In this troubling world we live in, a surprise awaits us just around the corner and we are already upset about few things. But perhaps this news will send us into a frenzy: a new Beatles song in 2023! Let’s remember: the group disappeared 53 years ago and two of its four members have already died. But John Lennon’s voice can actually be heard there as he plays his white piano installed in the Dakota building: “I know it’s true, it’s all for you. / And if I do it, it will be thanks to you. / And from time to time, when we have to start over, we will know for sure that I love you.”
The story of Now and Then, which can be heard from 3 p.m. Today, Thursday the 2nd, and which Paul McCartney has called “the last song of the Beatles”, with the 4 minutes and 8 seconds that this “Jealous Guy” type ballad lasts (without wanting to compare), faced with too many shots to leave alone is just a hint). There is no older school in popular music than that of the Beatles, the most transcendental group in history; And for the defenders of rock classicism, there is no greater specter than high technology, embodied by the demon that hovers over us called artificial intelligence (AI). The sparks are flying so strongly that the numerous press releases about the Liverpool quartet’s new song for several days have forgotten any mention of AI, something Paul McCartney mentioned last June when he broke the news on BBC Radio 4. “Paul McCartney says artificial intelligence made one final Beatles song possible,” headlined the BBC.
Five months later, “Now and Then” can already be heard and it will be extremely difficult to prove whether everything Lennon sings comes from his throat or whether an intelligent machine had to get involved. “The voice sounds perfect, it’s very good. I think Lennon is very recognizable. Although sometimes he sounds like his son… But yes, I recognize John’s voice,” says musician and Beatle lover Igor Paskual after listening to Now and Then. The official statement insists the technology was not used to artificially enhance Lennon’s voice, but rather to “preserve the clarity and integrity of the original vocal performance by separating it from the piano.” So AI for filing and cleaning up sounds and not for creating them. Once that clarity is achieved, the transplants for 2023 arrive: McCartney (Liverpool, 81 years old) contributed bass and piano and Starr (Liverpool, 83 years old) drums; A guitar belonging to Harrison (who died in 2001) was recovered and choirs were performed. In addition, McCartney recorded some slide guitar drawings “in the style of George” and Giles Martin, son of producer and fifth Beatle George Martin, who died in 2016, created a string arrangement. A mecca of technological surgery that has made purist supporters grin.
“Now and Then” is a late 1970s piece that Lennon recorded in his 30s with piano and vocals in a room in the Dakota Building in New York, where the Beatle lived with his partner Yoko Ono and where he was murdered ( in the door) on December 8, 1980 at the age of 40 by Mark David Chapman. So we are faced with a theme that originally came from Lennon. In the mid-1990s, Paul, Ringo and George asked Yoko Ono if she was keeping Lennon material in a drawer. Ono offered them three songs that his partner was working on: Free As a Bird, Real Love and Now and Them. It was a homemade cassette tape on which John probably wrote: “For Paul.” Theories on this message? That Lennon was thinking about reuniting with his old friend. Definitely just guesses. The three Beatles worked on it, but were only able to save the first two, which they included on the compilations Anthology 1 (Free As a Bird, 1995) and Anthology 2 (Real Love, 1996). The technology of the time could not achieve optimal quality with the tape on which “Now and Then” was found. Thanks to tools like artificial intelligence, a new quartet song has now been created. Paul and Ringo worked with the same machinery that filmmaker Peter Jackson used in the acclaimed documentary Get Back (2021). “There was John’s voice, clear as crystal. It was exciting. And we all play. “It’s a real Beatles recording from 2023,” McCartney said in a 12-minute mini-documentary recounting the song’s creation. Ringo Starr emphasizes: “It was as if John was there, in the studio.” From November 10th, “Now and Then” will be included in the reissue of the compilation albums “Red” and “Blue”, the musical and sentimental guideposts of many generations . The new theme is the catch for the fan who is scratching his pocket: there are different formats, but the complete package can exceed 100 euros. You may have noticed that Christmas is just around the corner and few money machines are as well-oiled as the Beatles’.
