The Beatles to Release Emotional 'Final' Song "Now and Then"

Take a closer look at The Beatles to Release Emotional 'Final' Song "Now and Then" in our detailed breakdown.

The story of ‘Now And Then’ first began back in the late 1970s,when John Lennon recorded a demo with vocals and piano at his home in New York’s Dakota Building. 

In 1994, his wife, Yoko Ono Lennon, gave the recording to Paul, George and Ringo, along with John’s demos for ‘Free As A Bird’ and ‘Real Love’, which were both completed as new Beatles songs and respectively released as singles in 1995 and 1996, as part of The Beatles Anthology project. 

At the same time, Paul, George and Ringo also recorded new parts and completed a rough mix for ‘Now And Then’ with producer Jeff Lynne. However at that point, technological limitations prevented John’s vocals and piano from being separated to achieve the clear, unclouded mix needed to finish the song, meaning ‘Now And Then’ was shelved, with a hope that one day it would be revisited.

Fast-forward to 2021 and the release of The Beatles: Get Back docu-series, directed by Peter Jackson, which “astonished” viewers with its award-winning film and audio restoration. 

Using WingNut Films’ MAL audio technology, Jackson’s team had de-mixed the film’s mono soundtrack, managing to isolate instruments and vocals, and all the individual voices within The Beatles’ conversations. 

This achievement opened the way to 2022’s new mix of ‘Revolver’, sourced directly from the four-track master tapes. According to a press release, this then led on to a question: what could now be done with the ‘Now And Then’ demo? 

Peter Jackson and his sound team, led by Emile de la Rey, applied the same technique to John’s original home recording, preserving the clarity and integrity of his original vocal performance by separating it from the piano.

In 2022, Paul and Ringo set about completing the song…


Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song…


A 12-minute ‘Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song’ documentary film, written and directed by Oliver Murray, will debut on Wednesday, November 1st. 

The poignant short film tells the story behind the song, with exclusive footage and commentary from Paul, Ringo, George, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson. 

The documentary’s global online premiere will be hosted on The Beatles’ YouTube channel at 7:30pm GMT / 3:30pm EDT / 12:30pm PDT.

‘Now And Then’ is available to pre-save now.


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David Miller

David Miller

Executive Financial & Market Analyst

David Miller brings 15 years of experience in global economics, personal finance strategy, and market dynamics. He specializes in turning complex economic trends into actionable insights for everyday readers.

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