Beatles' New Hit soars in British Charts
The latest addition to the Beatles' discography, "Now and Then," is making waves in the UK singles charts. This new tune, featuring the legendary voice of John Lennon, debuted at number 42 on Thursday, after just ten hours of sales. If the track keeps its momentum, it's poised to reach the chart-topping position - a feat that would mark the Fab Four's 18th number one hit in the UK, last achieved in 1969 with "The Ballad of John and Yoko."
However, breaking the record set by Elvis Presley with 21 number one hits seems unlikely for the Beatles with "Now and Then."
The song's enchanting blend of old and new began in the late 1970s when Lennon recorded the demo in his New York apartment. After his untimely death in 1980, his widow, Yoko Ono, gifted McCartney the demo cassette containing Lennon's vocals and piano accompaniment. Two songs from the cassette were remixed in the mid-1990s by producer Jeff Lynne, but the technology available at the time failed to lift Lennon's vocals to a satisfying quality due to distracting background noise.
Fast forward to 2021, a vigilant filmmaker named Peter Jackson developed sophisticated machine learning technology capable of refining Lennon's vocals and extricating them from the lo-fi track. The Beatles used this innovative technology to restore and finish "Now and Then" with the help of recent instrumentals from George Harrison, drums from Ringo Starr, McCartney's piano and bass, and the voices of the remaining Beatles.
The rekindled interest in the Beatles' iconic music, evident in the success of "Now and Then," reinforces their enduring appeal in the world of music. With Lennon's resonant vocals and stylish new productions, "Now and Then" has the potential to shatter existing records in the UK singles charts.
(Enrichment Insights: The song's origins date back to 1977 when Lennon recorded "Now and Then" as a solo home demo. The Beatles attempted to complete the track in the mid-1990s for The Beatles Anthology project, but technological limitations thwarted the effort. The AI-assisted technology developed by Peter Jackson allowed Lennon’s vocals to be extracted and improved, eventually leading to the song's completion in 2021. The revitalized single was released as a double A-side with a new stereo mix of "Love Me Do." "Now and Then" debuted at number 42 on the UK Singles Chart, eventually climbing to the top position a week later, setting a record for the longest gap between number one singles for any musical act. "Now and Then" also earned a Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance, making it the first AI-assisted track to be nominated for a Grammy Award.)
