Iconic rock group The Beatles is set to launch new music more than five decades after they disbanded. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have collaborated to finalize the band’s last incomplete song, “Now and Then,” scheduled for release on November 2. The original composition was by the late John Lennon and had contributions from McCartney, Starr, and the late George Harrison over the years.
In a teaser video on Instagram, McCartney, aged 81, expressed the emotional weight of losing John Lennon, followed by an audio snippet from Harrison. Ringo Starr, 83, joined McCartney to complete the unfinished work of Lennon. Sean Ono Lennon, Lennon’s son, remarked that this would be the final song the original members would create together.
Before the song’s public release, a 12-minute documentary detailing its creation will debut on The Beatles’ YouTube channel on November 1. The documentary will include exclusive material and insights from band members, Yoko Ono Lennon, and filmmaker Peter Jackson. The song will also be part of the newly remastered versions of The Beatles’ Red and Blue albums, set to release on November 10.Earlier this year, McCartney disclosed on BBC Radio 4’s Today that he and Starr utilized artificial intelligence to isolate Lennon’s voice from the unreleased “Now and Then” demo.
The Beatles officially separated in 1974, amidst years of speculation that Yoko Ono’s relationship with Lennon was the cause. McCartney refuted this in a 2012 interview with David Frost, stating that the band was already on the verge of breaking up. However, McCartney recently criticized Ono’s presence during the recording of 1968’s The Beatles (also known as The White Album), describing her as a disruption.
