Lennon’s Final Number One

This Sunday, December 27th, marked the 35th anniversary of John Lennon's last Number 1 hit.

Lennon made his return to rock and roll with the single “(Just Like) Starting Over” in late 1980. Sadly, his comeback was short-lived.

Barely six weeks after “Starting Over” was released, and just as the song was ascending into the Top 5, Lennon was gunned down by Mark David Chapman . The sudden loss created an outpouring of grief that eventually catapulted “Starting Over” to No. 1, where it remained for five straight weeks. That marked only the fourth posthumous chart-topper of the rock era, following singles by Otis Redding (“Sittin’ on the Dock of the Bay”), Janis Joplin (“Me & Bobby McGee”) and Jim Croce (“Time in a Bottle”).

It was the first new music to come from the ex-Beatle in more than half a decade, It was on Lennon and wife Yoko Ono's "Double Fantasy" album.