Although they broke up in 1970, during their 10 years of working together, George Harrison and Ringo Starr actually created a legend of modern music. The tragic death of Lennon, who was shot by an unstable admirer, ended any chance that the band would ever join forces live again. Nevertheless, after half a century and thanks to modern technologies, millions of fans of the British group received the last, farewell song, on which all members of the band – including the deceased Lennon and Harrison – worked on it to some extent.
Now and Then is the Beatles’ tombstone
– This song sounds somehow different than other Beatles songs – I heard from a pair of friendly 19-year-olds who listened to “Now and Then” with me – and they did not hide their sincere surprise that something like this had been recorded and released at all. When we went through the history of the song’s production, they decided that there was no reason to be surprised by the different sound. However, I pressed on and asked about my impressions. And here an interesting question was asked: – This song is cursed – said the young listeners. Except they used the word “cursed” in English, because it definitely dominates their everyday terminology. It was absolutely necessary to pursue the issue further, as there were too many potential inconsistencies.
So why did they call “Now and Then” a cursed song? – Because it’s weird listening to this song knowing that half the band is dead. And this is the premiere material and everyone recorded it somehow. It’s basically like listening to a postcard from the afterlife, there’s something fascinating about it. Because these are their actual voices, not something generated by AI, although of course digital processing sometimes shines through in the vocals. There is nothing more Halloween than listening to the voices of ghosts – said the youth to me. It is significant that the juvenile experts preferred to mind their own business rather than continue debating with me over a piece that had been waiting in the freezer for 50 years to see the light of day.
In turn, a 25-year-old editorial colleague received a beating for his reaction to the song from his 68-year-old father. – My father just told me on the phone that I wasn’t excited about this song. Well, how is it possible, since they play it on every radio (he only listens to Radio Zet) and on TV (he mainly watches TVN24), and I don’t hear anything. I had to remind him how old I was, what kind of music I normally listen to and promise that I would listen more carefully later – says the scolded music lover who didn’t listen to the song as much as his father thought he should.
Knowing that the father of one of my student friends had his hair and beard like John Lennon in his youth, and that he also passionately recorded Beatles hits from the radio on cassettes, I also asked for his opinion about the song: – Very nice. I’m an old Beatle, I liked it very much. It’s not a hit that will knock you off your feet. But as a reminder, it’s very nice. This is an old style ballad. I listened with pleasure – said with disarming sincerity a fan born in 1951, who once went to Venice especially for a Paul McCartney concert.
How was The Beatles’ last song created?
“Now and Then” is officially the last song by The Beatles, written and sung by John Lennon, and refined by Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. It started with Lennon recording a demo of the song at home – he plays the piano and sings on it. After the musician’s death, this recording lay in a drawer for several years. However, in 1994, Yoko Ono’s widow gave the tapes with this song as well as “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” to the remaining band members, who eagerly started working on the material. The remaining two songs were released as singles, but there was a problem with the third composition. On the home recording, the piano often “covered” Lennon’s vocals in such a way that it could not be used in the song. In the mid-1990s, there was no good way to separate the vocal line from the background music, so the entire material ended up in a drawer again for many years.
Another blow was the death of George Harrison, who died on November 29, 2001. Olivia Harrison recalls: – In 1995, after a few days of working on the track in the studio, George felt that the technical problems with this demo were insurmountable. He concluded that it was impossible to complete the song to a high enough standard. If he were here with us today, me and Dhani know that he would wholeheartedly engage in working with Paul and Ringo to complete the recording of “Now and Then” – emphasizes the guitarist’s widow.
