Written by: Richard Starkey, Vini Poncia
Recorded: 31 January; February; March 1977
Producer: Arif Mardin
Engineer: Lew Hahn
Released: 20 September 1977 (UK), 30 September 1977 (US)
Available on:
Ringo The 4th
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
David Spinozza, John Tropea, Jeff Mironov: guitar
Randy Brecker: trumpet
Michael Brecker: tenor saxophone
Arnold McCuller, Brie Howard, David Lasley, Debra Gray, Jimmy Gilstrap, Joe Bean, Luther Vandross, Lynn Pitney, Marietta Waters, Maxine Anderson, Melissa Manchester, Rebecca Louis, Robin Clark, Vini Poncia: vocals
Unknown: organ
‘Out On The Streets’ is the fifth song on Ringo Starr’s sixth solo album, 1977’s Ringo The 4th.
It was written by Starr and Vini Poncia, one of six such collaborations on the album.
As with ‘Gave It All Up’, the song appears to be semi-autobiographical. The lyrics depict a man down on his luck, pondering his life choices: “I woke up this evening, my head was reeling/Nothing was happening, I had no feeling/I knew that I had to be out on the streets”.
It also contains a possible reference to John Lennon and Yoko Ono’s life at the Dakota Building in New York City: “Well, night time is fading, I jumped off my motor
Somebody told me to try the Dakota/They’re just like two people you’ll meet out on the street/Out on the street”.
The song ends with Starr’s protagonist getting mugged at knifepoint, and accepting his fate as long as there is cocaine on the blade of the weapon: “You know what he said to me?/He said, “Hey baby, I’m going to stick this knife right up your nose”/I said “Well, I don’t mind as there’s something on the end of it”.