Yes, you read that headline correctly: the Beatles (Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr and John Lennon) have one final song to share with the public. In June, Paul McCartney revealed he had recorded what he called the Beatles’ last song. It features contributions from all four Beatles members, and was completed after several years of development with the help of AI.
The song is called "Now and Then" and will be dropped November 2 at 10am ET. The single will be issued digitally and as a double A-side single (on 7" vinyl, 12" vinyl, and cassette) backed with the band’s first single, 1962’s “Love Me Do.” A 12-minute documentary about “Now and Then” directed by Oliver Murray will be released a day prior, on November 1.
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Beatles music at Live365.com.
The story of this new Beatles track is certainly documentary-worthy. “Now and Then” was originally written and sung by John Lennon, who recorded the track as a demo at his home in New York in 1978. The original recording featured Lennon’s voice and piano. In 1994, years after Lennon's death, Yoko Ono gave the demo to Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, along with Lennon’s demos for “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” (The demo was recorded on a cassette tape; an animated photo of the tape was recently posted to the Beatles Instagram account to tease fans about the "Now and Then" release.)
Working with producer and Electric Light Orchestra (ELO) mastermind Jeff Lynne, the remaining three Beatles recorded new parts for a version of “Now and Then,” and were determined to release the song. However, technological limitations of the era prevented them from separating Lennon’s vocals from the piano on his original demo. Consequently, the song was shelved.
Decades later, McCartney and Starr revisited the project after working with director Peter Jackson on his acclaimed Get Back documentary. Jackson and his sound team devised a method to isolate Lennon’s vocal on the original tape with the help of AI.
“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear,” McCartney said of the experience in a press release. “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”
“It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us,” Starr added. “It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”
In 2022, McCartney and Starr completed “Now and Then.” It will feature electric and acoustic guitar laid down by Harrison in 1995, a new drum part and backing vocals from Starr, and bass, guitar, and piano by McCartney, who added a slide guitar solo inspired by the late Harrison. George Harrison’s widow, Olivia, wrote of the new song: “Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard. If he were here today, Dhani and I know he would have whole-heartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now and Then.’”
A music video for “Now and Then” will debut on Friday, November 3. In addition to the new song, expanded reissues of 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967-1970 (The Blue Album) will be released November 10 with updated mixes and the addition of “Now and Then.”
See the "Now and Then" documentary trailer below.
READ NEXT: Earliest Full Recording of The Beatles Playing a U.K. Concert Discovered
Check out our selection of free stations streaming Beatles music at Live365.com.
Rather listen on our app? Download the Live365 app on iOS or Android. Ready to start your own station? Contact one of our Product Consultants or visit our website today. Keep up with the latest news by following us on Facebook (Live365 (Official) and Live365 Broadcasting) and Twitter (@Live365 and @Broadcast365)! You can also shop Live365 swag and branded merchandise at store.live365.com.
Article Image: The four Beatles together in an edited photo taken from a 1967 photo shoot. (Henry Grossman [Available through Public Domain] via Wikimedia Commons.)
