Even Ringo Starr wasn’t spared in The Beatles’ bitter breakup. His drumming increasingly shone through in the music (he praised his work on “Get Back”) in the later years, but none of that mattered as the band dissolved. Paul McCartney threatened the drummer when he visited his house, and Ringo admitted he got very emotional about being attacked by his bandmate.
Paul McCartney threatened Ringo Starr when the drummer delivered a letter
The Beatles were technically still together in 1970 when Paul’s debut solo album was set to hit shelves that April. The only trouble was it was scheduled to come out a week after the Fab Four’s Let It Be.
Ringo, John Lennon, and George Harrison didn’t think that was the wisest decision, so they wrote a letter pleading with Paul to change his release date. The drummer decided he should deliver it instead of a courier. Macca read the letter and erupted.
Paul threatened Ringo and threw the drummer out of his house. Things got so hostile that the meeting between longtime bandmates almost came to blows. Being verbally assaulted — Paul uttered an “I’ll finish you!” according to You Never Give Me Your Money author Peter Doggett — and nearly attacked made Ringo emotional.
Ringo admitted he was ‘very emotional’ and Paul’s attack upset him
The contentious Get Back sessions in early 1969, plus legal wrangling and fighting over who should manage the band, sent The Beatles into a permanent downward spiral. If the end wasn’t obvious already, Paul’s attack on Ringo nailed the coffin shut.
Ringo’s shocking confrontation with Paul was a double whammy. Being assaulted was bad enough. The fact that it came from a friend and bandmate made it worse. Ringo admitted to being emotional and very upset when Paul attacked him, per Doggett:
“I’m very emotional; things like that really upset me at the time.”
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Ringo Starr
Who wouldn’t be upset? The other three Beatles sought to reach a mutually beneficial decision. They all stood to earn more money if Macca’s solo album and the final Beatles record had some room to breathe, and fans didn’t have to choose which one to buy. Instead, Paul attacked an emotional Ringo and left him upset about the bitter dissolution of The Beatles.
The drummer, an only child, called his bandmates his brothers, and one of them attacked him for simply delivering a message. We can see why Ringo was emotional and upset by what happened.
The drummer and Macca repaired their relationship
Early 1970 was a low point for Ringo and Paul, but they repaired their relationship fairly quickly.
Paul wrote a song and played on Ringo’s third solo album in 1973. He wrote the song “Little Willow” in honor of Ringo’s first wife when she died in 1994. The drummer returned the favor, appearing in Macca’s movie Give My Regards to Broad Street (and playing on some songs from the soundtrack). He also appeared on Paul’s Flaming Pie album.
Macca inducted Ringo into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. They shared the stage for The Night That Changed America, the Grammys’ salute to The Beatles’ first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
Ringo Starr admitted being emotional and upset when Paul McCartney threatened and attacked him in 1970. Still, the bitterness of The Beatles’ breakup didn’t last, and the duo repaired their relationship over the years.
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