Ringo Starr Reveals What He Thinks The Worst Beatles Songs Recorded

For a band that only lasted a decade, The Beatles completely flipped the music world on its head. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr managed to pack in a jaw-dropping amount of material—albums, singles, films, and endless reinventions. Their songs have been dissected so thoroughly, it often feels like there’s nothing left to uncover.

Still, that short window from 1960 to 1970 shaped pop culture forever. The Beatles weren’t just a band—they were a movement. Starting as cheeky heartthrobs, they transformed into genre-blending pioneers, diving headfirst into rock, psychedelia, and everything in between. Their success became the template for countless bands to come.

But fame came with a price. Behind the scenes, creative tensions and personal friction were brewing. With 13 studio albums, dozens of compilations, and over 60 singles, the workload and internal pressure eventually wore them down.

The Rise of Creative Conflict

As the Beatles evolved musically, their personalities grew apart. Once tightly knit, the band slowly splintered as each member pursued different artistic visions. After manager Brian Epstein’s death and Lennon stepping back, McCartney stepped in as the group’s main driving force. But this shift didn’t sit well with everyone.

Creative control became a battleground. While McCartney had a clear sense of what he wanted in the studio, the others didn’t always share his enthusiasm—especially when it came to the quirky and polarizing “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer.”

The Infamous Song That Drove the Band Crazy

Written by McCartney during the emotionally tense Get Back sessions, “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” is a poppy, macabre little tune about a serial killer with a hammer. It ended up on Abbey Road, but getting it there nearly broke the band.
McCartney, being a perfectionist, pushed the group to record take after take until the track matched his vision. The others were not impressed. Ringo Starr told Rolling Stone:

“The worst session ever was ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’.
“It was the worst track we ever had to record. It went on for fucking weeks.”

Even Lennon, never one to hold back, told Playboy in 1980, he added:

“I hated it. All I remember is the track – he made us do it a hundred million times.
“He did everything to make it into a single, and it never was, and it never could’ve been. But [Paul] put guitar licks on it, and he had somebody hitting iron pieces, and we spent more money on that song than any of them in the whole album.”

For McCartney, though, it was a masterpiece. In Many Years From Now, written by his friend Barry Miles, Paul recalled his inspiration fondly:

“It was the best radio play I had ever heard in my life, and the best production… That was one of the big things of the period for me.”

He even threw in some surrealist references. McCartney said:

“Miles and I often used to talk about the pataphysical society and the Chair of Applied Alcoholism. So I put that in one of the Beatles songs, ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’.
“Nobody knows what it means; I only explained it to Linda just the other day… I am the only person who ever put the name of pataphysics into the record charts, c’mon! It was great. I love those surreal little touches.”

Not Everyone Was on Board

While McCartney saw charm and cleverness in the song, the rest of the band saw something else: a time-wasting headache. George Harrison wasn’t shy about it, either. In a 1970s Crawdaddy interview, he remarked:

“Sometimes Paul would make us do these really fruity songs… I mean, my God, ‘Maxwell’s Silver Hammer’ was so fruity.”

It’s no surprise the song stirred up so much frustration—it became a symbol of the growing divide in the group. Where McCartney wanted polish, the others craved spontaneity. “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” might’ve been a fun tune on the surface, but behind it was a band slowly coming apart at the seams.

In the end, it wasn’t just a quirky song. It was a turning point. And while The Beatles would go on to finish Abbey Road and release Let It Be, the magic that once defined them had begun to crack.