'Billy Shears' = 'Faul' = 'Boogaloo'

[TotalInformation]

'With a Little Help from My Friends'
[Really] written by [Lennon & the late McCartney?]
[Really] performed by ['Faul'/'Billy' in the style of Ringo?]
From 'Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band' LP 1967

Lyrics:

(Billy Shears.)

What would you think if I sang out of tune
Would you stand up and walk out on me?
Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song
And I'll try not to sing out of key
Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mmm, going to try with a little help from my friends

What do I do when my love is away?
(Does it worry you to be alone)
How do I feel by the end of the day?
(Are you sad because you're on your own)
No I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mmm, going to try with a little help from my friends

(Do you need anybody?)
I need somebody to love
(Could it be anybody?)
I want somebody to love

(Would you believe in a love at first sight?)
Yes I'm certain that it happens all the time
(What do you see when you turn out the light?)
I can't tell you, but I know it's mine
Oh I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Oh, I'm going to try with a little help from my friends

(Do you need anybody?)
I just need somebody to love
(Could it be anybody?)
I want somebody to love

Oh, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, going to try with a little help from my friends
Oh, I get high with a little help from my friends
Yes I get by with a little help from my friends
With a little help from my friends

-------------------------

Back Off Boogaloo
Apple 1949 Mar. 20, 1972
Ringo Starr/Richard Starkey

Lyrics:

Go!

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo, boo.

Back off boogaloo,
What d'yer think i'm gonna do?
I got a flash right from the start.

Wake up, meathead,
Don't pretend that you are dead,
Get yourself up off the cart.

Get yourself together now
And give me something tasty.
Ev'rything you try to do,
You know it sure sounds wasted.

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo.

You think you're a groove,
Standing there in your wallpaper shoes
And your socks that match your eyes.

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.

Get yourself together now
And give me something tasty.
Ev'rything you try to do,
You know it sure sounds wasted.

Back off boogaloo,
What d'yer think i'm gonna do?
I got a flash right from the start.

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.

Back, ba-ba-ba-back!

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.

Back, back, ba-ba-back, come on!

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.

Back off boogaloo,
I said, back off boogaloo,
Come on, back off boogaloo, boo.


-----------------------------------------------------
I'm the Greatest
written by Lennon
lead vocals by Ringo
with performers Lennon, Harrison, Voorman
from album 'Ringo,' Apple SWAL-3413 Oct. 31, 1973

Lyrics:

When I was a little boy,
Way back home in Liverpool,
My mama told me, I was great.

Then when I was a teenager,
I knew that I had got something going,
All my friends told me I was great.

And now I'm a man,
A woman took me by the hand,
And you know what she told me... I was great.

I was in the greatest show on earth,
For what it was worth.
Now I'm only thirty-two;
And all I wanna do, is boogaloo!

Hey!

I looked in the mirror,
I saw my wife and kids,
And you know what they told me... I was great.

Yes, my name is Billy Shears,
You know it has been for so many years.
Now I'm only thirty-two; [LAUGHTER]
And all I wanna do, is boogaloo [LAUGHTER]

Hey, hey, hey, (hey, hey, hey) yeah!

(hey, hey, hey)

I'm the greatest and you better believe it, baby!

Ho! ho! ho!

I'm gonna be the greatest in this world, (ho!)

In the next world and in any world! (hey!)

Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright,
Alright, alright, alright, alright, alright, alright.

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, all right!

-------------------------------------
Back Off Boogaloo (Version 2)
Written/performed by Richard Starkey/RingoStarr
From Stop And Smell The Roses October 1981

Lyrics:

Back off, Boogaloo,
Back off, Boogaloo,
I said, back off, Boogaloo, boo.

Back off, Boogaloo,
What you think you're gonna do?
I gonna flash right from the start.

Get yourself together now and give me something tasty,
Ev'rything you try to do, you know it sure sound wasted.

Back off, Boogaloo, back off, Boogaloo,
(What would you do if I sang out of tune?)

I said, back off, Boogaloo, boo.
(Would you stand up and walk out on me?)

