Paul McCartney And Ringo Starr’s History Of Working Together

Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will soon be teaming up once again. The two are working together on the upcoming animated film High in the Clouds, which is based on the children’s book McCartney published in 2005. McCartney is one of the driving forces behind the project, and he’s also slated to write — and possibly perform — original songs.

Starr, meanwhile, will voice a character in the movie. While it’s not confirmed, McCartney could lend his vocal talents as well. No release date for the film has been announced yet, but fans of McCartney, Starr, and of course, The Beatles, are thrilled about the reunion.

Every time former bandmates from the most successful group of all time come together, it’s a momentous occasion. McCartney and Starr have a long track record of supporting each other’s work, even after they split from one another professionally.

“Six O’Clock”

McCartney showed up in a big way to help Starr with his self-titled solo album Ringo. He played multiple instruments and sang backing vocals on the tune “Six O’Clock,” one of the standout tracks from the full-length. The song was released in 1973, only a few years after The Beatles split, highlighting how quickly the two reconnected.

Give My Regards to Broad Street

About a decade later, Starr returned the favor. McCartney was developing a film based on a fictionalized version of his own life titled Give My Regards to Broad Street, and he incorporated both new music and Beatles classics. Starr stepped in to play drums on several of the band’s most iconic tunes, such as “Yesterday” and “Eleanor Rigby,” which were featured in the movie.

“Beautiful Night”

McCartney once again reached out to Starr for help on his solo album Flaming Pie. The track “Beautiful Night” is a gorgeous, orchestra-backed ballad that benefits greatly from Starr’s drumming — and his presence brought added star power to the cut.

Vertical Man

The year after Flaming Pie, Starr invited McCartney to collaborate on his album Vertical Man. The two worked together on “La De Da,” with McCartney contributing background vocals and instrumentation to the rocking cut. The song was warmly received by fans of both musicians.

Y Not

In 2010, Starr released his self-produced album Y Not, and McCartney lent a hand on multiple tracks. One, titled “Peace Dream,” honored their former bandmate John Lennon. With George Harrison no longer living, only the two remaining Beatles could unite on the tune. McCartney also sang a duet with Starr on the heartfelt “Walk With You.”

“Now and Then”

In 2023, McCartney and Starr announced to the world that The Beatles had one final single to share. The track “Now and Then” was originally started by Lennon before his death, but the recording he left behind was long considered unusable due to excessive background noise.

Harrison had begun laying down instrumentation for the tune, though it was never completed during his lifetime. With the help of artificial intelligence, the surviving members were able to clean up the audio. McCartney and Starr added new lyrics and music, releasing a polished version of “Now and Then,” which became a massive global hit. The track earned the pair a new Grammy Award in early 2025.