In 1994, Yoko Ono — John Lennon’s widow — handed over a vocal and piano recording of Lennon to Paul McCartney. After a frustrating time trying to add, mix and master the song, McCartney dismissed the recording as “rubbish” and left it to collect dust for a little under 30 years.
Then, Peter Jackson — who recently produced the Beatles documentary “The Beatles: Get Back” — used AI technology to reproduce and isolate Lennon’s vocal track, and thus, McCartney and former Beatles drummer Ringo Starr got to work.
The finished song “Now And Then” has been touted by McCartney and the Beatles’s label as “the final Beatles song.”
The track is a piano-driven ballad with Lennon and McCartney on lead vocals and Beatles guitarist George Harrison doing backup vocals. Starr is also present on the track with a vocal snippet at the end, along with drums by him.
There is a melancholic tone to the track, and the lyrics are reminiscent of several love songs the Beatles have written in the past.
“I know it’s true/It’s all because of you/And if I make it through/It’s all because of you,” Lennon sings in the refrain.
Lennon is crooning about his wife Ono, saying she is the only one getting him through his days and his struggles.
Both Lennon and McCartney sing “I love you” in harmony at the end of the first verse. Originally, McCartney was not on the piano and vocal demo produced by Lennon and Ono. However, his subtle vocal harmonizations and inclusions on the track are a pleasantly welcomed surprise.
There is also more to his inclusion than just pretty vocal harmonies. McCartney is singing his final farewell and goodbye to Lennon on this track, emphasizing lyrics like “I love you” and “Now and then/I miss you/Oh, now and then/I want you to be there for me” by harmonizing with Lennon.
Peter Jackson — the mastermind behind adapting “The Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit” series as well as making enhancements with film and audio restoration technology that made “The Beatles: Get Back” possible — directed the music video for “Now and Then.”
The AI-enhanced audio restoration process Jackson made possible for that same documentary was used by McCartney and producer Giles Martin to finish the track.
Lately, AI-generated and AI-produced songs have garnered controversy in the music scene — and for good reason.
AI-enhanced projects like audio and color restoration are monumental technological advancements and only positively augment art. AI-created content, on the other hand, only burdens art and damages its integrity.
AI is still a new and foreign concept to the general public — and even most in the music industry. We should not completely cut it out, but we should not let it run rampant in the artistic world.
Like many things, there needs to be a gray area. Art is delicate, but it is also a resistant thing — even if it is threatened, it will continue to impress and inspire billions across the globe. People will find a way to adapt and move forward.
Paul and Ringo certainly have.
