(Just Like) Starting Over

Zoo Freaks, get ready for some far-out vibes as we spin (Just Like) Starting Over by John Lennon from his 1980 album Double Fantasy. This track was Lennon’s big comeback, his first single after a five-year break from the music biz to raise his son Sean with Yoko Ono. Lennon called it his “Elvis Orbison” tune, playfully mimicking the vocal styles of Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison while recording at The Hit Factory in New York City. He didn’t think it was the best song on the album but chose it as the lead single because it perfectly captured his return to music, reflecting the renewal in his personal and professional life with Ono. The song’s chiming bell at the start was a nod to the heavy tolling bell in his 1970 track Mother, symbolizing how far he’d come in a decade.

The song’s creation was a last-minute effort, pieced together from unfinished demos like My Life, Don’t Be Crazy, and The Worst Is Over. Lennon polished it while vacationing in Bermuda in June 1980, inspired by his relationship with Ono. The “(Just Like)” was added to the title to avoid confusion with Dolly Parton’s Starting Over Again, a country hit that year. Producer Jack Douglas recalled Lennon playing the song on a Fender Rhodes electric piano at the Dakota apartment during the final rehearsal, surprising everyone with its upbeat energy. Journalist David Sheff, who conducted Lennon’s last major interview, told Mojo that the song radiated “incredible optimism and joy,” despite reflecting past trust issues between Lennon and Ono. Tragically, the single was released on October 24, 1980, just weeks before Lennon’s murder on December 8, and it hit number one in the US and UK after his death, staying at the top for five weeks in America.

One wild story from the sessions involves the studio musicians, who weren’t told they’d be working with Lennon until the last minute. Guitarist Earl Slick and bassist Tony Levin were among those floored when they learned they’d be recording with a Beatle. Another tidbit: the backing vocals by Michelle Simpson, Cassandra Wooten, Cheryl Mason Jacks, and Eric Troyer added that lush, retro feel, and fans on Songfacts have speculated about eerie background sounds at the song’s fade-out, some hearing whispers of “Mark David,” though it’s likely just studio chatter. On X, the official John Lennon account posted in 2022 about the three pings of Yoko’s Wishing Bell at the song’s opening, a symbolic gesture tying it to Lennon’s journey from Mother to this moment of rebirth.

John Lennon got his start in Liverpool, England, born on October 9, 1940. As a teenager in the 1950s, he caught the skiffle craze, a mix of folk, jazz, and blues that swept the UK. In 1957, at 16, he formed The Quarrymen, a scrappy band that played local gigs. That same year, he met Paul McCartney at a church fete, and soon George Harrison joined, planting the seeds for The Beatles. By 1960, with Ringo Starr eventually on drums, The Beatles were born, gigging in Hamburg and Liverpool’s Cavern Club. Their 1962 single Love Me Do kicked off Beatlemania, and Lennon’s raw voice and witty songwriting, paired with McCartney’s melodic knack, made them global icons. After The Beatles split in 1970, Lennon went solo with raw, emotional albums like John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band and the anthemic Imagine in 1971, often collaborating with Ono on avant-garde projects.

Stay connected with Lennon’s legacy through his official website, where you can dive into his music, art, and activism. Follow along on Facebook, Instagram, and X for updates, rare photos, and fan chatter. For deeper dives, check out fan communities like the John Lennon Fans Facebook group, where Zoo Freaks can geek out over his work. Websites like The Beatles Bible and JPGR offer detailed archives of Lennon’s career, from Quarrymen days to Double Fantasy. Keep the love alive, Zoo Crew, and let’s keep starting over!