Some Thoughts on The Beatles’ “Now And Then”
Why its the best of the band’s posthumous songs
There’s no question about it; “Now and Then” is by far the best of the post-1970s “Beatles” songs.
Unlike “Free As a Bird,” the sound quality is excellent. Unlike “Real Love,” there’s not a more poignant rendition that’s already been officially released. And with the hype for “Now and Then” not being quite as intense as it was when “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love” made their debut in conjunction with the Beatles’ Anthology project in 1995, people will be better able to simply appreciate it as a song.
As a Beatles fan, I was caught up in that earlier excitement too. A fellow journo brought over an advance of the Anthology three-night TV series to watch, but none of the tapes included the newly recorded songs. Anticipation built throughout the evening of the first broadcast, on Sunday, November 19, 1995. At the end of that night’s episode, a “countdown” box appeared alongside the show’s credits, indicating that The First New Beatles Song To Be Released In 25 Years was going to make its worldwide debut in five…four…three…two…one…now!
VIDEO: The Beatles “Free As A Bird”
That first experience of “Free As A Bird” was magical. The elaborate video had crammed in so many Beatles references (there they are singing at the Cavern in Liverpool; there’s a Blue Meanie popping out of a chimney top; there’s the pretty nurse selling poppies from “Penny Lane”), it was impossible to take everything in all at once. It also had a melancholy, elegiac quality, which surprised me. I hadn’t expected the song to be so sad; there was a mournful quality that was at odds with the happy footage of the cheeky Mop Tops just seen in the Anthology episode. It was a celebration of the Beatles, but the sepia-toned color of the video also decisively relegated them to the past; it was a look back at a mythological BeatlesWorld that had never really existed.
VIDEO: The Beatles “Real Love”
“Real Love,” with its ghostly piano (presumably John Lennon’s) emerging from the watery depths of Liverpool’s River Mersey, came from a more completed Lennon demo, but was somehow less satisfying. In my case, that’s partly because I preferred another version of the song, which played over the opening credits of the 1988 Imagine: John Lennon documentary. This unadorned version, just John and his guitar (and the obligatory whistle), has a simple purity that’s missing from the later Beatles version. And unlike “Free As a Bird,” it’s best heard without looking at the video, which is a mishmash of Beatles archive footage and contemporaneous shots of the so-called “Threetles” working on the track in Paul McCartney’s home studio. Some sleight-of-hand editing makes it seem as if Lennon is alongside them in the studio, and footage is also edited so he can be seen lip-syncing the word “love.” But, like “Free As a Bird,” there’s also an underlying sadness, despite an ostensibly optimistic lyric; the opening sequence, played on the same celeste used on the Beatles’ song “Because,” is especially haunting.
While I enjoyed both songs, they always felt like an addendum to The Beatles’ catalogue to me, rather than “proper” final singles, released more as marketing tools for the Anthology series and accompanying CDs. They’re extras, like the Love soundtrack and the releases of their BBC radio appearances. And after all, they were never written as Beatles songs. They’re unfinished works, doodles in a sense, from the years Lennon had largely withdrawn from public life, but still occasionally tried to tap into his creative spirit by writing bits and pieces of a tune.
The same is true of “Now and Then,” another demo which was partially worked on during those Threetles sessions too, before George Harrison called a halt (either because he didn’t like the sonic quality of the demo, the song itself, or both, depending on the source). But there was something about the track that stayed with McCartney and made him want to finish it, which he made clear by repeatedly mentioned it in interviews over the years. So it was no surprise that when a “new” Beatles song was rumored to be on the horizon, it turned out to be “Now and Then.”
This time, the opportunity to hear an advance release arrived via email, a stream sent with stern instructions not to share it (I didn’t; until today, I never even told anyone I had it). I held my breath and clicked the link.
VIDEO: Now And Then: The Last Beatles Song
The first revelation is Lennon’s voice. Unlike the ghost he seemed to be on the Anthology singles, here his voice rings out with startling clarity, a result of the MAL audio technology (developed by director Peter Jackson) that was used to extract his vocal from his cassette demo recorded over four decades ago. And that’s what’s going to make the biggest difference when the song is unveiled; there’s an immediacy that’s going to instantly grab the listener. It sounds like a complete record, not a gussied up demo.
As Lennon sings his song of regret (it’s yet another number steeped in melancholy), he’s joined by McCartney on vocals at the end of the first verse, those distinctive Beatles harmonies coming into play. This song is really McCartney’s baby, and not just because he was the primary force in bringing it to completion. Aside from Harrison’s guitar from the 1995 sessions, and Ringo Starr’s new percussion parts, McCartney plays all the other instruments and, apart from Lennon’s lead, has the most prominent vocal part. He’s further shaped the song by cutting one of the verses (“I don’t want to lose you/lose you or abuse you”), a streamlining that decidedly improves it.
Most of all, McCartney’s careful sculpting of the track (co-writing the majestic string arrangement, adding a guitar solo in emulation of Harrison’s playing style) makes it easy to read “Now and Then” as a love song to his former songwriting partner (and Harrison as well, but Lennon’s is dominant presence here). The theme is inclusive; the lines “Now and then, I miss you … I want you to be there for me, always to return to me” express sentiments familiar to anyone who’s separated from a loved one. But in this case, the lyrics cut deeper. For while “Now and Then” is as a Beatles song, as you listen you can’t help but think that two of The Beatles are no longer here. But how can that be? They’re here there on this record, via the backing vocals from other Beatles songs (“Here, There and Everywhere,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Because”) swirl in the background, the final touch in “Beatlizing” Lennon’s demo.
It’s a lovely, powerful, emotionally resonant song. Since getting that private link, I haven’t stopped playing it. But I have to admit, to me, it still feels more like a John Lennon song than a Beatles track. The Beatles, of course, would disagree. This is the song they’ve chosen as their final single, a song meant to sum up the most magical mystery tour of a career in rock history. A number heavy with nostalgia, but never overburdened by it. A song that, like the Beatles’ best work, has a universal appeal.
I think it’ll be more than just The Beatles who are united today in seeking out “The Last Beatles Song” online. And I’m pretty sure it’s a track that’ll be played a lot more frequently than just now and then.
(Peter Jackson’s video for “Now and Then” debuts on The Beatles’ YouTube channel on Friday, November 3)
AUDIO: The Beatles “Now And Then”
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March 22, 2023 -
November 11, 2020
Wow! Listening to this song brought tears to my eyes knowing that all four collaborated on this gem. The quality of the voices and instruments was crystal clear. Thank you for all involved in this, and especially to the genius of Peter Jackson for letting us see the making of Now and Then in his YouTube video.