Just when we were ready to write off the ‘new’ Beatles song as some kind of sad publicity stunt, we gave the tune a listen. It’s a heartbreaker. “Now and Then” is really good. It’s Beatles good. An unbelievable addition to the already incredible library of the fab four.
How they pulled this off is amazing from a technical point of view. Taking an old demo of John Lennons, and using new AI software to strip away the piano part he was playing so they could get a ‘clean’ vocal track. Yeah, that’s amazing for sure. But the song itself is what we’re here for. The tune. The lyrics. The vocals and the Beatles sound. It’s crazy good. Every member of the Beatles is represented. You can hear George Harrison’s guitar too. It’s crazy. But the song itself is just a heartbreaker. The lyrics have such a bittersweet element. There’s a loneliness yet a thankfulness that just breaks your heart. What an achievement. This is far beyond a publicity stunt. ‘Now and Then’ is an extraordinary new song from the Beatles. Who could have seen this coming in 2023? Amazing. Thanks to John, Paul, George and Ringo.
