People have always regarded Ringo Starr as having the most endearing personality among the four Beatles. Even though he was aware that he wouldn’t be receiving as much songwriting credit as his bandmates, Starr was content to play with his friends and was only willing to join them when they felt like it. When working on Imagine with John Lennon, Starr had a line she would never cross, and on “How Do You Sleep,” that line was put to the test.
Even though the band had broken up by the early 1970s, Starr never harbored animosity towards any of the ex-members. Yes, over the years, there were undoubtedly a few betrayals that hurt quite a bit, but, he would have quickly agreed to come down and play drums on a track if one of his friends had asked him to.
When Starr was producing Plastic Ono Band, he had even assisted Lennon in getting back on his feet. Having that steady, rock-like percussion behind him helped Lennon. He was already in the aftermath of tearing himself apart emotionally. It allowed him to stay grounded while he was going through songs like “God.”
After the chaos subsided, Lennon was unwilling to abandon the weighty subjects. He was furious now, and he was going to release all of his suppressed emotions towards Paul McCartney on “How Do You Sleep.”
Lennon was aiming to inflict a deep wound on this track, writing every single line as another deliberate jab at his writing partner. He even claimed that the only halfway decent thing he had ever made was “Yesterday.” McCartney had already gained notoriety for poking fun at Lennon on songs like “Too Many People” from RAM.
By no means is it required of anyone to feel good about their former bandmates, but Starr had to intervene when things became toxic. In Many Years From Now, Felix Dennis reminisced, “I remember Ringo growing increasingly upset by this as these lyrics emerged.” This truly did not make him happy, and at one point, I have a clear memory of his saying, ‘That’s enough, John.’ Lennon dug his hole and didn’t care if people liked it or not, as usual. Two amazing studio musicians were also unhappy about it.
But then, what would one think in this situation if they were McCartney? With the help of your former drummer and guitar player. One of your closest friends, whom you’ve known for ten years, is currently penning a song. The song is about how everything you accomplished was in vain.
Since McCartney was the subject of the song “Back Off Boogaloo“. Towards the end, Ringo Starr had to inform him that the rest of the band was suing him. It’s possible that Starr wanted to patch things up with him if only a little. Observing the world’s best bands engage in combat with one another is already difficult. Nevertheless, the way Starr handled it made them seem like worried kids witnessing their divorced parents quarrel.
