For anybody wondering about the state of relations among the four Beatles following the announcement of their breakup in 1970, Ringo Starr came through with an update. He did it via the song “Early 1970,” a B-side that revealed Starr’s desire for amity among the four men.
What was the song about? How did the song play into Ringo Starr’s post-Beatles music strategy? And how did it reveal the rift that separated Paul McCartney from other members of the group at the time? Let’s go back in time to find out about “Early 1970.”
Ringo the Reluctant Pop Star
Ringo Starr took a different path than his fellow Beatles in how he resumed his recording career after the group’s breakup. Instead of coming out of the gate with a high-profile solo debut, Ringo released a pair of low-key covers albums in 1970 that indulged his love of standards (Sentimental Journey) and classic country songs (Beaucoups of Blues).
From there, he decided to focus a bit more attention on his budding career as an actor in motion pictures. But he wanted to keep his toes in the water, so to speak, in the rock and roll world so that people wouldn’t forget about him. That’s why he decided to go the non-album single route for his lone release in 1971.
That single turned out to be a giant hit. “It Don’t Come Easy” displayed Starr in focused and decisive form as a singer on a propulsive track that doled out world-weary wisdom. Meanwhile, for the B-side, he chose a song that he first started working on with bassist Klaus Voorman while both were involved in sessions for the John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album. Later, George Harrison would help Starr finish the song, which was ironic because Harrison is one of the song’s chief topics.
Starr’s Beatles Update
“Early 1970” spends its four verses giving a brief snapshot of each of the four Beatles members as they were at the time (or at least as Starr viewed them). Starr saves himself for last in the lyrics, but he starts off the song with a look at his relationship with Paul McCartney. And it’s the one point in the song where Starr admits a little bit of uncertainty about whether his old bandmate will play with him. (He’s much surer about Lennon and Harrison.)
Why? Well, at the time, McCartney was the lone wolf against the other three men in a dispute about The Beatles’ affairs. Lennon, Harrison, and Starr all backed Allen Klein for the band’s managerial role, while McCartney was the holdout.
On top of that, there was an incident in 1970 where Starr had visited McCartney to send a message regarding the release date of Paul’s first solo record, which the others wanted held up for a bit so as not to interfere with the release of Let It Be, the Fab Four’s final studio album. Expecting to be greeted cordially, Starr was instead berated by McCartney for the request. It’s understandable then that Starr wasn’t sure if and when he and McCartney would again be forming a rhythm section together.
What is the Meaning of “Early 1970”?
Starr’s loving look at the quirks and eccentricities of his former bandmates stands out on “Early 1970.” He probably treats McCartney the gentlest, referring only to Paul’s love of farming. Ringo also subtly expresses his concerns about his relationship with Macca: And if he comes to town / I wonder if he’ll play with me.
He refers to Lennon’s and Yoko Ono’s interest in primal scream therapy: They scream and they cried, now they’re free. Harrison is cast as the inscrutable mystic: He’s a long-haired, cross-legged guitar picker, um-um. Finally, there’s a self-portrait, one where Starr reveals his limitations as a musician outside the drums, perhaps as a way of suggesting he wishes the other three were there once again to supplement his skills.
Starr leaves us on a wishful note in the song: And when I go to town I wanna see all three. Relations between McCartney and him would indeed be repaired in short order, so that part of the song came true. Those Beatle wounds still festering in “Early 1970” did heal to an extent, with Ringo Starr’s song, in its good-natured way, helping clear the path to forgiveness.
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