The Beatles' new song: You got to get 'Now and Then' into your life. Here's how

The first new Beatles song since "Real Love" hit the streets in 1996 has finally arrived.

"Now and Then" hit streaming services at 7 a.m. PDT on Thursday, Nov. 2, followed by a music video.

Like "Real Love" and the single that preceded it, 1995's "Free As a Bird," "Now and Then" began life as a home recording written and sung by the late John Lennon and fleshed out by his former bandmates Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr long after Lennon's death in 1980 to coincide with the release of "The Beatles Anthology."

The three surviving Beatles completed a rough mix of “Now and Then” with producer Jeff Lynne at the time, but technological limitations prevented Lennon’s vocals and piano from being separated to achieve the clear, unclouded mix they wanted.

So “Now and Then” was shelved in the hope that one day, given further technological advances, they could try again.

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How 'The Beatles: Get Back' paved the way for 'Now and Then'

Those technological advances arrived with the making of Peter Jackson's "The Beatles: Get Back," a documentary released in 2022.

Using WingNut Films’ MAL audio technology, Jackson’s team de-mixed the soundtrack to the footage of the Beatles shot during the making of the "Get Back" album, which had been retitled "Let It Be" by the time it hit the streets in 1970 as both a documentary and an album.

That technology allowed the team to isolate the instruments and vocals, as well as all the individual voices within The Beatles’ conversations.

That opened the way to 2022’s new mix of the "Revolver" album, sourced directly from the four-track master tapes.

It also raised the possibility that something could be done with “Now and Then."

How Peter Jackson, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr finished 'Now and Then'

Jackson and his sound team, led by Emile de la Rey, applied the same technique to Lennon’s home recording of the song, preserving the clarity and integrity of his original vocal performance while separating it from the piano.

Last year, McCartney and Starr set about completing the song.

In addition to Lennon’s vocals, “Now and Then” includes electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by Harrison, who died in 2001; a new drum part by Starr; and bass, guitar, electric harpsichord and piano by McCartney, which matches Lennon’s original playing.

McCartney also added a slide guitar solo inspired by Harrison, and he and Starr supplied new backing vocals on the chorus.

In Los Angeles, McCartney oversaw a Capitol Studios recording session for the ballad’s wistful, quintessentially Beatles string arrangement, written by Giles Martin (son of the Beatles producer George Martin), McCartney and Ben Foster.

McCartney and Martin also added backing vocals from the original recordings of “Here, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby” and “Because,” woven into the new song using the techniques perfected during the making of the "LOVE" show and album.

The finished track was produced by McCartney and Martin, and mixed by Spike Stent.

'It's a genuine Beatles recording,' Paul McCartney says

In a press release, McCartney said, "There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”

In that same press release, Starr added, “It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out.”

Sean Ono Lennon said, “It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all the years that Dad had been gone. It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo got to make together. It’s like a time capsule and all feels very meant to be.”

The last Beatles song: Here's how to get 'Now and Then'

“Now and Then” will be released worldwide at 7 a.m. PDT on Thursday, Nov. 2, by Apple Corps Ltd./Capitol/UMe.

The double A-side vinyl single pairs the last Beatles song with the first: their 1962 debut UK single, “Love Me Do."

The single will also be available as a digital download and available for streaming at all the usual places (Spotify, YouTube, Apple Music, etc.).

Both songs are mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos with original cover art by Ed Ruscha.

A music video for “Now and Then,” directed by Jackson, will premiere on Friday, Nov. 3.

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The 'Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song” documentary

A 12-minute “Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song” documentary film, written and directed by Oliver Murray, premiered on Nov. 1 on The Beatles’ YouTube channel.

The film tells the story behind the last Beatles song, with exclusive footage and commentary from McCartney, Starr, Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon and Jackson.

In the documentary, McCartney says, "When we lost John, we knew that it was really over. But in 1994, amazingly, an interesting opportunity arose where we could make more music together."

We also hear from Harrison, who tells the story of Yoko Ono supplying the demos of those three unfinished songs. As Harrison says, "To hear John's voice again, that's a thing to cherish. And I'm sure he would've really enjoyed that opportunity to be with us again."

Starr calls it "the closest we'll ever come to having him back in the room."

New editions of the Beatles' Red and Blue albums on the way

This last installment of The Beatles’ recorded history will be followed by new editions of the two compilation albums seen as the definitive introduction to their work. Since their 1973 debuts, "1962-1966 (‘The Red Album’)" and "1967-1970 (‘The Blue Album’)" have ushered countless listeners of all ages into lifelong Beatles fandom.

Expanded for their new 2023 Edition releases, the collections together span The Beatles’ entire recorded canon with 75 standout tracks, from their first single, “Love Me Do,” to their last, “Now And Then.”

The collection's 21 newly added tracks (twelve on ‘Red’ and nine on ‘Blue’) showcase even more of The Beatles’ best songs.

In recent years, several "1967-1970" tracks and a few from "1962-1966" have received new stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes for The Beatles’ special edition album releases, including "Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band" (2017), "The Beatles (‘White Album’)" (2018), "Abbey Road" (2019), "Let It Be" (2021), and "Revolver" (2022), as well as new stereo mixes for "The Beatles 1" (2015).

All tracks not also featured on those releases have been newly mixed in stereo and/or Dolby Atmos by Giles Martin and Sam Okell at Abbey Road Studios, aided by WingNut Films’ audio de-mixing technology.

Both collections include new essays written by journalist and author John Harris.

Reach the reporter at ed.masley@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-4495. Follow him on Twitter @EdMasley.

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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Here's how to get the Beatles' new song 'Now and Then'