Summary
- The Beatles released a new song called "Now and Then" using AI technology to complete the unfinished work of late band members John Lennon and George Harrison.
- Paul McCartney believes that John Lennon would have positively reacted to the new song and would have wanted them to finish it.
- The process of using AI to bring John Lennon back to life in the music video for "Now and Then" was an emotional experience for Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr.
The Beatles are still considered one of the biggest rock bands of all time. With 2 studio albums, 5 live albums, and 51 compilation albums, this group sold more than an estimated 600 million records worldwide. With so many great songs, it’s no wonder why The Beatles were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame back in the late 80s.
Although The Beatles officially split up in 1974 and only two of its original four members are still alive, the band recently released a new song. Titled ‘Now and Then’ this newly released single was completed with the help of AI. In a recent interview, Paul McCartney revealed how the late John Lennon would have reacted to this song.
Paul McCartney Released A New The Beatles Song With The Help Of AI
Recently, The Beatles released a never-released song titled ‘Now and Then.’ The song was part of a series of songs written by John Lennon and recorded in a demo titled “For Paul.”
In 1994, years after Lennon’s tragic death, Yoko Ono handed this demo to Paul McCartney. The remaining members of The Beatles ended up recording two new songs based on these recordings, ‘Free As a Bird’ and ‘Real Love’, which topped the charts in the UK.
However, the band was never able to complete recording their version of the demo of ‘Now and Then.’ “On John’s demo tape, the piano was a little hard to hear. And in those days, of course, we didn’t have the technology to do the separation … we kind of ran out of steam a bit, and time. Now and Then just languished in a cupboard,” McCartney told The Guardian about 'Now and Then.'
However, The Beatles were finally able to complete this song with the help of artificial intelligence. They used AI technology to isolate Lennon’s vocals from the demo and the remaining members of the band, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, recorded new parts for the song. Plus, the song features guitar parts recorded by the late George Harrison back in the original 1995 session.
The technology used to make this final The Beatles' song was the same utilized in Peter Jackson’s documentary Get Back to pieced together songs for the band’s final two albums, Abbey Road and Let It Be. Additional technology was used to create a video showing the band “making” this song together.
Paul McCartney Claims That John Lennon Would Have Loved The Beatles’ New Song ‘Now And Then’
Paul McCartney had been planning to create a final Beatles song featuring the late John Lennon and George Harrison for quite a while. While working with director Peter Jackson in a new Beatles documentary, McCartney revealed that they used AI technology to “extricate” Lennon’s voice from an old demo, which inspired him to use this technology to create a song with his former bandmates.
“When Peter Jackson did the film The Beatles Get Back, where it was us making the Let It Be album, he was able to extricate John's voice from a ropey little bit of cassette and a piano,” the singer told The News. McCartney even admitted that this little trick became “one of my favorite bits in this show now.”
Most recently, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr paired up to create a final The Beatles song, titled ‘Now and Then.’ With the help of AI, their late bandmates were also able to be a part of this project. McCartney told The Guardian that, although he had his doubts at first, he’s sure the late John Lennon would have reacted positively to ‘Now and Then’.
“Is it something we shouldn’t do? Every time I thought like that I thought, wait a minute, let’s say I had a chance to ask John: ‘Hey John, would you like us to finish this last song of yours?’ I’m telling you, I know the answer would have been: ‘Yeah!’,” McCarney explained.
Making ‘Now and Then’ Was Extremely Emotional for Paul McCartney And Ringo Starr
Using AI to complete The Beatles' unfinished work was great for the fans. However, this project was extremely emotional for Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr. In the official music video for ‘Now and Then,’ the drummer admitted that watching the late John Lennon come to life with the help of AI, “was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room.”
Shortly after the release of Peter Jackson’s documentary Get Back, McCartney revealed that using AI technology to extricate Lennon’s voice from old demos was extremely emotional for him. “It was hard to hold your emotions back actually. You could just get overcome,” the 81-year-old musician told The News.
Despite this, McCartney admits he loved the experience, “It was the magic – it was my buddy, who’s been dead a long time, and here he was, back, and I'm working with him again.”
