The Beatles' Last Song Is Ready to Be Released—What We Know
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
The Beatles
Nearly 50 years after the official dissolution of The Beatles, the band's final song is ready for release.
The track, titled "Now and Then," has truly been a long time coming. According to Good Morning America, it's all come together over the years, ever since John Lennon recorded demo vocals in the late '70s. In 1994, Yoko Ono gave the recording to Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison, in addition to demos for "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love," which were released in the '90s as part of The Beatles Anthology.
"Now and Then" didn't go anywhere until 2021, when The Beatles: Get Back docuseries director Peter Jackson isolated Lennon's vocals and instruments with the help of updated technology. In 2022, McCartney and Starr finished the song using guitar parts recorded by Harrison in the mid-'90s.
The song, which has been declared "the last Beatles song," drops at 10 a.m. ET on Nov. 2. A documentary will premiere the day prior at 3:30 p.m. on the band's official YouTube channel to give fans a closer look at the way they produced the song.
Their first and final songs will be placed together on a double-A side single, putting a neat little bow on their legacy.
"It's quite emotional," McCartney said in a statement. "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."
"It was the closest we'll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us," Starr said. "It was like John was there, you know. It's far out."
Lennon's son, Sean Ono Lennon, also made a statement, calling it "incredibly touching" to see it all come together "after all the years that Dad had been gone."
He continued, "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."
Olivia Harrison, the guitarist's widow, approves as well. "Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard," she said. "If he were here today, [our son Dhani Harrison] and I know he would have whole-heartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of 'Now And Then.'"
Next: Paul McCartney Commemorates John Lennon's Would-Be 83rd Birthday With Special Post
