As promised, The Beatles’ final song, “Now And Then,” will be released on Thursday, November 2. The track was built from a demo recorded by the late John Lennon.
“Now And Then” features Ringo Starr’s newly recorded drums and Paul McCartney’s newly recorded bass, guitar and piano parts, as well as a slide guitar solo inspired by the late George Harrison. Also included is a guitar part recorded in 1995 by Harrison, prior to his death in 2001.
“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,” Olivia Harrison said. “If he were here today, [George’s son] Dhani [Harrison] and I know he would have wholeheartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now And Then.’”
A press release further detailed the process of creating The Beatles’ final song:
The story of “Now And Then” begins in the late 1970s, when John recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York’s Dakota Building. In 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to Paul, George and Ringo, along with John’s demos for “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love,” which were both completed as new Beatles songs and respectively released as singles in 1995 and 1996, as part of The Beatles Anthology project. At the same time, Paul, George and Ringo also recorded new parts and completed a rough mix for “Now And Then” with producer Jeff Lynne. At that point, technological limitations prevented John’s vocals and piano from being separated to achieve the clear, unclouded mix needed to finish the song. “Now And Then” was shelved, with a hope that one day it would be revisited.
Cut to 2021, and the release of The Beatles: Get Back docuseries, directed by Peter Jackson, which astonished viewers with its award-winning film and audio restoration. Using WingNut Films’ MAL audio technology, Jackson’s team had de-mixed the film’s mono soundtrack, managing to isolate instruments and vocals, and all the individual voices within The Beatles’ conversations. This achievement opened the way to 2022’s new mix of Revolver, sourced directly from the four-track master tapes. This led on to a question: what could now be done with the “Now And Then” demo? Peter Jackson and his sound team, led by Emile de la Rey, applied the same technique to John’s original home recording, preserving the clarity and integrity of his original vocal performance by separating it from the piano.
In 2022, Paul and Ringo set about completing the song. Besides John’s vocal, “Now And Then” includes electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by George, Ringo’s new drum part, and bass, guitar and piano from Paul, which matches John’s original playing. Paul added a slide guitar solo inspired by George; he and Ringo also contributed backing vocals to the chorus.
In Los Angeles, Paul oversaw a Capitol Studios recording session for the song’s wistful, quintessentially Beatles string arrangement, written by Giles Martin, Paul and Ben Foster. Paul and Giles also added one last, wonderfully subtle touch: backing vocals from the original recordings of “Here, There And Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because,” woven into the new song using the techniques perfected during the making of the LOVE show and album. The finished track was produced by Paul and Giles, and mixed by Spike Stent.
“It was the closest we’ll ever come to having [Lennon] back in the room,” Starr said. “So it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”
“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear,” McCartney said. “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.”
McCartney previously hinted at the release of “Now And Then.” McCartney utilized technology, like the AI used for Get Back, to allow him to virtually duet in concert with Lennon’s 1969 rooftop performance of “I’ve Got A Feeling” as part of McCartney’s 2022 Got Back Tour.
“It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all the years that dad had been gone,” Sean Ono Lennon said. “It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo got to make together. It’s like a time capsule and all feels very meant to be.”
A 12-minute documentary film, ”Now And Then” – The Last Beatles Song, will premiere on November 1. The mini-documentary features Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson.
The Beatles’ final song, “Now And Then,” will be issued as a double A-side single with the band’s 1962 first UK single, “Love Me Do.” Additionally, The Beatles 1962-1966 (”The Red Album”) and 1967-1970 (”The Blue Album”) compilations will be reissued in expanded editions, featuring “Love Me Do” and other classics. The reissues will be available on November 10.
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