| "Back Off Boogaloo" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK picture sleeve | ||||
| Single byRingo Starr | ||||
| B-side | "Blindman" | |||
| Released | 17 March 1972 (1972-03-17) | |||
| Recorded | September 1971 | |||
| Studio | Apple, London | |||
| Genre | Rock,glam rock | |||
| Length | 3:16 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Songwriter | Richard Starkey | |||
| Producer | George Harrison | |||
| Ringo Starr singles chronology | ||||
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| Music video | ||||
| "Back Off Boogaloo" onYouTube | ||||
"Back Off Boogaloo" is a song by the English rock musicianRingo Starr that was released as a non-album single in March 1972. Starr's formerBeatles bandmateGeorge Harrison produced the recording and helped Starr write the song, although he remained uncredited as a co-writer until 2017. Recording took place in London shortly after the pair had appeared together at Harrison'sConcert 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" peaked at number 2 in Britain and Canada, and number 9 on America'sBillboard Hot 100. It remains Starr's highest-charting single in the United Kingdom.
The title for the song was inspired by English singer-songwriterMarc Bolan. Several commentators have interpreted the lyrics as an attack onPaul 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 ofglam rock on Starr, who directed the documentary filmBorn to Boogie about Bolan's bandT. Rex around this time. Described by one biographer as a "high-energy in-your-face rocker",[1] the song features a prominentslide guitar part by Harrison and contributions from musiciansGary Wright andKlaus Voormann. Starr made a promotional film for the single in which he is followed around the grounds ofJohn Lennon'sTittenhurst Park property by aFrankenstein-like monster. The single'sB-side, "Blindman", was originally intended as the theme song to the1971 film of the same name, aSpaghetti Western in which Starr had a starring role.
Starr re-recorded "Back Off Boogaloo" for both his 1981 albumStop and Smell the Roses and his 2017 albumGive More Love. A collaboration with American singerHarry Nilsson, the 1981 version incorporates lyrics from Beatles songs such as "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Good Day Sunshine" and "Baby, You're a Rich Man". The original recording has appeared on Starr's compilation albumsBlast from Your Past andPhotograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr, and as a bonus track on his remastered 1974 studio albumGoodnight Vienna. After his return to touring in 1989, Starr performed "Back Off Boogaloo" regularly in concert with the various incarnations of hisAll-Starr Band.
Ringo Starr identified his initial inspiration for "Back Off Boogaloo" as having come fromMarc Bolan,[2] the singer and guitarist with the Englishglam rock bandT. Rex.[3] In a 2001 interview withMojo editorPaul Du Noyer, Starr described Bolan as "a dear friend who used to come into the office when I was runningApple Movies, a big office in town, and the hang-out for myself,Harry Nilsson andKeith Moon".[4] Over dinner one evening at Starr's home outside London, in 1971, Bolan had used the word "boogaloo" so often that it stuck in Starr's mind, after which the beat and melody for the song came to him overnight.[5] When discussing the composition onVH1 Storytellers in May 1998, Starr explained: "[Bolan] was an energised guy. He used to speak: 'Back off, boogaloo ... ooh you, boogaloo.' 'Do you want some potatoes?' 'Ooh you, boogaloo!'"[6] Starr also recalled having to take the batteries out of his children's toys that night, in order to power atape recorder and make a recording of the new song.[4][7]
The lyrics to themiddle eight of "Back Off Boogaloo" came to Starr while watchingLondon Weekend Television's football show,The Big Match.[6] The program's host,Jimmy Hill, often referred to a footballer's playing as "tasty",[6] a catchphrase that Starr incorporated into his song lyrics.[8]
According to Starr biographerAlan Clayson, "T Rex devotees" claimed that Bolan hadghost-written "Back Off Boogaloo".[9] Starr later acknowledged thatGeorge Harrison co-wrote the song[1][10] by adding some chords and finishing the melody.[5][11][nb 1] As on Starr's 1971 hit single "It Don't Come Easy", Harrison was not credited for his songwriting contribution.[13] Starr originally offered "Back Off Boogaloo" to his fellow LiverpudlianCilla Black to record, but she declined,[14] hoping instead to record another new Starr–Harrison composition, "Photograph".[15][nb 2]
Commentators have regularly interpreted the song as an attack by Starr on his formerBeatles bandmatePaul McCartney.[8][19] Starr denied any such interpretation, instead "claiming that the song was inspired by Bolan and nothing more", Beatles biographer Robert Rodriguez writes.[20] The lyrics to the middle eight, especially, have been interpreted in this way:[3]
Get yourself together now
And give me something tasty
Everything you try to do
You know it sure sounds wasted.
