Back Off Boogaloo

Written by: Starkey, Harrison
Recorded: February 1972; 4 November, December 1980; 2017
Producer: George Harrison

Released: 17 March 1972

Available on:
Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr
Stop And Smell The Roses
Give More Love

Personnel (1972)

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, percussion
George Harrison: acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Klaus Voormann: bass guitar, saxophone
Gary Wright: piano
Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan, Jean Gilbert: vocals

Personnel (1981)

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
Dennis Budimir, Ritchie Zito, Fred Tackett: guitar
Jane Getz: piano
Dennis Belfield: ass guitar
Jerry Jumonville: tenor saxophone
Jim Gordon: baritone saxophone
Bruce Paulson: trombone
Lee Thornburg: trumpet
Jim Keltner: drums
Harry Nilsson: vocals

Personnel (2017)

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, guitar, percussion
Joe Walsh: electric guitar
Jeff Lynne: acoustic guitar
Nathan East: bass guitar
Bob Malone: piano

‘Back Off Boogaloo’ was a single released by Ringo Starr in 1972. It was co-written by Starr and George Harrison.

The song is the nearest any of the former Beatles came to the glam rock movement. Indeed, the title was inspired by Marc Bolan, whom Starr directed in the documentary Born To Boogie.

He was an energised guy. He used to speak: ‘Back off, boogaloo … ooh you, boogaloo.’ ‘Do you want some potatoes?’ ‘Ooh you, boogaloo!’

Despite rumours that Bolan had ghost-written ‘Back Off Boogaloo’, Starr later admitted that it was co-written with Harrison. The guitarist remained uncredited until 2017.

Well, I was great at writing two verses and a chorus – I’m still pretty good at that. Finishing songs is not my forte. I have written songs with 26 verses, ’cause I didn’t know how to end them! I started writing ‘Back Off Boogaloo’, then took it to George to help finish off. Same with ‘Photograph’ and ‘It Don’t Come Easy’.

Starr initially offered ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ to Cilla Black to record, but she declined it in the hope of recording ‘Photograph’ instead.

In the studio

Starr recorded ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ in February 1972 at Apple Studios in London, with George Harrison producing.

The backing track had Starr on drums, Harrison on electric guitar, Gary Wright on piano, and Klaus Voormann on bass guitar and saxophone. The overdubs included backing vocals by Madeline Bell, Lesley Duncan, and Jean Gilbert.

Marc Bolan was a friend. He came over for dinner one night and he used to talk like that – he’d say thing like ‘Back off boogaloo’. I went to bed and that song just came into my head in the twilight hour. I ran downstairs and as usual, every damn tape is broken – in those days it was cassettes and reel-to-reels. The crazy bit is the song was turning into ‘Mack The Knife’ in my head, and I was trying to hold it together. George wanted me to play a drum pattern I just couldn’t play. In the end, the drum pattern I did play on the snares makes the track. It comes from God. This was one of those. I’ve tried to play it with the All-Starrs and only two of the eight bands could do it. And those are great bands.

Starr re-recorded ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ twice, for his 1981 album Stop And Smell The Roses and 2017’s Give More Love.

The first remake was recorded at Evergreen Recording Studios in Los Angeles on 4 November 1980. It was produced by and featured Harry Nilsson, and contained musical snippets from ‘It Don’t Come Easy’, ‘With A Little Help From My Friends’, ‘Good Day Sunshine’, and ‘Baby You’re A Rich Man’, ‘Help!’, and ‘Lady Madonna’.

Further recording took place from 1-5 December at Nassau’s Compass Point Studios. Starr’s lead vocals were laid down on 4 December.

The 2017 version was one of four bonus tracks on the CD and digital editions of Give More Love. It was produced by Starr, and featured guitar by Jeff Lynne and Joe Walsh. On the album, ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ was co-credited to George Harrison for the first time.

‘Back Off Boogaloo’ is an incredible example of how accidents are sometimes fabulous when coming up with a song. You see, George wanted me to play that pattern on the bass drum but the problem is I’m not that efficient as a drummer. I can’t go (imitates a beat) and play regular. So I started doing it on the snare and it worked a treat. You know, it was just out of the blue.

The release

‘Back Off Boogaloo’ was released as a single in the UK on 17 March 1972, and three days later in the USA.

The b-side, ‘Blindman’, was originally intended to be the theme song of the 1971 film of the same name, in which Starr starred.

The single peaked at number two on the UK singles chart, Starr’s highest performance. In the US it reached number number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, and 10 on the Cash Box Top 100. It was also a top 10 hit in Canada, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.

A promotional video was shot at Tittenhurst Park, where Starr was then living. It was directed by Tom Taylor and featured Starr being followed around the grounds by Frankenstein’s monster.

In the video, that’s me and ‘Frankenstein’ running around Tittenhurst Park. And no that’s not Peter Boyle from Young Frankenstein. It’s a British actor trying to give me a flower.

‘Back Off Boogaloo’ was included on the 1975 greatest hits compilation Blast From Your Past.

The song and ‘Blindman’ were both bonus tracks on the 1992 reissue of Goodnight Vienna. ‘Back Off Boogaloo’ was also included on Starr’s 2007 compilation Photograph: The Very Best Of Ringo Starr.