You think you're a groove,
Standin' there with your boogie shoes
(Lend me your ears and I'll sing you a song)

And your socks that match your eyes.
(And I'll try not to sing out of key)

Get yourself together now
(Help! I need somebody)

And give me something tasty,
(Help! not just anybody)

Ev'rything you try to do,
(Help! you know I need someone)

You know it sure sound wasted.
(Help! somebody)

(See how they run)

Back off, Boogaloo,
(I said, back off, boogaloo, I said, back off Boogaloo, boo)

Back off, boogaloo,
I said, what you think you're gonna do?
I gonna flash right from the start.

Get yourself together now, Sunshine.
(Good day good day)

You know it don't come easy.
(Good day sunshine)

(How does it feel to be one of the beautiful?
(Sad because you're on your own?)

(what do you see when you turn out the light?)
(I can show you but I know it's mine)

Get yourself together now, easy. (red foxes going forever)
(whoa!)
---------------------------------------

USENET discussion of 'Boogaloo' as nickname for 'Paul,' incl. Ringo's 'non-denial denial'

[JoJo]

Thanks Total, I always think he's refering to Sir Paul when I hear Back Off Boogaloo. And having frankenstein's monster on the 45 sleeve is an interesting choice. It's not the first time seeing him, remember we see the monster in Yellow Sub? Then he turns into John...

Yes, my name is Billy Shears,
You know it has been for so many years.
Now I'm only thirty-two; [LAUGHTER]
And all I wanna do, is boogaloo! [LAUGHTER]

"Now I'm only thirty two", If we take the date when this came out, this would mean this "Billy Shears" was born in 1941 or 1940? Or his he saying that he's no "only" 32 rather than what his age is supposed to be?

[TotalInformation]

frankenstein's monster on the 45 sleeve is an interesting choice

Yes, a definite allusion to Faul's plastic surgery. I think if you cf. the timeline, this was done at about the same time Faul was in Africa for yet another round of surgery/healing (having his ears pulled out, etc.) and forming the new 'Paul McCartney band,' Wings.


"Now I'm only thirty two", If we take the date when this came out, this would mean this "Billy Shears" was born in 1941 or 1940? Or his he saying that he's no "only" 32 rather than what his age is supposed to be?

Understanding this song as being from the POV of Faul boasting about how great he is and other lies, the age of "thirty-two" would be a fib. Faul was probably about 36-38 at the time; Paul would have been 31 (but 31 doesn't rhyme with Boogaloo).

[JoJo]

(but 31 doesn't rhyme with Boogaloo)

Yeah that was a stumbling block for me, thirty one would have been better arithmetic, perhaps 32 was close enough/rhymes/would make sense in a year anyway...

[jerriwillmore]

Paul once said, "Ringo was Billy Shears and he always will be." Guess that confirms it.....

[SimMHoward]

that could go hand in hand with 28IS on the liscence plate even though he was only 27

[JoJo]

Actually it was 28IF. Ok, not really, let's clear this one up once and for all. From what I've seen of pictures of other licence plates on British cars at the time, standard issue (non vanity) plates followed this standard: letter-letter-letter-number-number-number-letter. Look around you in whatever state you live in, it's always like this, the numbers or letters always occupy the same place, unless they change it. So, the plate on the vw read: LMW281F. However, (this is key) they don't distinguish a "one" from the letter "I", because there's no need to, because the formula makes it unnecessary. However, I bet on a vanity plate (don't know if they had those in Britain then) they would make an I look like an "I", and a one look like a "one". They do that in my home state for vanity plates, but on the standard issue plates the number one is a straight vertical line.

That still doesn't mean it's not a clue, because it still could have been deliberate. Just wanted to clear that up is all...

[revolver]

jerriwillmore said:

Paul once said, "Ringo was Billy Shears and he always will be." Guess that confirms it.....

But the song was written as if Faul were singing it. So Faul is Billy Shears according to Lennon and Ringo.

[mindgames1]

Maybe this could be interesting:

60if.proboards21.com/index.cgi?board=60ifclues&action=display&thread=1066997645

[revolver]

I agree that the line "now I'm only thirty two" has a double meaning as intended by Lennon. The first meaning is the obvious one.

He probably meant it to mean: now my (Faul) official age has been reduced to 32 (even though I'm biologically older) since I'm playing the role of Paul!

[LarryC]

Upon visiting the link TI provided above, I have gleened the following...

The speculatory comment of the person posting the site:

In Ringo's 'Back Off Boogaloo' song there is a line that proves to me that
while the Beatles may not have inserted 'clues' into their records, Paul may
have 'hid out' for a bit... dropped from public view to 'fuel' the silly
rumors.

