At a special listening session held at Abbey Road Studios, Paul McCartney revealed that his upcoming album The Boys of Dungeon Lane will feature a historic collaboration with Ringo Starr—their first time sharing lead vocals on the same track. The song, titled “Home to Us,” was released last Friday.
The Boys of Dungeon Lane, McCartney’s first solo release in over five years, a record said to blend personal storytelling with reflections from his long and influential career. ‘Home To Us’ draws heavily from their early lives in Liverpool, reflecting on humble beginnings and the challenges they faced growing up. “In writing the song,” McCartney said, “I’m talking about where we came from. In common with a lot of people, you come from nothing and you build yourself up.”
McCartney explained how the project came together: “Ringo went round to the studio and drummed a bit,” he said. “I said to Andrew [Watt, the album’s producer], we should make a track and send it to him. So this song is done totally with Ringo in mind.” He went on to recall Starr’s tough upbringing: “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.” McCartney built the song around that shared experience before sending it to Starr.
Initially, Starr returned a version with only a few added chorus lines, leading McCartney to wonder if he wasn’t interested. But after a quick phone call, the misunderstanding was cleared up. “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,” McCartney explained. “So we took my first line, Ringo’s second line, and then we had a duet. We’d never done that before.”
To round out the track, McCartney brought in additional voices. “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.”
The Boys of Dungeon Lane will be released on May 29; preorder – HERE.
Stream ‘Home To Us’ – HERE.
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