The Beatles achieved a historic feat this Friday (11/10), when the single “Now And Then” reached No. 1 in the UK charts, marking the group’s biggest hit since “The Ballad of John and Yoko” in 1969.
“Now And Then” became the quartet’s eighteenth song to top the list of most played and sold songs in the UK, and set three records. Firstly, the Beatles consolidated their position as the British artists with the most chart-topping hits of all time – they are only surpassed by American Elvis Presley’s 21 hits. Additionally, the 54-year gap between the last and new hits marks the longest time span ever for two chart-toppers by the same artist. Finally, the band also established the longest recorded distance for the same artist between the first No. 1 (1963’s “From Me To You”) and the last: 60 years.
A long journey
The song was originally composed on the piano by John Lennon in 1978 and recorded on a demo tape, which Yoko Ono gave to Paul McCartney in 1994. At the time, the track received instruments from Paul, George Harrison and Ringo Starr in the studio, but they failed to bring out John’s voice beneath the piano sound of the original recording. Of John’s trio’s remaining recording sessions, they only managed to release “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love”, in 1995 and 1996, respectively.
This changed only last year, when new digital technology (by director Peter Jackson for the miniseries “The Beatles: Get Back”) allowed John’s muffled voice to be highlighted, which encouraged Paul and Ringo to finish the registration. Technology made it possible to reunite the four Beatles, including George, who died in 2001, for the last time.
Beatlemania is reborn
In its social media chart post, the Official Charts Company reflected on the song’s surprise success, declaring that “Beatlemania is back”. Paul McCartney reposted the message, enthusiastic about the success of the song.
The recording also earned rave reviews from British critics. Respectable journalists such as Alexis Petridis of The Guardian and Mark Beaumont of The Independent have called “Now And Then” a musical event and one of the most emotional moments in the history of pop music.
The song was released on November 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.
🏆 BEATLEMANIA IS BACK! 🏆
The Beatles (@the Beatles) claim their 18th official No. 1 single with #Occasionally – and break official UK chart records in the process ✨
See #The Beatles incredible statistics 👇 #Red and bluehttps://t.co/34kswOdOVA
—Official Charts (@officialcharts) November 10, 2023
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.