In author Andrew Grant Jackson's interpretation, Starr, having composed few songs in the past, was goading himself to "finally write a 'tasty' song", yet "at the same time, he was probably castigating McCartney".[7] According to Jackson, this was reflective of the tensions between the pair since late in the Beatles' career, particularly after Starr visited McCartney in March 1970 to ask that he agree to delay the release of his debut solo album,McCartney, to avoid it clashing with that of the Beatles'Let It Be album.[21] Starr had publicly criticisedMcCartney and its 1971 follow-up,Ram,[5] and authorBruce Spizer paraphrases the message of the middle eight as "a plea for Paul to produce better music".[1][nb 3] Rodriguez writes that the mention of "sound[ing] wasted" could also be a reference to McCartney's overindulgence withcannabis.[5]
A further example of Starr's allegedly anti-McCartney message exists in the song's first verse:[1][5]
Wake up, meathead
Don't pretend that you are dead
Get yourself up off the cart.
I was great at writing two verses and a chorus – I'm still pretty good at that. Finishing songs is not my forte … I started writing "Back Off Boogaloo," then took it to George to help finish off. Same with "Photograph" and "It Don't Come Easy."[24]
The same commentators suggest that here Starr could be referring to the 1969 "Paul is dead" rumour.[1][5] This rumour circulated during September and October of that year while McCartney hid away on his Scottish farm,[25] disconsolate afterJohn Lennon had told him and Starr that he wanted a "divorce" from the Beatles.[26]
In addition to these supposed messages in "Back Off Boogaloo", observers have viewed the song title as Starr's rebuke to McCartney to abandon his legal stand against the Beatles andApple Corps,[5] which was placed inreceivership in March 1971 after aHigh Court judge found in McCartney's favour.[27] Author Keith Badman writes that "Boogaloo" had "long been cited as Paul's nickname" from his former bandmates Starr, Harrison and Lennon.[6] While acknowledging that in subsequent years Starr might have chosen to minimise any ill-feeling towards McCartney, Rodriguez remarks that the lyrics "just happened to fit perfectly into the 'us vs. Paul' mindset" followingthe Beatles' break-up, to the extent that "Back Off Boogaloo" was "as damning as 'Early 1970' had been conciliatory".[20] When tailoring his 1970 composition "I'm the Greatest" for Starr to record on the 1973 albumRingo,[28] Lennon referenced the song title with the lines "Now I'm only thirty-two / And all I want to do is boogaloo".[29]
Having earmarked the song as his next single,[5] Starr recorded "Back Off Boogaloo" in September 1971, following his appearance at the Harrison-organisedConcert for Bangladesh in New York.[30] The sessions took place atApple Studio in central London, with Harrison producing, as he had on "It Don't Come Easy".[31] The recording reflects the influence of glam rock on Starr through what authors Chip Madinger and Mark Easter term "its big drum sound and repetitious nature".[10] The line-up comprised Starr (vocals, drums, percussion), Harrison (guitars),Gary Wright (piano) andKlaus Voormann (bass, saxophone).[32][33]
Rodriguez describes Starr's "martial-sounding opening" as a rare "showcase for his own drumming",[5] while Harrison biographer Simon Leng writes of "a roaring series of Harrisonslide breaks that brought to mindDuane Allman".[34][nb 4] Starr later said that he incorporated ahook he had come up with for the Beatles song "Get Back" into his drum part on "Back Off Boogaloo".[36] Furtheroverdubs on the track included contributions from three backing vocalists,[32] led by Americansoul singerMadeline Bell.[33]
For the single'sB-side, Starr had already written and recorded "Blindman".[8] It was intended to be the theme song for theFerdinando Baldi-directedSpaghetti WesternBlindman,[37] filming for which Starr had interrupted in order to perform at the Concert for Bangladesh.[38] The song was passed over for inclusion in the film,[8] since producerTony Anthony favoured an original score byStelvio Cipriani.[39]
Starr produced the track with Voormann.[40] The recording sessions took place at Apple on 18–19 August,[37] withBadfinger guitaristPete Ham assisting Starr and Voormann.[41][42] Like the film, "Blindman" was not held in high regard by critics.[37] Spizer describes it as "a muddy-sounding dirge with little to recommend".[42] By contrast, director and authorAlex Cox believes that the song "works well, in the context of the film" compared to Cipriani's score, which he considers "lazy".[39]
