Single:
Dubbed “the last Beatles song”, Now and Then was released on 2 November 2023 as a double A-side single with a new mix of the band’s first single, Love Me Do (1962).
Album:
Now and Then was included on expanded re-issues of the compilation albums 1962-1966 (The Red Album) and 1967–1970 (The Blue Album), released on 10 November 2023. The re-issues were mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos.
Songwriters:
Original composition by John Lennon
The Beatles version by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Richard Starkey
Producers:
Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Jeff Lynne (1995 sessions)
Record label:
Apple
Official music video:
Director: Peter Jackson
Producers: Peter Jackson, Clare Olssen, Jonathan Clyde
BONUS CLIPS BELOW:
12-minute video The Last Beatles Song about how Now and Then came to be
Love Me Do – 2023 remix
Wikipedia:
Now and Then was originally written and recorded by John Lennon around 1977 as a solo piano home demo, but was left unfinished. After Lennon’s death in 1980, the song was considered as the third Beatles reunion single for their 1995–1996 retrospective project The Beatles Anthology, following Free as a Bird and Real Love, both based on Lennon’s demos. However, instead of being included on Anthology 3, the song was shelved for nearly three decades. It was later completed by surviving bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr with overdubs, and included guitar tracks by George Harrison from the abandoned 1995 sessions.
The finalised version also features additional lyrics by McCartney, and Lennon’s voice extracted from the original demo using the AI-backed audio restoration technology commissioned by Peter Jackson for his 2021 documentary The Beatles: Get Back.
Read more: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_and_Then_(Beatles_song)
Personnel:
John Lennon – lead and backing vocals
Paul McCartney – lead and backing vocals, bass, lap steel guitar, piano, electric harpsichord, shaker
George Harrison – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
Ringo Starr – backing vocals, drums, tambourine, shaker
Full personnel details: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Now_and_Then_(Beatles_song)#Personnel
Lyrics:
I know it’s true
It’s all because of you
And if I make it through
It’s all because of you
And now and then
If we must start again
Well, we will know for sure
That I will love you
Click for full lyrics
BONUS CLIPS
A 12-minute documentary film Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song tells the story behind the song. It was written and directed by Oliver Murray and includes commentary by McCartney, Starr and Harrison as well as Sean Lennon and Peter Jackson.
Now and Then was released as a double A-side single, paired with a new mix of the band’s first single, Love Me Do, originally released in 1962:
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