Beautiful declaration of love in music
5
By whitepaws
The last words that John spoke to Paul in person was “Think of me now and then, old friend.” That was in 1976.
Lennon’s demo tape of “Now and Then” was made in 1977.
When Carl Perkins sang to Paul after John died, the words “now and then” moved Paul to tears.
What I hear in this song is indeed a love letter from John to Paul. For all Lennon’s acerbic wit and aggression, he wrote a lot of sweet love songs. This is one of them. It’s hard for men to tell other men that they love them (in a non-erotic way), isn’t it?
Waiting decades until they had the right technology to finish this song was an act of love. The Beatles were always into the latest tech tools.
The way Paul blends his voice in with John’s when he sings “will love you” shows Paul accepting the olive branch that John extended to him. It’s done in a subtle and nuanced way.
Yes, these two men loved each other. And yes, they had a complex relationship that had ups and downs—funny moments, ugly moments, competitive moments, and beautiful moments. Lucky us, that they recorded so much of it in music. This is what artists do, after all—show us the range and complexity of what it means to be human.
The Lennon-McCartney partnership is still the most successful songwriting duo in history. Thank you for giving us this one last gift. It is the perfect way to close The Beatles song catalogue.
I’ve been listening to this song on repeat.
(And I’m rooting for McCartney to win his continuing battle to own the rights to his own songs, via US copyright laws. Note: I am a huge Lennon fan.)
Not now!
1
By Theimperial
Then was much better, nothing to get excited about here.
Breathtaking
5
By Bam risk 177
I have to choke back tears every time I listen to this.
where is my purchase?
4
By nosimplehighwayman
I'd like to make a better review, but I purchased this item about five minutes ago, and nothing happened. Except now it says 'purchased'. I know that is $1.99 is not much, but still, I will be billed for this I'm sure, and the 'purchased' item never appeared. I've been buying music from this site for decades and this had never happened before. What should I do to get my music?
I'll give it 4 starts: four because it is a good song; minus one because I paid for music that did not arrive.
Masterpiece
5
By Greg The Main Attraction
Nothing left to say but cry and enjoy their final gem
Amazing
5
By msjsjssjsjsdd(#(
I love The Beatles! I am only 15 years old but I just love them! I can see why they were popular then and still popular today! The Beatles new song Now And Then is so great I love this song! It’s in my top 20 favorite Beatles songs for sure! I just think that it’s so great the I got to experience a brand new Beatles song in 2023 and I’m very fortunate and lucky that this happened in my lifetime! I think it’s wonderful what Peter Jackson is doing with The Beatles! I now have the 12 inch vinyl version of this song and it’s great as well! Anyways I highly recommend this song because it’s so good!
Wow
5
By FL Cowgirl
Wow on a multitude of levels. To those with ignorant reviews & comments like “I would have..” or “why did they…”. Y’all!! It was not a finished song. 🤦♀️ personally I absolutely love the haunting beauty of it as well as the obvious amazing tech that actually brought it to life over 40 years later. This is a historic song regardless if one loves or hates it. But I love it. Nostalgia at its peak. Wow..in an amazing way.
Oh my gosh!
5
By Matthew Lank.
Now and Then (especially the intro) is beyond amazing!! I hope I always remember listening to this the day it came out, cause I was BLOWN AWAY, especially when I heard John’s voice. This is definitely my favorite Beatles song of all time. I hope John and George are happy to hear this in Heaven.
Almost haunting, but in a very good way…
5
By Your blonde
The mix of Now And Then is a masterpiece—It sounds like the Beatles in their heyday of the 1960s. The song sounds like a goodbye letter from lThe Fab Four.
The Beatles Forever
5
By Danb193
As a 26 year old, I’m so grateful to witness a Beatles song being released in 2023. The most beautiful song where all four Beatles are together one more time.
brillant technology
5
By worksinfashion
The technology behind this is brilliant. The song seems to me that it was from the double fantasy album. I hear strains of " Woman" somewhere in John's beginning vocals. I do feel that a " Beatles" sound was layered onto it. As we used to say though BEATLES4EVA. LUV.
Great
5
By thepookiebus
outdid themselves once again over 60 years after they broke up.
The AI wasn’t used how you think.
5
By Eli94ny
There is a video on The Beatles YouTube channel explaining how they made this, is very interesting so go there.
The music video is really creepy, but after listening to the song several times I think it’s a lovely sunset for The Fab Four.
Free Bird, Real Love, and Now And Then really feel like they should be the last Beatles’ songs. Listen to the instruments and vocals. (It’s beautiful).
I really to think the other two would’ve been happy to know that after the bitterness their brothers finally finished this song.
Perfect ending
5
By Lmabgbsolrbfv
This song was the perfect ending combing the now of Paul and Ringo to the then of John and George. I would’ve liked for the bridge to stay from the original demo but I’m happy with this last song.
Beatles Downhill
2
By realbeatlesfan
This is worse than just about any Ringo song. If you put 4 Ringos in a room and had them brainstorm random song ideas 24/7, they would come up with better than this at least every few months. I'd rather listen to Octopus Garden backwards than risk having this sorry excuse for Beatles ever get stuck in my head again. They evidently didn't realize how much they needed John (didn't love him all the time but he never should have left us) to finish something he started in a way that he would have seen fit to release.
Why so difficult?
1
By Dave_676
I wanted to download ‘Now and Again’ by the Beatles; how difficult do you need to make it be, especially for folks 50 plus. Don't you want our money?
Good Song (Not surprised)
5
By Guidman8
Listen. These guys are over 80 years old. They pulled John’s voice out of a demo from over 40 years ago.
This song is a nice, meaningful song with a relatively simple but pleasant melody.
Please release Full Version of "Now and Then" with John's bridge
3
By That One Guy!
Paul and Ringo, since this single edit of "Now and Then" is now out, please release the full version with John's bridge before the chorus where he sings "I don't want to lose you (oh no, no, no), abuse you or confuse you (oh no, no, no). But if you have to go away, but if you have to go...". I know John never finished the vocals, but you guys could finish them just like you did with "Free As a Bird". I look forward to an EP where John's vocals on "Free As a Bird" and "Real Love" are cleaned up the same way you did with "Now and Then". The EP could also include the full version of "Now and Then". Maybe also include a cleaned up version the 1998 John / George Martin version of "Grow Old With Me", but with Ringo's drums and Paul's bass and backing vocals from Ringo's 2019 version. And it would also be cool to have a version of "Sour Milk Sea" where George's vocals from the unreleased demo are used in the instrumental of the Jackie Lomax version that you all played on. Jackie's version is cool too, but it would be awesome to hear George's vocals in that song! :)
A final song from The Beatles Just amazing!
5
By Bookmuggle45
The first time I heard this it never ceased to amaze me how versatile the Beatles were and are still a huge influence on the world and new generations,The second time I listened I was in tears because this was definitely truly the end another brillant song fellas Thank you for all the music over the years. Peace and love.
