So, by now I imagine you've discovered that I love the Beatles.  My absolute favorite album they recorded is the last album they recorded, "Abbey Road".  It wasn't actually the last album they released, but it was the last one they recorded.  And for me, it's the best collection of songs in one place by them that isn't a compilation record.  The album as a whole deserves its own post, and sometime I will probably do that, but for now I'll just explain that one side of the album was a great collection of songs by each of the 4 guys, and the second side was three separate medleys of great pieces of songs that they strung together in this amazing top to bottom listening experience.

"Octopus's Garden" was Ringo's contribution to the front side of the album, and it is just a happy, adorable tune that makes me smile wide every time I hear it.  He was on a yacht owned by famous British actor/comedian Peter Sellers, and had ordered fish and chips for lunch.  But rather than deliver what he ordered, the cook brought up squid from the galley.  Ringo went ahead and ate it, and had a conversation with the captain of the ship.  He said, "It tasted a bit rubbery."  The captain then went on to tell him about octopuses, and how they scour the ocean floor picking up rocks and shells, and then make gardens out of them.  

The Beatles at this moment in time were clearly starting to fall apart.  The guys were all close to 30 years old, had wives or very serious girlfriends, and home lives that had become their individual priorities over the band.  Their business affairs had fallen into chaos in 1967 when their original manager Brian Epstein had died unexpectedly and was leading to all kinds of acrimony about how to manage their finances and contracts.  And, there was a desire by each of them to pursue creative projects that allowed more freedom and autonomy and less compromise.  George Harrison had emerged as an exceptional songwriter after having not really been a writer at all in the earlier years....how to manage that?  Less contribution from John Lennon & Paul McCartney, the most successful writing duo since Rogers & Hammerstein, and the bedrock that the Beatles legacy and success rested on?  And at the same time, how do you ignore the greatness of what George was suddenly bringing in his own compositions.  In short, it was a messy situation which was causing uncertainty, instability, and hard feelings.

When Ringo heard about these gardens Octopuses were creating on the ocean floor, they sounded like the most peaceful sanctuary ever.  So, he was inspired to start writing a song about them as a way to get away from all the headache of the Beatles at that point.  George Harrison assisted in the writing, but didn't want a credit or any publishing royalties for it.  It's one of only 2 songs Ringo ever actually penned for the group, and was the final song featuring his lead vocals to be released by the band.

It was never a single, but was included on the "Blue Album" compilation after the breakup of the band, and has been a fan favorite ever since.  It's also a really fun thematic follow up to one of his most famous lead vocals, "Yellow Submarine".  It's playful, innocent, and sounds like a song you sing for your toddler...and it's one of my absolute favorite tracks from the entire Beatles catalogue.

It makes me think that maybe if we would all spend a little more time in sanctuaries of peace, beauty, and joy, we might be better equipped to deal with the hardships and difficulties thrown on our paths.  Maybe your "Octopus's Garden" isn't an escape....but a solution?  Who knows....I just know that no matter what's going on in my life, if you put this song on, 3 minutes later I'm going to be in a better mood than I was when it started.  Cheers Ringo!

Enjoy my cover of this song from July 22, 2020 during I livestream concert I did in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and then check out my favorite live clip of Ringo singing it with his former band "The Roundheads" for an episode of "Soundstage" in 2005. 

If you'd like to explore my piano method more deeply, my best students use my video courses and join me for conversation and twice monthly Q&A Livestreams in my private community...you can find it all HERE. Thanks.

If the video doesn't show above, use THIS LINK to see it on YouTube

If the video doesn't show above, use THIS LINK to see it on YouTube