Written by: Lennon
Recorded: 6 August-13 October 1980
Producers: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jack Douglas
Released: 24 October 1980 (UK), 20 October 1980 (US)
John Lennon: vocals, electric guitar
Earl Slick, Hugh McCracken: electric guitar
Tony Levin: bass guitar
George Small: keyboards
Michelle Simpson, Cassandra Wooten, Cheryl Mason Jacks, Eric Troyer: backing vocals
Andy Newmark: drums
Arthur Jenkins: percussion
Available on:
Double Fantasy
Power To The People – The Hits
John Lennon Anthology
Wonsaponatime
John Lennon's comeback release from 1980's Double Fantasy album, (Just Like) Starting Over was a 1950s-style rock 'n' roll song which became his final single in his lifetime.
As with The Beatles' I Am The Walrus and Happiness Is A Warm Gun, and Lennon's solo album track God, (Just Like) Starting Over was made from three unfinished songs. These were written by Lennon in 1979 and 1980, and finished as one shortly before the Double Fantasy sessions began in August 1980.
My Life provided the basis for the introduction; Don't Be Crazy was adapted for the middle section; and The Worst Is Over became the verses and chorus. Neither was completed to Lennon's satisfaction, though demos of each were recorded.
My Life was a work-in-progress written during Lennon's househusband years at the Dakota. He recorded the song at least three times on piano towards the end of 1979, and four times on guitar. It was a love song written for Yoko Ono, which began with the words: "My life, take it/It's mine to give, take it/Let me live in you/My life, take it/It's yours/Do what you will/I dedicate it to you."
One version of the song contained the line "Life is something that happens while you're making plans". Lennon later adapted the words for the Double Fantasy song Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy).
One of Lennon's guitar demos of My Life, recorded in 1980, was included in the 1998 box set John Lennon Anthology, and on the highlights collection Wonsaponatime. Despite having different lyrics to (Just Like) Starting Over, it uses largely the same chords for the opening lines.
Around this time Lennon was working on another song, Don't Be Crazy, which he recorded in 6/8 time on piano. Despite remaining unfinished and containing draft lyrics ("Why don't they leave us alone? We cannot shave your hairy legs for you..."), it eventually became the the middle section of (Just Like) Starting Over, beginning with the line "Why don't we take off alone?"
A third work in progress known as The Worst Is Over became the final piece of the jigsaw. Lennon recorded this on piano with a drum machine backing in 1980; the chords and melody were used for the main part of (Just Like) Starting Over, but the lyrics came later. One of Lennon's recordings of The Worst Is Over used the verse melody of Don't Be Crazy as a chorus.
After taking a trip to Bermuda in June 1980, Lennon began work on Double Fantasy in New York's Hit Factory studio. Although Lennon had written a number of songs for the record, some – including (Just Like) Starting Over and Cleanup Time – remained unfinished.
Starting Over and Cleanup Time were sorta written on the run after I'd finished all the other work of writing the other ones. They just sort of came. They were like the fun after the work is finished. I was still in Bermuda.
All We Are Saying, David Sheff
Prior to entering the studio Lennon recorded a demo of (Just Like) Starting Over. Performed on a guitar with a drum machine backing, the song's final structure was in place even if the lyrics were not. "Why don't we take off alone," ran the middle section. "Spend a weekend in an old hotel. A little place without a phone, a second honeymoon would do us well." One of the early verses even harked back to his Beatles days, with a reference to Lewis Carroll's poem The Walrus and the Carpenter: "The time has come, the walrus said, for you and I to stay in bed..."
I didn’t know about the three fragments being developed as separate songs before Lennon put them together – they work so amazingly well together that I have always thought he had just brilliantly conceived the song as one whole. To this day, whatever I’m doing – working, talking, driving – I stop and listen to this song whenever it comes on. In general I’m more of a McCartney man, but there are not many more poignant songs around than this one!
That’s what I love about John, how he matched cool pieces that had little catchy had created a master piece
(The Worst is ooooveeeerrr!!! —> Starting Oveeeeer!!)
BTW, after all these years I still cant find someone to tell me WHAT DOES HE SAY ON THE BACKMASKING?(when music stops and makes the chorus/ending)
Read the quote from Jon Smith on page two of this article for information on the speech in the coda.
This is a really great song, nice structure, cool chords and wise lyrics. I like it as much as Woman. Both are among his best.
Almost forgot: every time I see the videoclip I get a lump in the throat.
I remember hearing this song on the radio when it was released and loving it. Also I thought John Lennon is back, because this was his come back song. He described this as himself doing Elvis Orbison, which is a great description as it has a retro feel and the music that influenced him as a teenager remained his first love.
The lyrics to this song strongly suggest that John was communicating to Paul McCartney, that he wanted to work with him again. Many mistake this as a love song to Yoko but the lyrics prove otherwise. the song is sung in an Elvis, Buddy Holly, Roy Orbinson like way, early rock-n-roll heroes to John and Paul. Yoko didn’t even appreciate rock-n-roll when John was in The Beatles, she called it childish remember? (Just Like) Starting Over_(John Lennon)Starting Over
Besides, why would he start over with Yoko, with whom he had been living with “blissfully” we were told. For those that say they were starting over in the music business, it wouldn’t make sense because he sings “no ones to blame”, blamed for what? It only makes sense if he’s singing about the squabbles he had with Paul. And the key clues:
I know time flies so quickly_McQuickly was the Paul character in The Rutles.
“when I see you darling”_Oh Darling (Paul’s song)
Everyday we use to make it love, why can’t we be making love nice and easy._they loved making songs everyday. Writing hits seemed so easy. Think in metaphors!
It’s time to spread our Wings (Paul’s band) and fly, don’t let Another Day (Paul’s song) go by, My Love (Paul’s song)
No matter what early drafts of the song were they may have been to, for and about Yoko, but the final product was to, for and about himself and Paul.
Other clues too but you get the gist. This song is to, for and about himself and Paul……not Yoko.
Paul McCartney was THE ONLY other person John Lennon publicly called “The Walrus” as referenced in the song ‘Glass Onion’.
John Lennon publicly declared Paul, as; “An old ex-fiance of mine called Paul.”‘, at the Elton-John Madison Square Garden concert in 1974.
John described his partnership with Paul as, “a marriage”, and their break up as “a divorce”.
During sleepovers as teens, they ‘topped and tailed’ in a shared bed, and as Beatles during tours, they shared rooms, and sat on beds facing each other “eyeball to eyeball” doing what they loved, which was writing/making hit songs.
So actually, either John or Paul could be “The Walrus” in the song saying: “The time has come ‘The Walrus’ said that you and I should stay in bed…”.
John’s comment that the song “…has nothing to do with ‘Wings’” is exactly right. It has NOTHING to do with ‘Wings’ and EVERYTHING to do with PAUL. And I say this because it bears repeating, that the song is about himself and Paul “starting over”, and not at all about Yoko, although she wants us to believe it’s a love song to her. Her way to preserve the ‘John&Yoko’ love myth she needs to seem relevant in this day and age.