Here’s a Columbus Day surprise! We can now listen to Ringo Starr’s new version of John Lennon’s “Grow Old with Me,” featuring Paul McCartney on bass and background vocals. It’s really wonderful. Ringo’s new album, called “What’s My Name,” has two or three standout tracks in what I’d say overall is his best collection in years.
“I sang it the best that I could,” Starr said of the recording in a statement. “I do well up when I think of John this deeply. And I’ve done my best. We’ve done our best. The other good thing is that I really wanted Paul to play on it, and he said yes. Paul came over and he played bass and sings a little bit on this with me. So John’s on it in a way. I’m on it and Paul’s on it. It’s not a publicity stunt. This is just what I wanted. And the strings that Jack arranged for this track, if you really listen, they do one line from [George Harrison’s] ‘Here Comes The Sun.’ So in a way, it’s the four of us.”
Funny PS: Colin Hay from Men at Work is on the album and co-wrote a song. Hay was the favorite singer of Paul McCartney’s mistake wife Heather Mills. She told me years ago about how she dragged Paul to his shows. I wonder if any of that came up in the studio.
