Ringo Starr and actress Barbara Bach first met on the set of the film Caveman in February 1980. They married just over a year later on April 27, 1981, shortly after the film’s release.
Ringo and Barbara were dating and spending a holiday together in December 1980, when the news broke about the murder of John Lennon. The couple flew to New York to comfort John’s widow, Yoko, and the Lennon’s son Sean.
Over the years, Bach has appeared in some of Starr’s music videos, and has accompanied him on his tours. She also appears with Ringo in Paul McCartney’s 1984 film Give My Regards to Broad Street.
Just before her 18th birthday, Barbara was in attendance at the famous Beatles’ August 1965 concert at Shea Stadium in New York. Not really a Beatles fan, she was only there as a chaperone to her younger sister Marjorie, as Barbara preferred the music of Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and Bob Dylan. Coincidentally, another future Beatle wife, Linda Eastman, was also at the Shea Stadium concert.
John Lennon, an avid television watcher, got the inspiration for the Beatles song “Good Morning Good Morning” from a TV commercial for Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. The jingle in the commercial went: “Good morning, good morning, The best to you each morning, Sunshine Breakfast, Kellogg’s Corn Flakes, Crisp and full of fun”. Lennon actually liked Corn Flakes and he mentioned them in “I Am The Walrus” when he sang “Sitting on a corn flake, waiting for the van to come.”
The line in the lyrics “It’s time for tea and Meet the Wife” is in reference to the 1960′s BBC sitcom Meet the Wife, starring Freddie Frinton and Thora Hird.
“Good Morning Good Morning” was recorded in February and March 1967 and was included on the Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. The guitar solo was played by Paul McCartney.
Cilla Black’s debut single was “Love of the Loved”, a Lennon-McCartney composition mainly written by Paul McCartney. Black (born Priscilla White) was contracted with manager Brian Epstein as his only female client. George Martin, who signed Cilla to Parlophone Records, produced her recording of the song. Released September 27, 1963, the single peaked at a modest number 35 on the UK Singles Chart, and was not to be one of her bigger hits.
“Love of the Loved” was one of Paul McCartney’s earliest compositions and the Beatles performed it in their live act in their early years. The band recorded the song during their 1962 audition for Decca Records, but it has never been included in any of their official releases. It was even left off of 1995′s Anthology 1 (compilation CDs that covered 1958-1964), supposedly vetoed from inclusion by McCartney.
Saturday is the only day of the week not mentioned in the Beatles song “Lady Madonna.” According to the book Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now
The lyrics that mention the other six days are:
Friday night arrives without a suitcase.
Sunday morning creeping like a nun.
Monday’s child has learned to tie his bootlace, see how they run…
Tuesday afternoon is never ending.
Wednesday morning papers didn’t come.
Thursday night your stockings needed mending, see how they run…
“Lady Madonna” was released as a single in March 1968. It was written by Paul McCartney with a minor contribution from John Lennon (credited to Lennon/McCartney).
“All Those Years Ago” is a George Harrison song that was a tribute to the then recently assassinated John Lennon. It was released May 11, 1981, five months after Lennon’s death. The recording of the song featured all three remaining former Beattles (Harrison, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney). It is one of only a few non-Beatles songs to feature those three in the lineup. Paul, with his wife Linda and their Wings bandmate Denny Laine, contributed backing vocals on the recording.
The writing and recording of the song actually began before Lennon’s death. George originally wrote the song with different lyrics for Ringo to record. Starr recorded it but felt the vocal range was too high for him to sing and he didn’t care for the lyrics. Harrison kept the track, and after John’s death, he rewrote the words to pay tribute to his friend and former bandmate. The song makes reference to a couple of Lennon compositions, “All You Need is Love” and “Imagine”.
The song went to #1 on the American adult contemporary chart. This was Harrison’s first #1 on this chart as a solo artist.
“All Those Years Ago” is available on the new CD compilation Let It Roll: Songs by George Harrison
