| "Early 1970" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Picture sleeve (reverse) | ||||
| Single by Ringo Starr | ||||
| A-side | "It Don't Come Easy" | |||
| Released | 9 April 1971 | |||
| Recorded | October 1970 | |||
| Studio | EMI, London | |||
| Genre | Rock | |||
| Length | 2:21 | |||
| Label | Apple | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Richard Starkey | |||
| Producer(s) | Ringo Starr | |||
| Ringo Starr singles chronology | ||||
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"Early 1970" is a song by the English rock musician Ringo Starr that was released as the B-side of his April 1971 single "It Don't Come Easy". A rare example of Starr's songwriting at the time, it was inspired by the break-up of the Beatles and documents his relationship with his three former bandmates. The lyrics to the verses comment in turn on Paul McCartney, John Lennon and George Harrison as individuals, and the likelihood of each of them making music with Starr again. In the final verse, Starr offers a self-deprecating picture of his musical abilities and expresses the hope that all four will play together in the future. Commentators have variously described "Early 1970" as "a rough draft of a peace treaty"[1] and "a disarming open letter" from Starr to Lennon, McCartney and Harrison.[2]
The song's working title was "When Four Nights Come to Town". Starr recorded the basic track in London in October 1970, midway through the sessions for Lennon's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band album, and then completed the recording with Harrison. Apple Corps manager Allen Klein suggested that the three former Beatles invite McCartney to contribute, to weaken the latter's case for the band's legal dissolution, but this did not take place.