Ringo Starr Covered 1 of the Songs He Bought as a Kid After The Beatles Broke Up
The Beatles’ Ringo Starr covered sentimental songs after the Fab Four’s breakup. On his solo debut record. he recorded a quaint 1950s hit that he liked as a child. Quincy Jones had some negative things to say about Ringo’s cover.
The Beatles’ Ringo Starr revealed his memory of a song by The Four Aces
During a 2015 interview with Goldmine, Ringo was asked if he wore out any of his records as a child. “You know, as a kid, I didn’t really wear out any records,” he recalled. “I did buy The Four Aces’ ‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.’ I mean, that’s a memory I have of early days.” Ringo covered “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” for his debut solo album, Sentimental Journey. The record features covers of many pre-rock ‘n’ roll musical standards.
However, Ringo wasn’t only interested in the musical stylings of The Four Aces. “But then when rock ‘n’ roll came in, I’d play records by Little Richard,” he added. “But I had country music as well, people like Patsy Cline, Ernest Tubb, and Kitty West was my heroine.”
The former Beatle revealed which country artists he loved as a child
Ringo said the music he was listening to made him want to take a certain path in life. “I loved all that old school stuff,” he recalled. “I had Willie Nelson records where he was wearing a suit in the late ’60s. You know he wasn’t always looking like a hippie.
“So I played a lot of that, and blues,” he added. “At 19 years of age, I wanted to emigrate to Houston to be with Lightnin’ Hopkins, and I had a list of factories I could go to [to work].”
Quincy Jones said Ringo Starr didn’t record ‘Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing’ properly
Quincy Jones produced Ringo’s cover of “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.” Jones wasn’t a fan of Ringo’s work on the tune. During a 2018 interview with Vulture, Jones said Ringo tried for three hours to get a passage of the song just right. Jones suggested that Ringo take a 90 minute break, eat some shepherd’s pie, drink some lager and lime, and then try to complete “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.”
Then, Jones had a jazz drummer named Ronnie Verrell come and fix “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing.” When Ringo heard Verrell’s work on the tune, the former Beatle thought it sounded alright. Jones said it only sounded alright because Ringo wasn’t playing it! While Jones didn’t show much respect for Ringo as a musician, he said the “You’re Sixteen” singer was a “great guy.”
Like Jones’ interview, Sentimental Journey itself did little for Ringo’s public image. Immediately after The Beatles’ breakup, John Lennon was getting more political with John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, Paul McCartney was getting more experimental with McCartney, and George Harrison was getting more spiritual with All Things Must Pass. Meanwhile, Ringo’s Sentimental Journey looked like a step backward when his former bandmates were taking giant leaps forward.
“Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” isn’t one of Ringo’s proudest moments but it reflects his musical roots.
