As you may have heard by now, there’s a “new” Beatles track out in the wild. It is supposed to be the final Beatles song, the last of three John Lennon demo songs originally given by Yoko Ono to Paul McCartney to finish up as Beatles songs for the Beatles Anthology documentary.
I’ve listened to it several times now. I’ve watched the making-of mini-documentary and the official music video. And though I have opinions on all of that, the reason I’m writing any of this is because it all made me think of my dad.
You may not know this about me, but I’m a huge Beatles dork. My dad loved the Beatles, and is absolutely the reason I fell in love with their music. When Beatles Anthology first aired on ABC back in ‘95 it was appointment viewing (remember that?). I remember being very excited to watch it; I was a burgeoning fan at the time and couldn’t wait to devour all of this new information. I remember we watched all three episodes as a family. Watching television with your family. What a concept!
Furthermore, there was a CD soundtrack tie-in (because of course there was) for each episode, filled with never-before-heard outtakes… and not one but two new Beatles songs. I was hyped.
This is where my dad comes into the story. My dad was always a fan, but I don’t think he was ever a fanatic. He certainly had his likes and dislikes, whether Beatles or otherwise, but I don’t think he really listened to music with a critical ear. So I truly don’t know whether or not he ever really wanted to listen to demos and outtakes. But I know that he went out of his way so that I could listen to them. He worked second shift at the time, so when those Anthology discs went on sale at midnight, he was there. For me.
He liked the new tracks “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love” just fine, as did I. But I got way more out of the rest of those albums. At some point our tastes in Beatles music diverged; I gravitated towards later-period songs while he still preferred the early stuff. (We did both agree that Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band was the greatest album of all time, for what it’s worth.) We may not have agreed on much – even within our fandom of the band – but we always had The Beatles.
I thought about all of this as I was listening to “Now and Then,” all of the memories flooding back.
“Now and Then” isn’t in the upper echelon of Beatles songs, but it also isn’t “Revolution #9” or “Mr. Moonlight.” It manages to hit all of the wistful and melancholy notes that a final track of one of the most beloved bands of all time ought to. Is it a thing that really needs to exist? Not really. But I’m kind of glad it does. I may not put it on any Beatles playlists. But if I get the 1967-1970 compilation to complete my collection, I’m not going to turn the song off.
In the making-of doc, Sean Ono Lennon says his dad would have loved what the surviving Beatles did with the song. (Paul, Ringo, and George’s son Dhani echo this sentiment) I think John would have been absolutely tickled by what is possible in 2023 with regards to sound and how it can be manipulated. (This is the man who wanted to sound like 1000 chanting Tibetan monks on “Tomorrow Never Knows,” after all) I also think he would have dismissed the song as rubbish, probably exclaiming there was a reason the song languished on a cassette for 40-plus years.
It is somewhere between all of this that I find myself and my dad. Either “Now and Then” is the perfect capstone for the best, most creative pop band to ever walk the earth, or it’s a gussied-up Lennon demo that should have been left on the tape. Perhaps its appeal lies in the unknown. Sean can’t ask his dad about the song. I can’t ask my dad what he thinks about it, even if I already know the answer. (“Yeah, it’s pretty good.”)
In a way, this kind of makes it the perfect final Beatles track and a fitting metaphor for the relationship I had with my dad.. It just kind of is what it is; it’s there whether you want it to be or not. I listened to the other “new” (at the time) Beatles tracks “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” while writing this, and they also reminded me of my dad. They’re not the best or the worst, but I remember them all fondly. These days, that's all I can ask for.
Listen to the new track
Watch the mini-doc
Watch the official music video, which is a bit much and not good
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