I'm the Greatest

"I'm the Greatest" is a song written by John Lennon for Ringo Starr; both former members of the music group The Beatles. It was released by Starr on the 1973 Ringo album and 4 compilation and live albums.

On this track, Starr is lead vocalist and plays drums, Lennon plays the piano and sings harmony vocals and George Harrison plays electric guitar; Billy Preston on organ and Klaus Voormann on bass. It's one of just a handful of non-Beatles songs to feature three members of the band. Richard Perry produced the recording.

At this point after the end of The Beatles as a band, three of them—Starr, Lennon and Harrison—in addition to Voormann and Preston (sometimes referred to as "Fifth Beatles"), appear on this record. It sounds very much like something from Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, with its texture, lyrics (using "Billy Shears", Ringo's alias on Sgt. Pepper) and public noises insinuating "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band". Not surprisingly, when word of that session hit the media, furious Beatles reunion rumours (the first of several) began spreading.

Parts of the lyrics, which hint at The Beatles:

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!

...

Yes, my name is Billy Shears,

You know it has been for so many years.

Now I'm only thirty-two;

And all I wanna do, is boogaloo for ever!

...

"I'm The Greatest" is the only record which matches the line up of a post-Beatles group "The Ladders", which George Harrison intended to install with his two former band mates and other fellow musicians like Voormann and Preston. The Traveling Wilburys in the late 1980s was another effort of Harrison to create a supergroup with friends.

Personnel

• Ringo Starr - lead vocals, drums
• John Lennon - harmony vocals, piano
• George Harrison - lead guitar
• Billy Preston - organ
• Klaus Voorman - bass guitar

A version with John Lennon lead vocals appears on 1998's John Lennon Anthology. Many Lennon bootlegs include a version of this song with only piano, bass, drums and Lennon on lead vocals.