The Story and Meaning Behind "Weight of the World," the Ringo Starr Comeback Single that
Ringo Starr’s solo career hit heights in the ’70s that even his ex-Beatle bandmates could envy. After that career staggered through the ’80s, Starr tried to bounce back with the 1992 single “Weight of the World,” a song that was a musical throwback, even as its lyrics warned about the dangers of living in the past.
What is “Weight of the World” about? Why was Starr looking for a comeback? And did the single achieve what it set out to do? Find out all the information about a song that’s one of the finest in Starr’s post-Beatles career, even though not a lot of casual fans know much about it.
The late ’80s and early ’90s were prime time for artists who had made their bones in the ’60s and ’70s to deliver comeback albums, often with star-studded casts attached. Ringo Starr was hoping to catch that wave in 1992 with the album Time Takes Time. It was his first album release in nine years.
The previous few in his catalog had failed to light any kind of spark with the listening public. In fact, Starr’s star had fallen so far that his 1983 LP Old Wave failed to earn a release in either the U.S. or UK. Even with Time Takes Time, he had to scramble before finding a label.
The good news is Starr had cleaned himself up in the long interim between albums after years of drug and alcohol abuse. That put him in the right mind to record again. And, as was the case back in the ’70s when he was at his peak, he could count on a lot of industry friends to step up and help him out.
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
