Ringo Starr's new single, "Liverpool 8," is a sort of musical autobiography — albeit heavily abridged — in which Starr sings about his teen years in the local merchant navy, joining Rory Storm's skiffle band in 1959, the Beatles' stint in Hamburg and selling out Shea Stadium at the height of Beatlemania. It's a charming start to Starr's fifteenth solo album, also called Liverpool 8, on which he collaborated with his old mate Dave Stewart. "Liverpool 8 is like the 90210 for me," he explains. "It's the zip code of the neighborhood that I was born into." In ­addition to "Harry's Song," a tribute to Starr's fallen friend Harry Nilsson, and dark blues like "Think About You" and "Now That She's Gone," Starr's messages of peace and love abound on the album. (Four songs feature "Love" in the title.) "You put four guys in a room, and they're always going to write a sad love song," says Starr, 67, checking in from his pad in Monte Carlo. "But it's always been peace and love — my live shows are a peace-and-love fest. That's my main promotion, really."

Click here to listen to clips from the interview:

Ringo tells the story behind the name of his new album Liverpool 8.

Starr admits that he's a "product of the Sixties" and talks about what happens when you stick four musicians in a room.

Ringo reminisces about a 1964 Beatles concert in Indianapolis where he had "too much medication." (Editors note: Ringo later called RS to correct the year and location of the show.)