The Fab Four have reunited for one last song.
The track was accompanied by a 13-minute documentary chronicling its complex recording process.
According to the documentary, the song’s genesis came from Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono.
The Beatles: Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, John Lennon, and George Harrison.John Pratt/Keystone/Getty
“To hear John’s voice, that’s a thing that we should cherish.
And I’m sure he would have really enjoyed that opportunity to be with us again.”
The tracks were released in 1995 and 1996 alongside theAnthologydocumentary project.
The final demo, “Now and Then,” proved to be a bigger challenge.
“It really brought to the fore to the three of us that John’s gone.”
The rudimentary mixing of Lennon’s tape created a problem for the remaining Beatles.
“Now we could mix it and make a proper record of it,” McCartney says.
McCartney also played a guitar solo reminiscent of the sunny slide style that Harrison developed during his solo career.
“It was really a tribute to George,” McCartney says.
“It was all a bit hush-hush.
We pretended it was just something of mine.”
“All of those memories come flooding back.
McCartney says at the end of the video.
“To still be working on Beatles music in 2023… wow.
‘Now and Then,’ it’s probably like the last Beatles song.
And we’ve all played on it, so it is a genuine Beatles recording.”
Listen to “Now and Then” below.
