They have "Come Together" one last time.
All four members of The Beatles are featured on the band's long-awaited "final" song "Now and Then." It was released worldwide on Nov. 2 thanks to a little help from artificial intelligence.
The track's story dates back to the 1970s, when the two now deceased members of the group, John Lennon and George Harrison, were still alive.
According to an announcement from The Beatles, Lennon recorded a demo of "Now and Then" at his home with vocals and piano before his death in 1980. Then in 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr and Harrison, along with the demos for two Beatles songs released as part of The Beatles Anthology projects in the 90s.
At that time, the three living members recorded parts and completed a rough mix of "Now and Then," but technological limitations stood in the way of completing a clear final product.
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Then came Peter Jackson, the director of "The Beatles: Get Back" 2021 docuseries. He figured out how to "separate" Lennon's vocals from the piano in the 1970s demo to allow McCartney and Starr to complete the project last year.
With Lennon's original demo, the surviving pair were able to add backing vocals, guitar recordings Harrison — who died in 2001 — had recorded in 1995, new drums from Starr, and bass, guitar and piano from McCartney, who also oversaw the addition of a string arrangement and interweaving of vocals from some of their other songs.
"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," Starr said.
"There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear," McCartney said. "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."
The track is paired with a re-release of The Beatles' very first single, "Love Me Do," which was released in 1962.
And a day prior to its Thursday release, a 12-minute documentary film, titled "Now and Then — The Last Beatles Song" premiered on Disney+. On Friday, an accompanying music video will debut.
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