(Just Like) Starting Over

1980 single by John Lennon July 2014 May 2020 (Just Like) Starting Over JustLikeStartingOver.jpg single John Lennon Double Fantasy "Kiss Kiss Kiss" (Yoko Ono) 23 October 1980 (US)Yoko Ono Onobox 1992 liner notes Rykodisc RCD 10224/2924 October 1980 (UK) 9 August 1980 The Hit Factory, New York City Pop rock doo-wop rock and roll 3:54 Geffen John Lennon John Lennon Yoko Ono Jack Douglas Stand by Me 1975 Woman 1981 Double Fantasy studio Licensed audio jWG9KAgD6UA "(Just Like) Starting Over" Billboard (unrated)https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1980/BB-1980-11-01.pdf Review: John Lennon – (Just Like) Starting Over Billboard 1 November 1980 30 May 2020 85 44 91 American Radio History 0006-2510 "(Just Like) Starting Over" (originally titled "Starting Over") is a song written and performed by John Lennon. It was released as a single on 24 October 1980 in the United Kingdom, with Yoko Ono's "Kiss Kiss Kiss" as the B-side. It reached number one in both the US and UK after Lennon was murdered on 8 December 1980, and achieved the Christmas number two position in the latter country. It was Lennon's first single from the album Double Fantasy and the final released by him during his lifetime. Background "(Just Like) Starting Over" was the first single released from Double Fantasy and the first new recording Lennon had released since he left the music industry in 1975.Blaney John John Lennon: Listen to This Book 2005 Paper Jukebox [S.l.] 978-0-9544528-1-0 illustrated 177 It was chosen by Lennon not because he felt it was the best track on the album, but because it was the most appropriate following his five-year absence from the recording industry. He referred to it during production as the "Elvis/Orbison" track, as he "tongue in cheek" impersonated their vocal styles. Lennon explained, "All through the taping of 'Starting Over,' I was calling what I was doing 'Elvis Orbison': 'I want you I need only the lonely.' I'm a born-again rocker, I feel that refreshed, and I'm going right back to my roots."https://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1980.1205.beatles.html John Lennon - Rolling Stone Interview, 12/5/1980 1980 16 May 2023 22 August 2024 https://web.archive.org/web/20240822000305/https://www.beatlesinterviews.org/db1980.1205.beatles.html dead At the start of the 2010 "Stripped Down" version of the song, Lennon says "this one's for Gene, and Eddie, and Elvis... and Buddy." Composition Although its origins were in unfinished demo compositions like "Don't Be Crazy" and "My Life", it was one of the last songs to be completed in time for the Double Fantasy sessions. "We didn't hear it until the last day of rehearsal," producer Jack Douglas said in 2005."Just Like Starting Over" by Chris Hunt, Uncut John Lennon Special, 2005 Lennon finished the song while on holiday in Bermuda, and recorded it at The Hit Factory in New York City just weeks later. The song was originally titled "Starting Over"; however, "(Just Like)" was added prior to its release because of its similarity to Dolly Parton's "Starting Over Again" which had topped the US Country Charts earlier in the year. The chiming bell that opens the song was a deliberate allusion to the heavy tolling church bell that opens Lennon's 1970 song "Mother", illustrating how far Lennon had come in ten years.Official Tweet from The John Lennon EstateHow Fate Intervened on John Lennon's Last Chart-Topping Single, Ultimate Classic Rock While commercial releases of the song (original 45 rpm singles, LPs and compact discs) run a length of three minutes and 54 seconds, a promotional 12-inch vinyl single originally issued to radio stations features a longer fadeout, officially running at four minutes 17 seconds.December 2021 Musicologist Walter Everett noted melodic similarities between a portion of the song and the Beach Boys' 1964 single "Don't Worry Baby".Everett Walter Walter Everett (musicologist) The Foundations of Rock : From "Blue Suede Shoes" to "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes" https://books.google.com/books?id=p0p6jL-u3T4C&pg=PT200 2008 Oxford University Press 978-0-19-971870-2 200 Recording Lennon recorded "(Just Like) Starting Over" on 9 August 1980 at The Hit Factory. The track was mixed at the Record Plant on 25–26 September 1980.Madinger Chip Raile Scott LENNONOLOGY Strange Days Indeed - A Scrapbook of Madness 2015 Chesterfield, MO: Open Your Books, LLC 520, 528 978-1-63110-175-5 Release and reception The song is Lennon's biggest solo hit in the US, staying at number 1 for five weeks. Before Lennon was murdered in New York City on 8 December 1980, the single had reached number 3 on the US charts. It