Ringo Starr Wrote Only Two Beatles Songs. The Stories Behind Them Are Peak Ringo.

The Beatles, bless their mop-top hearts, churned out a staggering 229 songs in their decade-long run. Most of those, unsurprisingly, came from the Lennon-McCartney hit factory. George Harrison chipped in a respectable 22. And then there was Ringo Starr, the man behind the drums, who officially penned... two.

Yes, two. Which, if you think about it, is both impressive and slightly terrifying given the band's output. But those two songs? Pure, unadulterated Ringo charm, leaving a surprisingly distinctive mark on the Fab Four's legacy.

The Breakup Ballad & The Octopus Anthem

Our story really kicks off in 1968, a year when Ringo briefly — and famously — peaced out from the band. Tensions were high, and he felt like an "outsider." So, what does a rock star do when he feels alienated? He writes his most iconic songs for the very band he just left, apparently.

First up, there's "Don't Pass Me By," which landed on The White Album in '68. Ringo actually cooked this one up way back in 1963, trying to get his bandmates to record it. Five years later, they finally got around to it. As Ringo charmingly put it in The Beatles Anthology, he was just messing around on the piano at home when a melody hit him. "A very exciting time," he recalled, which is the most Ringo way to describe a creative breakthrough.

This was his first solo composition for the band, and his debut as a lead vocalist to boot. Let that satisfying number sink in.

Then came "Octopus's Garden," the last song he'd write for The Beatles, found on Abbey Road in 1969. The group was nearing its bitter end, and Ringo, again, felt that "no magic" was left. He'd had enough and needed a break.

He found inspiration while vacationing in Italy with Peter Sellers, who apparently dropped the delightful fact that octopuses collect shiny things to decorate their underwater caves. Ringo, feeling the weight of the world, thought, "You know what? I wish I could be under the sea, too." And thus, a whimsical, escapist anthem was born.

The lyrics might sound light, but they were Ringo's coping mechanism, his longing for a peaceful, shiny-object-filled hideaway. And if you listen closely, you can hear him blowing bubbles into a glass of water on the track, which is exactly the kind of adorable detail you'd expect.

While he only has two solo writing credits, Ringo did co-write several others, including "What Goes On" (with Lennon and McCartney), and "Flying," "Dig It," and "Maggie May" (with all four Beatles). Because, you know, sometimes you just need to share the credit for a jam session.

The Duet We've Waited Half a Century For

Fast forward to today: Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are the last two Beatles standing. And in news that will undoubtedly make several generations of fans misty-eyed, McCartney just announced a new album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane, due out in May 2026.

One track, "Home to Us," will feature a duet with Ringo. This marks their first proper collaboration in over 50 years. Both are co-creators on the song, reflecting on their shared Liverpool upbringing, with Ringo reportedly taking the chorus. After all these decades of friendship and shared history, it's their first recorded duet together. Because apparently, that's where we are now: still getting firsts from The Beatles.