On Nov. 2, 2023, The Beatles marked a historic milestone with the release of a final song, “Now and Then,” sixty-one years after their first single.
The track is incredibly raw as Lennon looks back on his life and his relationship with McCartney. Despite the fights and disagreements that Lennon and McCartney have had in the past, he explains that he feels nothing but love and respect for his friend. It seems that “Now and Then” was Lennon’s final way to convey this message to McCartney and helps to show fans why McCartney and Starr were so determined to finish the song.
The simplicity of the song further enhances the emotional aspect of it. The calming guitar, piano, and drums in the background truly allow Lennon’s words to take center stage. The reader is able to focus solely on the honest sentiment that is carried through the lyrics.
The Beatles’ new single and final masterpiece, “Now and Then,” stands as a testament to the timeless nature of this classic band. Lennon left the song unfinished and despite the several challenges it took to release it, Starr, Harrison, and McCartney united together to share Lennon’s words with the world. The Beatles continue to make history almost sixty-five years after their first song and serve as a huge inspiration in the music industry today.
Four men named John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr formed the iconic band known today as the Beatles.
They started as a local rock n’ roll group who played in local clubs and bars. Their pop songs with new sounds and themes were a huge hit, and they began traveling and performing all over the world.
With their best-selling music, numerous number-one hits, and large following, the Beatles became a global phenomenon and one of the most popular bands during their time. Their songs are timeless, some of their most popular being “Hey Jude,” “Let it Be,’’ “Yesterday,” and “Yellow Submarine.” In the 1970s, the band decided to split up because of internal differences, but their influence is still felt today.
Now, in 2023, the Beatles have continued to make history with their new song. Lennon wrote and recorded the song at his home in New York City in the late 1970s, but he died before he could release it. After his death, his wife, Yoko Ono, gave the demo to the remaining Beatles. Harrison, Starr, and McCartney wanted to finish the song, but could not separate Lennon’s voice from the piano on the demo they had received.The project seemed impossible to complete and was stopped until a new type of AI technology was invented.
Back in 2021, Peter Jackson, the filmmaker of the popular series “The Lord of the Rings,” decided to film a documentary on the Beatles called “Get Back.” It covered the making of the Beatles final album, “Let it Be,” and had raw footage of the Beatles in the studio recording several songs for their album. After listening to several hours of unclear performance film, Jackson knew he needed to use machine learning to separate the voices onto recording tracks. He did just this, and the documentary was released in November of 2021 and is currently streaming on Disney Plus.
Using this same AI technology, McCartney and Starr started to work on the song again and were finally able to isolate Lennon’s voice from the demo track. McCartney redid the base, Starr added some drums and the two were able to completely finish the song. They were also able to incorporate guitar parts played by Harrison before he died as well. This new use of AI technology not only salvaged an amazing song but also demonstrated the potential of AI in influencing the future of music production.
The success of “Now and Then” has been remarkable, as it has reached #2 on the listing of the most popular Beatles’ songs on Spotify with over 30 million streams. The song incorporates a number of elements of the group’s characteristic sound and includes a heartfelt chorus featuring both Lennon and McCartney’s vocals.