Apple Records issued the single on 17 March 1972 in Britain, as Apple R 5944, with a US release taking place three days later, as Apple 1849.[43] It was Starr's first release since "It Don't Come Easy", a year before.[1] During this period, his priority had been to develop a career as an actor[44][45] in films such as200 Motels andBlindman.[46] Further aligning himself with Britain's glam rock movement, Starr made his directorial debut withBorn to Boogie,[47] a film starring Bolan that included Starr's footage of a T. Rex concert held atWembley on 18 March 1972.[6][nb 5]
The song was a hit in the US, peaked at number 9 on theBillboard Hot 100,[51] and achieved Starr's best position on theUK Singles Chart,[52] where it reached number 2.[53] Apromotional film for "Back Off Boogaloo" was shot on 20 March[54] at Lennon'sTittenhurst Park residence while Starr was looking after the property.[10] The clip shows Starr walking around an outdoor structure and followed by aFrankenstein-like monster; it was directed by Tom Taylor and financed by Caravel Films.[6] A similar-looking monster appeared on the single's picture sleeve, holding a cigarette.[10][nb 6] Referring to the film clip, Jackson writes: "the Frankenstein monster stalks Starr but in the end the two hug and dance together, as thankfully, he and McCartney eventually did, leading to many more collaborations over the next forty years."[56]
Re-releases for "Back Off Boogaloo" include Starr's 1975 greatest hits album,Blast from Your Past,[57] and, along with "Blindman", as a bonus track on the 1992 reissue of hisGoodnight Vienna album.[58] "Back Off Boogaloo" also appeared on his 2007 compilationPhotograph: The Very Best of Ringo Starr, the collector's edition of which included the 1972 promotional film.[59]
On release,Chris Welch wrote inMelody Maker: "A Number One hit could easily be in store for the maestro of rock drums. There's a touch of the Marc Bolans in this highly playable rhythmic excursion ... It's hypnotic and effective, ideal forjukeboxes and liable to send us all mad by the end of the week."[60] Alan Clayson writes of reviewers criticising "Back Off Boogaloo" for being repetitious, leading Starr to respond in a 1973 interview: "Play me a pop song that isn't."[8]Record World listed the song first in its "Hits of the Week" predictions and said: "It's taken Ringo a long time to follow up 'It Don't Come Easy,' but he's come up with one here that should do at least as well, and that means top three."[61]
Writing in 1981,NME criticBob Woffinden commented on Starr's success in establishing himself in the first two years after the Beatles' break-up, and said that the single "confirmed that he and Harrison, dark horses both, were the ones who had managed their solo careers more purposefully and intelligently" compared with McCartney and Lennon.[62] Woffinden described "Back Off Boogaloo" as "every bit as ebullient" as "It Don't Come Easy", although "slightly inferior",[62] while Mike DeGagne ofAllMusic views it as a song where "[t]he jovial spirit of Ringo Starr shines through".[63] In a 1974 article for theNME,Charles Shaar Murray highlighted "Back Off Boogaloo" as a "great radio and juke-box tune".[29]
Among Beatle biographers, Simon Leng terms it "a rocking, soccer crowd chant that suited Starr's talents well",[34] and Bruce Spizer praises the track as a "high-energy in-your-face rocker propelled by Ringo's thundering drums and George's stinging slide guitar".[1] In the 2005 publicationNME Originals: Beatles – The Solo Years 1970–1980, Paul Moody listed "Back Off Boogaloo" first among Starr's "ten solo gems" and described it as "Good time rock'n'droll to matchthe Faces".[64]Guitar World editor Damian Fanelli includes the song on his list of Harrison's ten best post-Beatles "Guitar Moments", saying of the recording: "the main event is clearly Harrison's slightly wild, wacky – and very bouncy – slide guitar solo, which includes an alternate melody line that's even catchier than the melody Ringo is singing."[65]
