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TL;DR:

  • One of John Lennon’s songs was supposed to sound like Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison.
  • John wanted audiences to accept the song.
  • He felt the song brought him back to his childhood.
The Beatles' John Lennon wearing blue
The Beatles’ John Lennon | Ron Howard/Redferns

One of John Lennon‘s songs from his post-Beatles career was supposed to sound like Elvis Presley and Roy Orbison. Notably, John said the song was both serious and “tongue-in-cheek.” Subsequently, the track became his final No. 1 single in the United States.

1 of John Lennon’s songs was inspired by his love of rock ‘n’ roll

The book Lennon on Lennon: Conversations With John Lennon includes an interview from 1980. In it, John discussed his musical taste. “I started out to do rock ‘n’ roll because I absolutely liked doing it,” he said. “So that’s why I ended up doin’ a track like ‘[Just Like] Starting Over.'”

John described the song. “It’s kinda tongue-in-cheek,” he revealed. “You know it’s ‘w-e-e-e-e-l-l-l-l-l, w-e-e- e-e-l-l-l-l-l.’ It’s sort of à la Elvis and that, and I hope people accept it like that. I think it’s a serious piece of work, but it’s also tongue-in-cheek, you know?”

The song brought the former Beatle back to his younger days listening to American rock ‘n’ roll

John felt making “(Just Like) Starting Over” was a sort of homecoming. “I mean, I went right back to me roots,” he said. “All the time we were doin’ it, I was callin’ it ‘Elvis Orbison,’ you know?

“And it’s not going back to being Beatle John in the ’60s, it’s being John Lennon, whose life was changed completely by hearing American rock ‘n’ roll on the radio as a child,” he added. “And that’s the part of me that’s coming out again, and that’s why I’m enjoying it this time.”

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How John Lennon’s ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ performed on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom

“(Just Like) Starting Over” was No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for five weeks, longer than any of John’s other singles. The track stayed on the chart for a total of 22 weeks and became the former Beatles’ final No. 1 in the United States. “(Just Like) Starting Over” appeared on the album Double Fantasy. The album was No. 1 for eight of its 77 weeks on the Billboard 200.

According to The Official Charts Company, “(Just Like) Starting Over” was No. 1 for one week in the United Kingdom. It stayed on the chart for 15 weeks in total. Meanwhile, Double Fantasy was No. 1 in the U.K. for two weeks. The album remained on the chart for a total of 36 weeks.

“(Just Like) Starting Over” became a huge hit even if it was “tongue-in-cheek.”

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