How a yellow submarine became the central motif in the song is uncertain. I thought also, with Ringo being so good with children – a knockabout uncle type – it might not be a bad idea for him to have a children’s song, rather than a very serious song. So it didn’t seem uncool to me to have a pretty surreal idea that was also a children’s idea. “I remember lying in bed one night,” recalled McCartney as part of The Beatles Anthology, “in that moment before you’re falling asleep – that little twilight moment when a silly idea comes into your head – and thinking of ‘Yellow Submarine’: ‘We all live in a yellow submarine…’ I quite like children’s things I like children’s minds and imagination. Lennon came in with the verse melody, and the duo began workshopping the song’s lyrics together with an assist from folk singer-songwriter Donovan, whose more flowery language was evidenced in the line “sky of blue and sea of green.” He came up with the most straightforward, most sing-songy chorus he could think of, one that could feature backup vocals from everyone to help prop up Starr’s unique bray. McCartney had the basis of the idea: a children’s song for Ringo about a yellow submarine.

His songs weren’t world-changing number ones or genre-defying opuses they were classic covers or children’s tunes.Īs was often the case in the Lennon-McCartney songwriting partnership, ‘Yellow Submarine’ combined two separate pieces from each writer. Ringo was the affable everyman: short, goofy, limited in his musical range, and often times the most relatable and endearing Beatle. The other three Beatles were tall, had striking features, could write tremendous songs, and were incredible singers. The scene in A Hard Day’s Night where John, Paul, and George get a bundle of fan letters while Ringo gets an entire pile? That was based on real life. It might seem slightly bizarre to consider now, but Ringo Starr was easily the most popular Beatle during the band’s early ’60s touring heyday, especially in America. But the business was still business, and the Beatles business mandated a Ringo song. The band were embracing psychedelia, expansive thought and were pushing the boundaries of not only their personal musical abilities but the expectations of what a rock band could do. The band are beginning to use the studio as an instrument, conjuring sounds that couldn’t possibly be replicated in a live setting, like the echoing tape loops of ‘Tomorrow Never Knows’ and the backwards guitar solo of ‘She Said She Said’. It’s early summer 1966, and The Beatles are in the throes of their most experimental, most musically ambitious, and most drastically different sounding LP yet, Revolver.