“Now and Then” is the song that reunites the Beatles, 53 years after their separation. The original song created using artificial intelligence will be released on November 2, 2023.
The Beatles are back for a new song, more than 53 years after their separation. While Paul McCartney and Ringo Star are the only two surviving members of the quartet, John Lennon and George Harrison also participated in the creation of the track “Now and Then” scheduled for release on November 2.
The first demo of the song dates from the 1970s and was recorded by John Lennon in his New York apartment. It was in 1994, after the artist’s assassination, that Yoko Ono gave the model to the rest of the group. The tape which brought together voice and piano had been reworked by the Beatles, but the result was not up to par and the song never saw the light of day. This was without taking into account the progress in technology which allows, in 2023, something that Beatles fans were no longer waiting for: a new title.
More than four decades after the discovery of the model of “Now and Then”, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr managed, thanks to artificial intelligence, to complete the piece. The trigger was with the series “Get Back” produced in 2021 by Peter Jackson who managed to extract John Lennon’s voice from a cassette using AI. In the press release announcing the release of “Now and Then”, Paul McCartney explains that he “found himself with John’s voice, crystal clear” before confiding: “It’s very moving and we all play on it, it’s is a real Beatles recording.” To the soundtrack, the group added recordings of George Harrison’s guitar dating from 1995. “It’s all real” insists Paul McCartney who assures that all the members of the group played on the title and that the AI ??did not was only used to “purify” the recording of John Lennon’s performance.
The existence of the model was known and Paul McCartney did not hide his intention to rework it for a possible release. Last June, he revealed to the BBC that the song was in development. “We have come to make what will be the last Beatles recording,” declared the 81-year-old musician.
Beatles fans can listen to “Now and Then” on November 2, starting at 1 p.m. The release of the song will be accompanied by a 12-minute documentary, which will be broadcast the day before on the English group’s YouTube channel, and a music video. Two compilations of their albums are also planned for November 10.
