Written by: Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
Recorded: 6, 7, 14 March; 12 May 1973
Producer: Richard Perry
Released: 2 November 1973 (US), 23 November 1973 (UK)
Available on:
Ringo
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
Billy Preston: piano, organ
Jimmy Calvert: guitar
Tom Scott: saxophone
Klaus Voormann: bass guitar
Jim Keltner: drums
Vini Poncia, Martha Reeves, Merry Clayton: vocals
‘Oh My My’ is the sixth song on Ringo Starr’s 1973 album Ringo.
It was co-written by Starr and Vini Poncia, one of two such collaborations on the album – the other being ‘Devil Woman’.
Another good thing that Richard Perry did was he brought in Vini Poncia as a co-writer and we got on very well. ‘Oh My My’ was written by Vini Poncia and I. We would sit around the piano and write songs. The songs would always come from someone saying something. Vini was so great, and he was very deep New York. We once went to the Bahamas to do some vocals – as you do – and we had this house on the beach. I saw Vini coming from the hotel, and he was like, ‘What’s all this f*****g sand?’ I loved Vini.
Photograph – The Very Best Of Ringo Starr
In the studio
The backing track for ‘Oh My My’ was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles on 6 March 1973, with overdubs following on 7 and 14 March and 12 May. The song features two drum tracks, by Starr and Jim Keltner, and backing vocals by Merry Clayton and Martha Reeves.
Without any lawyers knowing anything about it, we came back to LA, and in five days had recorded five tracks, which included the three major singles from the album, ‘Photograph’, ‘You’re Sixteen’ and ‘Oh My My’.
The Record Producers, John Tobler and Stuart Grundy
The release
‘Oh My My’ was issued in the USA on 17 February 1974 as the third single from the Ringo album. The b-side was ‘Step Lightly’.
The single peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, and number three in Canada.
In the UK it was issued on 9 January 1976 to promote the Blast From Your Past compilation, and had ‘No No Song’ on the b-side.
Starr first performed ‘Oh My My’ live during the All-Starr Band’s 2008 tour. A recording from Los Angeles on 2 August 2008 was issued two years later on the live album Live At The Greek Theatre 2008.
