Written by: George Harrison
Recorded: 19-25 November 1980
Producer: George Harrison
Engineer: Phil McDonald
Released: 27 October 1981 (US), 20 November 1981 (UK)
Available on:
Stop And Smell The Roses
Personnel
Ringo Starr: vocals, drums
George Harrison: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocals
Al Kooper: piano, electric guitar
Ray Cooper: piano, synthesizer, electric guitar, percussion, vocals
Herbie Flowers: bass guitar, tuba
‘Wrack My Brain’ is the second song on Ringo Starr’s eighth solo album, 1981’s Stop And Smell The Roses.
It was written and produced by George Harrison, who also produced Starr’s cover of ‘You Belong To Me’ on the album. ‘Wrack My Brain’ was recorded at Harrison’s home studio at Friar Park, Henley-on-Thames.
Harrison also offered an early version of ‘All Those Years Ago’, but Starr was unhappy with the words and felt it was recorded in the wrong key; the song was later re-recorded by Harrison as a tribute to John Lennon.
George wrote that one. I was watching a lot of TV back then, as he writes in one of the lyrics in the song. Also I was probably going insane too. George thought this song would be good for me. It’s a song I knew he’d never do. So it gave George more freedom and it was a bit looser than something that he would do for himself.
Photograph – The Very Best Of Ringo Starr
‘Wrack My Brain’ was the lead single from Stop And Smell The Roses, with ‘Drumming Is My Madness’ on the b-side. Released on the same day as the album, it peaked at number 38 on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Starr’s final US top 40 hit.