The Beatles’ long-awaited “last song,” “Now and Then,” received a music video this Friday (3/11), reviving the magic of the iconic British band. Directed by Peter Jackson, the video shows behind the scenes of the recording and features a final reunion between John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, with the help of digital technology.
A technological miracle
In addition to directing the clip, the “Lord of the Rings” director was also responsible for developing the technology that allowed John Lennon’s voice to be recovered and separated from an old demo tape provided by Yoko Ono. The remaining Beatles trio worked on a recording session of the song in 1995, but at that time they were unable to “clean up” the first dead band member’s vocals, which were muffled by a piano on the tape, and abandoned the project . set aside. Harrison died in 2001, and the recording also became his last unreleased studio recording.
The release of the song, however, came only after Paul McCartney was impressed by Jackson’s revitalization work in the miniseries “The Beatles: Get Back”. After learning about the technology created for the production, he decided to try using it on Lennon’s demo tape, and the result allowed the two surviving Beatles to return to the studio to work on the abandoned track again.
The return of the Beatles
Composed by John Lennon in the late 1970s, “Now and Then” appears as a typical Beatles song, a ballad with Lennon and McCartney’s famous vocal harmonization – which this time is reinforced by Ringo in the chorus – and slide guitar by Harrison. To top it off, the recording was arranged for strings by co-producer Giles Martin, son of George Martin, producer of the original Beatles recordings.
The clip includes scenes from this entire journey, mixed with images of the Beatles in their youth. Additionally, the story was also told in a mini-documentary made available on Wednesday (1/11).
The song was released on Thursday (11/2) as a “double single”, along with a remix of “Love Me Do” (1962), the group’s first official song, marking a circular journey for the Beatles.
Source: Terra
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