Andrew Grant Jackson features "Back Off Boogaloo" in his bookStill the Greatest: The Essential Solo Beatles Songs.[66] He says that Starr's mood on the track, while short of the rage that American rapperTupac Shakur vented against his rivalBiggie Smalls in "Hit 'Em Up", "no doubt helped make the tune a staple of football and soccer matches". He comments that the song has "been appropriated" by several artists, including theglam-metal bandWarrant, in their hit single "Cherry Pie", andFranz Ferdinand, in "Take Me Out".[56]
| "Back Off Boogaloo" | |
|---|---|
| Song byRingo Starr | |
| from the albumStop and Smell the Roses | |
| Published | Startling Music |
| Released | 27 October 1981 |
| Genre | Rock,funk |
| Length | 3:28 |
| Label | Boardwalk |
| Songwriter | Richard Starkey |
| Producer | Harry Nilsson |
Starr recorded a new version of "Back Off Boogaloo" for his 1981 album onBoardwalk Records,Stop and Smell the Roses.[67] The song was produced by Starr's friend, singer Harry Nilsson, and features a musical arrangement byVan Dyke Parks.[68] Similar to Nilsson's 1968 cover of the Beatles' "You Can't Do That",[69] the remake incorporates lyrics from a number of the band's songs – in this case, "With a Little Help from My Friends", "Help!", "Lady Madonna", "Good Day Sunshine" and "Baby, You're a Rich Man", as well as Starr's "It Don't Come Easy".[68] In a further reference to his past, the 1981 version of "Back Off Boogaloo" opens with the same guitar riff that Harrison had played on "It Don't Come Easy" ten years before.[70][nb 7]
Starr taped the basic track at Evergreen Recording Studios in Los Angeles on 4 November 1980, with additional recording taking place on 1–5 December at Nassau'sCompass Point Studios.[74] Among the large cast of musicians supporting Starr were Nilsson (vocals),Jim Keltner (drums),Jane Getz (piano),Dennis Budimir andRichie Zito (guitars), and a four-piece horn section led by saxophonistJerry Jumonville.[75]
Starr overdubbed his vocals on 4 December, four days before themurder of John Lennon,[76] who had been due to record his contributions toStop and Smell the Roses in January 1981.[77] Contrasting with his success as a solo artist in 1971–73, the album continued Starr's run of commercial and critical failures since 1976.[78][79] Rodriguez writes that "[m]ost people either love or hate the revamping" of "Back Off Boogaloo".[70]
Starr released another re-recording of "Back Off Boogaloo" as one of the four bonus tracks on the CD and digital versions of his 2017 albumGive More Love.[80][81] Produced by Starr,[81] the recording is based on his original 1971 demo of the song,[82] which he rediscovered when he and his wife,Barbara Bach, were moving house.[83][84] Starr recalled his surprise at hearing the tape again: "It's me singing 'Back Off Boogaloo' with this great guitar. I'm thinking who the hell is that playing? Then I realise, I'm on guitar! ... the reel-to-reel captures the song coming [through]."[83] The track includes guitar overdubs byJeff Lynne andJoe Walsh.[81] On this album, the song's authorship is credited to Richard Starkey and George Harrison.[85][86]
Starr has performed "Back Off Boogaloo" in concert with hisAll-Starr Band,[19][87] beginning with the band's debut tour of North America in July–September 1989.[88] The song was dropped from the concert setlist early in that tour, however, in favour of the 1963Lennon–McCartney composition "I Wanna Be Your Man".[89] Live versions of "Back Off Boogaloo" have appeared on the multi-disc compilationThe Anthology... So Far (2001)[90] andKing Biscuit Flower Hour Presents Ringo & His New All-Starr Band (2002).[91] The latter version was recorded during a US tour in August 2001, at which point the All-Starr line-up was Starr (vocals),Mark Rivera (saxophone),Ian Hunter (guitar),Roger Hodgson andHoward Jones (keyboards),Greg Lake (bass) andSheila E. (drums).[92]
Starr also played the song live with "Ringo and the Roundheads",[93] a band he formed to promote his 1998 studio albumVertical Man.[94] A version recorded on 13 May that year atSony Music Studios, New York,[94] appeared on Starr'sVH1 Storytellers live album and video, released in October 1998.[95] The personnel on this performance included Starr (vocals), Walsh andMark Hudson (guitars),Jack Blades (bass) andSimon Kirke (drums).[96] Another live version with the Roundheads, recorded forPBS Television'sSoundstage in August 2005, was issued on the albumRingo Starr: Live at Soundstage (2007)[97] and on DVD in 2009.[98]
The following musicians played on the original version of "Back Off Boogaloo":[1][32]
Weekly singles charts[edit]
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