While Paul McCartney has demonstrated over the years that he is a master songwriter and musician in his own right, his story is often intertwined with that of his late Beatles partner, John Lennon. Together, they formed the most successful musical duo of all time. By throwing the rulebook out the window, their innovations created history, and much of modern rock can be traced back to their efforts.
While each member of the Fab Four would have a hand in songwriting over their decade of existence and play a role in their artistic advancements, it’s demonstrative of the cooperative power of Lennon-McCartney that the majority of their most culturally significant work was born from their partnership.
While many crucial aspects contributed to The Beatles’ success, one of the most significant was the rhythm section of bassist McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr. The former remains one of the most influential to have ever picked up the four-string, with his busy, melodic approach taking cues from Motown hero James Jamerson and The Beach Boys’ own singular force, Brian Wilson. It had a defining impact on the future styles of the likes of Geddy Lee and Sting.
Starr’s position has always been much more contested. There is a long abounding narrative that he was the weakest musician in the Liverpudlian quartet and a lousy drummer. It is simply not true, though, with a host of subsequent heroes, such as Dave Grohl and Phil Collins, noting his pioneering approach. Without his indifference to tradition, contemporary rock percussion would be a thoroughly barren landscape.
Together, McCartney and Starr formed a formidable rhythm section and forever changed the face of their respective instruments and this characteristic of the rock band. What is truly astounding, though, is that they didn’t write a song together until 1996. The first number credited to McCartney-Starkey is ‘Really Love You’ from the former Beatles bassist’s tenth solo effort, 1997’s Flaming Pie.
The track emerged from a jam the pair burst into when Starr was enlisted to help record another from the album, ‘Beautiful Night’. In the liner notes for Flaming Pie, McCartney explained: “Doing ‘Beautiful Night’ with Ringo wasn’t enough. I wanted more fun. So we jammed. The actor’s worst dream is being on stage not knowing what play he’s in – doing this vocal was like that, you can go anywhere. You’ve got to clear your mind – and play bass – let your head to and ad-lib it all.”
When he was invited to play on ‘Beautiful Night’, Starr knew he could not spurn the opportunity to link up with his old friend once more. The drummer recalled: “He had a few ideas for a jam, playing his bass. I love to play drums when Paul’s playing bass – he’s such a fine player, still the most melodic.”
Despite being well into their 40s at the time, the pair rolled back the years. As they launched into the jam, McCartney started shouting while guitarist Jeff Lynne contributed choppy guitar riffs that augmented the bass groove. Although it sounded different from anything McCartney and Starr might have conceived with The Beatles—bearing more in common with Talking Heads and other funky new wave outfits—the connection between the former Fab Four members was unmistakable.
Furthermore, Starr admitted that he was surprised at being co-credited for the song because “we did just make it up as we went along.” Although there had long been a tacit understanding between the pair that if one played on the other’s album, the favour should be returned, McCartney went one step further with actual remuneration. This bolstered their friendship after years of hanging out in non-musical environments.
