It’s been nearly 30 years since The Beatles released what had been known as their “last” single…until now. After decades, the band is back together, if only for one more song. The Fab Four have officially released what is now being labeled their last single—for real this time—titled “Now and Then.”
The single is a fitting end to The Beatles, and it’s sure to delight many longtime lovers of the band. The tune puts Lennon front-and-center, focusing on his vocals, his beautiful lyrics and his piano playing, which all provide the structure for the track. It is supported by added instrumentation by the remaining members, who provided everything from guitars and drums to light orchestration.
“Now and Then” seems to fit squarely in the middle of The Beatles’s discography. It is longer and grander than their earliest singles, such as “Love Me Do”—which serves as the song’s B-side—but not nearly as adventurous as their later, more experimental work, such as the tracks heard on what’s known as The White Album.
Lennon’s lyrics also seem as if they were penned specifically for a tune that would be known as the last from The Beatles. In fact, it’s almost eerie how perfect they are for this purpose. The chorus reads like a love letter to his former bandmates, as the late songwriter sings, “And now and then (Ah-ah) / If we must start again (Ah-ah) / Well, we will know for sure / That I love you.”
“Now and Then” credits all four members of the group—Paul McCartney, John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison—as songwriters. On production, both McCartney and collaborator Giles Martin, the son of longtime collaborator and “Fifth Beatle” George Martin, are named.
The song “Now and Then” has finally arrived after a very long journey. The track had its origins as a demo recorded by John Lennon back in 1977 when he lived in New York City. The tune was a solo piano recording, but it remained unfinished, and a few years later, the former Beatle tragically lost his life outside his apartment building.
The demo of “Now and Then” sat incomplete for decades, until director Peter Jackson and his team developed a technology that utilized artificial intelligence to extract vocals from the recording. That tech was utilized for the making of the docuseries Get Back, but once its power was demonstrated, it opened up the possibility for this new single to come to life.
Lennon’s singing voice had long been obscured by background noise on the demo, rendering it unusable for many years. However, after the remaining two Beatles—McCartney and Starr—were introduced to Jackson’s groundbreaking technology, they decided to use it to finally finish “Now and Then.”
McCartney announced “Now and Then” months ago, and his initial reveal both excited and confused longtime Beatles fans. Some were thrilled that new music was coming from the most successful band of all time, while others were unsure about the use of AI to complete a Lennon composition. McCartney further clarified that the technology was solely used to clean up Lennon’s vocals, not replicate them in any way.
A music video for “Now and Then,” filmed by Jackson using both new footage and archival material, is expected to arrive 24 hours from the song’s drop.