'Boogaloo' is reported to be a nickname for Paul... and Ringo trashes Paul in
the lyrics, presumably for all the shit he was giving to his former partners.

'Wake up meathead, don't pretend that you are dead...'

Read the lyrics to that song.

-JS[/b]


And the question posed to Ringo on the Prodigy session with Ringo's response:

*Someone asked about "Back off Boogaloo" and how he came up with that Nickname
for Paul. Ringo answered:
"Well, I don't know about it being a nickname for Paul, Marc Bolan from
T.Rex inspired me to write that song. We had dinner one night and that's how
we spoke - it was all "boogaloo" and "back off." I went to bed that night and
woke up in the middle of the night with that song in my head, and it took me
10 minutes."[/b]

I'm still reading from all of the links on TI's google search, but just from the first couple of links it would appear that the nickname Boogaloo for Paul is merely someone's unfounded speculation because Ringo himself described the origin of the song and even states "Well, I don't know about it being a nickname for Paul..." which tells me Ringo is in the dark about it.

Now here's an interesting post:

<< "Don't pretend that you are dead" is plain freaking english. If I said it to
you, it would mean that I know that you are pretending to be dead, and I'm
suggesting that you stop.

How does it mean something different when Ringo says it to Paul? >>

That's funny, I must have missed the line in the song where Ringo says he's
talking to Paul. (And he has denied the rumor that "Boogaloo" was a nickname
for Paul, so please don't answer with that).

- John[/b]

Don't PRETEND that you are dead? Ok, if we are to take this line literally and assume that it IS in fact being directed at Paul, then Ringo is saying don't PRETEND you are dead...meaning, to me anyways, that Paul ISN'T or WASN'T dead at the time Ringo wrote this tune...wouldn't that seem logical?

I'm adamant about this one.

I reject any explanation by Ringo pointing this song to Marc Bolan.

First and foremost, wasn't Marc Bolan Ringo's friend?

"Wake up meathead, don't pretend that you are dead."

That doesn't sound too friendly to me... nor does the rest of the song.

'Boogaloo' may have been a phrase Bolan used, and maybe this is where Ringo
got it from.
[/b]

Can't anyone just take what any of the Beatles say to mean just that? Ringo himself gave an explanation, or a denial, whatever. And so WHAT if he calls one of his friends MEATHEAD...whomever he is directing it to. For all anyone knows Ringo and Marc refer to each other that way in jest and Ringo incorporated it in his lyrics.

I think we have a tendency to read more into things than is actually there and to me this seems to be the case on this particular issue. So far I have seen nothing in any of the links provided by TI that says that Boogaloo was actually a nickname for Paul beyond speculatory statements made by other people who are not related to the band at all. I am STILL open to see any tangible proof of this, but based upon what I have seen Ringo himself say about it, which is all that is provided on that page of links, I would have to stand fast in my view at this point.

[Imgonnaopenmymind]

Boogaloo was a dance craze back in the 1970s. Ringo hadn't had a hit since a few years before this single, so he decided to cash in. Sorry, another miss.

[JoJo]

Imgonnaopenmymind said:

Boogaloo was a dance craze back in the 1970s. Ringo hadn't had a hit since a few years before this single, so he decided to cash in. Sorry, another miss.

Huh? "It don't come easy" was only the year before, and trust me, it was played endlessly on AM top 40 stations. How the lyrics possibly refer to a dance style is beyond me.

[xpt626]

Imgonnaopenmymind said:

Boogaloo was a dance craze back in the 1970s....

not the 1970's I lived through....

the only reference I know to "boogaloo" as a type of music is:

Boogalu (a.k.a. Boogaloo), a fusion of Rhythm and Blues and Cuban son montuno, was popular in the United States from 1966-69.

[matchbox]

LarryC said:

Can't anyone just take what any of the Beatles say to mean just that?

Not if you believe in PID/PWR.

Either:

A. Paul did not die, nor was he replaced.

B. Everything any of the Beatles have said since late '66 is a lie.

[JoJo]

Everything any of the Beatles have said since late '66 is a lie.

I wouldn't say "everything" really. Also, more lies of omission for the most part rather than bald faced lies.