The song was completed 50 years after the original demo tape was recorded thanks entirely to Peter Jackson’s maniacal love for the band. While working on the documentary “The Beatles: Get Back”, the director and his team developed WingNut Films’ MAL technology, which enables not only the restoration, but also the separation of separate audio tracks in excellent quality from archival recordings. Jackson and his crew of sound engineers thus developed “Now and Then” in 2022. That’s when Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr entered the studio again. Paul emphasizes:
It was John’s voice, so clear. It was very emotional. We’re all there, it’s the truest Beatles recording. Who would have thought that in 2023 I would still be working on the Beatles’ music and that we would have the premiere of a new song that listeners don’t know. It’s very exciting.
For Lennon’s digitally extracted vocals and Harrison’s guitar parts from 1995, Ringo re-recorded drums and bass, and Paul recorded guitar and piano, which he adapted to Lennon’s playing style. Additionally, McCartney added a slide guitar solo inspired by George’s playing, and he and Starr sang backing vocals on the chorus. The whole is complemented by backing vocals from the original recordings of “Here, There And Everywhere”, “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because”, as well as melancholy strings.
– We will never again feel as close to having John back in the same room with us. So it was very emotional for all of us. We really felt like John was with us. It was extraordinary, said Ringo Starr. John Lennon’s son, Sean, added:
I was moved to hear everyone working together after all these years since my dad died. This is the last song that Dad, Paul, George and Ringo were able to complete together. It’s like a time machine, fate intervened.
The history of the song’s creation is told in more detail in the 12-minute documentary “Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song” directed by Olivier Murray, which appeared on the Internet a day before the song and attracted four million views. Next in line is the disgustingly touching and painfully touching music video for the song, directed by Peter Jackson himself. Thanks to the wonders of digital technology, all the Beatles are reunited in one frame:
Fans’ reactions to the final Beatles song
As a rule, the band’s fans are delighted with the release. Under the premiere recording of the song, you can read enthusiastic opinions in various languages: “The Beatles are making history again”, “It’s definitely the best thing that happened in this twisted world and the passing year… It’s wonderful to hear them together again. I’m touched”, ” Paul’s guitar solo alone brought tears of sadness and joy to my eyes. Like everyone says, it’s pretty amazing and I really appreciate that they took the time to do it for John, George; and for us fans,” “Being able to hear John’s voice so clearly and loud is the best musical moment of 2023. Paul recorded a beautiful solo in George’s style, it’s a masterpiece of the Lennon-McCartney duo,” they praise.
Many people point out the unique circumstances of the song’s creation: “Thank you, Peter Jackson, for cleaning the cassette and making John’s voice sound so clear and distinct. Thank you, Yoko Ono, for giving the other three Beatles (George managed to record his part before he died) a chance so that they can play together once again as one of the most beloved bands in history. As a fan since 1964, I thank John, Paul, George and Ring for the new Beatles recording”, “It’s such a beautiful farewell song, we are so lucky to have we can listen to it after almost 50 years”, “It’s amazing, I’m still in shock. I feel so lucky at this moment, I know it’s a huge privilege, a huge joy, to hear the premiere of the Beatles’ song in my lifetime,” write satisfied fans.
He is also very enthusiastic about, among others, former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher. On his profile on X (formerly Twitter) he wrote simply: “‘Now and Then’ is amazing, biblical, heavenly, it breaks the heart and warms it at the same time – all together. Long live The Beatles.” He added in the comments that the song is “Very sad and beautiful at the same time, I think it’s confusingly delightful.” “Lennon’s voice is back… after years from an old cassette. Music, culture, education, activity give us FREEDOM” – added Monika Olejnik on Instagram.
Maciej Hen, a writer and author of the book “Beatles in Poland”, remains slightly more skeptical. He said on the radio that he doubts whether “Now and Then” will achieve the success of the Beatles. Because what remains when we subtract the entire legend of its creation and the band from this piece? – A rather monotonous and repetitive number that would probably be lost today, for example on TikTok. We respect you Bealtes fans, we are happy for you, but this song doesn’t change anything – comments a friendly social media publisher aggressively. We prefer not to reveal personal details because we are afraid of tarnishing such pop culture sanctities.
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
