The Beatles will release their final song, titled “Now And Then”, today (November 2). With the help of artificial intelligence, the track features contributions from all four members of the legendary English rock band: John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and George Harrison.
Lennon’s vocals on the track come a tape the late singer recorded in the late 1970s — which also featured demos of “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”. The band initially started working on Lennon’s demo in February 1995 as part of The Beatles’ anthology project before halting production on “Now And Then” due to technological constraints.
In 2022, work on the single resumed with the development of new software by Peter Jackson and his team during The Beatles’ Get Back documentary series. The software could separate voices and instruments in certain tracks, allowing them to isolate Lennon’s voice to turn into a proper song.
“Now And Then” will be released on all major streaming platforms today (November 2) at 2 PM GMT (10 PM PHT). The track will also be issued as a CD, vinyl, and cassette as a double A-side single with their 1962 hit, “Love Me Do”.
“It’s quite emotional and we all play on it — it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023, to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing,” said McCartney in a statement.
To coincide with the release of “The Last Beatles Song”, The Beatles dropped a short film documenting the creation of “Now And Then” across five decades and how all four members contributed to what the song is today. With commentary from McCartney, Starr, Harrison, Jackson, and Sean Ono Lennon, the documentary film is now out via The Beatles’ YouTube channel.
The Beatles released their last album, Let It Be in May 1970. The record was released a month after the band’s public break up and featured iconic tracks like “Get Back” and “Let It Be”.