Video: 'I'll Still Love You'

(Monday, May 24, 1976) — Former Beatle Ringo Starr continued recording sessions today for his forthcoming album Ringo’s Rotogravure, cutting the ballad “I’ll Still Love You,” written by his former bandmate George Harrison.

Produced by Arif Mardin, the recording required numerous takes before a satisfactory performance was captured, with Take 12 selected as the final master for the album. The track would later serve as the soundtrack for a promotional film prepared to help publicize the release.

The composition had a long and complex history before Starr recorded it. Harrison originally wrote the song in 1970 under the title “Whenever,” later registering it as “When Every Song Is Sung.” He initially intended the track for Welsh vocalist Shirley Bassey, who had enjoyed a hit that year with her recording of the Harrison-penned Beatles song “Something.”

Although Harrison recorded his own version during sessions for his 1970 album All Things Must Pass, it remained unreleased. Over the following years he also produced attempts by singer Ronnie Spector and British pop star Cilla Black, while other artists including Mary Hopkin and the duo of Leon Russell and Mary Russell also tried their hand at recording the song.

Its eventual appearance on Ringo’s Rotogravure marked another occasion on which Starr’s former bandmates contributed material to one of his solo albums, following the collaborative spirit of his 1973 release Ringo.

While Starr’s version received mixed reviews from critics, some observers have praised the composition itself as one of Harrison’s most moving love songs, with writer Ian Inglis describing it as “an unfinished masterpiece.”