'Now and Then,' promoted as the last Beatles song, made using AI

Columbia Daily Tribune
·1 min read
Smooth and polished, the Beatles opened their U.S. tour in San Francisco, on August 20, 1964. Three of the four from left are Paul McCartney, George Harrison and John Lennon. (AP Photo)

An example of how the Beatles don't fade is their most recent effort, "Now and Then."

Promoted as the last Beatles song, artificial intelligence was used to separate John Lennon's voice from a demo he had made of the song. The three surviving Beatles had attempted to record it in 1994, so Harrison's guitar playing from that period is used, plus new orchestration, vocals, and pieces incorporated from existing Beatles songs.

"I'm really proud of how they made it," said local musician Dennis Hodo. "I really liked the song."

The decades-long procedure of how the song evolved is the fascinating aspect for Peter Zambito, University of Missouri music professor. "I like the song, but I enjoyed the back story about how it came about event more," Zambito said. "I liked learning how technology allowed this to happen."

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: The long and winding road of recording 'Now and Then' with use of AI