Sixty years after the world-altering “Love Me Do” was released, The Beatles are (miraculously) back with a new song “Now And Then.” John Lennon wrote and recorded the song’s demo in the late ‘70s on an old cassette. The track was later worked on by Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr after Lennon’s death but could not be finished. Thanks to AI extraction technology, Lennon’s voice emerges clearly through the new release — one that could have easily made it onto a Beatles studio album if it had been finished in time.
In 1994, 14 years after Lennon’s death, Yoko Ono brought the tape to Harrison’s attention. McCartney, Harrison, and Starr attempted to finish it as part of “The Beatles Anthology Project,” a documentary and album collection. The Beatles Anthology Project included three other unreleased Lennon songs (“Free As A Bird,” “Real Love,” and “Grow Old With Me”) all given to The Beatles by Ono. “Now And Then” was the only track unable to be completed in time for the project’s release.
Unfortunately, the band faced insurmountable technological challenges when attempting to uncouple Lennon’s vocals from his piano parts. “Now And Then” was subsequently abandoned until new AI systems made it possible for McCartney and Starr to complete the track in 2023, two decades after Harrison’s death. The result is an unprecedented, post-mortem collaboration between two living and two deceased band members.
“Now And Then” couldn’t exist without director Peter Jackson and his team at Wingnut Films. According to Wired, machine-learning technology developed for Jackson’s 2022 documentary series “Get Back” enabled the director to separate the band’s vocals and instrumentals in the recordings. The same technology was applied to “Now And Then,” creating a clean track with contributions from all four Beatles.
“To hear John’s voice, that’s a thing that we should cherish. I’m sure he would’ve really enjoyed that opportunity to be with us again,” said Harrison in “Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song,” a short film about the song released on Nov. 1 of this year.
“Now And Then” is a true Beatles collaboration, featuring Lennon’s piano and vocals from the ‘70s, Harrison’s guitar playing from “The Beatles Anthology” sessions in 1995, and McCartney and Starr’s voice in 2023. It’s a musical reunion that spans decades, propelled by McCartney’s insistence that the song see the light of day.
Despite nagging doubts about the ethics of releasing Lennon’s song without being able to speak to him, McCartney’s confidence in his bandmate’s wishes held strong. “I’m telling you, I know the answer would have been ‘Yeah!’” he said in the short film.
While “Now And Then” would have made history no matter what it sounded like, Beatles fans around the world can breathe a collective sigh of relief: it’s good. Lennon’s dreamlike vocals float through the song, effortlessly merging with Starr’s soulful drumbeats. It’s a ballad of devotion with lyrics like, “I want you to be there for me/Always to return to me,” taking on a new meaning in the light of the band’s long-awaited reunion.
The track is undeniably cohesive; it’s hard to convince yourself that this is the same song that was patchworked together over the years, originally stripped from a demo recorded in Lennon’s New York City apartment in the Dakota Building.
The track is reminiscent of Beatles classics “Sun King” and “Across The Universe” with its meandering, heartfelt vocals and guitar strumming. Despite the significant contributions from McCartney, Harrison, and Starr, “Now And Then” is identifiably a “John song.” Lennon’s confessional lyricism is back with a vengeance, creating something that is subdued yet steeped in longing. It’s understandable that McCartney and Starr couldn’t forget about it, even after all those years.
“It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room,” said Starr in the short film.
The “Now And Then” music video, directed by Jackson, has racked up 30 million views since its release on Nov. 3. Jackson used AI to combine archival footage of Lennon and Harrison with current footage of McCartney and Starr, bringing the band back together for one last performance. Some old clips of McCartney and Starr were included alongside their current-day clips, making it look as if the musicians were playing next to the younger versions of themselves.
It’s hard to deny the magnificence of hearing a new Beatles song in 2023, especially one as musically stunning as “Now And Then.” Thanks to Jackson’s technology and the decades-long efforts of Lennon, Harrison, McCartney, and Starr, pop’s most influential group is back again — even if only for a little while.