2000 Great Songs #1299: It Don't Come Easy

The second solo Ringo Starr song on the list, and, like "Photograph," a track co-written (if not largely written) by George Harrison and gifted to his friend. (In this case, Harrison received no songwriting credit, but is generally believed to be largely responsible for it.) And also like "Photograph"--not to mention a lot of George's work--it's a brilliant hook held back by the former Beatle's frequent inability to come up with enough lyrics to fill a standard-length pop song.

Still, "It Don't Come Easy, a 1971 non-album single, gets by on its catchiness and Ringo's charming delivery (plus some guitar jangle that reminds me of Eric Clapton's "Let It Rain"), while being limited to a manageable three-minute running length. And I don't know if it's the track's nostalgic associations, or some long-buried memory, but something about this has just always made me feel like I'm a kid in the early 70s again. Kinda haunting that way.

Video (mono):

Live 1971:

Live 2015 (with Joe Walsh):

Smithereens cover:

Nikki Corvette live performance:

Bettye LaVette live performance:

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