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TL;DR:

  • Ringo Starr’s “You’re Sixteen” features vocals from a rock star who was Ringo’s friend.
  • The song became a massive hit.
  • It appeared on Ringo’s most successful album as a solo artist.
Ringo Starr with a beard during the "You're Sixteen" era
Ringo Starr | Michael Putland / Contributor

Ringo Starr‘s “You’re Sixteen” features vocals from a rock star who was his friend. The former Beatle and this rock star shared a sense of humor. Notably, “You’re Sixteen” became one of Ringo’s biggest hits.

Why Ringo Starr was so close to fellow rock star Harry Nilsson

The 2015 book Ringo: With a Little Help discusses Ringo’s friendship with fellow rock star Harry Nilsson. “They became really, really close friends, and a lot of it was based on how much alike they were,” said Apple Records employee Chris O’Dell. “They shared a sense of humor. You can never underestimate Ringo’s sense of humor.

“It’s there, it’s a huge part of who he is,” O’Dell added. “Harry was also like that. He kind of lived in this bouncy little world of his own. It was the ’70s and everybody was partying, but I think they respected each other’s musical talents. They were like brothers.” O’Dell said Nilsson loved garnering the respect of other musicians.

Ringo Starr gave Harry Nilsson a morbid present and Nilsson performed on ‘You’re Sixteen’

Nilsson recalled a strange gift Ringo and interior designer Robin Cruikshank made for him. “As a little gift, Ringo and Robin had made these special mirrors for the two-sinked bathroom,” Nilsson said. “They were done in etched glass. One was a picture of an oak tree. But on the other, there was etched a hangman’s noose.”

Nilsson wasn’t a fan. “So I called Ringo and told him and he didn’t like it either,” he revealed. “The next day, it was replaced by an apple tree.”

Notably, Nilsson crossed paths with Ringo in other ways. For example, Nilsson provided backing vocals for Ringo’s single “You’re Sixteen,” which is a cover of a track by Johnny Burnette. In addition, Ringo played drums on Nilsson’s album Son of Schmilsson using the pseudonym Richie Snare. Ringo also narrated Nilsson’s film The Point.

How ‘You’re Sixteen’ and its parent album performed on the pop charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“You’re Sixteen” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for a single week, becoming Ringo’s final No. 1 song. It stayed on the chart for 15 weeks in total and became his second most popular song in the U.S. after “Photograph.”

The tune appeared on the album Ringo, which reached No. 2 on the Billboard 200 and remained on the chart for 37 weeks altogether, making it the singer’s most successful album in the United States.

According to The Official Charts Company, “You’re Sixteen” reached No. 4 in the United Kingdom and lasted on the chart for 10 weeks. On the other hand, Ringo hit No. 7 in the U.K. and stayed on the chart for 20 weeks. Ringo was the singer’s biggest album in the U.K. as well.

“You’re Sixteen” was a hit and it wouldn’t be the same without Nilsson.

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