Ringo Starr has shared what happened when he briefly left The Beatles, and the nine words that made him join the band again after a ‘period of hell’ when recording The White Album
News
Ewan Gleadow Social News Reporter
12:13, 15 Jan 2025
Ringo Starr confirmed he left The Beatles briefly in 1968, and what happened when he returned has left fans ‘sobbing'(Image: Jeff Hochberg/Getty Images)
Ringo Starr’s recollection of the time he returned to The Beatles’ recording studio has left fans in tears. After the band’s recording of The White Album, Ringo confirmed he had going through “hell during this period” and took some time away from the Fab Four. The legendary drummer has since shared what John Lennon and George Harrison did for him during this time – and it has left fans “sobbing”.
The White Album has gone down in history as one of The Beatles’ best albums, with songs like ‘Helter Skelter,’ ‘While My Guitar Gently Weeps,’ and ‘Dear Prudence’ all featuring. But for Starr, it seemed the aftermath of the recordings were too much for him. He played drums on all tracks featured on the album, as well as writing the B-Side track, ‘Don’t Pass Me By’.
In his book, Another Day in the Life, Starr confirmed that when he came back to the studio, his bandmates had done their best to make him feel welcomed and that the response was so heart-warming it made him feel better about the “crazy” moments outside of the sessions.
READ MORE: The Beatles were offered £20million to reunite – but turned it down due to one issueREAD MORE: ‘I went to 46 gigs in 2024 – there’s one performance that stood out most of all’
Starr has been open about the reasons he quit The Beatles in August 1968, but re-joined not long after to play on the band’s final albums. He claimed he “wasn’t playing great” on the album, so left as he felt he was an “outsider”.
The now legendary story of how closely knit John, George, and Paul McCartney were, has been recounted by Starr. He said: “While we were recording the ‘White’ album we ended up being more of a band again, and that’s what I always love. I love being in a band. Of course, it must have had moments of turmoil, because I left the group for a while that summer.
Content cannot be displayed without consent
“I left because I felt two things: I felt I wasn’t playing great, and I also felt that the other three were really happy and I was an outsider. I went to see John, who had been living in my apartment in Montagu Square with Yoko since he moved out of Kenwood.
“I said, ‘I’m leaving the group because I’m not playing well and I feel unloved and out of it, and you three are really close.’ And John said, ‘I thought it was you three!’
“So then I went over to Paul’s and knocked on his door. I said the same thing: ‘I’m leaving the band. I feel you three guys are really close and I’m out of it.’ And Paul said, ‘I thought it was you three!’ I didn’t even bother going to George then. I said, ‘I’m going on holiday.’ I took the kids and we went to Sardinia.”
Starr would re-join the band for their efforts on the Yellow Submarine soundtrack, Abbey Road, and Get Back. But Starr later shared the group had a surprise waiting for him when he returned from Sardinia.
In his book, Starr shared a photo of a postcard. It contains a heartwarming nine-word message convincing him to return to the iconic band. It read: “You are the greatest drummer in the world. Really.”
Starr explained: “This is after The White Album. I thought life was hell during this period. After I walked out I kept getting these postcards – telegrams actually – from John and George: ‘Come on home! You’re the best!’And when I did come back, George had the whole studio decorated in flowers. It was just a beautiful moment.”