The Beatles’ new song “Now and Then,” announced as the band’s (supposedly really) “final song,” will be released on Thursday (November 2). The following day (November 3rd) is the music video for the song, which was directed by Peter Jackson.
Jackson previously directed the 2021 documentary/reconstruction “The Beatles: Get Back,” which documented the making of the band’s 1970 album “Let It Be.”
In his statement, Jackson describes the work as “poignant and humorous” and invites “viewers to celebrate the Beatles’ timeless and enduring love for one another with John, Paul, George and Ringo as they create the final Beatles song.” . The video will be published on the Fab Four YouTube channel.
Watch the trailer here:
The genesis of “Now and Then” reportedly spanned five decades and is the result of conversations and collaborations between the Beatles that have continued to this day.
The “Final Song” was written by John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, and was completed by surviving members McCartney and Starr more than 40 years after work began on it. The double A-side single also features a throwback to the band’s 1962 debut single, “Love Me Do”, with the original cover by Ed Ruscha. Both songs were mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos.
Peter Jackson’s technology made the song possible
It says on YouTube: “The long-mythologized John Lennon demo was first edited in February 1995 by Paul, George and Ringo as part of The Beatles Anthology project, but remained unfinished, in part because of the impossible technical challenges involved working with the voice John recorded on tape in the 1970s. For years it looked like the song would never be finished.”
But in 2022 a fortunate circumstance occurred: “A software system developed by Peter Jackson and his team, which was used in the production of the documentary series ‘Get Back’, finally paved the way for the decoupling of John’s singing from his piano part.” This enabled the original recording to be brought back to life and reworked with contributions from all four Beatles.