Yeah. Oh dear. But donât worry, they got over that as well. Ringo brings it up in this interview from 1988:
Michael Aspel: What about now? What makes you cross with each other now?Â
Ringo: Well, the last time we were cross was when George was suing me. [âŠ] He called me up [âŠ] and said âIâm going to sue you.â I said, âNah, George, donât be silly.â He said, âNo, Iâm going to sue you. I donât like what youâve done.â Because he wrote this song and I had it mixed by somebody else, and he didnât like the mix, so he starts suing me. So in the end I said, âSue me if you want, but Iâll always love you.âÂ
Ringoâs talking about the Harrisong, âIâll Still Love Youâ (also known as âWhen Every Song Is Sungâ) which was a song George wrote and sorta recorded in 1970 for the All Things Must Pass sessions but George didnât release it. It seems a bit like a âOne After 909âČ as several people gave the song a try (Shirley Bassey, Cilla Black, Leon Russell) but no one did much with it. Eventually George donated the song to Ringo for âRingoâs Rotogravureâ in 1976. George was under pressure to complete 33 and 1/3 so he didnât take part in Ringoâs recording sessions. For reasons unclear, George took exception to Ringoâs version.Â
Although Ringo didnât release it as a single, he made a promo video for it (filmed in Hamburg) so maybe he was considering it as a single, but didnât release it because obviously George would have objected. Iâm not sure, really, what grounds George would have to sue Ringo over the song as he willingly gave it to Ringo to record. (Presumably there was some agreement George thought heâd broken??) But it was settled out of court in late 1976.Â
In the Michael Aspel interview itâs 12 years later and Ringoâs making light of it and joking around. George is laughing but looks (rightfully) rather embarrassed about it. As you should, Georgie.Â
(The sound is awfully out of synch in that clip. There is a longer version of the whole interview on YouTube if you search for âGeorge Harrison and Ringo Starr Aspel and Co 1988âł).Â
Georgeâs version of the song is quite nice. I canât find that on YouTube currently (though Iâm sure itâs been on there before. Maybe itâs been removed for release?!) After Ringoâs version, no one else recorded it (as far as Iâm aware), you can find Georgeâs original on bootlegs.Â
This was the occasion I was referring to, but I think all the Beatles merrily sued each other in the early 70s, so this probably wasnât the only time.Â
âWe had a great time [being The Beatles]. I think fondly of it all, especially as weâve been through all the aftermath of Apple. Everybodyâs sued each other to their heartsâ content, and now weâre all good friends.â
[George, Rolling Stone interview, 1979]
âSue me if you want, but Iâll always love you.âÂ
Interview: Aspel & Co, 5th March 1988.