Coloring Club Plus — 12/24/19

“The Beatles Second Phase 1967” by Ambrose

I know I’ve been playing holiday songs all month, but today I’m not because I just heard a wonderful song for the first time and want to use it for the post today.  Also I’m not doing a coloring this time but am using a psychedelic poster I found and wanted to share.

Ringorama is the 13th studio album by Ringo Starr, released on March 25, 2003. As the follow-up to I Wanna Be Santa Claus (1999), it continues Starr’s alliance with Mark Hudson as well as most of his collaborators from that last project. Not straying too far from his tried and tested formula, Starr engaged the services of some of his famous musician friends for Ringorama. Annoyed that Mercury had not put enough promotion towards I Wanna Be Santa Claus, Starr left the label in 2000. Contributors this time around include Willie Nelson, Charlie Haden, Van Dyke Parks, Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour, Shawn Colvin, Timothy B. Schmit, and Eric Clapton. Gilmour and Clapton’s availability was down to the fact of living close-by to Starr, as he commented, “People would ask, “So who’s on the record?” and we’d say, “Just a couple of local guys. You know, like Eric Clapton and Dave Gilmour. Because they do both live just around the corner.” Recording had taken place at Starr’s recording studio in London, Rocca Bella, and Hudson’s Whatinthewhatthe? Studios in Los Angeles, with the sessions being produced by Starr, Hudson and Gary Nicholson.

With George Harrison’s late 2001 passing before Ringorama was started, Starr composed “Never Without You” in tribute to his friend, having Clapton perform the guitar solo duties. The song originally started out as a tribute to John Lennon and Harry Nilsson, but Starr thought the song was getting “too messy“. After choosing to focus solely on Harrison, lines from Harrison’s songs—”Within You Without You”, “Here Comes the Sun” and “All Things Must Pass”—were included. Starr asked Clapton based on his stature as a friend to both Starr and Harrison: “We’re all good friends. So I asked Eric to play and he said ‘yeah’.”

“Never Without You” was co-written by Starr, Mark Hudson and Gary Nicholson. Starr commented: “Gary Nicholson started that song, and Mark brought it over and we realized we could tailor it. George was really on my mind then.” In a 2003 interview, Starr said that he had remained closest to Harrison of all the former Beatles following the group’s break-up in 1970, and that the song conveyed “how I miss him in my heart and in music.”

Starr uses the riff-driven melody from Harrison’s song “What Is Life” in the middle of “Never Without You”, right before he makes reference to “All Things Must Pass”. The lyrics also mention Harrison’s composition “Within You Without You” from the Beatles’ Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. After the first chorus, the lyric goes “Here today, not alone” which is a reference to the 1982 Paul McCartney song, “Here Today” which was written as a tribute to former bandmate John Lennon after he was assassinated.

We were young, it was fun
And we couldn’t lose
Times were right, overnight
We were headline news
Crazy days and reckless nights
Limousines and bright spotlights
We were brothers through it all

And your song will play on without you
And this world won’t forget about you
Every part of you was in your song
Now we will carry on… Never Without you
(Without you Without You) Within you without you
“Here Comes the Sun” is about you

Here today, not alone
With my memories
Life is strange how things change
It’s reality
You played a beautiful melody
That keeps on haunting me
I can always feel you by my side

And your song will play on without you
And this world won’t forget about you
Every part of you was in your song
Now we will carry on… Never Without you
(Never Without You) Within you without you
(Within you without you)
“Here Comes the Sun” is about you

I know all things must pass
And only love will last
I’ll always love the memory of you and me
Take it away Eric

And your song will play on without you
And this world won’t forget about you
Every part of you was in your song
Now we will carry on…Never Without you
(Never Without You)Within you without you
(Within you without you)
I think love is about you
Songwriters: Gary Nicholson / Mark Hudson / Ringo Starr