Today is the fourth and final day focusing on post-Beatles solo hits by those four lovable lads from Liverpool, and our classic song of the day is Ringo Starr’s “It Don’t Come Easy.” This was Ringo’s second solo single, following 1970’s “Beaucoup of Blues,” which was a minor country hit here in the U.S. “It Don’t Come Easy” was a much bigger deal; released in April of 1971, this single went all the way to #4 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Cash Box Top 100. It also went to #4 on the UK Singles chart.
“It Don’t Come Easy” is officially credited to Ringo Starr as the writer, even though Ringo admits that he had a little help from fellow Beatle George Harrison. By all accounts, that “little help” from his pal actually meant that George wrote pretty much the whole thing but gave it to his old friend as a very generous gift.
Ringo says he was looking for a song to help establish his original identity outside of the Beatles:
“[I had to] combat… the original image of me as the downtrodden drummer. You don’t know how hard it is to fight that.”
Starr recorded “It Don’t Come Easy” three different times, rejecting the first two efforts until he hit on the winning formula on a March 8, 1970, recording session at Trident Studios. The musicians on this track included his pal George Harrison on various guitars, Gary Wright on piano, Klaus Voormann on bass, and Pete Ham and Tom Evans of Badfinger on background vocals. Ringo played drums, of course, and former Beatles road manager Mal Evans played tambourine.
Ringo Starr, despite being the Beatles’ “downtrodden drummer,” had a very successful post-Beatles solo career. He notched seven top ten singles between 1971 and 1975: “It Don’t Come Easy” (#4 in 1971), “Back Off Boogaloo” (#9 in 1972), “Photograph” (#1 in 1973), “You’re Sixteen” (#1 in 1973), “Oh My My” (#5 in 1974), “Only You (And You Alone)” (#6 in 1974), and “No No Song” (#3 in 1975). In addition to guesting on a slew of recordings and concerts by his various musician pals (including playing drums on George Harrison’s Concert for Bangladesh) and starring in a few movies, Ringo has, in recent years, fronted his All-Starr Band. This evolving conglomeration of musicians is still touring today, playing hits from both Ringo and his formerly famous bandmates. By all accounts, they’re all having a lot of fun.
You can tell that in today’s daily bonus video of the day. It’s Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, with my pal Gregg Bissonette on drums, performing “It Don’t Come Easy” at the Greek Theater in 2022. Yeah, they’re definitely having fun—and the audience is digging it.
Ringo Starr will celebrate his 85th birthday on July 7 of this year (2025). As Ringo always says, peace and love, everybody. Peace and love.
