Greetings and salutations, Hivers. Today let's go into another Evening Groove / Three Tune Tuesday post.

As always, thanks to @ablaze for making this series. Lots of people participate in it! Follow the tags to find a ton of good music recommendations.

I keep meaning to return to my beloved Japanese jazz, but that won't be today. As I was making this I happened to see a post about Ringo on the music subreddit. And instantly I had the idea for this post: Don't Forget Ringo!

For a long time Ringo was the funny Beatle, but he wasn't really viewed as much beyond that. He was thought of as a competent drummer but not an especially great one. I think within the past few years that has finally started to change, as more and more people in the industry come out and praise him as not only a good drummer, but one of the best ever, going so far as to credit a lot of the Beatles' success to the consistency and quality of his drumming.

But even as we start to recognize how great his drumming talent is, we often don't think of his singing. The group did usually give him a song per album, but these are often viewed as silly songs or kids songs or just handouts to Ringo.

Well, I'm here to say, the Ringo songs are some of my favorites! Let's look at a few of them.

With a Little Help from My Friends

Most of us probably think of the Joe Cocker version of this song when it comes to mind. If we are of a certain age, the opening of Wonder Years probably also immediately comes to mind. Cocker's version was so good that John Lennon famously remarked, "It's his song now".

Cocker's version turned it into soul music; he was influenced in his arrangement by Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. It is an amazing cover. But that said, the original was great too. Despite the reference to getting high, it's not really a drug song; rather, it's a fun tune, mocking Ringo's limited range with the very first line "What would you do if I sang out of tune" and later "I'll try not to sing out of key" To this day, Ringo often performs the song. Here's one of them.

Octopus's Garden

People are probably split between this one and Yellow Submarine. Both are fun, I think. I lean towards this one for three reasons. One: Unlike Yellow Submarine, which was written by John and Paul, Octopus's Garden was written entirely by Ringo (with a little assistance from George). Two: my kids love it, so they are always singing it and it's often in my head. Three: the Giles Martin mix of the song on Love was so good, that I often throw it into mixtapes I make just to shake things up. If you haven't heard it, here's that mix.

It Don't Come Easy

This one was also written by Ringo, but with a lot of help from George who also produced the song. (When George sang the song a few times, he had the background singers cry "Hare Krishna"; since George's death, Ringo sometimes adds in that "Hare Krishna" when he sings it too).

Ringo originally started on the song as the Beatles were breaking up. He wanted to find a song that would help establish his own identity beyond the Beatles. It don't come easy in regards to standing out from the other three. It's another great song and has also become a mainstay of Ringo's concerts.

Here is one of his first performances of the song, from The Concert for Bangladesh.

So what's your favorite? Or did I miss your favorite Ringo song? Let me know in the comments!

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David LaSpina is an American photographer and translator lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time and searching for the perfect haiku. He blogs here and at laspina.org. Write him on Twitter or Mastodon.