reached number 1 for the week ending 27 December. Billboard ranked it at the No. 4 song for 1981.Billboard Year-End Hot 100 singles of 1981 The song also reached number 1 on the Cashbox Top 100.Blaney John John Lennon: Listen to This Book 2005 Paper Jukebox [S.l.] 978-0-9544528-1-0 illustrated 326 In the UK, it had peaked at number 8 in the charts and had fallen to position number 21 before Lennon's murder propelled it to number 1. It was overtaken to the Christmas Number One Single rank by the St Winifred's School Choir's "There's No One Quite Like Grandma," finishing at number 2 on that list. This was particularly polarising as Lennon had been murdered three weeks prior. After two weeks at number one, a previous Lennon song, "Imagine", replaced it.https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/not-quite-top-of-the-pops-stuck-at-number-two-for-christmas-1845917.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/features/not-quite-top-of-the-pops-stuck-at-number-two-for-christmas-1845917.html 1 May 2022 subscription live Not quite Top of the Pops: Stuck at Number Two for Christmas Andrew Johnson Claire Cooper Victoria Richards 20 December 2009 The Independent on Sunday By 6 January 1981, there were three Lennon songs in the UK top 5, a feat that remained unequalled for 35 years until Justin Bieber accomplished this in January 2016. Billboard magazine considered "(Just Like) Starting Over" to be an "uptempo, fresh sounding rocker," praising the "irresistible melody and lyric line," the "exceptional rhythm unit" as well as Lennon's vocal performance.Top Single Picks Billboard November 1, 1980 91 2020-07-08 https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-Billboard/80s/1980/BB-1980-11-01.pdf Record World said that "John steps briskly into the mainstream with this glorious pop-rocker."Record World November 1, 1980 1 2023-02-22 Hits of the Week https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Record-World/80s/80/RW-1980-11-01.pdf In 2013, Billboard ranked it as the 62nd biggest hit of all time on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/2155531/the-hot-100-all-time-top-songs?list_page=4 Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs Billboard 2 August 2013 9 August 2013 Fred Bronson Stereogum contributors Timothy and Elizabeth Bracy rated it as Lennon's seventh best solo song, saying that it "finds him in throwback mode, delightfully evoking the doo-wop of his childhood on an uncharacteristically winsome ode to rejuvenated love."The 10 Best John Lennon Songs 13 May 2014 Bracy Timothy Bracy Elizabeth 2023-05-03 Stereogum https://www.stereogum.com/1681100/the-10-best-john-lennon-songs/lists/ Ultimate Classic Rock critic Stephen Lewis rated it as Lennon's seventh greatest solo love song, saying that "The undeniably catchy rock and roll song – a tribute to past rock and rollers – appeals to ears and hearts, with a solid groove and an optimistic and wistful lyric that is honest, without becoming maudlin."Top 10 John Lennon Love Songs https://ultimateclassicrock.com/john-lennon-love-songs/ Lewis, Stephen 2023-01-08 20 March 2013 Ultimate Classic Rock Charts Weekly charts Chart (1980–1981)PeakpositionAustralia (Kent Music Report) National Top 100 Singles for 1981 Kent Music Report 393 7 Imgur 4 January 1982 11 January 2022 https://i.imgur.com/RgsDOOc.jpg1Austria 1 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true June 18, 2021Flanders 6 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true June 18, 2021Canadian RPM Top Singles50 Singles December 20, 1980 RPM 34 61Finnish Singles Charthttps://musiikkiarkisto.fi/oa/_tiedostot/julkaisut/sisaltaa-hitin.pdf Timo Pennanen 2021 Sisältää hitin - 2. laitos Levyt ja esittäjät Suomen musiikkilistoilla 1.1.1960–30.6.2021 John Lennon 146 Kustannusosakeyhtiö Otava Helsinki 5 September 2022 fi16Germany 4 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over 699 true June 18, 2021Ireland2 1 John Lennon Startin' Over true June 18, 2021Italy (Musica e Dischi)http://www.musicaedischi.it/classifiche_archivio.php Classifiche Musica e Dischi it 27 May 2022 Set "Tipo" on "Singoli". Then, in the "Artista" field, search "John Lennon".8Luxembourg (Radio Luxembourg)http://www.umdmusic.com/default.asp?Lang=English&Chart=F&ChDay=&ChMonth=&ChYear=&ChBand=john+lennon&ChSong= Radio Luxembourg Singles umdmusic.com January 13, 20261Dutch40 8 1981 3 true 23 December 2020Dutch100 14 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true 23 December 2020New Zealand Top 40NZ Top 40 Singles Chart https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=2927 https://web.archive.org/web/20210624200813/https://nztop40.co.nz/chart/index?chart=2927 