AI Helps 'The Beatles' Release Their Last Song, 'Now And Then'
'Now and Then' has released around 50 years after The Beatles broke up.
advertisement
The iconic band, The Beatles, might have broken up around 50 years back, but the Fab Four sort of united for their first new song after 45 years, titled “Now and Then," which also happens to be their final song. It's based on a demo cassette tape recorded by John Lennon in 1978.
The song features contributions from all four original members of the band, including Lennon. He was murdered in 1980, but has been brought to life with the help of artificial intelligence.
Lennon's widow Yoko Ono had given Paul McCartney a cassette tape titled 'For Paul.' In the mid 90s, the other members released two songs from Lennon's cassette, 'Free as a Bird' and 'Real Love'. The additions to the Beatles catalogue used Lennon's vocals with new backing tracks recorded by other members. They used technology to life Lennon's voice, which was very difficult but the technology worked. However, 'Now and Then' didn't make the cut that time, as George Harrison had dismissed it. Lennon had recorded the song himself in the late 1970s, when The Beatles split.
Finally, in 2022, McCartney and Ringo Starr were finally able to use advanced technical restoration to release 'Now And Then.' The song was announced in June this year, and McCartney had said, "To still be working on Beatles' music in 2023 - wow. "The Beatles — Now And Then — The Last Beatles Song. We are actually experimenting with state-of-the-art technology, which is something The Beatles would have been very interested in."
Apart from the song, there's also a documentary titled 'Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song - Short Film."
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)