"Oh My My" is a song by English musician

Ringo Starr Sir Richard Starkey (born 7 July 1940), known professionally as Ringo Starr, is an English musician, singer, songwriter and actor who achieved international fame as the drummer for the Beatles. Starr occasionally sang lead vocals with the ...

from his 1973 album '' Ringo''. It was also issued as the third single from the album, becoming a top-five hit in the United States and Canada. The recording was produced by

Richard Perry Richard Van Perry (born June 18, 1942) is an American record producer. He began as a performer in his adolescence while attending Poly Prep, his high school in Brooklyn. After graduating from college he rose through the late 1960s and early 1970 ...

and includes backing vocals by

Merry Clayton Merry Clayton (born December 25, 1948) is an American soul and gospel singer. She provided a number of backing vocal tracks for major performing artists in the 1960s, most notably in her duet with Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones song " Gimme S ...

and

Martha Reeves Martha Rose Reeves (born July 18, 1941) is an American R&B and pop singer. She is the lead singer of the Motown girl group Martha and the Vandellas which scored over a dozen hit singles, including " Come and Get These Memories", " Nowhere to R ...

Background

"Oh My My" was co-written by Starr (credited by his real name, "Richard Starkey") and

Vini Poncia Vincent "Vini" Poncia Jr. (born April 29, 1942) is an American musician, songwriter and record producer. Life and career The 1960s In the 1960s, Poncia formed a songwriting team with Peter Anders (née Peter Andreoli). An album of songs co-writt ...

, a recurrent collaborator of Starr's during the 1970s.

Billy Preston William Everett Preston (September 2, 1946 – June 6, 2006) was an American keyboardist, singer and songwriter whose work encompassed R&B, rock, soul, funk, and gospel. Preston was a top session keyboardist in the 1960s, during which he ba ...

plays

keyboards Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

on the track. Both Starr and

Jim Keltner James Lee Keltner (born April 27, 1942) is an American drummer and percussionist known primarily for his session work. He was characterized by Bob Dylan biographer Howard Sounes as "the leading session drummer in America". Howard Sounes. ''Dow ...

play drums, while

Klaus Voormann Klaus Otto Wilhelm Voormann (born 29 April 1938) is a German artist, musician, and record producer. Voormann was the bassist for Manfred Mann from 1966 to 1969, and performed as a session musician on a host of recordings, including " You're So ...

plays bass. Tom Scott plays the saxophone solo.

Release

The song was first released as the opening track on side two of the ''Ringo'' LP, in November 1973. Issued as a single on 18 February 1974 in the US, '' Billboard'' felt that the instrumental portion of the song was more effective than the lyrics. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' said that the "

production adds the 'hit' touch to this amusing little ditty." ''

Record World ''Record World'' magazine was one of the three main music industry trade magazines in the United States, along with '' Billboard'' and '' Cashbox''. It was founded in 1946 under the name ''Music Vendor'', but in 1964 it was changed to ''Record Wo ...

'' said that "the superb Perry production is the super-solid stuff from which gold records are made." "Oh My My" peaked at number 5 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, number 3 in Canada and number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Adult Contemporary chart, making it one of the most successful songs of Starr's career. The song was released on a UK single on 9 January 1976, backed with "

No No Song "No No Song" is a 1974 song by English musician Ringo Starr. Written by Hoyt Axton and David Jackson, it appeared on Starr's 1974 album, '' Goodnight Vienna''. It was released as a single in the US on 27 January 1975, backed with "Snookeroo," and ...

", to promote Starr's ''

Blast from Your Past ''Blast from Your Past'' is a compilation album by English rock musician Ringo Starr, released on Apple Records in 1975. It is both Starr's first compilation LP and his final release under his contract with EMI. It was also the last album to b ...

'' compilation album. Starr first performed "Oh My My" in 2008 with the tenth incarnation of his All-Starr Band.

Chart performance

Cover versions

*The song was covered by

Ike & Tina Turner Ike & Tina Turner were an American musical duo consisting of husband and wife Ike Turner and Tina Turner. From 1960 to 1976, they performed live as the Ike & Tina Turner Revue, supported by Ike Turner's band the Kings of Rhythm and backing voca ...

, who performed it on a 1975 episode of '' Soul Train'' and on ''

Don Kirshner's Rock Concert ''Don Kirshner's Rock Concert'' is an American television music variety show that ran during the 1970s and early 1980s, created and produced by Don Kirshner and syndicated to television stations, initially through Viacom Enterprises, and later ...

'' in 1976. *

Bette Midler Bette Midler (;''Inside the Actors Studio'', 2004 born December 1, 1945) is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received List of awards and nominations received by Be ...

performed a cover of the track on her live album '' Live at Last''. *

David Hentschel David Hentschel (born 18 December 1952) is an English recording engineer, film score composer and music producer who engineered on George Harrison's ''All Things Must Pass'' and Elton John's ''Goodbye Yellow Brick Road'', as well as for such a ...

released an instrumental version on Starr's

Ring O' Records Ring O' Records was a record label founded by former Beatle Ringo Starr in 1975. The label's formation coincided with the winding down of the Beatles' Apple Records and allowed Starr to continue supporting other artists' projects while maintai ...

label, in 1975. *Maggie Bell recorded the song in 1974. *Kirka, a Finnish band, released the song with Finnish lyrics.

References

; Footnotes ; Citations {{Ringo Starr 1974 singles Apple Records singles Ringo Starr songs Songs written by Vini Poncia Song recordings produced by Richard Perry Music published by Startling Music Songs written by Ringo Starr 1973 songs