Put a Ring on My Finger

Album: Ultimate Collection (1958)
Charted: 32
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • Joe Meek wrote the original version of this song, titled "Put a Ring on Her Finger," for an English musician named Eddie Silver. The song didn't do well in the charts, but it did reach the ears of Les Paul. Paul altered the title to "Put a Ring on My Finger" and, along with wife Mary Ford, released his own version in 1958. The song cracked the Top 50 in both the Billboard and Cash Box charts (Cash Box was a competitor of Billboard at the time).

    The royalties that resulted from this song helped Meek fund his later studio work - work that greatly influenced the evolution of music engineering and led to hits such as "Telstar" and "Have I the Right?"

    Meek was a wildly inventive but tragic character who ended his own life after killing his landlady, Violet Shenton. Still, his musical legacy was important enough that figures such as Jimmy Page recalled his importance. Multiple documentaries, a stage play, and a feature film have been made about Meek's life.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Al Kooper

Al KooperSongwriter Interviews

Kooper produced Lynyrd Skynyrd, played with Dylan and the Stones, and formed BS&T.

Oliver Leiber

Oliver LeiberSongwriter Interviews

Oliver Leiber talks about writing and producing hits for Paula Abdul, and explains his complicated relationship with his father, the songwriter Jerry Leiber.

Harry Shearer

Harry ShearerSongwriter Interviews

Harry is Derek Smalls in Spinal Tap, Mark Shubb in The Folksmen, and Mr. Burns on The Simpsons.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Gene Simmons of Kiss

Gene Simmons of KissSongwriter Interviews

The Kiss rocker covers a lot of ground in this interview, including why there are no Kiss collaborations, and why the Rock Hall has "become a sham."

Meshell Ndegeocello

Meshell NdegeocelloSongwriter Interviews

Meshell Ndegeocello talks about recording "Wild Night" with John Mellencamp, and explains why she shied away from the spotlight.