Now and Then: Introduction
“Now and Then” is a Beatles song released in November 2023. Indeed, the official announcement at the time described it as “the last Beatles song.”
Although there was no official release until late 2023, there was a bootleg available without the mains hum. However, there was nothing available with any further work by the surviving Beatles. Obviously, the song is a valuable historical recording that Beatlemaniacs wanted to bring back to life.
This post is dated 2018, when we had the track as an “unreleased Beatles song.” However, the song is now available to buy, and all information is current. So, now that we have it, let’s explore the song in depth.
In Detail
Since this was ongoing work, it was all put together over a long time.
- Released: November 2, 2023
- Recorded: 1966, 1969, 1977 (John Lennon home demo), 1995, 2021-2022
- Studio: The Dakota (New York City); Friar Park (Oxfordshire); Hogg Hill Mill (East Sussex); Abbey Road (London); Capitol, Roccabella West (Los Angeles)
- Format: single (double A-side with “Love Me Do” (an updated stereo version))
- Genre: Psychedelia, rock, soft rock
- Duration: 4:08
- Label: Apple
- Songwriters: Lennon, McCartney, Harrison and Starkey
- Producers: Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, and Jeff Lynne for the 1995 session
- Producers for the string arrangement: Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, and Ben Foster
- Engineers: (at various stages) Bruce Sugar, Steve Genewick, Greg McAllister, Geoff Emerick, Keith Smith, Mark “Spike” Stent, Steve Orchard, Jon Jacobs
Performers And Instruments
- John Lennon: lead and backing vocals
- Paul McCartney: lead and backing vocals, bass guitar, lap steel guitar, piano, electric harpsichord, shaker
- George Harrison: backing vocals, acoustic guitar and electric guitar
- Ringo Starr: backing vocals, percussion instruments including drums, tambourine, and shaker
Other Performers
- Neel Hammond, Adrianne Pope, Charlie Bisharat, Andrew Bulbrook, Songa Lee, and Serena McKinney: violin
- Ayvren Harrison, Caroline Buckman, Drew Forde, and Linnea Powell: viola
- Mia Barcia-Colombo, Giovanna Clayton, and Hillary Smith: cello
- Mike Valerio: double bass
- Jérôme Leroy: conductor
Where To Find “Now and Then”
You can still buy this recording, which is available on the following releases:
Now and Then: Background
Around 1979, John Lennon recorded numerous songs on a simple cassette recorder. This was at his home in the Dakota Building, New York City. The resulting demo tapes also had a few other songs on them, including “Free As A Bird,” “Real Love” and “Grow Old With Me.”
After Lennon’s death in 1980, Yoko Ono passed two cassette tapes onto Paul McCartney. On one of those tapes, there was a simple message from Lennon: “for Paul.”
When Paul McCartney got hold of the home recordings from Yoko Ono, work began on finishing the songs after the remaining Beatles had a reunion for the Anthology project.
However, George Harrison backed out for this particular song. That was because he wasn’t too happy about it. So, the song, which also had the working titles “I Don’t Want To Lose You” and “Miss You,” remained unfinished.
The idea was to release “Now and Then” as a single as they did with “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” for the Anthology Project. Moreover, there should have been one new track for each of the three albums. However, that didn’t come off because of a few reasons, including Harrison’s decision. McCartney once said that Harrison called the demo “f*cking rubbish.”
George Harrison obviously didn’t like the song but there were other reasons why they shelved the idea. Indeed, there was a 60-cycle mains hum far louder than that which was on “Real Love.” However, they did take a good look at the song.
“It was one day—one afternoon, really—messing with it. The song had a chorus but is almost totally lacking in verses. We did the backing track, a rough go that we really didn’t finish.”
Jeff Lynne (from ELO)
There was a little hope that we might see the recording surface again because of a hint from Paul McCartney. In a 2012 Jeff Lynne documentary on BBC Four, he says:
“And there was another one that we started working on, but George went off it…that one’s still lingering around, so I’m going to nick in with Jeff and do it. Finish it, one of these days.”
Recording The Song
Modern-day technology and AI has allowed us to finally hear the last Beatles song. By using a machine called MAL (machine-assisted learning), they were able to separate the vocal and piano from the original tape. This technology also obliterated the electronic hum.
The machine is named after Mal Evans, The Beatles former road manager. However, it is also combined with a double entendre, referencing HAL 9000 from the 1968 film, 2001: A Space Odyssey. Indeed, it wasn’t the first time they used the technology. They used it to good effect for the 2021 documentary Get Back.
With Lennon’s vocals separated, they would try many combinations to make the song perfect. For example, they used Harrison’s guitar parts (both acoustic and electric) from the 1995 sessions.
Paul McCartney recorded his bass guitar piece, but as a tribute to George Harrison, recorded a slide guitar solo in his style. Meanwhile, at Ringo Starr’s Los Angeles home, the drummer worked on his percussion and vocals.
An interesting part of this restoration process saw Paul McCartney and Giles Martin add pieces of the vocals from “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Because.” Of course, we saw a similar style of mixes on the 2006 Love album.
Together with tweaks here and there, we eventually got a recording that gave The Beatles their first number one song since 1969 (UK). That last number-one single was “The Ballad of John and Yoko.” That gave The Beatles the distinction of having the longest gap between number one singles by any artist(s) (54 years, to be precise).
Because Ringo Starr is co-writer, another distinction is that it it gave Ringo Starr his first chart topper. But then again, the information here at the Beatles Fan Club shows the Fab Four were not unfamiliar with breaking boundaries!
Now and Then: Chart Success
In the UK, the song became a chart-topper, but what about the reception around the world? In Austria, Germany, and Japan, it also topped the charts. The song had chart success in the US (2) and Australia (6), reaching the top ten in numerous other countries. It is clear that the Fab Four are still commanding respect. Not bad for a group that started out in the 1950s!
So, will Now and Then be the band’s last single? Maybe it should be, but you never know what is around the corner. Who knows what else will turn up? After all, the technological challenges faced with this track were immense.
Take A Listen
The official video shows some previously unreleased footage. It also brings together images from then and now, so you see the band miraculously come together again. It’s a clever production, but what do you think? Click the play button to hear the song. Then, leave us your opinions below.
