Why Ringo Starr Was Relieved After The Beatles' String of No. 1 Hits Came to an End

In February of 1964, The Beatles scored their first-ever No. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 with their single, “I Want To Hold Your Hand”. Following that No. 1 hit, The Beatles went on an incredibly dominant run and scored a string of No. 1 hit singles. Needless to say, The Beatles were are the height of their powers, and even if creating a No. 1 single wasn’t their objective, they still did it. Even though this is the ultimate goal of many bands and musicians, Ringo Starr and the rest of the band had a slight problem with it, because once you’ve gone No. 1 several times, where else is there to go?

Do No. 1 hits make a lot of money and produce deals for the opportunity to make more money? Yes, but if you’re a creative person, then you know money isn’t everything, and that the real currency is outperforming your former art. Well, that is seemingly what The Beatles wanted to do, but when they kept garnering No. 1 hit after No. 1 hit, they were worried that they had reached their creative peak. That being said, when they finally didn’t create a No. 1 hit, they were, weirdly enough, a bit relieved.
Why a Non-No. 1 Hit for The Beatles was a Breath of Fresh Air

Recalling their string of No. 1 hits, Starr said in The Beatles Anthology, “After Number One, where else is there to go? Number One was it.” “After that, of course, every bloody thing we did was Number One, and it got strange because in a weird way we were waiting for the one that wasn’t Number One,” added Starr.

However, in 1967, that string of No. 1 hits came to a close, as The Beatles released the incredibly experimental singles, “Strawberry Fields Forever” and “Penny Lane”. Now, both those singles were incredibly successful, as “Strawberry Fields Forever” peaked at No. 8 on the Hot 100 and “Penny Lane” ended up at No. 1 after debuting at No. 85 on the chart. Although they weren’t the typical songs, The Beatles previously saw themselves seamlessly climb to the top of the charts.

Source: Peter Burditt/americansongwriter.com

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