Every day when I start the morning show I try start positively.  For me, that's by playing some of my favorite music by my favorite band, The Beatles. This week, though, I've decided to do a theme week.  Last week we had songs written by Lennon and McCartney that weren't recorded by The Beatles.  And then I got a suggestion to do a spotlight on the solo careers of the group.  These songs are solo material recorded by Ringo Starr after The Beatles were no more. I just love Ringo - he had such a hard upbringing and became such a sweet man anyway. He was almost always sick and in hospitals so he didn't get very much time in school. I also say people underestimate him as a drummer. Anyway, onto the music!

On Monday, I played "Snookeroo".

The song, which concerns a happy-go-lucky lout from northern England, was written about Starr himself. Bernie Taupin backs this up by calling it "a simple biographical thing". Ringo, when he approached Elton John to write a song for him, told Elton to "make it nice and commercial". Elton said "Bernie wrote really simple lyrics, very Ringo type lyrics and I tried to write a simple sort of melody to it". Elton also plays piano on the track. It's on the 1974 album Goodnight Vienna.

On Tuesday, I played "Photograph".

"Photograph" that was released as the lead single from his 1973 album Ringo. Starr co-wrote the song with George Harrison, his former bandmate from the Beatles. Although the two of them collaborated on other compositions, it is the only song officially credited to the pair. A signature tune for Starr as a solo artist, "Photograph" became an international hit, topping singles charts in the United States, Canada and Australia, and receiving gold disc status.

On Wednesday, I played "The Weight of The World".

"Weight of the World" is a song released on his 1992 album, Time Takes Time. Written by Brian O'Doherty and Fred Velez, the song was released as a lead single backed with "After All These Years", and "Don't Be Cruel" (the latter was only on the CD single). The single reached 74 in the UK charts. It was released on 28 April 1992 in the US, and on 18 May in the UK. This was considered a soft comeback, as Ringo had not made any music for about seven years. During October and November 1988, Starr and his wife Barbara Bach attended a detox clinic in Tucson, Arizona, each receiving a six-week treatment for alcoholism.

On Thursday, I played "Back Off Boogaloo".

"Back Off Boogaloo" is a song  released as a non-album single in March 1972. Starr's former Beatles bandmate George Harrison produced the recording, which took place in London shortly after the two had appeared together at Harrison's Concert for Bangladesh shows in August 1971. The single was a follow-up to Starr's 1971 hit song "It Don't Come Easy" and continued his successful run as a solo artist. "Back Off Boogaloo" reached number 2 in Britain – his highest charting single there – and number 9 in the United States. The title for the song was inspired by English singer-songwriter Marc Bolan. Some commentators have suggested that the lyrics were directed at Paul McCartney, reflecting Starr's disdain for the music McCartney had made as a solo artist over the previous two years. "Back Off Boogaloo" demonstrates the influence of glam rock on Starr, who directed a documentary film, Born to Boogie (1972), about Bolan's band T. Rex around this time.

On Friday, I played "It Don't Come Easy".

"It Don't Come Easy" was a single in April 1971, reaching number 1 in Canada and number 4 in both the US and UK singles charts. Considered to be Starr's signature song, it was Starr's first solo single in the UK, but his second in the US (the first was "Beaucoups of Blues"), following the breakup of the Beatles. The single would later beat the sales of Starr's fellow former-Beatles' singles at the time: John Lennon's "Power to the People", Paul McCartney's "Another Day" and George Harrison's "Bangla Desh".

Next week I'll be doing another theme week of Beatle solo material: George Harrison. Let me know if there's something you'd like to hear and we'll start up at 6:00 a.m. on Monday morning!

Beaucouply yours,
Behka

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