Act Naturally

Shea Stadium, New York City: 15 August 1965
  

Writer: Johnny Russell
Performers:

• Ringo Starr — lead vocals
• Paul McCartney
• John Lennon
• George Harrison

The Beatles, 1965

"Act Naturally" is a witty song written by Johnny Russell, and fun in several formats, as we shall see. The song has an interesting history. It was recorded by Buck Owens and his Buckaroos in 1963 for a big country-music hit; and later by Ringo Starr with the Beatles in 1965. Over thirty million copies have been sold of the various recordings.
  

For quality audio, you probably should choose one of the Beatles' CD releases of the song.

There are a number of filmed performances of "Act Naturally" on DVD and/or available as music videos via YouTube.

• My favorite of the videos I've seen, giving you the feel of the great band and the intoxicating musical era, the Beatles live at Shea Stadium, 15 August 1965, is no longer available on YouTube. At Shea Stadium, after rambling a bit, Paul McCartney introduces the song with a resounding "Act Naturally — Ringo!"

  However, here's a version (2nd half, begins 2:21):
  Act Naturally - Beatles (Shea Stadium, 1965, live)   

• A nice close-up studio version by the Beatles, with cleaner picture and cleaner sound, 1965:
  Act Naturally - The Beatles Ringo (studio)
    
• A performance by Buck Owens with Don Rich, 1966:
  Act Naturally - Buck Owens & Don Rich
    
• A musical-comedy treat, Ringo Starr and Buck Owens together, "acting naturally" and singing in a Western-movie vignette, 1989:
  Act Naturally - Ringo Starr & Buck Owens
    

© 2010 Robert Wilfred Franson