“Do You Want To See Me Cry?”: Ringo Starr Reflects on Life After Beatles Breakup
The Beatles’ breakup during the transition from 1969 to 1970 was a massive cultural shift for the entire world, but even that pales in comparison to the personal effects it had on each of the Fab Four’s lives. Paul McCartney, John Lennon, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr’s tenure as a commercial band might have been relatively short, but that seven-year stint was like an artistic lifetime.
For most of the members of the band, their next moves post-Beatles were a little more obvious. McCartney, Lennon, and Harrison were all individually talented songwriters, which made their career transition to solo artists or members of other bands a bit easier. But Starr was the drummer. His path forward wasn’t so clear-cut.
Ringo Starr Reflects On What It Was Like After Beatles Breakup
Depending on which conflict or walk-out you consider to be the final straw in the Beatles breakup, the band’s dissolution started between 1969 and 1970. Logistical issues like collecting contract signatures made the process even muddier. Regardless of the official date, the Fab Four were no more by 1971. Paul McCartney was writing his own music. John Lennon was busy with The Plastic Ono Band with his wife, Yoko Ono. George Harrison was embarking on a highly successful solo career.
Ringo Starr was sitting in his garden. Speaking in a television interview, Starr said the breakup was “horrendous” before jokingly asking the show host, “You want to see me cry?” He continued more seriously, “As I remember it, you see, because I wasn’t a songwriter or, you know, I was the drummer. I’d written a couple of songs, but it wasn’t like my forté was writing songs.
Source: Melanie Davis/americansongwriter.com
