Now and Then: A Final Note from The Beatles

Raphael Morter delves into the final release from a timeless band and why its success matters.

Photo via Flickr via Bradford Timeline

On the 10th of November 2023, ‘Now and Then’ by the Beatles topped the UK singles chart. It was written in the late 1970’s by John Lennon, worked on by George Harrison, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 1995, and finally completed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 2023. Overcoming the barriers of time and space, Now and Then is the Beatles’ final act. Sixty-three years after they were founded, the Beatles have played together for the last time.

Since its release, ‘Now and Then’ has received “universal acclaim” from critics. It has also achieved the record for the longest gap between an artist’s consecutive singles reaching number one, and the longest gap between an artist’s first and last number one single. While extraordinary, this has not ‘cemented the Beatles legacy’ or ‘proved the Beatles’ enduring relevance’. Their incontestable legendary status has long been established: the best-selling band of all time, the first British band to break America, the most covered music group ever, inventors of the music video, inventors of the “conceptual album” - the list is seemingly endless.

“The Beatles are not just another band. They changed the face of popular music and youth culture.”

However, Now and Then is also not just one more Beatles accolade. The context underlying its long history situates it critically in the Beatles legacy. Since the release of the widely publicised Anthology series in 1995, the image of the Beatles has been tarnished. The Anthologies are three albums which predominantly consist of studio sessions, interview clips and demos that span the length of the Beatles’ career. Prior to the Anthologies’ release, most public excitement was in anticipation of two tracks – Free as a Bird and Real Love.

Both were songs written and recorded as demos by John Lennon in the late 1970s and, as a selling point for the Anthology discs, Paul, George and Ringo ‘finished’ the songs, adding harmonies, instrumental accompaniments and solos. However, upon their release, they were received badly. In the words of one critic, they were a “dirge”.

The Beatles embarked on many projects throughout their career which were derided by both the public and critics alike. Their second and third films – Help! (1965) and Magical Mystery Tour (1967) – are often regarded as particular low points. However, while they might be seen as blemishes on the Beatles legacy, the two singles felt more critical: they were the last Beatles songs.

In the context of the profound disappointment left by Free as a Bird and Real Love, when I first listened to Now and Then on Radio 6 Music, the overriding feeling was one of profound relief. Though it does not stand shoulder to shoulder with the true Beatles greats - ‘Strawberry Fields’, ‘A Day in the Life’, ‘Let it Be’, ‘Penny Lane’ etc. ‘Now and Then’ is a good song. As a result, the disappointment of the other ‘new’ Beatles tracks is less significant. Now and Then has satisfactorily completed the Beatles story.

The Beatles onstage at the King's Hall, Belfast in 1964 - Photo by Nick Newbery and Gareth Montgomery via Wikimedia Commons.

When I was 13, my dad took me to see the refurbished release of the Beatles’ first film – A Hard Day’s Night (1964)– in the cinema. Enthralled, I chose the Beatles as the subject of a school class project. The project ended up being a 50,000 word essay. In the three years following my project, I could not stop thinking about the Beatles. I learnt all the Beatles songs on my guitar, listened exclusively to their music, read dozens of books on the subject, and linked almost any conversation with their music and history.

In this “Beatles” period of my life, on one of my routine Beatles YouTube deep-dives, I found the original demo of John Lennon’s Now and Then. Despite the recording being very poor sound quality and some of the verses being incomplete, I found it achingly beautiful, and listened to it incessantly.

After doing some research, I discovered Now and Then was intended to be the third song on the Anthologies project, but was left unfinished because the sound engineers could not separate John’s voice from the piano and background noise. I then found an interview where Paul mentioned that he wanted to “nip in with Geoff [Emerick - the original Beatles sound engineer] and do it. Finish it one of these days”.

Thus, having discovered the demo at 13, I have been anticipating the release of Now and Then for about nine years. On hearing about the planned release, I inevitably reflected on the extent to which the Beatles have shaped my life, and how I would have felt hearing it when I was a teenager. Moreover, speaking to fellow Beatles fans following the track’s release, I have also reflected on the significance of ‘Now and Then’ for countless others.

The Beatles are not just another band. They changed the face of popular music and youth culture. In many ways, they encapsulated the second half of the 20th century. So, ‘Now and Then’ is also not just another song. It has literally brought the Beatles into the 21st century, reasserted their presence, and signed their story off with a flourish.