The Drum Mystery in The Beatles' Most Beautiful Song | Dear Prudence 

New episode is here!! Who do YOU think played 🥁? Paul, Ringo...or both? Let me know in the comments!

Why doesn't someone simply ask Ringo and Paul about this to find out (while they still can)?

Paul’s drumming is unmistakable in the ‘Ballad of John & Yoko’. That’s the way Paul drums. In my opinion, Ringo definitely dubbed the drum fills on ‘Dear Prudence’. Those fills are something I never heard from Paul. 🥁

Those fills definitely feel like Ringo. His drumming style is often described as “shuffling” and he himself described it as “like falling down the stairs”. That being said, Paul is a gifted mimic and a decent drummer. The question is, is/was he good enough to imitate Ringo’s style that well? I’m not sure!

It doesn't matter who plays what. The switch in style of drumming is one of the many things that makes the song great!

Ringo, absolutely. Every drummer has a certain way that he addresses the drums, even if they play the same exact notes. As a drummer I I hear Ringo in the more complex part.

As a drummer myself, it has always sounded like Ringo playing during the end section, especially the very last fill LRRLRRL which Ringo often used and McCartney never used. However, McCartney probably could have pulled it off with numerous takes.

I have always found the way the guitars build up in complexity and volume throughout the song so thrilling to listen to that I never noticed the change in the drumming. Even after watching this I can't stop focusing on the guitars.

I think it's fairly well documented that Ringo's return occurred in early September at Abbey Rd, when George had arranged for Mal Evans to deck out Ringo's drum kit with flowers. Mark Lewisohn's Recording Sessions book documents this as taking place on 5 September, the day after Ringo had in fact rejoined for the shooting of the Hey Jude / Revolution promo clips at Twickenham (out of interest, this was also the same day the Beatles 'liberated' the EMI 8-track machine from Francis Thompson's office...). While Dear Prudence, by all apparent evidence, was wrapped at Trident the week before, I always had it in my head that it would have been an apt gesture for the Beatles to have Ringo overdub a drum part onto Dear Prudence to pump up his tyres and emphasise his worth to the band. There's no evidence of this of course, and the Beatles history is ridiculously well recorded in intricate detail... However, you just never know. For example, with the release of Get Back last year, it has become apparent that the Beatles had almost certainly engaged in additional Let it Be recording sessions at some point in February 1969 - sessions for which there is no documented evidence.

Paul really was a jack of all trades. Not as good a drummer as Ringo, but pretty damn good by most standards. Great drummer, great guitar player, fantastic pianist, and one of the best bass players and singers ever.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps is my favourite song, ever. I'm 70, I remember when it was released. I was working in a cafe with a jukebox, I think I wore the record out.

The drums at the end have the leading left-hand rolls from right-to-left which are Ringo's trademark, as he can't roll around the kit from the other side. All of Paul's examples such as Back in the USSR have the left to right rolls (snare, high tom, floor tom). Both Paul and Ringo (on the outro) are on the track.

I once was in a electronic devices showroom. They played, Dear Prudence, on Bose speakers. I thought that the Beatles were in the next room playing live. I had heard this song but to me it was just another Hit musical piece from the Beatles. Now I was completely hooked on this classic masterpiece. Sometimes you need to hear on a real good sound system and know the worth.

the "new snare drum" could literally just be a tea towel (which they often used as dampening) accidentally falling off the snare and allowing it to ring out

I like to think that the Beatles found Dear Prudence to be incomplete without Ringo, and when he came back, He put his mark on this (of many) Beatles masterpiece.

... love, Love, LOVE "Dear Prudence" - one of my Top 5 Beatles tunes. In my humble opinion, it was Ringo's drumming on the final cut... it has his spirit in it. 🥁 Why won't someone simply clear up the debate by posing the question to him? "Did you, Sir Ringo, play all of Dear Prudence?" Inquiring minds want to know. 🤔... 😃 Thank you for this vid! I appreciate your work, dear channel owner! 💐🙏🏽❤️

So interesting! The second drum part is what made this my favorite Beatles song back in the day! I definitely always felt like it sounded like Ringo.

That's Ringo's feel. There is no doubt in my mind (I'm a professional drummer of 30+ years and big Beatles fan too lol). Paul could well have been able to play the piece technically speaking but that feel man ..we all know it.

Another thing I heard about the sound change of the snare drum near the end may have been due to the tea towel on it falling off, but your theory is also an interesting take on it

Dear Prudence is proof of Lennon’s genius. It wasn’t a single or a top 40 hit but it is brilliant and moving. I also enjoyed his beautiful tribute song to his mother Julia. He was a great artist.

