Ringo Starr, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and George Harrison of The Beatles.Photo:© Apple Corps Ltd.
© Apple Corps Ltd.
For the first time since 1996, fans are able to let new music from the Beatles into their hearts.
On Thursday, what’s being calledthe final Beatles song, “Now and Then,” was released. The song marks the first previously unheard work featuring all four members of the legendary band —George Harrison,John Lennon,Paul McCartneyandRingo Starr— to come out in nearly three decades.
“Now and Then,” which was first announced in October, premiered on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music on Thursday before arriving on streaming platforms. Hours before its release, a short film titledThe Last Beatles Songdropped, featuring archival footage and the living members — McCartney, 81, and Starr, 83 — as well as Lennon andYoko Ono’s sonSean Lennon, discussing the making of the song.
The track’s origins date back to the late 1970s, when Lennon recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York City. In 1994, his widow Ono gave the recording to Harrison, McCartney and Starr, and the trio recorded new parts and made a rough mix with help from producer and Electric Light Orchestra rocker Jeff Lynne.
Despite their efforts, Lennon’s vocals and piano couldn’t be separated due to a lack of advanced technology, which meant the project had to be shelved.
Harrison died in 2001 — but when filmmaker Peter Jackson made the 2021 docuseriesGet Back, he managed to de-mix the film’s mono soundtrack, which meant the instruments and vocals were isolated. Eventually, surviving Beatles McCartney and Starr realized they could use this same technology to bring “Now and Then” to light.
The Beatles.Bruce McBroom / © Apple Corps Ltd.
Bruce McBroom / © Apple Corps Ltd.
Featuring lyrics like, “I know it’s true / It’s all because of you / And if I make it through / It’s all because of you / And now and then / If we must start again / Well, we will know for sure / That I love you,” the song makes for an especially touching final release from the storied rock band.
“All those memories come flooding back,” the vocalist and bass player reveals in the film. “My god, how lucky was I to have those men in my life and to work with those men so intimately and come up with such a body of music?”
Sean, 48, also speaks to how his father might have reacted to the release. “My dad would have loved that because he was never shy to experiment with recording technology,” he says in the doc.
“It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all these years that Dad had been gone,” adds Sean.
In an interview with PEOPLE abouthow the final song came together, co-producer Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer Sir George Martin, opened up about the pressure to get the song right.
“It was Paul’s initiative to finish the song,” Giles said.
“We kept it the way they would have played,” the producer, 54, explained. “Here’s the thing about the Beatles — they had a heartbeat to them. There were four hearts that would beat as one in different rhythms, and it’s really important to retain that.”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Beatles.Getty Images
source: people.com
