Ringo Starr Reveals the Unexpected Secret to His 43-Year Marriage to Barbara Bach (Exclusive)

Ringo Starr keeps things simple. He and his wife, actress Barbara Bach, have been married for nearly 44 years, so the pair are clearly doing something right. But when asked if he has a secret to marital bliss, the legendary rocker’s answer comes easily: “No.”

The rule, according to Starr, is there is no rule.

“There’s up-and-down days, and sometimes I’m really stupid, and then we get over it,” he tells PEOPLE in this week’s issue.

Starr, 84, and Bach, 77, tied the knot in London 1981 and have been happily married ever since, raising five children as part of their blended family (The former Beatle shares sons Zak, 59, and Jason, 57, and daughter Lee, 54, with his late ex-wife Maureen, while Bach is mom to daughter Francesca, 56, and son Gianni, 52, with ex-husband Augusto Gregorini).

These days, Bach is a muse, too, having inspired Starr’s song “Thankful,” which he co-wrote for his new country album Look Up.

With lyrics like, “My world came crashing down and shattered/Then you came along/My shelter from the storm/I put my life into your hands/And you made me a better man,” the track marks an unusually personal tune for the drummer.

“She does like that one because actually it was directed in her direction,” he says.

The album, his first country record since 1970, was released in January, and became Starr’s first Top 10 album on Billboard’s top album sales chart, as well as his first No. 1 album in the United Kingdom. A two-night set of shows at Nashville’s Ryman Auditorium in January has also since been broadcast as a concert special, Ringo & Friends at the Ryman, that’s now streaming on Paramount+.

“It sort of took its own way. We can make the right turns sometimes,” he says of making the record. “It’s working out really well. I’ve been surprised a lot lately.”

In June, the drummer and his All Starr Band, with whom he’s been playing since 1989, will hit the road in June for a 10-date tour, and in September, they’ll play six shows as part of a Las Vegas residency at The Venetian Theatre.

As for life off the road with Bach, Starr told PEOPLE in 2015 there was “no escape” from his love for the actress, whom he first met at Los Angeles International Airport in 1980, and later connected with as costars in the 1981 movie Caveman.

“I think I love Barbara as much [today] as I did at LAX — and I’m beyond blessed that she loves me and we’re still together,” he said.

In the same interview, Bach revealed her own secret to their happy marriage: “I love the man, and that’s it.”

For more on Ringo Starr, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday, or subscribe here.