Ringo Starr is opening up about a little-known moment behind one of the most recognizable Beatles album covers in music history, offering a fresh insight into its creation.
The iconic musician sat down with Jimmy Kimmel on “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” for a revealing look at the backstory of “Abbey Road,” including how he, Paul McCartney, John Lennon, and George Harrison came up with the idea for one of the most iconic photos in music history. During the conversation, he reflected on the spontaneous nature of the shoot and how a simple concept turned into a defining image of the band’s legacy.
Ringo Starr Revealed the Concept Behind ‘Abbey Road’
Ringo Starr sat down with Jimmy Kimmel to talk about his long career, his new Country/Americana LP, “Long, Long Road,” and his Beatles legacy.
The talk show host held up the cover of “Abbey Road.” He declared, “This is the most famous album cover in the world.” He then asked Starr, “Would you agree with that?” He replied, “yes.”
Kimmel pointed to one of the cars on the street behind The Beatles, wondering, “Did you ever hear from anyone who said, ‘that’s my Volkswagen!'” The music legend replied, “We never did. But that’s what made it real.”
He continued, “You know, we sat there in deep conversation about the album cover. ‘We should go to Egypt and do the pyramids, stand by the pyramids. Or we should go here, where there’s something great in that city, or go to Rome.'”
Starr deadpanned, “Or, why don’t we just walk across the road? Okay.”
The talk show host asked, “What about the people [in the photo]?” The talk show host pointed out a few bystanders on the iconic image, asking if these were people The Beatles knew.
The drummer admitted, “No. We just got out of our seats, walked out the front door, and walked across [the street].”
Ringo Starr Discussed His Enduring Friendship With Paul McCartney
GettyJimmy Kimmel asked Ringo Starr if when he attends shows by his former Beatles bandmate, Paul McCartney, does he ever want to join him on stage? Or is he happier just staying in his seat?
“It’s great to play with him,” Starr admitted. “It’s still great for me to play with Paul.”
Starr and McCartney have a duet coming up for the latter’s new LP “The Boys of Dungeon Lane.” The song is called “Home to Us.”
“Where it came from is so crazy,” said the legendary drummer. “The producer of that record [Andrew Watt] lives just down the block. There was a kit in his studio and we jammed. I asked him, ‘Andrew, send me that bit we did.’ And he never did.”
He then realized where the tape ended up, as a song on McCartney’s new LP. “The duet started with Paul started with my drumming on that day two years ago. And then Paul got the song and put everything else on it,” Starr concluded.
“It was like it was [recorded] in reverse. The drums were first,” he joked. “[The song] is really great, its really amusing and its very real, cause that’s where we come from.”
Ringo Starr’s latest LP “Long, Long Road” will be available beginning April 24, 2026.
