Written by: Les Brown, Ben Homer, Bud Green
Recorded: 1969; 14 January 1970
Producer: George Martin
Engineers: Phil McDonald, Geoff Emerick
Released: 27 March 1970 (UK), 24 April 1970 (US)
Available on:
Sentimental Journey
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals
The George Martin Orchestra: instrumentation
Unknown: vocals, guitar, piano, bass guitar, drums
‘Sentimental Journey’ is the opening song and title track of Ringo Starr’s debut solo album.
The music was written by Les Brown and Ben Homer, with lyrics by Bud Green. The song was published in 1944.
It was first recorded by on 20 November 1944 by Les Brown and His Band of Renown, with Doris Day on lead vocals. It became Day’s first number one hit the following year.
Starr filmed a promotional clip for the song on 15 March 1970 at the Talk Of The Town nightclub in London.
The club, renamed the Hippodrome in the early 1980s, was a popular cabaret venue situated at 10 Cranbourn Street near London’s Leicester Square.
A new mono mix of the song ‘Sentimental Journey’ had been prepared at EMI Studios on 13 March. The mix omitted one of Starr’s vocal tracks, allowing him to sing live during the shoot. Starr varied the lyrics slightly during his performance, and ad-libbed some words over the applause at the end.
Neil Aspinall directed the filming, which began at 10am. The producer was John Gilbert.
Starr sang the song, accompanied by the Talk Of The Town Orchestra, conducted by George Martin. Starr wore a pink bow tie and the same black suit he used for the cover of The Beatles’ Abbey Road.
UK and US flags were hung on either side of the stage, and male and female dancers joined Starr onstage. Not to be outdone, towards the end of the clip backing singers Doris Troy, Madeline Bell and Marsha Hunt were lowered from the ceiling on a platform.
In the studio
The backing track was arranged by Richard Perry, whose work on Tiny Tim’s 1968 debut album God Bless Tiny Tim, was admired by Starr.
Although they wouldn’t actually meet for another two years, Perry and Starr worked together extensively in 1973-74. Perry recorded the backing track for ‘Sentimental Journey’ in America in late 1969, with guitar, bass, drums, piano, accordion, clarinet, saxophone, strings, autoharp and backing vocals.
I first met Ringo – well, I didn’t actually meet him, but in 1969 when he did is first solo album, which was a collection of old standards, he had a different person arrange each track on the album, with George Martin producing the whole thing. It was a bit of a strange set-up, because each person that arranged a track had to produce the music for that track. Ringo phoned me up – I had never met him, but he was apparently very impressed with my work on the Tiny Tim album, which I had heard through my good friend Derek Taylor. Seemingly, all the Beatles were very enamoured of that album at that time, and that made the album a success as far as I was concerned – and asked if I wanted to arrange one of the tracks on the album. He gave me the song and the key to do it in, and I was to record the entire track and send him the tape, leaving two tracks open for vocals, which was a very interesting challenge. The title he gave me was ‘Sentimental Journey’, which was used as the title track of the album, and then we actually met about two years later when I was recording the Fanny album at Apple.
The Record Producers, John Tobler and Stuart Grundy
Starr recorded his lead vocals at Olympic Sound Studios on 14 January 1970, in a session lasting from 2.30-5.30pm. His vocals were double-tracked during the middle eight section.
Lyrics
Gonna take a sentimental journey
Gonna set my heart at ease
Gonna make a sentimental journey
To renew old memories
I got my bag, got my reservation
Spent each dime I could afford
Like a child in wild anticipation
Long to hear that ‘all aboard!’
Seven, that’s the time we leave, at seven
I’ll be waiting up for heaven
Counting every mile of railroad track
That takes me back
I never thought my heart could be so yearning
Why did I decide to roam?
Got to take this sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home
All right!
I said at seven, that’s the time we leave, at seven
I’ll be waiting up for heaven
Counting every mile of railroad track
That takes me back
Never thought my heart could be so yearning
Why did I decide to roam?
Got to take this sentimental journey
Sentimental journey home
Sentimental journey home
Let’s go now
Sentimental journey home
