Saturday 9 August 1980 | Hit Factory, New York City
Producers: John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jack Douglas | Engineer: Lee DeCarlo
On 9 August 1980, John Lennon and Yoko Ono held the third recording session for their Double Fantasy album at the Hit Factory in New York City. Three tracks were worked on during the session: Ono’s ‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’, Lennon’s ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’, and Ono’s ‘Don’t Be Scared’.
The Session
The session was produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas, and engineered by Lee DeCarlo. Engineer DeCarlo later recalled Lennon’s distinctive approach to the piano:
“He had a great three-finger style of playing piano that was really cool and his inversions were very different than what a schooled piano player would play. The very first day that we recorded ‘Starting Over’ he sat down and played ‘Money’, his inversions on that were so strange that it was masterful.”
— Lee DeCarlo, engineer, Starting Over by Ken Sharp
The session marked a significant moment in Lennon’s return to recording after a five-year absence from the studio. Double Fantasy would be released on 17 November 1980 — just three weeks before Lennon’s death on 8 December 1980.
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The Three Tracks
‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’ (Yoko Ono) — recorded at this session but not included on Double Fantasy. It was released on Ono’s 1981 solo album Season Of Glass, recorded in the aftermath of Lennon’s death.
‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ (John Lennon) — the lead single from Double Fantasy, released on 24 October 1980. It reached number one in both the UK and US, and topped the charts again following Lennon’s death in December 1980. It was the only track from this session to appear on Double Fantasy.
‘Don’t Be Scared’ (Yoko Ono) — recorded at this session but not released until 1984, when it appeared on Milk And Honey, the posthumous Lennon–Ono album compiled from the Double Fantasy sessions.
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Key Facts
| Date | Saturday 9 August 1980 |
| Studio | Hit Factory, New York City |
| Session number | Third recording session for Double Fantasy |
| Producers | John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Jack Douglas |
| Engineer | Lee DeCarlo |
| Track 1 | ‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’ (Ono) — released on Season Of Glass (1981) |
| Track 2 | ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ (Lennon) — released on Double Fantasy (1980) |
| Track 3 | ‘Don’t Be Scared’ (Ono) — released on Milk And Honey (1984) |
| Double Fantasy released | 17 November 1980 |
The Hit Factory, West 54th Street, New York City — where John Lennon and Yoko Ono recorded on 9 August 1980.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where was ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ recorded?
‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ was recorded at the Hit Factory in New York City on 9 August 1980, during the third recording session for the Double Fantasy album. It was produced by John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Jack Douglas.
What tracks from the 9 August 1980 session appeared on Double Fantasy?
Only ‘(Just Like) Starting Over’ appeared on Double Fantasy. ‘Nobody Sees Me Like You Do’ was released on Yoko Ono’s Season Of Glass (1981), and ‘Don’t Be Scared’ appeared on Milk And Honey (1984).
When was Double Fantasy released?
Double Fantasy was released on 17 November 1980, three weeks before John Lennon’s death on 8 December 1980.
How did John Lennon play piano?
Engineer Lee DeCarlo described Lennon as having “a great three-finger style of playing piano” with unusual chord inversions that were “very different than what a schooled piano player would play” — a style DeCarlo described as “masterful”.
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→ August in Beatles History
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