It was upon their return from the recording studio to The Dakota (their home in New York City) that Lennon was murdered by Mark David Chapman.

[4] The lyrics talk of the unpredictability of life and death—of "throwing the dice in the air"—and reach the conclusion, "when our hearts return to ashes, it will be just a story....".

On the version included on 1992's Onobox, a new intro was added, where John Lennon can be heard remarking "I think you just cut your first number one, Yoko."

[5] Much like the A-side, the lyrics have a retrospectively haunting quality given Lennon's murder: "It happened at a time of my life/When I least expected... And I know there's no return, no way".

In the essay on the back of the single, Ono talks about how Lennon picked out this track from her old tapes and marked it as a hit.

At the end of January 1981, "Walking on Thin Ice" was released as a single and became Ono's first chart success, peaking at number 58 in the US and gaining major club/underground airplay.

"[7] Record World said that "Yoko's existential lyrics are delivered over a driving rhythm – led by Tony Levin's spunky bass – that spews Lennon's molten guitar leads.