Speaking at a special fan album playback event today at London’s Abbey Road Studios, Paul McCartney revealed his first-ever duet with Ringo Starr. Titled “Home to Us”, the song will be released this week on Friday May 8th and is the second song to be released from Paul’s forthcoming album, The Boys of Dungeon Lane.
Today Paul surprised 50 lucky fans invited for an exclusive first listen of his new album, joining them inside Abbey Road Studio Two to share stories behind the new songs and recordings.
Following the rapturously received “Days We Left Behind,” “Home to Us” is Paul’s first ever duet with Ringo Starr, and features backing vocals from Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri. The song was formed around a drum track Paul invited Ringo to record for the album with producer Andrew Watt, and marks the only song on The Boys of Dungeon Lane that features a guest drummer. Paul plays the majority of the instruments on the new record – much in the spirit of his 1970 solo debut album, McCartney.
Speaking about “Home to Us”, Paul 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.”
Since the new album was announced, The Boys of Dungeon Lane has been surrounded by excitement from fans and media all over the world, and that anticipation reached fever pitch today. Awed fans in attendance have been describing the experience as an inconceivable dream come true.
The Boys of Dungeon Lane is not only the first new solo album from Paul McCartney in over five years; it is a revealing collection of never-before shared stories, personal memories, and some newly inspired love songs, from one of the most culturally significant figures of our time. Turning the lens inward, Paul revisits the formative years that shaped both his life, and the very foundations of modern popular culture. The album is arguably his most personal and introspective to date, untold stories that transport the listener back to where it all began. The new songs find Paul in a candid, vulnerable and reflective mood, writing with rare openness about his childhood in post-war Liverpool, the resilience of his parents, and early adventures with George Harrison and John Lennon long before the world had ever heard of Beatlemania. The Boys of Dungeon Lane is the story before THE story.
The Boys of Dungeon Lane is released on May 29th via MPL/Capitol Records.
Out May 29th via MPL/Capitol Records – Available to Pre-Order Now
Track list
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
Title photo Credit : Sonny McCartney / MPL Communications
Leave a Reply