In a 2005 interview with Rolling Stone, Paul McCartney recalled Keith Richards saying to him:
“Do you know the difference between your band and ours, man? You had four frontmen, and we only had one.”
After The Beatles split in 1970, each member quickly established himself as a viable solo artist – and yes, even the drummer. Ringo Starr’s early post-Beatles success remains one of the biggest surprises and here we are today.
Starr later admitted that finding the right song to define his solo identity wasn’t easy. He felt he had to “combat the original image of me as the downtrodden drummer,” adding, “You don’t know how hard it is to fight that.”
One might have expected at least one Beatle to step back for a while, to disappear and recalibrate. Instead, all four released substantial solo work almost immediately. The songs weren’t just commercially successful – many were genuinely strong. History has been kind to that first wave of solo releases. More broadly, I think I enjoy more of their music as solo artists than I do as The Beatles.
Many people might be surprised to learn how prolific Ringo Starr’s solo career has been. He has released 21 studio albums and 54 singles in his solo career, with his most recent album being Look Up in 2025.
Now, turning the clock way back to where his solo career all began, today’s featured track It Don’t Come Easy was released in 1971 as a non album single being his first release since the break-up of The Beatles. It was heavily promoted by Apple Records, and the song was a commercial success, peaking at No. 1 in Canada and No. 4 on singles charts in the UK and the US.
It Don’t Come Easy is musically buoyant and direct – a catchy, upbeat track with an easygoing charm. Ringo’s former bandmate George Harrison also produced the record and helped write the song although only Starr is credited.
When referring to his early songwriting efforts in a 2003 interview, he described himself as “great at writing two verses and a chorus” but often unable to develop the ideas further.
In another interview he went on to say that Harrison suggested the last verse be about God. When Starr protested, Harrison suggested Hare Krishna. Starr protested again, and Harrison suggested “peace” as a topic, and they settled on that.
Harrison and Starr performed It Don’t Come Easy together in 1971 at Harrison’s Concert For Bangladesh concert and Ringo would perform it in the subsequent decades with his All-Star Band.
Ringo Starr began writing It Don’t Come Easy in late 1968, having recently completed his first composition, Don’t Pass Me By which the Beatles released on their 1968 White Album record. Starr completed It Don’t Come Easy as the Beatles were heading towards disbandment in early 1970.
[Intro: Tom Evans & Pete Ham]
It don’t come easy
You know it don’t come easy
It don’t come easy
You know it don’t come easy
[Chorus: Ringo Starr]
Got to pay your dues if you want to sing the blues
And you know it don’t come easy
You don’t have to shout or leap about
You can even play them easy
[Verse 1: Ringo Starr]
Forget about the past and all your sorrow
The future won’t last
It will soon be your tomorrow
[Chorus: Ringo Starr]
I don’t ask for much, I only want trust
And you know it don’t come easy
And this love of mine keeps growin’ all the time
And you know it just ain’t easy
[Verse 2: Ringo Starr]
Open up your heart
Let’s come together
Use a little luck
And we will make it work out better
[Break: Tom Evans & Pete Ham]
Ahh, ahh, Hare Krishna
Ooh, ahh, ooh
[Chorus: Ringo Starr]
Got to pay your dues if you wanna sing the blues
And you know it don’t come easy
You don’t have to shout or leap about
You can even play them easy
[Verse 3: Ringo Starr]
Please remember, peace is how we make it
Here within your reach
If you’re big enough to take it
[Chorus: Ringo Starr, Ringo Starr, Tom Evans, & Pete Ham]
I don’t ask for much, I only want trust
And you know it don’t come easy
And this love of mine keeps growing all the time
And you know it don’t come easy
References:
1. It Don’t Come Easy – Wikipedia
“The more I live, the more I learn. The more I learn, the more I realize, the less I know.”- Michel Legrand
Observation Blogger 
This is a fabulous song, a long-time favourite. I don’t know that I was all that tuned in to the emergence of all the Beatles’ solo careers, though I think my brothers were following them all. I do remember this song being a huge song here in Canada (thus the no. 1 spot on the charts!).
Apart from Lennon’s solo music and a bit of McCartney’s, I remained largely ignorant of Ringo and George’s output post- Beatles. Thanks be to other blogs, I developed a recent appreciation for their contributions especially George’s. I definitely have way more songs in my project of them as solo artists than I do from the Beatles which doesn’t suggest I don’t appreciate the Beatles’ music and their HUGE legacy.
So you mention this song being a long time favourite of yours, but I can’t recall having heard it until very recently via another music-blog. But I can see why it would be anyone’s long time favourite. It’s a goodie!
I find it interesting how even contemporaries of mine will know music that I completely missed until the last six years of blogging and reading others’ sites. The fellow who writes on mine on Thursdays is constantly introducing me to stuff I was never aware of, partly because he grew up in Ontario, not far from Toronto, a much bigger market than Winnipeg, where I grew up and still live.
And, yeah, my brothers were really into these guys so that helped.
This song sure is a goodie and as you point out, what a career Ringo has had and continues to have! Kind of comes across like a sort of underdog, as drummers rarely earn the limelight of “fronting” a band.
That’s great that you have such a close and respected contact who’s broadening your musical horizons — and even contributing to your blog. That’s wonderful, man. You’re right: Ringo really is something of an anomaly when it comes to drummers — going solo, fronting a band, and doing it for far longer than he was actually with the Beatles.
Over the years, I’ve had many followers and virtual friends come and go. It reflects kinda the reality that very few bloggers truly stick with it — and even fewer maintain an almost daily output. My blog has moved through its share of plateaus and troughs in terms of daily “likes” and reader engagement. I’m in a real lull at the moment, but if I had let likes and perceived popularity dictate how I feel about it, I’d have given up this racket long ago.
Anyway — onward and upward, as they say.
I hear you on the followers and engagement. It was a couple of years before I had much of that; guess somehow I was unwittingly evading the algorithms! But like you, I kept going as it was something I wanted to do (plus, I started mere months before Covid hit, so it became a bit of a diary of getting through that strange time).
The last month feels like a bit of a lull for me, as most of my regular commenters have been MIA for various reasons. But, onward and upward, indeed!
I hope you have a fantastic weekend.
1970 was a tough year for me ~ we moved away from my childhood home, I started puberty (I was 10) & the Beatles broke up.
BUT ~ as far as the Beatles were concerned, as much as most of us wanted them to get back together, their solo work was so prolific & so good that, in retrospect, I think breaking up was the BEST thing they could have done.
Ringo had always sung a song or two on most of their albums. But he really came into his own when he became a solo artist.
“It Don’t Come Easy” has always been one of my favorites.
Thanks for opening up about your memories around the time the Beatles went their merry ways. My daughter Katherine is 10, and starting to go through all that.
As you know, I feel the same about the impact of their solo music. I just think it’s mind blowing how the transition was so seamless for each and their success so immediate – thanks often to the help of their former colleagues.
From what I have heard so far of Ringo’s post Beatles music, I’m impressed although I’m still just scratching the surface.
Apart from ‘It Don’t Come Easy’, I also like ‘Liverpool’, February Sky’, ‘Time on My Hands’ and ‘Photograph’.