NOW AND THEN: First Beatles song in decades will be released today

The first Beatles song in almost three decades - and the last ever - is set to be released worldwide later today (November 2). 

Written and sung by John Lennon and developed and re-worked by Paul McCartney, the late George Harrison, and Ringo Starr, 'Now And Then' will be released to Beatles fans at 2pm GMT. 

The double A-side single pairs the last Beatles song with the first (the band's 1962 debut UK single 'Love Me Do') as a full-circle counterpart to 'Now And Then'.  

Both songs are mixed in stereo and Dolby Atmos, and the release features original cover art by renowned artist Ed Ruscha. 

A 12-minute documentary titled 'Now And Then: The Last Beatles Song' was released yesterday (November 1) telling the story of the surviving Beatles' mission to bring the song to 21st century fans. 

'Now and Then' 'was reportedly pieced together from a demo recorded by the Lennon in the 1970s. However, because of limited technology at the time, the project was paused. 

Now using new technology including AI, the track has been completed and features the talents of all four Beatles. 

Speaking about the successful retrieval of Lennon's original work on the track, McCartney said, "There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording.

"In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing." 

Starr said, "It was the closest we’ll ever come to having him back in the room, so it was very emotional for all of us. It was like John was there, you know. It’s far out." 

Olivia Harrison said, "Back in 1995, after several days in the studio working on the track, George felt the technical issues with the demo were insurmountable and concluded that it was not possible to finish the track to a high enough standard.

"If he were here today, Dhani and I know he would have whole-heartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of 'Now And Then'." 

Sean Ono Lennon also commented and said, "It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all the years that Dad had been gone. It’s the last song my dad, Paul, George and Ringo got to make together. It’s like a time capsule and all feels very meant to be." 

A new music video to accompany the song will debut on Friday, November 3, with 2023 editions of The Beatles' 1962-1966 ('The Red Album') and 1967-1970 ('The Blue Album') collections due to be released on November 10. 

According to TheBeatles.com, 'Now And Then' features electric and acoustic guitar recorded in 1995 by Harrison, a new drum part by Starr, and bass, guitar and piano from McCartney. 

McCartney also added a slide guitar solo inspired by Harrison, and he and Ringo contributed backing vocals to the chorus. 

Backing vocals from the original recordings of 'Here, There And Everywhere', 'Eleanor Rigby' and 'Because' were also woven into the new song.