Yoko Ono and John Lennon walk through New York in 1979, the year the Beatles recorded the original version of “Now and Then.” Michael Ochs Archive (Getty Images)
Curious Beatlemaniacs are no stranger to Now and Then. Lennon’s original demo has supplied the Beatles’ extensive pirate market for years, sometimes with alternative names to Now and Them, such as I Don’t Want to Lose You or Miss You. You can listen to the song on platforms like YouTube: It lasts five minutes, is a little longer than the one now published and contains a few more verses. The Beatles’ lawyers have to work overtime these days because the problem appears, disappears and reappears in short periods of time. The musician Luis Prado, a loyal supporter of the Beatles, with a solo career and currently on tour with Miguel Ríos, is not convinced by the topic: “I don’t particularly like it.” I can’t find it addictive. I understand George Harrison when he dismissed it back in the anthology sessions and said there was nothing left to scratch. I see more charm in home recording [demo]the truth”.
Other specialists like the new topic. Rolling Stone critic Rob Sheffield writes: “Listening to John and Paul sing together is extremely powerful. “It hits a lot more emotionally than “Free As Bird” or “Real Love,” where John’s voice sounded weak.” Igor Pascual emphasizes: “It seems like a good topic to me. The Beatles are the creators of the modern ballad. I prefer this song to any by Coldplay. A little Lennon goes a long way. I think it’s good that she recovered because we have a great need for beauty these days. And the way it is done is not the most important thing for me. Thanks to technology, we haven’t lost those tunes. I think we’re very afraid of anything that sounds like AI and machines because it’s believed to dehumanize music. And it’s not true. There is a human fear of the machine, which is actually a fear of oneself, of not being up to the level of the machine.”
Others are not convinced by the case. This is the case of Tito Lesende, author of the book Revolver. The Beatles album that revolutionized rock: “It’s a great song. The melody has that classic John Lennon cadence and the instrumental part is undoubtedly great. But I want to make it clear that this is not about the Beatles, no matter how many times they repeat it to us, but about a genetic intervention on a sample of Lennon’s creative DNA.” Lesende adds: “Now and Then is a sketch that Lennon never intended for the Beatles; He didn’t even finish reading it and maybe he never would have published it. Of course, Lennon is not here to exercise his moral right to decide on his song. Neither does Harrison, who worked on this sketch in the ’90s and decided it didn’t meet the quality standard for publication. After the two critical members died, we hear a preliminary, unprofessional recording of Lennon at the age of 39, combined with the tired voice of Paul McCartney at the age of 80, because only for the dead does time stand still.
There are no breaks on the side of the living. They all formed a compact block. Yoko Ono gave the song, McCartney and Ringo wove the grafts, and Sean Ono Lennon (John’s son) and Danhi Harrison (George’s son) gave their blessing. In the documentary, Sean even seems to reference a mystical dream: “It was touching to hear them working together after all the years Dad was away. “It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo were able to do together.”
Luis Prado points out a theory, taking into account that the lyrics are about the need for a relationship and missing a person. Although it would be most logical to assume that the recipient is Yoko…: “I think Paul is convinced that the lyrics are dedicated to him and that’s why he insisted on publishing them. There are several John songs, one called “I Know,” which is full of tributes to Paul. And they say Jealous Guy does too. So it’s not a crazy theory, because it’s a problem that John hadn’t solved: he missed Paul very much, but at the same time he couldn’t stand him. Leseende expresses his fear over McCartney’s efforts to keep the Beatles’ flame alive throughout the years: “With this song, they’ve already destroyed the warehouse, and I suspect and fear that Next thing they need to do will be a rebuild.” the deceased from previous samples of their recordings. In other words, using the four Beatles in this way and creating a franchise. That would seem fatal to me.” Would it make sense to leave the Beatles’ legacy alone and not carry out any experiments? Luis Prado points out: “Paul is a little obsessed with being the Beatles’ representative on earth. It would be good to say to yourself: “Paul, relax now, there is nothing more.”
The reality is that The Beatles and The Rolling Stones have released new songs in 2023. Although many people under 25 won’t find out…
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