10 Songs That Prove Ringo Star’s Solo Career Is Better Than You Think
1. Grow Old With Me
Grow Old With Me was one of the last songs John Lennon wrote before his untimely death. He had hoped to write a standard that people would play at their weddings.
Unfortunately it was never properly recorded. The version released posthumously on 1984’s Milk and Honey was a pretty basic home demo.
The song was one of four demo tracks on a cassette given to Paul McCartney by Yoko Ono in 1994. Two of the others, Free As A Bird and Real Love, were completed and released by the remaining Beatles as part of their acclaimed Anthology project but they didn’t attempt Grow Old With Me.
In 1998 Ono asked Beatle producer George Martin to add orchestration to John’s demo and that version has since been released on various compilations.
Now, in 2019, Ringo has taken to the studio to give this sentimental but heartfelt song the treatment it deserves. The track features Paul McCartney on backing vocals and bass and a string section that quotes Here Comes The Sun by George Harrison.
The production is a little on the saccharine side but you can’t fault the sentiment behind Ringo’s attempt to do his old friend’s song justice.