lennon’s rhythm guitar, and you’ll hear all kinds of odd squeaks and squawks.

Still, it was a landmark in that it put Starr into the group’s songwriting picture. He’d go on to amass two full songwriting credits in the year to come with “Don’t Pass Me By” on The White Album and “Octopus’s Garden” from Abbey Road. Without “What Goes On”, Starr might never have reached those milestones.

Photo by Mark Hayward Archive/Redferns