When it comes to songwriting, Bob Dylan is one of the most prolific and enigmatic figures in music history. During the 1960s, Dylan’s creativity seemed unstoppable—songs poured out of him so rapidly that some slipped into obscurity, forgotten in notebooks or casually handed over to friends. He gifted tracks to The Byrds, Ronnie Wood, Nico, and even Elvis Presley, proving just how abundant his output was.
One fascinating piece of music history involves a song Dylan allegedly wrote for Ringo Starr, the drummer of The Beatles. Though never officially released, the mysterious track—titled Maureen, after Ringo’s then-wife—has been whispered about for decades, adding another layer of intrigue to the complex relationship between Dylan and the Fab Four.
Bob Dylan and The Beatles: A Legendary Friendship
Bob Dylan’s connection with The Beatles began in August 1964, at New York’s Delmonico Hotel, when he famously introduced the group to marijuana. The meeting has since become the stuff of rock mythology, often described as a pivotal moment that influenced The Beatles’ creative leap into psychedelia.
Paul McCartney later recalled the life-changing encounter:
“I could feel myself climbing a spiral walkway as I was talking to Dylan. I felt like I was figuring it all out—the meaning of life.”
While Dylan was never overly vocal about his admiration for the band, he admitted privately that he was deeply impressed by their music. “I just kept it to myself that I really dug them,” Dylan confessed to biographer Anthony Scaduto.
The Mystery of “Maureen”
The strongest evidence of Dylan’s contribution to Ringo’s songbook comes from the Let It Be sessions in 1969. In the session tapes, George Harrison can be heard muttering:
“Here’s one Dylan wrote for Ringo,”
before strumming the little-known track Maureen.
The song carries a distinctly Dylan-esque quality, with unusual chord changes and a rambling rhythm. Around the same time, Dylan had been writing with Harrison, producing songs like I’d Have You Anytime and Nowhere To Go. It’s believed that Maureen may have been part of this creative exchange.
However, no official recording exists, and some historians suggest Harrison may have jokingly attributed the song to Dylan to avoid admitting he had written it himself. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that Harrison was secretly having an affair with Ringo’s wife, Maureen, during this period—a revelation that casts the song in an even stranger light.
Dylan and Harrison: A Unique Musical Bond
Regardless of the true authorship, what is undeniable is the deep friendship between Dylan and George Harrison. Dylan once reflected on Harrison’s struggles within The Beatles, saying:
“George got stuck with being the Beatle that had to fight to get songs on records because of Lennon and McCartney. If George had had his own group back then, he’d probably have been just as big as anybody.”
Their mutual admiration led to a number of collaborations, most notably the Harrison/Dylan co-write I’d Have You Anytime (which opened Harrison’s 1970 solo masterpiece All Things Must Pass). Dylan praised Harrison’s unorthodox chord progressions, calling his ability to craft melodies “uncanny.”
A Lost Relic of Rock’s Golden Era
Whether Dylan truly wrote Maureen for Ringo Starr or not, the song remains one of rock’s great mysteries. It symbolizes an era when music flowed so freely among legends that songs could be swapped, borrowed, or even lost in the shuffle.
The Dylan–Beatles connection endures as one of the most fascinating intersections in 20th-century music, with Maureen standing as a ghostly reminder of what could have been.
