Relive The Moment Ringo Left The Beatles

August 22, 1968, quietly marks one of the most dramatic moments in Beatles history. In the middle of recording the White Album, things weren’t going smoothly. Tensions were rising, tempers were short, and Ringo Starr—usually the calmest Beatle—decided he’d had enough.

“I Felt Unloved and Out of It”

Ringo had reached a breaking point. He didn’t feel like he belonged anymore, and the band’s growing tensions made things worse. “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,” he explained in Anthology. “Of course, I must have moments of turmoil, because I left the group for a while that summer.”

He went on to say:

“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 Thought It Was You Three!”

Hoping for some clarity, Ringo visited John Lennon first.

“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!’”

Then he told Paul the same thing, only to hear the same response:

“Paul said, ‘I thought it was you three!’”

Ringo didn’t even bother checking with George. Instead, he grabbed his kids and went on a much-needed holiday in Sardinia.

A Vacation, Some Calamari, and “Octopus’s Garden”

While relaxing on a yacht with The Magic Christian co-star Peter Sellers, Ringo was served calamari, which inspired him to write “Octopus’s Garden.” The break gave him perspective.

“I had a rest and the holiday was great. I knew we were all in a messed-up stage… But then I realised that we were all feeling like outsiders, and it just needed me to go around knocking to bring it to a head.”

A Flower-Filled Comeback

Soon after, Ringo received a heartfelt telegram:

“You’re the best rock’n’roll drummer in the world. Come on home, we love you.”

When he returned to the studio, he found it filled with flowers, courtesy of George. Ringo said:

“I felt good about myself again.
“We’d got through that little crisis and it was great.”