Now and Then - The Legacy of the Beatles

Max Vasquez - December 4th, 2023

The Beatles is the type of band that just by saying their names, it makes an instant knowing of at least one of their songs. They are a band that came from England during the early to late 60s, that didn’t just transform the music industry but also the sound of how music can be played or mixed with melodies Now, of course not everyone might like them;however, no one can deny that their names are a monument to music.

Given all this, after they disbanded in 1974, sadly, two members of the band passed away. None of their fans or anyone thought that a new song would ever come out. The idea itself is impossible, yet Sr Paul McCarteny and Sr Ringo Starr were able to make the impossible possible for the fans and to say one final goodbye. 

During the solo career of John Lennon, he had recorded a demo that would have most likely gone on his album if it wasn’t for his passing. The demo was titled “Now and Then”; he recorded this with just his vocals and a piano to back him. After his passing, the rest of the band members were able to get hold of his demos and other works. They saw this demo as a chance to give memory to their friend, so they wanted to decide to finish it. With the remaining members left, they tried to record backing tracks of guitar, bass, and drums. However, they tried to complete this song during a period where the music technology wasn't quite there yet, in the sense of mixing the tracks and having them sound like they were all singing together seemed almost impossible. George Harrison was even quoted to say that it was “ rubbish” as they kept trying to make it work, but it always came out in a way that made them disappointed. 

It wasn’t until the passing of George Harrison that Paul and Ringo saw the project as just a dream and something that they couldn’t complete. That wasn’t until recently when in 2021, they wanted to work on it again just to see if the technology had catched up for them. Luckily for them, it had to the point where they could even add more to the song with an orchestra of strings and even vocals from both men. The song wasn’t released until 2023 and was labeled as the last ever Beatles song. Some people have some disliking to the song as music AI helped a lot in the making of the song and brought the recordings of two deceased members back;however, it wasn’t like they replaced their friends, they just were now able to bring their voices together in one final send off.

Even if you aren’t a fan of the band the new single is worth a listen and the band's goodbye. It’s a thank you letter to their fans and a way to close the chapter from then to now.