dead 24 June 2021 The Official New Zealand Music Chart June 18, 2021 January 18, 19812Norway 2 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true June 18, 2021South Africa (Springbok)SA Charts 1965–March 1989 http://www.rock.co.za/files/springbok_top_20_(L).html 5 September 20184Sweden 3 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true June 18, 2021Switzerland 1 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true June 18, 2021UK Singles Chart David Roberts 2006 British Hit Singles & Albums 19th Guinness World Records Limited London 1-904994-10-5 3881Billboardhot100 1 John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over true June 18, 2021US Billboard Adult Contemporary Joel Whitburn Joel Whitburn 1993 Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–1993 Record Research 13817 Chart (2023) Peakposition Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)https://www.billboard-japan.com/charts/detail?a=d_and_a_overseas&year=2023&month=01&day=09 Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of 4 January 2023 Billboard Japan ja 10 January 2023 20 Year-end charts Chart (1980)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)https://imgur.com/a/kTGdGUZ National Top 100 Singles for 1980 Kent Music Report 341 Imgur 5 January 1981 17 January 2022 http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=40275 https://web.archive.org/web/20141006134948/http://australian-charts.com/forum.asp?todo=viewthread&id=40275 dead australian-charts.com - Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts) 6 October 201484US Cash Boxhttp://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/1980YESP.html Cash Box Top 100 Singles 23 May 2020 15 September 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20120915071244/http://cashboxmagazine.com/archives/80s_files/1980YESP.html dead 57 Chart (1981)RankAustralia (Kent Music Report)18Canadahttp://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/rpm/028020-119.01-e.php?brws_s=1&file_num=nlc008388.4689&type=1&interval=24&PHPSESSID=mhe12pta2k83e08udtq66ot062 Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada Collectionscanada.gc.ca 9 December 201621US Billboard Hot 100"Pop Singles" Billboard 26 December 1981: YE-94 All-time charts Chart (1958–2013)RankUS Billboard Hot 100Bronson Fred 2 August 2013 Hot 100 55th Anniversary: The All-Time Top 100 Songs Billboard http://www.billboard.com/articles/list/2155531/the-hot-100-all-time-top-songs?list_page=3 1 August 2018 https://web.archive.org/web/20210909113536/https://www.billboard.com/articles/list/2155531/the-hot-100-all-time-top-songs?list_page=3 2021-09-0968 Certifications Certifications for (Just Like) Starting Over Japan single ジョン・レノン スターティング・オーヴァー Gold 1997 1997 5 1997 release 26 December 2020 New Zealand single John Lennon & Yoko Ono Starting Over Gold 1981-02-20 newchart 2024-11-20 1980 United Kingdom single John Lennon (Just Like) Starting Over Gold 1980 1981 8-2886-1 27 December 2022 United States single John Lennon Starting Over Gold 1980 1980 27 December 2022 Covers The Flaming Lips recorded a version for the benefit album Instant Karma: The Amnesty International Campaign to Save Darfur. Personnel John Lennon – vocals, rhythm guitar Earl Slick, Hugh McCracken – lead guitar Tony Levin – bass guitar George Small – keyboards Andy Newmark – drums Arthur Jenkins – percussion Michelle Simpson, Cassandra Wooten, Cheryl Mason Jacks, Eric Troyer – backing vocals See also List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1980 List of Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles of 1981 List of posthumous number-one singles (UK) References External links Just Like Starting Over https://web.archive.org/web/20230510181135/http://www.chrishunt.biz/features26.html 10 May 2023 The Recording Of Double Fantasy by Chris Hunt, published in Uncut John Lennon Special, 2005 Category:1980 songs Category:1980 singles Category:John Lennon songs Category:UK singles chart number-one singles Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Category:Cashbox number-one singles Category:European Hot 100 Singles number-one singles Category:Irish Singles Chart number-one singles Category:Number-one singles in Australia Category:Number-one singles in Luxembourg Category:Number-one singles in Spain Category:Number-one singles in Switzerland Category:RPM Top Singles number-one singles Category:Songs written by John Lennon Category:Song recordings produced by Jack Douglas (record producer) Category:Song recordings produced by John Lennon Category:Song recordings produced by Yoko Ono Category:Geffen Records singles Category:Musical tributes to Elvis Presley Category:Music videos directed by Joe Pytka