[Red Lion]

matchbox said:

Not if you believe in PID/PWR.

Either:

A. Paul did not die, nor was he replaced.

B. Everything any of the Beatles have said since late '66 is a lie.

An accurate assessment of the situation but the tidal wave of clues, indications, coincidences, evidences (whatever one would call them) in this matter are overwhelming. Granted each piece of the puzzle may be argued individually ( cleverly in many cases). However there really is no satisfactory explanation, without making excuses, when you look at all of the pieces as a whole. Its the lens, its the angle, its the lighting, he gained weight, he lost weight, he had his head stuck in a vice for two months, what clues? there are no clues etc etc. We sure dont have these problems prior to 9/66. The more these coincidences get 'explained ' the less option A seems plausible.

[LarryC]

I seem to recall a dance craze called 'the boogaloo' as well, but as it would happen I cannot seem to knock the cobwebs off my memory well enough to remember when and where I was at the time. And seeing as how I've never been one to cut the rug very much at all I probably couldn't remember how to do the twist either. ;D And I believe xpt is correct about it being a musical style.

I also agree with the statement about Ringo having a hit...he DID have a major hit with It Don't Come Easy, and subsequently Back Off Boogaloo. I don't remember there being like a major dry spell for him in between those hits...no more than the next artist anyways. But then a quick look at the billboard charts would easily solve this dilemma...it's not like we're looking to solve a big mystery on this one.

I still have not found anything more than someone from outside the band saying boogaloo was a nickname for Paul, and so far only Ringo's comments which were rejected outright again by another person removed from the band is all I find from someone within the circle of influence. I think we're pollvaulting mouse pellets on this.

[JoJo]

Anyone heard this version two of BOB? It mixes in pieces of Beatles songs in the background such as Good Day Sunshine, and Baby You're a Rich Man..

www.jojoplace.org/Shoebox/BoogalooAlt.mp3

[TotalInformation]

That Stop and Smell the Roses album is very interesting -- take a look at each of the songs' lyics and the authors...

Question: Was Paul's singing on "Good Day Sunshine" too low for FAUL's range?

[Doc]

TotalInformation said:

That Stop and Smell the Roses album is very interesting -- take a look at each of the songs' lyics and the authors...

Question: Was Paul's singing on "Good Day Sunshine" too low for FAUL's range?

No, Bill would never have had any trouble singing it in Paul's key.
Actually, a good key for him. Actually, there is mostly overlap between the two ranges. Paul just had a richer sound mid register.
I realize now, from more listening, Paul got up there when he wanted to. And Bill captured that sound rather well.
Good Day Sunshine is ideal for both voices.

[pennylane]

The shea stadium concert is good footage of watching Paul struggling in the higher ranges.. "baby's in black" is one example... poor fella looked constipated!

[DarkHorse]

DoctorRobert said:

No, Bill would never have had any trouble singing it in Paul's key.
Actually, a good key for him. Actually, there is mostly overlap between the two ranges. Paul just had a richer sound mid register.
I realize now, from more listening, Paul got up there when he wanted to. And Bill captured that sound rather well.
Good Day Sunshine is ideal for both voices.

Two other songs from that album Bill would have trouble with imo, Eleanor Rigby and Got To Get You Into My Life. Bill can hit the high notes but has difficulty with strength or depth and those were JPM's good features.

On Anthology, Faul is featured singing Eleanor Rigby and when the point in the song comes to sing the verse, it cuts to JPM's version. He can't hit that note the same.

[DarkHorse]

pennylane said:

The shea stadium concert is good footage of watching Paul struggling in the higher ranges.. "baby's in black" is one example... poor fella looked constipated!

I have a friend who said Paul looked 'high' during that concert.

[plastic paul]

Mott the Hoople sang about "all the young dudes", a song written by fan David Bowie when he heard they were going to disband due to chart failure. It subsequently provided them with their only number 1 in the UK.

It's been said Bowie has an involvement so i thought i'd bring this up. Here is the first verse (from memory);

"Well billy rapped all night about his suicide
How he'd kick it in the head when he was twenty five
Speed jive(?) don't wanna stay alive
When you're twenty five"

And the chorus features;

"Boogaloo dudes carry the news"

Just thought this may help as the song features references to "the beatles and the stones" "t-rex" "billy" and boogaloo" amongst others!