After four decades, the once and forever beloved band The Beatles released their final song “Now and Then” the morning of Nov. 2. When band member John Lennon passed away on Dec. 8, 1980, members Paul Mccartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison knew the future of the band would never be the same. Through an old mixtape that was “languished in a cupboard” and through help of new technology, The Beatles delivered a solemn and touching performance for the last time.
Along with the final single came a 12-minute documentary in which the members discussed the making of the final song. John’s widowed wife, Yoko Ono, delivered The Beatles a discarded mixtape that was titled “For Paul” in 1994. When the remaining Beatles discovered the news, they were emotional. The finding meant they could be on a song with their beloved friend one final time.
After listening to the recording, the members realized that Lennon’s voice was muffled under piano keys. In the words of Harrison, the recording sounded like “rubbish.” The three band members were disappointed and shelved the song in 1995.
In an unfortunate turn of events, Harrison would pass five years later on Nov. 29, 2001, leaving members Mccartney and Starr to grieve the death of another close companion and member of The Beatles.
“We lost George, which kinda took the wind out of our sails,” McCartney says in the documentary. “It took almost a quarter of a century for us to wait until the right moment to tackle ‘Now and Then’ again.”
Through the technology provided by Peter Jackson and his team used in the “Get Back” movie released in 2021, Mccartney and Starr decided it was time to try again. New AI technology allowed for the isolation of Lennons’s vocals and the instruments heard throughout the tape. The audio once registered through the new system was able to lift the vocals and make Lennon’s voice crystal clear.
Content with their recent accomplishment, McCartney laid down an improved bass recording while Starr worked on recording on drums. In tribute to Harrison, McCartney mixed the original guitar parts from Harrison’s 1995 recording to bring together the fab four for the last time.
“Now and then / I miss you / Oh, now and then / I want you to be there for me / Always to return to me,” Lennon sings.
Over a moving piano, Lennon’s lyrics hold a double meaning in retrospect. On one hand, the lyrics can be from the eyes of Lennon in love. At the time of the recording, Lennon and Ono were having issues within their relationship, and having been through a break, they needed each other more than ever.
On the other hand, the lyrics serve as a poetic ending and farewell to the band. Although nobody knew what the future would hold when the song was recorded, the sentimental farewell to both his companions and his beloved fans is heard through Lennon’s recordings.
“Now and Then” allows for The Beatles to relive the glory days once more by allowing a proper farewell to those who have known the household name for years, as well as those who are newer fans of one of the greatest bands the history of music has ever known.