Probably my favorite Beetle's album! I remember sitting in my room singing every word to every song on this album.. I still owe it.. Thank you.. I learned a lot.. 🎶🤗🎵

I’m glad someone finally talked about this! These small Beatles mysteries are what absolutely intrigue me

"Dear Prudence" almost always leaves me with tears in my eyes. Thank you for this amazing backstory.

I met Ringo in a backstage gig in Brazil around 2011, my friend is a drummer and his company was promotion his All Star Band in Porto Alegre. I asked him many things, one of the question was "who is the drummer in Dear Prudence?" He said: " - Paul did it because I was on vacation, and I put my rolls before". He told he told: You make a lot of questions, what are you, a MI5?

One of my all time favourite Beatles songs. Just perfect.

I have no idea who played any of this, but I have been listening to this album since it was first released, and I love what you are doing here. The Beatles's oeuvre definitely rewards this kind of close listening! Many thanks!❤🧡💛💚💙💜🖤🖤

This is fascinating! I love to have experts deconstruct a song by the greats. As a music major, I learned there is sooooo much more to a song than many of us hear and appreciate. More please 🙂

One of my favorites, I bought the album the day it hit the stores in Pasadena Texas and took it to School with me the next Monday and played it in art class ,Miss Reid was cool like that.

Brilliant observations and such fun to put this song under the microscope. Beautiful and very inspirational. Thanks!

I was 19 when I first heard "Dear Prudence" in 1968 and it has remained one of my favorite songs of all time - regardless of who played the drums.

After hearing and seeing this several times (and after a half-century and more of listening and studying the Beatles--whatever that is worth) I am convinced that Ringo did the overdub at the end. Not that Paul could not have done that just as well--but it would have sounded different. For me, the most brilliant drum track of all time is Ringo on "A Day in the Life." Listen to how sophisticated that is! No one else could sound quite like that, and it has similarities to the last drum track on "Dear Prudence." I agree that the real joy in this is the consideration and discussion. The genius of the Beatles becomes more and more apparent with superb documentaries like this. Thank You!!

Beautiful work! Thank you

Ringo played drums on all those songs you mentioned plus Strawberry Fields Forever. No mistaking that unique "tumble-over" style. This is definitely Ringo dubbed in. I would play this song over and over on the first day of summer vacation. It is sonically the month of June. And I didn't know the backstory about Prudence Farrow at the time, but she fits the image I had perfectly.

Dear Prudence is one of my favorites. Paul’s bass playing is the best part for me. Some of his best I think.

Excellent episode.

Great video. Thank you.

People often undersell Pauls drumming. Check out “My Dark Hour” by Steve Miller from 1968! Paul Plays drums and sings backing on it. The drumming is very intense and uncharacteristic of Paul’s drumming!

It's been 6 mouths and I here been waiting for the day when he releases a new vid. Can't wait

So interesting. Always a favorite Beatles song, and now more joy than ever.

Thanks pat. One of my favorites I learned it years ago. Reminds me to pick up my guitars

Ringo was, and is a massive talent. Personally, I don't care who played what, when, or how. What I pay attention to is the final cut and the mastery these four men had making music that changed the culture around the world.

man, this video was brilliant!!!!!!!!!!! it's unbelievable the quality of the independent artists posting their own work here on youtube. upvoted!!!!

i remember hearing this theory when i was 10, i had just picked up drumming the same year and was an avid beatles fan, dear prudence was by far my favourite song at the time too, so seeing the discussion in early youtube comments saying it was paul really blew my mind. as a kid, i thought it was paul just 'cause i thought itd be funny probably the most difficult drum solo in the beatles wasn't even ringo, but after 13 years of drumming experience i can confidently say that's ringo. no discredit to paul, but those drum examples you pulled are super stripped down 1 & 2 type beats. the flavour of the solo is distinctly ringo, the phrasing of the kit, the triplets on the toms, and moreover (this sounds bs but humour me) solos required a trained ear to create, and there's a lot of drum-feel and intuition you can only hear if youre a drummer too; things like the double cymbal crash on the second bar is a habit you sometimes develop, and to me that screams experience. without a doubt ringo.

This is an interesting video. I never knew people thought Paul played drums on this song. I think it definitely sounds like Ringo (huge compliment to Paul if it’s Paul). Either way it was definitely recorded on Ringo’s drum set. This is one of my favorite Beatle albums and I hope they’ll release some White album film footage one day.

Paul's drumming always sound solid but quite simple. This really does sound like Ringo to me.

Paul and Ringo have a kind of distinct style for drumming. Paul, being a perfectionist, has a very straightforward type of play style. Ringo is left handed and plays a right handed kit which gives him a "lagging" kind of style to his drumming, which is heard in Dear Prudence. As many people have said, it isn't impossible for Paul to have played that end section but the lagging kind of style just screams Ringo to me.

Fascinating. As a child I listened to this record on a rudimentary stereo hi-fi. I'd switch the bass, treble and balance knobs to listen to discrete parts separated from the whole. The drum complexity towards the end is like fireworks on a quiet night. Gotta be Ringo. The host is correct, I cannot unhear this. Thank you!

Great analysis with an evident love and reverence for the material. Great job.

It sounds like Paul on the McCartney album. The fact that it's cut in at least three sections increases the possibility that it was Paul because Fingo could have played it straight through LOL It's very good, whichever of them did it.

The guitar work in this song is beautiful. It's just so calming.

This is fantastic!

very enjoyable and enlightening video!! :)

This is a bit of trivia that neither adds nor detracts from how I connect to this track. Listening to this track just now after decades of not hearing it played brought a flood of all the images, the feelings it created for me back at the time I was a pre teen. There’s so much of my memory sensory entrenched in this track. I hadn’t realized that a lot of the atmosphere of that time period was encapsulated of what life was like back then in this song. It was a bit overwhelming, because it wasn’t something I was anticipating of being jolted with to my emotional equilibrium. Whether Ringo or Paul was the individual playing the drums doesn’t matter to me, because it doesn’t change anything of how I feel about it, and those dormant memories within me this song brings back to life. The final product is the final product and it’s a masterpiece not be be trifled with.

I'm really happy to read and hear these audio tracks. I read drum music before English when I was 5 years old. McCartney played a decent drum track going back to their Hamburg days and white album/solo albums/career. He was a human click track, and his tempo ( meter) was spot on, and still is. All of the later fills are completely Ringo chops. As a lefty drummer, turned righty , he had fills that are difficult to reproduce/imitate today for right-handed drummers. No one plays like Ringo. His signature is unique. It's Ringo. Thanks for posting!

It's amazing how very talented the Beatles and SO many other bands were during that time period. It has a special meaning to me because I fell head~over~heels in love with George. My best friend was in love with Paul. We had a plan to join the Navy and go to Liverpool and marry them.

This is one of my favorite Beatles videos.

I’m not the most huge Beatles guy, but I have always liked this song and have learned this drum part. To me, it feels like it was something played by someone who doesn’t normally play drums, but still has some major skills (like Paul). It was wild and very outside of the box with lots of movement. To me, it sounds like something a bass player would come up with. I totally get the Ringo theory, but I personally believe it was Paul.

NOWHERE in Paul's entire drumming catalogue are there back-to-back tumbling fills like those heard in Dear Prudence. Yes, including My Dark Hour. (edited for spelling.)

Wow! What for a thrilling song analysis! I have never heard such before, thank you very much. I would like to know, if someone have ever asked this Ringo or Paul in an interview? If not, hurry up, journalists!

To me, this is the greatest Beatles song ever.

The over dubbed is Ringo imo. I've been playing drums since I was 13, now 60, b/c of Ringo (and Ginger), and duplicating his leading left hand fills are still a challenge. It is likely that George Martin gave Ringo a chance to contribute to what he missed, so that Ringo feel more sewn back into the band. Fantastic video, great job!

I happened across this by accident. Very glad I did. I'm a Beatles fan since they arrived in U.S. in 1964 and continue to be. I enjoy the comments on this. Very, very interesting. Irrespective of what actually occurred with Dear Prudence it turned out top notch. As with some of the many other things regarding their creative period the mystique is part of the charm.

Greet video! I always understood this was Paul’s drumming. From what I had read over the years. The one thing that really catches my ear, is that, I can hear Ringo’s background vocals. Maybe we will never know about his background vocal contribution. Cheers!

