Ringo Starr reacts to his popularity among young fans
By mbrooks on August 31, 2019
By Matthew Brooks
Ringo Starr is playing the songs of his youth and the modern youth come to his concerts to hear him sing.
The former Beatle, in an interview with Parade, downplayed rumors behind certain lyrics in the midst of the #MeToo movement.
In 1974, when Ringo Starr was 33, he performed a popular song entitled “You’re Sixteen.”
The song was originally released in 1960. Written by the Sherman Brothers, it was a top ten song in the US and the UK.
Parade asked Starr about the appearance of an inappropriate subtext to the song.
“How does the current trend in reexamining old song lyrics through a current lens strike you?” Parade asked.
“I’m not harming anybody. We’re having fun,” Starr said.
He shared that, now at the age of 70, when he plays “You’re Sixteen” at a concert, he is singing it for those who are or feel young.
“Every night, I ask, ‘Are there any young girls in the audience?’ I say, ‘This is just for you…and also for all those other girls who are young at heart.'”
