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Beatles' 'Now and Then': The story behind their last song - Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles Times

The untold story behind the last Beatles song

John Lennon's late-’70s song 'Now and Then,' now featuring all four Beatles, serves as a fitting conclusion, conveying what the band both ac

Robbed of the opportunity to participate in a true final collaboration with his greatest muse, McCartney instead elevates this suggestion of a song into a realized record, one where its elegant, softly psychedelic flow lets Lennon’s longing linger in the subconscious. That regret is articulated clearly in a chorus of “Now and then, I miss you / Now and then, I want you to be there for me / Always to return to me,” words that sharpen John’s original intention with its second newly written clause. It’s a passage where Lennon’s yearning for McCartney intertwines with Paul’s mourning for John, a shared grieving for the partnership that defined both their lives. In that sense, “Now and Then” does provide something of a fitting conclusion to the Beatles’ recorded career — not so much a summation but as a coda that conveys a sense of what the band both achieved and lost.

Excuse me while I go cry forever at this paragraph

MAGICAL MYSTERY TOUR (1967)

now and then - kind of reeling over the aching sense of time and space incorporated in the song. the sound of john's voice stopped in time blended to the soft background timbre of paul's voice that now holds so much age in it. talking to each other across impossible distances. digital ghosts and haunted emotions.

April 3rd?, 1985 (Soho Square, London): Paul talks on German television show Exclusiv about the breakup of the Beatles and his personal breakup with John. (Note: All my gratitude to @aceonthebass for helping with the fiddlier bits of the transcription!)

INTERVIEWER: [inaudible] —in particular, the breakup?

PAUL: Yeah. I know we all had similar feelings. I know John, I remember him saying to me, “What am I going to do with my songs now?” You had a feeling you wanted to know how you were going to exist if you didn’t have the Beatles, how you were going to do. And so it was difficult for all of us, I think. But um, time heals your wounds, you know, as they say, and I think that’s what really happened. After a while, we got used to it. But nobody was happy when the Beatles broke up. I mean, it was just one of those things that just seemed to happen as an explosion, you know. It was there, and it was done.

INTERVIEWER: But your relationship with John, in every way, as a Beatles— [inaudible] —as a band, you were very very close. I mean, that must have been very painful in that respect, not only the Beatles breaking up, but I mean that particular relationship breaking up. [Note: The German overdub, translation provided graciously by @pivoinesque: Your relationship with John was not just that of a musical partnership. It must have hurt you quite a bit that your special relationship [with him] broke apart.]

PAUL: Mm. It was, yeah. Um, in our songwriting, I had signs that the group was gonna break up, because… I mean, I think really what it was, really all that happened was that John fell in love. With Yoko. And so, with such a powerful alliance like that, it was difficult for him to still be seeing me. It was as if I was another girlfriend, almost. Our relationship was a strong relationship. And if he was to start a new relationship, he had to put this other one away. And I understood that. I mean, I couldn’t stand in the way of someone who’d fallen in love. You can’t say, “Who’s this?” You can’t really do that. If I was a girl, maybe I could go out and… But you know I mean in this case I just sort of said, right – I mean, I didn’t say anything, but I could see that was the way it was going to go, and that Yoko would be very sort of powerful for him. So um, we all had to get out the way. I don’t blame her. You know, you can’t blame her for being the object of his love.

In the end, it seems as if the musicians don't want to part with the song at all; as if every new verse they add - every variation they unfold over the base melody - not only prolongs the song, but also their lives. And with each new variation, the music gains even more power, even more euphoria, even more conciliation. As long as we are playing, we are still here.

(translated quote from an article in Zeit Magazine)

wait i really like this

The Beatles + Interactive Movie Posters

Crochet vest icon 😍 Granny music? More like granny squares 🤤

Hiya beatlemaniacs, long time no see! Just like many of you, I too have been obsessively been re-watching Get Back to an unhealthy degree, and my hyper fixations (or coping mechanisms lol) usually manifest themselves as quick doodles! and I’ve also been obsessed with @m1ssunderstanding ‘s Get Back recap posts (they’re so in-depth and iconique check them out) , and I was wondering if y’all would be interested in seeing daily (or weekly lol) new doodles recapping each days of the documentary? 👀 I have a few already finished but it would be a fun lengthy project for me and I’m excited to potentially experiment with different styles and see how things evolve?