Several of Ringo Starr‘s songs were written by John Lennon. For example, John wrote a terrible Ringo song about cooking. A notable bassist played on the track.
Will Lee is a bassist who was part of the house band for Late Show with David Letterman. In addition, he played with all of The Beatles at different points. In a 2013 interview with Goldmine, he said his work with the Fab Four began with the 1976 album Ringo’s Rotogravure. Interestingly, Ringo’s Rotogravure was the final album to feature contributions from John, Paul, George, and Ringo.
“On the track that I played on, it was a song John had written called ‘Cookin’ (In the Kitchen of Love),’” Lee recalled. “John had already recorded his keyboard part, and so I never met him in person. But I did get to play with him on that track. So that was pretty great.”
It’s nice that Lee enjoyed “Cookin’ (In the Kitchen of Love)” because few other listeners would. It’s a goofy song that isn’t funny at all. When John gave Ringo “I’m the Greatest,” it felt like he was doing a friend a favor. When he gave Ringo “Cookin’ (In the Kitchen of Love),” it felt like he was throwing away a song he might not have recorded himself.
It’s no wonder that Ringo’s career as a hitmaker ended around the time he released Ringo’s Rotogravure if this was the quality of material he was putting out. All the ex-Beatles had hits in the 1970s. On the other hand, major Ringo was the only former member of the Fab Four who didn’t have a major hit single in the United States during the 1980s.
The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono features a 1980 interview. In it, John discussed his attitude towards Ringo’s solo carer at that time. “I don’t follow Wings, you know. I don’t give a s*** what Wings are doing, or what George’s new album is doing or what Ringo is doing,” he said. “I’m not interested, no more than I am in what Elton John or Bob Dylan is doing.
“It’s not callousness,” he said. “It’s just that I’m too busy living my own life to be following what other people are doing, whether they’re Beatles or guys I went to college with or people I had intense relationships with before I met The Beatles.” John went even further, saying he didn’t really care if he ever saw the other Beatles again. The “Imagine” singer said he was more interested in living in the moment. John died shortly after giving the interview.
John contributed to Ringo’s solo career but it’s clear he lost interest in it.