Paul McCartney surprised 50 fans at Abbey Road Studio Two today, revealing “Home to Us,” his first-ever duet with Ringo Starr. Out Friday May 8, it’s the 2nd single from ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’, McCartney’s forthcoming album due May 29 via MPL/Capitol Records, and it carries the kind of backstory that makes the song mean even more before you’ve heard a note. Pre-order starts now.
Built around a drum track Ringo recorded with producer Andrew Watt, the song grew from a conversation about where both men came from. McCartney explained it plainly: “Ringo was from the Dingle, and that was well hard. He said he used to get mugged coming home, because he worked. Even though it was crazy, it was home to us.” What started as Paul writing around that idea became a genuine back-and-forth after a phone call cleared up a miscommunication about how much Ringo was meant to sing. Chrissie Hynde and Sharleen Spiteri round out the track with backing vocals, both described simply as “mates.”
‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ is McCartney’s first solo album in over 5 years. Largely self-performed in the spirit of his 1970 debut ‘McCartney’, the 14-track record turns inward, revisiting post-war Liverpool, his parents, and early adventures with John Lennon and George Harrison long before Beatlemania. It’s the story before the story, and based on today’s Abbey Road playback, the fans who heard it first described it as an inconceivable dream come true.
“Home to Us” arrives Friday May 8. ‘The Boys of Dungeon Lane’ follows May 29.
Track List:
As You Lie There
Lost Horizon
Days We Left Behind
Ripples in a Pond
Mountain Top
Down South
We Two
Come Inside
Never Know
Home to Us
Life Can Be Hard
First Star of the Night
Salesman Saint
Momma Gets By