Thanks so much for sharing. 😉👌🏻

That was very interesting! I had not noticed this difference in drum styles in this song even though I am a musician (not a drummer, though) and have been listening to this for 50 years! Thank you for taking the time to share some trivia and interesting facts about the band while making this LP. I have always loved Dear Prudence, I think because it shows a tender side to the Beatles that has nothing to do with Romance. We feel it with the acoustic guitar's quiet finger picking, hear it in the tone tender vocals and kind thoughtful words. It is always interesting to me when other musicians find something in a popular song that I never even noticed. Makes me want to be more serious when listening to music. But then I'd have to stop dancing. heh

As a drummer too, this is a sticky question all the more so because Paul is left handed like Ringo. Any right handed drummer will listen and re-listen to Ringo's fills because they do not follow the normal pattern a right handed drummer would follow. Subtle but astonishingly significant. Ringo, rightfully so (no pun intended) could not round the set from left to right because his fills were lead by his left hand and not his right. That made Ringo's drumming VERY unique. Paul would have the same trouble, actually more so as Ringo was somewhat ambidextrous by playing his kit set up for a right handed person. His grandmother forced Ringo to use his right hand as it was more socially acceptable than being a "lefty". Thus, Ringo "appears" to be a normal right handed drummer, when in fact he had to lead his fills with his left hand. Again, Paul did NOT play his instruments as a right handed player. He played as a lefty. Paul thus would have very similar fill characteristics as Ringo although clearly not to the extent or capability of Ringo. I agree the drumming sounds very inline with what you would expect from Ringo yet I believe it most likely was Paul for the said reasons as well as the fact that Paul often "instructed" Ringo how he wanted the drums played, ie. fills, tempo etc. So much so that during these session for the White Album Ringo left the band because he was fed up with Paul constantly telling him what to do. A small break in the Mediterranean and Ringo was back.

Dear Prudence has always been one of my favorites, not just by the Fab Four. The Jerry Garcia Band does an excellent cover, for example. This is the first I've even heard of this debate, and I must agree the debate is more important than the facts. I've known for a long time that Ringo is an often underrated drummer, and there was a history of Paul annoying Ringo. After watching this video, I now find myself uncertain how I'd vote about who played the second drum section. I'd like to think that Ringo returned and contributed to this beautiful song. However, I'd not be surprised if Sir Paul did it either. The intersection of several of my loves, history and music and the Beatles, this is something I'll never be able to unhear. Thank you.

Very enlightening - even for an old Beatles-fan.

These guys were so incredible! John seemed like a magician and poet in one. Never was he more impressive than on the song Rain, his voice so hauntingly beautiful and calming. I never met him,but loved him deeply through every song he sang.💜

I can't believe Dear Prudence wasn't a massive hit back in 68. I wasn't alive back then, but having been introduced to The Beatles by my dad's extensive collection of their albums, I always found that song to be one of their best. It was remade in the 80s by Susie and The Banshees and became a hit for her. Great song.

And yet one of their most underrated songs. What a masterpiece!

Very well done content, great!

A great song, Always loved John’s vocals.. The harmonies are great.. Paul has played drums more times than some ever realized.

Please do not ask how I know this, I can't respond. That being said, at the time EMI did not have the ability to mix down an 8 track recording, so the tracks were mixed down at Trident to four track. Once back at EMI two of the four tracks were bounced down to a single track in order to overdub additional drum tracks. These were performed by Ringo upon his return. This was after the group played the tracks for Ringo and he had some ideas to supplement what was already done. They decided to let him add the additional parts as a way to bring the group back together as a unit and ease some tensions. This is why some tracks were bounced to one, to make room for Ringo's new parts. So yes, those overdubs were Ringo.

Ringo has a style you can’t deny. It’s him.

espectacular!!!!!! Thanks a lot

This is such an underrated channel. Such a fantastic intersection of history, art analysis, and video essay content. All with top notch production value. You’re probably one of my favorite channels on the entire platform right now. Keep up the good work dude👍🏻

Listening to Paul's tracks in the other songs, Dear Prudence sounds like Ringo's style to me. I am not a musician, just a fan of 55 yrs.

Great interesting vid, well done

Priceless! ❤

Great to see another upload from you! I knew the White Album was a hotbed of disputed instrumental roles but I never knew how pervasive the theory was that Ringo played drums on the song. As for me, the fact that Paul played them seems pretty legit. Had Ringo returned by that time, as you said, it would have been mentioned in EMI logs. With him having left the band at the time, it's not exactly something to be subtle about.

I was astonished the first time I learnt George Martin played on some of the Beatles' songs so yeah, wether just one of them played on a track or the whole band with special guests, it takes that amount of genius each one of them had to bring magic up to our ears and make it last for decades (and so on hopefully). Great episode !!

All documentation from that time is clear on Paul providing the drums on this track. The last part with the fills is clearly more technically advanced and required overdubs and most likely parts spliced together. As Paul is a self taught drummer, he lacks the grip proficiency and thus doesn't have the same attack as Ringo. This distinguishes Paul's drumming from Ringo's, and on this track it's noticeable all through, so Paul is playing and kind of emulating Ring in the fills at the end of "Dear Prudence".

