Paul McCartney has released “Home to Us,” the latest single off his 21st solo studio LP, The Boys of Dungeon, due out on May 29. Today’s arrival represents the first-ever duet between McCartney and his longtime friend and fellow member of the Beatles cohort, Ringo Starr. The single arrives after McCartney hosted a special fan album playback at London’s Abbey Road Studios on Tuesday, May 5, where he spoke about the track’s arrival.
“Home to Us” courses a driving backbeat from Starr, combining the best of his instrumental talents with McCartney’s panache for lines that help transport listeners back to the yesteryears of days long gone. Like material from the Beatles’ mid-60s come-up, the track carries the original ensemble’s signature jingle, a clear and consistent count that propels harmonies–evocative coos–which uplift the bassist’s instinct as a storyteller, and is presented with a full dose of hometown pride.
“Home to Us” was derived from a drum track that McCartney invited Starr to record for the Andrew Watts-produced record. In addition to the iconic drummer’s part on “Home to Us,” the track also bolsters backing vocals from Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri, representing some of the set’s rare guest slots, given McCartney’s intent to provide the vast majority of instruments in the spirit of his 1970 solo debut.
Talking directly about teaming up with Starr, McCartney previously shared, “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 concludes.
Pre-order The Boys of Dungeon and learn more about the 14-track presentation by visiting paulmccartney.com.
Listen to “Home to Us” below.
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