Alan Clayson writes of reviewers criticising " Back Off Boogaloo " for being repetitious , leading Starr to respond in a 1973 interview : " Play me a pop song that isn 't . " On release , Chris Welch wrote in Melody Maker : " A Number One hit could easily be in store for the maestro of rock drums . It 's a touch of the Marc Bolans in this highly playable rhythmic excursion ... It 's hypnotic and effective , ideal for jukeboxes and liable to send us all mad by the end of the week . " Woffinden described the single as " every bit as ebullient " as " It Don 't Come Easy " , although " slightly inferior " , while Mike DeGagne of AllMusic views it as a song where " [ t ] he jovial spirit of Ringo Starr shines through " . In a 1974 article for the NME , Charles Shaar Murray highlighted " Back Off Boogaloo " as a " great radio and juke @-@ box tune " .