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TL;DR:

  • Yoko Ono once said John Lennon’s “(Just Like) Starting Over” was a “beautiful” response to hard times.
  • She felt a positive “new age” was on the horizon.
  • Yoko hoped the a between men and women could be mended.

Yoko Ono said one of John Lennon‘s “(Just Like) Starting Over” was a message to all women. “(Just Like) Starting Over” made Yoko feel like crying. In addition, she said the tune had themes of renewal following the horrors of the 1970s.

Yoko Ono felt John Lennon’s ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ had social commentary

John collaborated with Yoko on his final album, Double Fantasy. During a 1980 interview with the Los Angeles Times, she discussed the most successful track from that record. “I think John’s song, ‘Starting Over,’ is so beautiful,” she revealed. “It’s a personal message to me, but it’s also like all men saying to all women, ‘Let’s try again.’ It’s not going to be easy.”

Yoko gave her opinion on the state of gender relations. “In the ’60s, there was this sexual revolution which resulted in women waking up to the fact that it was a sexual revolution [only] for men and that women were really being used,” she said. “So, in the ’70s, women became very bitter, which was understandable. They didn’t want to just be ‘toys.’ So, there was this breakdown in relationships and the family.”

Yoko said this rift could be mended. However, she felt women couldn’t fix the issue alone. “Men are going to have to give, too,” she added.

‘Double Fantasy’ wasn’t just an album about John Lennon’s marriage to Yoko Ono

It’s easy to see Double Fantasy as a chronicle of John and Yoko’s marriage. After all, the cover of the album depicts them kissing! Yoko said that wasn’t the sole intent behind Double Fantasy. “What we are doing in this album is not just dealing with our own personal life, but the relationship of men and women in this society,” she said.

Yoko was optimistic. “This is a very difficult time for relationships, but I think a new age is coming,” she opined. “I think there’s hope that men and women can get closer together again.”

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Yoko Ono also interpreted ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ as a response to horrific violence

The book All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono includes a 1980 interview. In it, Yoko also ruminated on “(Just Like) Starting Over.” During that interview, she said that “(Just Like) Starting Over” made her want to cry.

She said the tune called for renewal because the 1970s was such a violent time. It’s not clear what violence she referenced. She may have been talking about the Vietnam War. After all, she and John were some of the most prominent anti-Vietnam War activists. They famously called for an end to the conflict in their hit “Happy Xmas (War Is Over).”

“(Just Like) Starting Over” is one of John’s most famous songs and it had a deep meaning to Yoko.

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