Ringo & George Rehearsing Octopus’s Garden 1969.
“Octopus’s Garden” is a song by The Beatles written by Ringo Starr from their 1969 album Abbey Road.
George Harrison worked on the song with Starr; perhaps out of solidarity as his own songs were often dismissed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
Harrison commented: “‘Octopus’s Garden’ is Ringo’s song. It’s only the second song Ringo has ever written, mind you, and it’s lovely.” Harrison added that the song gets very deep into your consciousness “Because it’s so peaceful. I suppose Ringo is writing cosmic songs these days without even realising it.”
The 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’d eaten squid, and he said, “It was OK. A bit rubbery. Tasted like chicken.”)
Then the boat’s captain told Starr about how octopuses travel along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build gardens.
The song, which contains the lyrics “Oh what joy for every girl and boy / Knowing they’re happy and they’re safe,” is sometimes thought of as being a song for children, like “Yellow Submarine”, “The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill” or “All Together Now”. It has also been performed by the Muppets several times in various episodes of their shows.
The basic instrumental track was recorded 26 April 1969, with the classic Beatles lineup of two electric guitars (Harrison and John Lennon, the latter using his fingerstyle technique as on “Julia”, “Dear Prudence”, etc.), bass guitar (Paul McCartney), and drums (Starr).
Starr also provided a temporary guide vocal. (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.
The backing vocals by McCartney and Harrison during the guitar solo were put through compressors and limiters to create a gurgling sound. Starr added the sound of bubbles being blown into a glass of water using a straw
Duration : 0:3:5
Daniel Eatock is a London-based designer known for his conceptual approach to solving traditional client problems as well as those of his own choosing. Eatock graduated from the Royal College of Art and worked as a designer at the Walker Art Center before returning to England to create Foundation 33 and most recently Eatock Ltd. His work has consistently employed a systematic but not necessarily dogmatic rigor that privileges the elemental over the extraneous—a philosophy neatly embodied in his motto: Say YES to fun & function & NO to seductive imagery & colour! His work for entertainment and cultural clients ranges from such projects as the graphic identity and promotion for the British television hit Big Brother to a street exhibition of Warhol billboards for Channel 4 to a collaboration with artists Oliver Payne and Nick Relph for an exhibition catalogue with sound chips, a flip book, handwritten notes, and a cover wrapped in the upholstery fabric used on London transit seating. Eatocks idea of entrepreneurial authorship has led to the creation of numerous self-published limited-edition works such as Untitled Beatles Poster, which includes the lyrics from every Beatles song, and the 10.2 Multi-Ply Coffee Table, fabricated from an entire single sheet of plywood.