The 1969 Beatles song Ringo Starr wants played at his funeral: “Everyone singing along”

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The 1969 Beatles song Ringo Starr wants played at his funeral: “Everyone singing along”

Jamie Kahn

Far Out Magazine

October 23rd, 2026

Credit: Far Out / Alamy

At some point, in each and every music fan’s life, they have considered the songs they want to be played at their funeral, which likely involves something by The Beatles.

Their ageless catalogue has something for every occasion of life, whether this be walking down the aisle to ‘Here Comes The Sun’, or on a more sombre note, having ‘In My Life’ ring out as your loved ones come together to celebrate your life following the end of the final chapter.

Ringo Starr is no different, and even his choice for a song to be played at his own funeral comes from the Fab Four’s back catalogue.

Everyone has a favourite Beatle, and for some people, the answer isn’t the caustic genius of John Lennon, the songwriting mastery of Paul McCartney or the spiritual softness of George Harrison, but the jovial, affable and all-around saintly Starr. While he may have been unfairly derided for decades, his role within the band was undeniably crucial.

However, despite the significant criticism, Starr never let his spirit be defeated and succeeded in having the last laugh, shooting to the top of the charts upon going solo in the 1970s.

Credit: Far Out / Bradford Timeline

Aside from his musical ability, perhaps a key reason Starr has remained so beloved is his undeniably welcoming nature. Radiating a warmth only matched by the sun itself, it was only in recent years that Starr stopped signing autographs for his fans, after having previously promised to respond to every piece of fan mail personally. This approachability has endeared him to generations of fans.

While some people know him primarily as a drummer, Starr has earned his stripes as a singer too, even if his vocal contributions to Beatles albums in the early years were largely viewed as novelty efforts.

Admittedly, Ringo’s songs weren’t of the same emotional nature of ‘Something’ or ‘Yesterday’, but they consistently provided a smile to listeners, who just want to sing-along when they hear ‘With a Little Help From My Friends’ or ‘Yellow Submarine’ on the radio.

For Starr, ‘Octopus’s Garden’, is a personal favourite of his contributions on vocals for The Beatles, so much so that he believes it would make for a befitting soundtrack when his funeral eventually comes.

In response to the question, Ringo Starr said to NME, “I don’t know what we’d have playing, so I’ll say this one because it’d be nice to have everyone singing along” in regards to ‘Octopus’s Garden’.

An extremely sweet and sentimental pick, especially given that the song in question is such a fun and carefree composition. Although some people might find it slightly egotistical in other circumstances for an artist to choose a song that they wrote themselves, Starr’s choice is a wholesome one on reflection, especially considering the criticism he has received over the years.

The song is one of the few from the band’s canon which was written by Starr. “‘Octopus’s Garden’ is Ringo’s song,” George Harrison once said. “It’s only the second song Ringo has ever written, mind you, and it’s lovely.”

When explaining why the song is so loved by Beatles fans, Harrison added: “Because it’s so peaceful. I suppose Ringo is writing cosmic songs these days without even realising it.” That’s hard to argue with. The “peace and love” man is the archetypal Zen master of drums, and the music explored in the track has a way of nestling beneath your skin without so much as a hair out of place.

It was the mark of a band starting to fully explore their creativity in the face of growing tensions. In fact, the song was composed during a tough time for Ringo as he felt pushed out of the band and took himself on holiday with actor Peter Sellers.

Having ordered fish and chips on board, Starr was presented with squid and found the whole meal a little peculiar. Having never eaten the animal prior, Starr was taken aback by his surprise meal, which kick-started a conversation with the boat’s captain. The captain would tell a story about how “octopuses travel along the sea bed picking up stones and shiny objects with which to build a garden.” It delighted Starr, stirring his creative juices, and the song was born. With the Beatles’ thrust of musical creativity, it was given the space it desired.

While The Beatles, accidentally, curated a catalogue that is full of picks for funeral music, ‘Octopus’s Garden’ feels perfect for Starr and represents the positive outlook on life that he’s relentlessly spread. He wouldn’t want everyone to be crying and ruining their makeup to the sounds of ‘In My Life’, preferring to opt for the peace and love approach for one last time.