The Beatles Final Song: In a heartwarming and nostalgic move, The Beatles have graced us with the music video for their newly released final song, “Now and Then.” Directed by the Academy Award-winning filmmaker Peter Jackson, known for his exceptional work on the 2021 Beatles documentary “Get Back,” this video brings the beloved band back to life.
The story behind “Now and Then” is a testament to the enduring magic of The Beatles. The song began as a humble home demo by the legendary John Lennon. In the mid-1990s, the other three Beatles came together to work on this piece, a period that also saw the creation of their only other post-breakup songs, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love.” Yet, back then, a pesky hum in Lennon’s original recording cast a shadow on the demo, making it nearly unusable. Despite their efforts, the song was left incomplete and forgotten.
However, 2021 marked a turning point when Peter Jackson and his team harnessed the power of WingNut Films’ MAL audio AI technology during the making of “Get Back.” This cutting-edge tech allowed them to separate and isolate tracks, including “Now and Then.” Inspired by this breakthrough, Sir Paul McCartney took it upon himself to complete the song.
With the assistance of Giles Martin, the son of George Martin, they blended the original demo, old materials recorded with Harrison and Starr in the ’90s, fresh recordings from 2022 (featuring a new drum part by Starr), and audio samples from the original recordings of “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby,” and “Because.” Thus, a new Beatles song was born, bridging the past with the present.
The music video for “Now and Then” takes us on a captivating journey. Jackson masterfully combines unseen footage from the 1995 recording session with home videos contributed by the families of Lennon and Harrison. What’s truly remarkable is the middle segment of the video, where we witness McCartney and Starr alongside their younger selves, as well as the late, cherished bandmates, Lennon and Harrison.
Peter Jackson elaborated on the spirit of The Beatles, saying, “At their core, The Beatles were irreverent and funny, and the middle section should capture that spirit. We needed to laugh at The Beatles, and laugh with them. They were always sending themselves up and the more seriously other people took them, the more they would clown around. Luckily, we found a collection of unseen outtakes in the vault, where The Beatles are relaxed, funny, and rather candid. These become the spine of our middle section, and we wove the humor into some footage shot in 2023. The result is pretty nutty and provided the video with much-needed balance between the sad and the funny.”
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Our Reader’s Queries
What was the last Beatles song ever made?
Today’s release of ‘Now and Then’ marks the end of an era for the Beatles. This bittersweet postscript, described by Apple Corps as ‘the final Beatles song,’ is a poignant reflection on lost love. The song was pieced together from a demo recorded by John Lennon in the late 1970s, long after the band had disbanded. The piano and vocal elements create a haunting and nostalgic atmosphere, making it a fitting farewell from one of the most iconic bands in music history.
What was the last hit single from The Beatles?
In 1969, The Beatles scored their final chart-topping single with “The Ballad of John and Yoko.”
What was the last song played live by The Beatles?
In 1996, the Beatles’ final live performance featured their last song “Get Back”, which was captured in the third live performance. Anthology 3 included this iconic performance. Additionally, Let It Be… Naked included an edited version of “Don’t Let Me Down” and a composite of “I’ve Got a Feeling”, both composed of two takes.
What Beatles song ends abruptly?
The last recording session for “I Want You (She’s So Heavy)”, where the final mixing and editing took place, marked the final collaboration of all four Beatles in the studio. The ultimate version ran for 8:04, but Lennon threw in a unexpected ending.