The Beatles “Now And Then” Reaches Number 1

After 54 years, The Beatles have secured a top spot on the UK singles chart with their latest release, “Now and Then.”

This marks the first time since 1969, when “The Ballad of John and Yoko” topped the charts, that The Fab Four have claimed a number-one single. Surpassing a record previously held by Kate Bush, who achieved a number-one hit 44 years after her last, The Beatles have once again made history.

Originally a demo recorded by John Lennon in his New York apartment in 1994, “Now and Then” was later handed over to the surviving members by Yoko Ono. The band initially attempted to record the track in 1995 as part of the Anthology project but faced technical challenges. Thanks to advancements, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr have now successfully reunited all four members for a final effort.

During an interview on BBC Radio 1, McCartney shared:

“Before John died, he was working on some songs, and Yoko spoke to George Harrison and said ‘I’ve got a cassette with some John songs on that he never got to finish would you be interested in finishing them off?’ So we thought about it, and we thought, ‘Yeah, it would be great’, cause in a way we would be working with John again, which we thought we would never be able to do.”

Describing the process, McCartney added:

“I ended up talking to Ringo, and we asked him if he fancied putting the drums on again, and then I thought, ‘Well, I could up the bass a bit’, so I put the bass on again, we already had George playing guitar, and we had John on vocal, it was kind of magical doing it. So we ended up making it into a real record, and that’s what’s being released.”

Possibility of More Beatles Music

The official video for “Now and Then,” directed by Peter Jackson, featuring archival footage, was released on November 3rd, bringing the four band members together one last time.

While Jackson hinted at the possibility of more Beatles music, the surviving members have currently ruled out the prospect of additional recordings, despite the success of “Now and Then.”

In a five-star review, Far Out praised the track, stating:

“As ever with The Beatles, it is a piece of art created with unrivaled chemistry even via the conduit of AI. This is evidenced by the wondrous syncopation of McCartney’s bass that rumbles perfectly beneath his old pals stabbing piano jabs. And the extra lashings of care that have gone into crafting a perfectly pitched score rather than wheeling out something half-cooked for the cash-in.”