Even if it seems like a lie, The Beatles “They managed to release a successful commercial hit in 2023.”Now and then”, which was sold as the last song of the band’s career, made from an old John Lennon demo, was already number 1 on the charts in the United States and the United Kingdom.
To date, “Now and Then” has become the English band’s 18th number one in their home country, but it is also their first since 1969. Meanwhile, in the United States the song did the same way, the achievement became the band’s first number one in Yankee lands since it came out “Free as a Bird”, also taken from an old Lennon demo, from 1965.
In this way, The Beatles remain the most successful English group in the history of the charts in the United States, and the second most successful when all bands and artists are counted, just behind. The King, Elvis Presley.
Envelope “Now and Then”
The song is composed by John Lennonalthough it has its contributions George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starrthe whole band.
The two surviving members of the group, Ringo and Paul, collaborated on it and their departure was recognized as the final “new” theme of the band in its history. To complete a beautiful musical rhyme, its release comes alongside the band’s debut single in the United Kingdom, “Love Me” (1962).
Additionally, with this release, the documentary ‘Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song’, in the direction of Oliver Murray, which will be released on November 1, just hours before the song’s release. The film shows the testimony of Paul, Ringo, George, son of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, Seanand on Peter Jacksonwho directed and produced the documentary ‘The Beatles: Get Back’ in 2021.
“Now And Then” was born, on paper, in the late ’70s, when John Lennon composed and recorded a demo of it on the piano in his New York home. It wasn’t until two decades later that Yoko gave the demo to John’s former partner, who died in 1980. Unfortunately, the artists were unable, despite their efforts, to make the song reach enough quality to complete your exit.
Until a few years ago when McCartney and Starr, with the help of Peter Jackson and his team, were able to access technological tools with enough power to complete their work on the song, adding new instrumentals and vocal parts.
“There, Juan’s voice, clear as crystal“said McCartney upon hearing Lennon’s voice properly taken from the original demo of ‘Now And Then’ for the first time. “It’s very emotional. And we all play it, it’s a real Beatles recording. In 2023, still working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song that the public hasn’t heard, I think it’s exciting.”
“It was the closest we would get to him being in the room again, so it was very emotional for all of us.”Starr added. “Looks like John’s there, you know. He’s a long way off.”
“In 1995, after many days in the studio working on the track, George felt that the technical problems with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track on a high enough standard,” said Olivia, George Harrison’s widow. “If he were here today, his son Dhani and I know that he would wholeheartedly have joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of ‘Now and Then.'”
“It’s amazing to hear them working together after so many years without Dad,” says Sean Ono Lennon. “This was the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo did together.. “It’s like a time capsule and it all seems destined to happen.”
