collage by the newts
By Steve Newton
By now you may have already heard “Now and Then”, the much-publicized song released today that is being billed as “the last Beatles song”.
In case you aren’t aware of the tune’s backstory, here’s how it is described on the Beatles’ YouTube channel, which–at the time of this posting at 3 p.m. (Pacific)–has seen roughly 2 1/2-million views of the track since its release at 7 a.m.
“Now and Then”‘s eventful journey to fruition took place over five decades and is the product of conversations and collaborations between the four Beatles that go on to this day. The long mythologised John Lennon demo was first worked on in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project but it remained unfinished, partly because of the impossible technological challenges involved in working with the vocal John had recorded on tape in the 1970s.
For years it looked like the song could never be completed. But in 2022 there was a stroke of serendipity. A software system developed by Peter Jackson and his team, used throughout the production of the documentary series Get Back, finally opened the way for the uncoupling of John’s vocal from his piano part. As a result, the original recording could be brought to life and worked on anew with contributions from all four Beatles.
This remarkable story of musical archaeology reflects The Beatles’ endless creative curiosity and shared fascination with technology. It marks the completion of the last recording that John, Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together and celebrates the legacy of the foremost and most influential band in popular music history.
I’ve listened to “Now and Then” over half a dozen times now, and in my opinion it’s a pretty little ditty. Nice little melody, poignant lyrics, overall wistful vibe. And it was recorded–albeit in bits and bobs–by the best pop band of all time.
But was it really worth all the fuss? Or is it more of a ploy for marketers to sell shiploads of “Now and Then” t-shirts and tote bags, not to mention copies of the song itself, which is available in multiple formats and has also been added to a newly expanded version of the popular compilation album The Beatles: 1967-1970.
As I mentioned in a blog last week, I’ve been a huge Beatles fan all my life, but I wasn’t crazy about the other two “new” Beatles song released in the ’90s, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love”. I grew up with heavy doses of the best music the Beatles ever made–it was the consistent soundtrack to my young life in the sixties–and those repurposed demo tracks were not in the same league.
The first Beatles music I ever owned was a 45 of “Roll Over Beethoven/Please Mr. Postman”, which I bought in 1963, and the last album I ever got of theirs, before the breakup, was a boxed version of Let It Be that included a beautiful photo book (which fell apart and was made into the collage poster pictured above).
Now, true Beatles fans know that Let It Be wasn’t the last studio album the Beatles ever recorded–that was Abbey Road–but that it was the last one ever released, on May 8, 1970. One month earlier Paul McCartney had announced the breakup of the Beatles, and I took the news as hard as anybody. I could barely believe it.
Overall, I didn’t enjoy Let It Be as much as I did Abbey Road, Sgt. Peppers, or The White Album, but it’s always held a sweet spot in my heart as the “last” Beatles album. The closing song on Side Two was “Get Back”, and although Let It Be’s title track and “The Long and Winding Road” were released as singles after it, the fact that “Get Back” was the actual final cut on the album imbedded in my 13-year-old brain that it was truly the last Beatles song.
In my mind, “Now and Then” notwithstanding, I’m gonna keep it that way: