Performances and Release History
Starr performed this song at the Concert for Bangladesh (held 1 August 1971 at Madison Square Garden), and famously forgot some of the words. His goof was left in the album and concert film.
"It Don't Come Easy" was issued as a non-album single (Apple 1831) and debuted on the American Billboard chart on 1 May 1971. It peaked at number four and remained in the Top 40 for eleven weeks. The song didn't see inclusion on an album until the release of Starr's 1975 Apple greatest hits compilation, Blast from Your Past.
The song was also heard in the 1978 NBC-TV Ringo special. Although Starr recorded new versions of several songs for the special, the released recording of "It Don't Come Easy" was used.
On 12 March 1984, EMI released a single of "It Don't Come Easy" / "Back Off Boogaloo" in the UK.
Starr's re-recording of his 1972 hit, "Back Off Boogaloo", for the Stop and Smell the Roses album allude to several Beatles songs, among them "It Don't Come Easy", in the backing vocals (arranged and sung by Harry Nilsson).
In 1987, a cover version was used in a commercial for 7-Eleven using the slogan "Where the good things come easy".
Starr included the song on the set list for his July–September 1989 American tour, and a performance of this song opened the 1990 album Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band. It was also included on a bonus 5" CD single released with the US limited edition deluxe CD version of Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band.
In 1991, "It Don't Come Easy" was added as a bonus track to the CD version of Ringo, along with "Down and Out" and "Early 1970".
The song was covered by the American band The Smithereens on their album of rarities, Attack of the Smithereens.
Starr's song "Don't Go Where the Road Don't Go" from his 1992 album Time Takes Time features a homage to the song during the bridge with the line "Well I said It Don't Come Easy, well I sure know how it feels".
Starr's song "Eye to Eye" from his 2003 album Ringo Rama starts with the lines "Remember when I said it don't come easy, that seems so long ago".
Along with a guest appearance by Starr, the song was featured in The Simpsons episode "Brush with Greatness". The song is used as inspirational background music for a montage of Marge Simpson painting a portrait of Mr. Burns.
Read more about this topic: It Don't Come Easy
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