From RINGO THE 4TH
Written by Richard Starkey & Vini Poncia
David Foster’s early connection with George Harrison brought work to the young Canadian session ace on a couple of Ringo Starr albums. First Foster played piano on the upbeat 1974 ditty “Call Me” that was included on the Richard Perry produced “Goodnight Vienna.” Then in the fall of 1977, Foster played keyboards on two tracks of “Ringo The 4th.”
Produced by the late Arif Mardin, “Ringo The 4th” was an attempt to follow the successful radio musical trends of the era. There are a few catchy tracks that present strong echoes of Philly Soul plus a couple of good pop originals co-written by Starr with Vini Poncia. The production and arrangements are top notch. The weak points include some of the original material selected for the album and Starr’s limited vocal ability. Mardin smartly surrounded Starr with fantastic backing singers like Luther Vandross, David Lasley and Arnold McCuller so the result is still quite enjoyable. It works especially well on the opener, “Drowning In The Sea Of Love” and the up-tempo songs while the ballads aren’t very impressive. Foster appeared on a cover of Allen Toussaint’s funky “Sneakin’ Sally Through The Alley” that has swinging horns and an irresistible beat. He also played piano and keys on “Simple Love Song,” an original pop/soul number with guitars courtesy of former Attitudes’ member Danny Kortchmar, lush strings and smooth backing vocals.
Listen
[audio:https://www.fozfan.com/archives/clips/simple_love_song.mp3|titles=Simple love song|artists=Ringo Starr
]
Lead Vocal & Drums: Ringo Starr
Guitars: Danny Kortchmar & Lon Van Eaton
Piano & Keyboards: David Foster
Bass: Chuck Rainey
Background Vocals: Vini Poncia, Jimmy Gilstrap, Melissa Manchester, Luther Vandross, David Lasley, Arnold McCuller, Maxine Anderson, Marietta Waters, etc.
Produced by Arif Mardin
Lyrics
OH MY, I’M RIDING SO HIGH,
I KEEP TELLING MYSELF THAT YOU LOVE ME.
OH MY, I’M UP IN THE SKY,
BUT I STILL SEE YOU SO FAR ABOVE ME.
CHEAP THRILLS, WELL, I’VE HAD MY FILL,
THEY JUST EMPTY YOUR HEART AND YOUR POCKET.
OO-WEE, WELL, IT’S GOOD TO BE
RIDING YOUR LOVE LIKE A ROCKET.
WELL, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND,
BUT NOW I’M JUST A ONE WOMAN MAN.
BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN,
OOH, I WANNA SEE YOU,
OOH, I WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN.
RIGHT NOW, I STILL WONDER HOW,
I KEEP ASKING MYSELF AM I DREAMING?
WE TWO, IT’S JUST ME AND YOU,
YOU HAVE GIVEN THIS SONG A NEW MEANING.
WELL, I HOPE YOU UNDERSTAND,
BUT NOW I’M JUST A ONE WOMAN MAN.
BEFORE THE SUN GOES DOWN,
OOH, I WANNA SEE YOU,
OOH, I WANNA SEE YOU AGAIN.
RIGHT NOW!
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, it’s a simple love song)
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, it’s a simple love song)
(Mm-mm-mm, simple love song)
(Mm-mm-mm, simple love song)
WE TWO, IT’S JUST ME AND YOU,
KEEP ON WEARING MY LOVE LIKE A LOCKET.
SWEET THING, WELL, I BUY A NEW RING,
IF THAT’S WHAT IT TAKES, THEN YOU GOT IT.
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, it’s a simple love song)
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, it’s a simple love song)
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo, it’s a simple love song)
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo)
IT’S A SIMPLE LOVE SONG,
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo)
IT’S A SIMPLE LOVE SONG,
(Doo-doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo-doo)