“With A Little Help From My Friends” is probably Ringo Starr’s vocal highlight with The Beatles. As alter ego Billy Shears, Ringo distinctively sings John Lennon and Paul McCartney’s tune about friendship. In this article, we will dive into the story, meaning, and legacy behind one of ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’s’ most iconic tracks.
The Story Behind the Song
John Lennon and Paul McCartney wrote “With A Little Help From My Friends” specifically for Ringo Starr. The pair started writing the song (briefly titled “Bad Finger Boogie”) in Lennon’s house in Weybridge on March 28, 1967. During the mid to late 60s, Lennon and McCartney rarely wrote songs together like they used to in their early days, but “With A Little Help From My Friends” was a rare exception.
“Paul had the line about ‘a little help from my friends,” Lennon recalled in 1970. “He had some kind of structure for it, and we wrote it pretty well fifty-fifty from his original idea.”
The song was written over the course of two days. On March 29, Lennon and McCartney resided in McCartney’s house in St. John’s Wood to finish “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Writer Hunter Davies, who was present during the second writing session, confirmed in The Beatles: The Authorised Biography that the song was very much co-written.
After the writing session in McCartney’s house, Lennon and McCartney contacted Ringo to tell him that “With A Little Help From My Friends” would be recorded that same evening. In EMI recording studios later that night, The Beatles completed and recorded the song.
Billy Shears (Ringo)
“With A Little Help From My Friends” was written near the end of the recording of Sgt. Pepper. On the album, The Beatles pretend to be a fictional band called the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. At the end of the album’s title track, the band introduces Ringo’s alter ego Billy Shears.
“He was to be a character in this operetta, this whole thing that we were doing, so this gave him a good intro, wherever he came in the album; in fact it was the second track. It was a nice place for him,” McCartney reflected in his biography Many Years From Now.
The album’s opening track, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band”, seamlessly segues into “With A Little Help From My Friends”. Billy Shears (Ringo) steps forward and sings the heartfelt song about the importance of friendship in times of need. Since Ringo Starr wasn’t a versatile vocalist or a prolific songwriter, he literally needed a little help from his bandmates to shine on “With A Little Help From My Friends”.
“Poking a little fun at Ringo was actually a lot of fun. ‘What would you do if I sang out of tune?” McCartney reflected in his book The Lyrics. “John and I wrote this song within a vocal range that would cause no problems for Ringo, who had a style of singing different to outs. We tailored it especially for him, and I think that’s one reason why it was such a great success for him on Sgt. Pepper.”
Read more: How Paul McCartney Came Up With The Idea For ‘Sgt. Pepper’
Besides the album’s title track (and reprise), “With A Little Help From My Friends” is the only song on Sgt. Pepper that adheres to the concept of being a fictional band. All the other songs on Sgt. Pepper have no relation to the album’s concept.
The Legacy of With a Little Help From My Friends
The Beatles released “With A Little Help From My Friends” as part of Sgt. Pepper on 26 May 1967. The song, with Ringo’s distinctive lead vocals, is one of the many highlights of the album. “Ringo’s got a great sentimental thing,” Paul McCartney stated. “I suppose that’s why we write these sorts of songs for him.”
A year after the song’s original release, Joe Cocker released his version of “With A Little Help From My Friends” as a single. Cocker’s version topped the UK charts and became an anthem during the legendary Woodstock and Isle of Wright festivals. “When Joe Cocker did this song one year later, he took it to places nobody had imagined,” McCartney remarked in The Lyrics.
Cover versions of “With A Little Help From My Friends” by Wet Wet Wet and Sam & Mark also reached number 1 on the UK Singles Chart. But The Beatles’ original version is worthy in its own rights and provides one of Ringo Starr’s greatest moments with the band.
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