Paul McCartney confirms one The Boys of Dungeon Lane song was ‘written with Ringo Starr in mind’

Paul McCartney has confirmed that one song from the upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane was written with Ringo Starr in mind.

The Beatles‘ drummer and accomplished singer-songwriter will feature on the song Home to Us, the first-ever duet of McCartney and Starr. Backing vocals from Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri also feature. McCartney, in a playback of the new album at Abbey Road in London, England, confirmed that he had written Home to Us with the hope of singing with Starr in mind. McCartney explained how the collaboration with his former bandmate came to life, with a misunderstanding between the two of them needing to be resolved before work could progress on Home to Us. McCartney said: “Ringo went round to the studio and drummed a bit. I said to Andrew, we should make a track and send it to him. So this song is done totally with Ringo in mind.

“In writing the song I’m talking about where we came from. In common with a lot of people, you come from nothing and you build yourself up. Ringo was from the Dingle, and that was well hard. He said he used to get mugged coming home, because he worked. Even though it was crazy, it was home to us. I made the song around that idea and sent it to Ringo.

“He sent me back a version where he just added some lines to the chorus, so I thought, maybe he doesn’t like it. I rang him, and he said he thought I only wanted him to sing one or two lines, and I said I’d love to hear him sing the whole thing. So we took my first line, Ringo’s second line, and then we had a duet.

“We’d never done that before. Then we wanted some backing vocals, and I had the idea it would be nice to hear girls. Chrissie Hynde said she’d do it, and Sharleen Spiteri, they’re mates. So they did it.”

McCartney previously shared that a song featured on The Boys of Dungeon Lane stemmed from a chord he happened upon five years ago. The making of the album took five years and, according to McCartney, it was stumbling on a chord even he had not heard that piqued his interest in new material. A press release confirming the upcoming release of The Boys of Dungeon Lane reads: “The Boys of Dungeon Lane was first brought into existence five years ago when Paul met producer Andrew Watt for a cup of tea and an exchange of ideas.

“While playing around on the guitar during the meeting, Paul happened upon a chord that even he – the world’s most successful living songwriter – didn’t recognise. Undeterred and driven by his experimental nature, Paul carried on changing one note, then another, until he had a three-chord sequence – which Watt suggested they should record.

“This session yielded the album’s opening track, As You Lie There. Encouraged by his new producer, Paul would flesh out the new track, playing the majority of instruments – much in the spirit of his 1970 solo debut album, McCartney. So began the journey of what became Paul’s eighteenth studio album credited solely to Paul McCartney.  

“Paul’s packed schedule meant that the album was recorded in tight and efficient sessions between legs of global tour dates spanning five years and alternating between Los Angeles and Sussex. With no record label pressure and no deadline, the pair were able to make the album to their own timeline and satisfaction.

“Like his career, The Boys of Dungeon Lane is musically eclectic and sees Paul across an array of instruments and styles showcasing his broad musicality. There’s Wings style rock, Beatles style harmonies, McCartney style grooves, understated intimacy, melody-driven storytelling, character songs – the common thread being Paul.” A full tracklist for the album can be found below.

• As You Lie There
• Lost Horizon
• Days We Left Behind
• Ripples in a Pond
• Mountain Top
• Down South
• We Two
• Come Inside
• Never Know
• Home to Us
• Life Can Be Hard
• First Star of the Night
• Salesman Saint
• Momma Gets By