63 years after they were formed, The Beatles released one last song called “Now and Then”. The track originated from a demo made by John Lennon before his death that was given by Yoko Ono to George Harrison. It was one of the songs that Paul, Ringo and George didn’t work on it back in the 90s when they reunited to record a few tracks for “The Beatles: Anthology”.
Now the track was finished by Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney using the guitar parts that were already recorded by Harrison before his death in 2001 and with the help of artificial intelligence, they were able to make John Lennon’s voice more clear in the demo they had. One of the people who helped this project was the legendary director Peter Jackson, who also directed the music video for the song.
Watch Peter Jackson’s music video for the new Beatles song “Now and Then”:7
The official description explained how the new song was made: “Now and Then’s eventful journey to fruition took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologised John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project but it remained unfinished, partly because of the impossible technological challenges involved in working with the vocal John had recorded on tape in the 1970s. For years it looked like the song could never be completed.”
“But in 2022 there was a stroke of serendipity. A software system developed by Peter Jackson and his team, used throughout the production of the documentary series Get Back, finally opened the way for the uncoupling of John’s vocal from his piano part. As a result, the original recording could be brought to life and worked on anew with contributions from all four Beatles.”
“This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology. It marks the completion of the last recording that John, Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together and celebrates the legacy of the foremost and most influential band in popular music history,” the release said.