"Octopus's Garden" is a song by the English rock band the Beatles, written and sung by Ringo Starr (credited to his real name Richard Starkey), from their 1969 album Abbey Road. George Harrison, who assisted Starr with the song, commented: "'Octopus's Garden' is Ringo's song. It's only the second song Ringo wrote, and it's lovely." He added that the song gets very deep into the listener's consciousness "because it's so peaceful. I suppose Ringo is writing cosmic songs these days without even realising it."[3] It was the last song released by the Beatles featuring Starr on lead vocals.
| "Octopus's Garden" | |
|---|---|
 Cover of the song's sheet music | |
| Song by the Beatles | |
| from the album Abbey Road | |
| Released | 26 September 1969 |
| Recorded | 26, 29 April, 17–18 July 1969 |
| Studio | EMI, London |
| Genre | |
| Length | 2:48 |
| Label | Apple |
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Starkey |
| Producer(s) | George Martin |
Composition
editThe idea for the song came about when Starr was on a boat belonging to comedian Peter Sellers in Sardinia in 1968. He ordered fish and chips for lunch, but instead of fish he got squid (it was the first time he had eaten squid, and he said, "It was OK. A bit rubbery. Tasted like chicken.")[4] The boat's captain then told Starr about how octopuses travel along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build gardens.[5] Starr's songwriting was further inspired by his desire to escape mounting hostility among the Beatles; he would later admit that he had "just wanted to be under the sea, too". Uncredited assistance in developing the song's chord changes was provided by Harrison, who can be seen helping Starr work the song out on piano, with John Lennon later joining in with drums, in the documentaries Let It Be (1970)[6] and The Beatles: Get Back (2021), both using the same footage.
Recording
editThe basic instrumental track was recorded 26 April 1969, with the Beatles lineup of two electric guitars (Harrison and Lennon),[7] bass guitar (McCartney) and drums (Starr). Starr also provided a temporary guide vocal on this date. (Take 2 of the recording, featuring this guide vocal, Starr singing the first verse three times, is track 14 on disc 2 of Anthology 3.) In the absence of George Martin, the Beatles themselves were listed as producer, with Martin's apprentice Chris Thomas present in the control room to assist. Thirty-two takes were required before the Beatles were satisfied with the track.[8]
According to Mark Lewisohn, the backing vocals by McCartney and Harrison during the guitar solo were put through compressors and limiters to create a gurgling sound. However, since dynamic signal processing does not produce such a modulation effect, Alan Parsons suggests that the effect was probably achieved using the tremolo effect produced by a guitar amplifier.[9] At Starr's request, Harrison[10] added the sound of bubbles by blowing through a straw into a glass of milk.[11][12]
Personnel
editAccording to Kevin Howlett:[13]
- Ringo Starr – double-tracked lead vocals, drums, percussion, bubbling effects
- John Lennon – rhythm guitar
- Paul McCartney – backing vocals, bass guitar, piano
- George Harrison – backing vocals, lead guitar
Certifications
edit| Region | Certification | Certified units/sales |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom (BPI)[14] | Silver | 200,000‡ |
|
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. | ||
Love remix
editThe song was remixed in 2006 for the Beatles album Love, which contained remixes of classic Beatles songs. The remix begins with Starr's vocals over the orchestration from "Good Night", then transitions into the original instrumental backing track on the line "I'd ask my friends...", with sound effects from "Yellow Submarine" added in the background. During the guitar solo, the drum track is replaced with that of "Lovely Rita" and ends with the beginning guitar riff from "Sun King".
Other versions
editJim Henson's Muppets made three video cover versions of the song, on Sesame Street, episode 19 in 1969, The Ed Sullivan Show in March 1970, and The Muppet Show episode 312 in 1978, which was performed by Kermit the Frog, his nephew Robin the Frog, and Miss Piggy.[15][16]
Oasis and Noel Gallagher have added adapted lyrics from "Octopus's Garden" to the end of their song "Whatever" during some of their live performances.[17] The phrase "I'd like to be under the sea" is in the refrain of one of Oasis' most popular B-sides, "Take Me Away".[18] Also, the refrain from the chorus of "Octopus's Garden" can be heard about forty seconds from the end of "The Masterplan", also by Oasis.[19]
Notes
edit- ^ J. O'Grady, Terence (1983). The Beatles, a Musical Evolution. Twayne. p. 160. ISBN 9780805794533.
- ^ Halpin, Brooke (2017). Experiencing the Beatles: A Listener's Companion. Rowman & Littlefield Publishers. p. 104.
- ^ Marks, Marvin (23 August 2009). "Abbey Road: The Beatles in Their Own Words". Music by Day. Archived from the original on 4 September 2009. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
- ^ Anthology book (2000, p. 312)
- ^ "Abbey Road". The Beatles Interview Database. Retrieved 25 September 2009.
- ^ Spizer, Bruce (2003). The Beatles on Apple Records. 498 Productions. p. 166.
- ^ The Complete Beatles Chronicle ISBN 978-1-851-52975-9 p. 320
- ^ Lewisohn, Mark (2004). The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions. London: Hamlyn. ISBN 0-681-03189-1.
- ^ "Money/Octopus's Garden tremolo - Gearspace".
- ^ Experiencing the Beatles: A Listener's Companion ISBN 978-1-442-27144-9 p. 104
- ^ "DM Beatle's Site: Abbey Road (UK, 1969)". Webcitation.org. Archived from the original on 24 October 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
- ^ "Abbey Road". upv.es.
- ^ Howlett, Kevin (2019). Abbey Road (50th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition) (book). The Beatles. Apple Records. pp. 34–35.
- ^ "British single certifications – Beatles – Octopuss Garden". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 13 September 2024.
- ^ "2/23/1970 – 'VTR Sullivan Show – "Octopus Garden"'". Jim Henson's Red Book. The Jim Henson Company. 24 February 2014.
- ^ Sexton, Paul (12 December 2021). "See The Muppets' Take On Ringo Starr's Beatles Favorite 'Octopus Garden'". UDiscoverMusic.
- ^ Taysom, Joe (24 March 2024). "Five times Oasis paid tribute to The Beatles". Far Out Magazine.
- ^ Morgan, Adam (29 May 2014). "Album Review: Oasis: Definitely Maybe: Chasing the Sun Edition". Surviving the Golden Age.
- ^ Jackson, Archie (7 November 2023). "Album Review – Oasis: The Masterplan". Silent Radio.
External links
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