Written by: Lennon
Recorded: 6 August; 18 September 1974
Producer: Richard Perry
Released: 15 November 1974 (UK), 18 November 1974 (US)
Available on:
Goodnight Vienna
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
John Lennon: piano, count-in
Jesse Ed Davis, Lon Van Eaton: electric guitar
Klaus Voormann: bass guitar
Billy Preston: clavinet
Carl Fortina: accordion
Jim Keltner: drums
Trevor Lawrence, Steve Madaio, Bobby Keys, Chuck Findley, Lew McCreary: horns
Clydie King, Venetta Fields, Billie Barnum, Carlena Williams: vocals
Written by John Lennon, ‘(It’s All Down To) Goodnight Vienna’ was the opening song on Ringo Starr’s fourth solo album Goodnight Vienna.
The memory of those sessions is so vivid in my mind, I can’t begin to tell you. Just a few months ago, I was listening to the ‘Goodnight Vienna’ track – it was over Christmas, just after John’s death – and it was so wonderful to hear it again, because it captures so much of John’s spirit. It begins with John counting off to the band as they go into it, and his piano playing – there was just something about that particular track that really captured the beautiful madness of John, in terms of Ringo singing it at the same time. It was really a special kind of experience and a special track, I believe.
The Record Producers, John Tobler and Stuart Grundy
Lennon wrote the song in 1974, and recorded a demo at Los Angeles’ Record Plant West while producing Harry Nilsson’s album Pussy Cats. The recording was released in November 1998 in the box set John Lennon Anthology.
The title phrase was taken from the 1932 British musical film Goodnight, Vienna. The film features the song ‘Good-night Vienna’, with lyrics by Eric Maschwitz and music by George Posford. Although the phrase came to mean “it’s all over”, at the time it was merely based on the story of two lovers saying farewell in the Austrian capital.
In the studio
After finishing work on his own album Walls And Bridges, Lennon flew from New York to California, where on 6 August 1974 he played piano on Starr’s recordings of ‘Goodnight Vienna and’ ‘Only You’.
This was just something John had written and presented because he thought it would be good for me. We had such fun with it we decided to title the album Goodnight Vienna because it made no sense. We had a lot of fun together. And in all honesty, in the earlier and middle seventies, it was good to have another Beatle in the room because it took the pressure off. People were looking like, ‘There’s a Beatle!’ It was like you weren’t human. At least if you could hang out with each other, it wasn’t like, ‘Look – there’s one of them!’ In any case, it was always my pleasure to hang out with John.
Photograph – The Very Best Of Ringo Starr
Starr’s version was recorded at Sunset Sound Recorders in Los Angeles, with overdubs following on 18 September. The recording features a count-in and piano by Lennon, and clavinet by Billy Preston.
The release
In addition to opening the Goodnight Vienna album, the title track was issued as a single in the United States as a medley with ‘Goodnight Vienna (Reprise)’. The album track ‘Oo-Wee’ was on the b-side.
The single was released on 2 June 1975, and peaked at number 31 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was the third and final single taken from the album in the USA, following ‘Only You (And You Alone)’ and ‘No No Song’.