On his 2023 EP Rewind Forward, Ringo Starr closes with “Everyone and Everything,” a track that feels like both a summation of his outlook on life and a continuation of the message he’s carried for decades: peace, love, and gratitude. Written by Linda Perry, the song gives Ringo a canvas perfectly suited to his voice and his spirit — a meditation on unity, kindness, and the small acts that ripple out into something greater.
The arrangement is steady and warm, carried by a mid-tempo groove that allows the words to sit front and center. Ringo doesn’t sing with flash or technical flourish; instead, he delivers the lyrics with the plainspoken honesty that has always been his strength. When he sings lines urging us to care for each other, to look after the planet, to live with compassion, it doesn’t sound like preaching — it sounds like advice from an old friend.
Musically, the song strikes a balance between modern polish and timeless simplicity. Acoustic textures mix with gentle percussion and layered harmonies, creating a soundscape that feels both comforting and uplifting. It’s not trying to be a hit single; it’s trying to be a message, carried on melody.
What makes “Everyone and Everything” resonate is the way it reflects Ringo’s lifelong ethos. From “With a Little Help from My Friends” to his signature “peace and love” mantra, he has always believed that music can bring people together. Here, that belief is distilled into something simple and clear — a reminder that the choices we make in how we treat others and the world around us truly matter.
As the closing track of Rewind Forward, it also feels like a gentle farewell — not in the sense of finality, but as a passing of wisdom. At 83, Ringo is still making music not out of necessity, but out of love. And songs like this show that his voice in the world is as needed as ever.
In the end, “Everyone and Everything” is more than just a closing track on an EP. It is Ringo Starr’s heart, set to melody: a reminder that even the simplest words can carry the deepest truth. Care for yourself. Care for each other. Care for everyone and everything. And if it sounds like a song, all the better.