This is one of the Beatles most interesting songs, very haunting. Siouxsie and the Banshees cover was rather good too

Nice vid man, i love it

Even tho Paul was a competent drummer, the ending part reeks of Ringo's style. The touch and finesse that Ringo played with would not have been possible for Paul to perfectly duplicate as this human element is unique to musicians and singers. No matter when Ringo came back off holiday, he most certainly is playing at the end of the track.

Revolver is in my opinion the best album the Beatles ever made and is also my favourite Beatles album. The Taxman track is as good as anything John or Paul ever wrote. Also the most distinctive cover as well! The count in sounds like George to me. I was 18 years old when it was first released and I still remember how different it sounded from previous albums.

The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour is never ending! ❤

As a kid being more and more fascinated with music in general than just drumming grooves I remembered my utter infatuation with"Dear Prudence " because it broke pretty much EVERY rule my young drumming career has exposed me to. The vocals playing on top of ta lengthy drum fill (which became a groove and THAT was never mentioned as a UNIQUE drumming technique ( which has not been repeated again by anyone)

Has anyone ever asked Ringo or Paul about the drumming on Dear Prudence? I know it's been a very long time, but I'd be very interested in hearing what they had to say.

This is one of my favorite Beatles songs, maybe my very favorite. maybe second only to Strawberry Fields. After watching your video, I have started to think maybe that is indeed Ringo at the end. It would make sense that he might come into the studio and want to be involved in the song, particularly since it was such a great song. I was in a band once, and I overdubbed some percussion while the drummer was on a beer run. It pissed him off that I had stepped on his toes, and insisted on playing the one tiny part himself, even though it was totally indistinguishable from mine. The drumming sounds like Ringo, and although I believe Paul had the ability to do it, it still sounds very stylistically Ringo. As you said, though, they could emulate each other's styles, and Paul would have had all the reason to make the drums sound like Ringo. My opinion in the end: This is Ringo on drums for the final bit.

Those examples of Paul's drumming sound... middling. No triplets, no flourishes. Makes me lean towards the camp of "Dear Prudence was overdubbed by Ringo." Man, to have been a fly on the wall of every Beatles recording ever!

By the time this happened they knew each others styles and techniques so well, and they were both so good, that Ringo could convincingly play an imitation of Paul, playing an imitation of Ringo, that could fool and confuse anyone. They were both capable and both had the mischievous personalities that would pull such a thing off in any combination just to mess with people. I will, as I always have, enjoy the song and I will never lose any sleep over who played what where. I know it's a Beatle song and that is all I need to know.

I am in the camp that Ringo came back and added drums later, simply because it sounds too "Ringo-ee" not to be him. But I never knew this story so I also always assumed "round round round..." was sung by Ringo because it sounds just like his voice. Is it a far fetched idea that Ringo came back and then added drums and backing vocals when the others welcomed him back?

Altogether an excellent presentation; visually, content, and commentary. As to the question was it Paul or Ringo drumming which finished off the song, it certainly has Ringo's signature backbeat drumming, slightly off time, yet perfectly timed. If this was achieved through 8 track mixing, including Ringo as the source, or just Ringo joining in on near the end of song's final mix and adding his own drumming track, only Ringo can truly answer that question, but it most definitely sounds pure-Ringo, no matter who and how the sound was created. Paul is very talented on multiple instruments including the drums, but that's not his drumming style or sound. I say all this with nearly 60 years experience listening the Beatles music library, beginning prior to their US debut on the Ed Sullivan show through the 2022 Get Back movie release - its music that never gets old.

Well, that was just way too much fun! I have always loved "Dear Prudence," but this deep layer-by-layer deconstruction just pushed me over the edge - I was 80/20 that it was Paul at the drums ... but now I'm 75/25 that it's Ringo. 🥁

I'm actually in the Paul camp here - the playing to me doesn't really feel like Ringo, I don't know why. Whoever it was, I LOVE it!

One of my most loved of all songs. So beautiful. This is one of those songs when it starts, the world stops and all that matters is listening to this song. I have to go with Ringo especially towards the end. It just sounds so much like Ringo's laid back style. This song absolutely has a huge place in my heart and mind.

It's Paul playing Ringo throughout. It is now being revealed what a brilliant musician was Paul Mac. But, wait! that two different snare drum tones, unable to be missed...ok, this would be explained by laying more tracks here and there. Ringo was in the Mediterranean with his family.

The change in the drumming style and the snare sound change is absolutely fascinating. The reality of it all is theirs to keep and to hold for all time. This is one of those musical groups that I have to respect as beyond superior talent and having what it takes to persever through what it takes to hang in there for so long for the sake of the band.