Never Without You

Written by: Richard Starkey, Mark Hudson, Gary Nicholson
Recorded: 2002
Producers: Mark Hudson, Ringo Starr

Released: 25 March 2003

Available on:
Ringo Rama

Personnel

Ringo Starr: vocals, drums, percussion, keyboards
Mark Hudson: bass guitar, vocals
Eric Clapton, Steve Dudas: electric guitar
Gary Nicholson: 12-string acoustic guitar
Gary Burr: acoustic guitar, vocals
Jim Cox: Hammond organ

‘Never Without You’ is the fifth song on Ringo Starr’s 13th solo studio album, 2003’s Ringo Rama.

The song is a tribute to George Harrison, who died on 29 November 2001. Starr initially attempted to include additional references to John Lennon and Harry Nilsson.

It’s all about George. This song is still very poignant for me, and I tried not to do it on the last tour, but I had to do it because it’s a beautiful song and expresses what I felt for the man. The song actually started with one of my co-writers, Gary Nicholson. Then I thought of putting Harry Nilsson, John Lennon and George into the song – all of my friends who had left. But in the end that got so mad, and I thought let’s just do it about George. He had just gone and I wanted to express my love for him. Also the guitar solo is pretty good – it’s by that guy who does ‘Layla’ – what’s his name? He lives right down the road and who else could I have? Peace and love, Eric.

The lyrics contain references to several Harrison songs, including ‘Within You Without You’, ‘Here Comes The Sun’, ‘All Things Must Pass’, and ‘I Dig Love’. The riff from ‘What Is Life’ also appears before the middle eight.

The recording features Harrison’s close friend Eric Clapton on lead guitar. Clapton also performed on the album track ‘Imagine Me There’.

It was written about how I miss him in my heart and in music. Eric plays on that song, because Eric and George were close friends. I just knew that he was the only guitar I wanted on there.

He [George] was my good friend. I mean, we were all close, we all broke up, it’s history. Paul and John had their… differences. [Laughs] John moved to New York and Paul was doing what he did. But George and I spent more time together.

‘Never Without You’ was originally an idea by Nashville songwriter Gary Nicholson. He worked with co-producer Mark Hudson to complete the song, although a verse was left for Starr to add lyrics to. Nicholson performed 12-string guitar on the recording.

At one point I was playing it in a kind of Orbison-y way. I said, ‘Well, I can do it this way or I can do it straight eighths,’ and [Starr] said, ‘Do it in straight eighths—that’s what George would’ve done.’ And that’s when it really hit me, ‘Man, he was there when they made all those records.

‘Never Without You’ was the first single from Ringo Rama. It was released on 3 March 2003, with ‘Instant Amnesia’ on the b-side.

The video contained scenes from the ‘Hello, Goodbye’ promotional film, shots of The Beatles in 1964, and footage of Harrison from The Concert for Bangla Desh.

Starr and The Roundheads performed the song on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno in the US on 13 March 2003, on Late Night with Conan O’Brien and MTV’s Total Request Live on 25 March, and Good Morning America on 9 April.

A triple-CD edition of Ringo Rama was released on 11 November with three bonus tracks, an interview disc, and a DVD containing a documentary and the video for ‘Never Without You’.