It Don't Come Easy

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“It Don't Come Easy”
“It Don't Come Easy” cover
Single by Ringo Starr
B-side "Early 1970"
Released April 9, 1971
Format 7"
Recorded March 8, 1970
Genre Rock, Pop
Length 3:00
Label Apple Records R5898
Writer(s) Richard Starkey
Producer George Harrison
Ringo Starr singles chronology
"Beaucoups of Blues"
(1970)		 "It Don't Come Easy"
(1971)		 "Back Off Boogaloo"
(1972)

"It Don't Come Easy" is a song released as an Apple Records single by Ringo Starr in April 1971, reaching #4 in both the UK and U.S. singles charts. It was Starr's first solo single in the UK, but his second in the U.S.(the first was "Beaucoups of Blues") - following the breakup of The Beatles.

Starr reportedly composed the song in 1970. Decades later, he admitted that George Harrison "co-wrote" the song (as he did with other hits such as "Photograph"). But controversy still surrounds the assertion that Ringo really wrote the complex and mature song--especially since demo tapes have surfaced by Harrison where Ringo is completely absent and the song is more or less in its final form. Whether Harrison really wrote it or not (and gave it to his friend to start him on his career), the released version (recorded on March 8, 1970) included George Harrison on guitar, Klaus Voorman on bass guitar, Stephen Stills, Ron Cattermole (brass), Badfinger members Pete Ham and Tom Evans performing background vocals, and Starr on drums and lead vocals. Starr was featured performing the song at the Concert for Bangladesh in 1971.

The B-side of the single, "Early 1970", featured Starr on acoustic guitar, piano, drums and vocals; with Harrison playing guitar and providing backing vocals.

Both tracks were produced by Harrison, and published by Startling Music.

On March 12, 1984, EMI released a double A-sided single of "It Don't Come Easy" / "Back Off Boogaloo".

Contents

[edit] Recording history

Recording of the new composition was begun on the evening of 18 February 1970 at Abbey Road's Studio 2, during the Sentimental Journey album sessions. Earlier in the day, Starr had re-recorded his vocals for "Have I Told You Lately That I Love You" and "Let the Rest of the World Go By", songs destined for Sentimental Journey. At this stage, the song was known as "You Gotta Pay Your Dues".

On this first session, George Martin was producing, with George Harrison playing acoustic guitar and directing the other musicians, which comprised Starr (drums), Klaus Voorman (bass) and Stephen Stills (piano). 20 basic track takes were made between 7.00 pm and 12.30 am, with Take 20 being labeled 'best'. Starr then added a lead vocal and George added two electric guitar parts, finishing at 4.00am, with the song being mixed into stereo.

The following day, after overdubs onto "Love Is A Many Splendoured Thing", recording resumed on "You Gotta Pay Your Dues", with Starr overdubbing another lead vocal onto Take 20 between 5.00 and 6.00 pm. Harrison was not involved in recording on this day, although Eric Clapton may have been involved [1]. After an hour's break, it was decided to re-make the song, with takes 21-30 being taped between 7.00 and 11.00pm. Take 30 was labeled 'best' and onto this take, two bass parts were added before the session ended at 1.30am.

This version however, was to remain unfinished, because on 8 March, Starr decided to again remake "It Don't Come Easy", as it was now known. Recording probably took place at Trident Studios (documentation is unavailable - all that is known is that it wasn't recorded at Abbey Road), with George Harrison producing, as well as playing guitar. Klaus Voorman (bass), Stephen Stills (piano), Mal Evans (tambourine) and Ron Cattermole (saxophone, trumpet) were also involved.

Recording of overdubs continued the next morning, again with Harrison producing. The song was then left until October 1970, when further overdubs were made (details unknown)

When news of the sessions reached the press in March 1970, Apple told the music press there were "absolutely no plans for the record to be released as a single at the present time", and the song wasn't issued until 9 April 1971 in the UK (and April 16 in the US). Ringo Starr's second solo single (with "Early 1970" as a B-side featuring George Harrison on guitar and backing vocals) entered the NME charts on 21 April at #12 and rose to #5 for two weeks, staying on the chart for nine weeks.

A fascinating outtake from these sessions has appeared on a mid-1990s bootleg ('To Be Expected', Strawberry Sampler 001, tr.8). It features George Harrison on lead vocal (probably singing a guide vocal for Starr to sing along to). While the instrumentation is almost identical to the released version (the horns have not been added yet), during the guitar break, the backing vocalists, Pete Ham and Tom Evans from Badfinger, add the line 'Hare Krishna'. This can be heard on the final Ringo Starr release, it is just very buried in the mix, whereas in the George Harrison vocal version it is very up front. Following the guitar solo, rather than there being another verse, there is a repeat of the song's opening guitar phrase from Harrison, again with the backing vocalists singing 'it don't come, oh no, you know it don't come easy' twice, with Harrison adding a few shouted lines behind them before returning to the verse. Subsequently, there are some additional backing vocal lines.

[edit] Performances and release history

Ringo performed this song at the Concert for Bangladesh (held August 1, 1971 at Madison Square Garden), and famously forgot some of the words. His goof was left in the album and concert film.

"It Don't Come Easy" was issued as a non-album single (Apple 1831) and debuted on the American Billboard chart on May 8, 1971. It peaked at #4 and remained in the Top 40 for 11 weeks. The song didn't see inclusion on an album until the release of Ringo's 1975 Apple greatest hits compilation, Blast from Your Past.

The song was also heard in the 1978 NBC-TV 'Ringo' special (although he recorded new versions of several songs for the special, the released recording of "It Don't Come Easy" was used).

When Ringo recorded a new version of his 1972 hit "Back Off Boogaloo" for the Stop and Smell the Roses album, "It Don't Come Easy" was referred to, along with several Beatle songs, in the backing vocals.

Ringo included the song on the set list for his July-September 1989 American tour, and a performance of this song opened the 1990 album 'Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band' (it was also included on a bonus 5" CD single released with the US limited edition deluxe CD version of 'Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band).

In 1991, "It Don't Come Easy" was added as a bonus track to the CD version of Ringo, along with "Down and Out" and "Early 1970".

Along with a guest appearance with Ringo Starr, the song was featured in The Simpsons episode Brush with Greatness. The song is used as inspirational background music for a montage of Marge Simpson painting a portrait of Mr Burns.

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Neville Stannard, Working Class Heroes, p. 154

[edit] References