Now and Then (Beatles song)

John Lennon wrote "Now and Then" in the late 1970s, and recorded a five-minute piano demo around 1977 on a tape recorder at his home at the Dakota in New York City. The lyrics are typical of the apologetic love songs that Lennon wrote in the latter half of his career. For the most part the verses are nearly complete, though there are still a few lines that Lennon did not flesh out on the demo tape performance.{{Cite magazine |last=Runthagh |first=Jordan |date=26 October 2023 |title=Inside the Last Beatles Song: How 'Now And Then' Brought the Fab Friends Together One Final Time (Exclusive) |url=https://people.com/the-beatles-announce-new-song-now-and-then-8382741 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028135955/https://people.com/the-beatles-announce-new-song-now-and-then-8382741 |archive-date=28 October 2023 |access-date=28 October 2023 |magazine=People}} Writing for the Los Angeles Times, Stephen Thomas Erlewine called Lennon's song "a wispy, melancholy ballad".

Referring to the original demo, Craig Jenkins of Vulture said "'Now and Then' languished in an unfinished state, its vocal and piano melodies enshrouded in too dense a thicket of abrasively scratchy hiss to massage into the high-quality recordings the Beatles were known for".{{Cite web |last=Jenkins |first=Craig |date=2 November 2023 |title=The Beatles' Final Song Is Just a Snapshot of Their Strengths |website=Vulture |url=https://www.vulture.com/article/beatles-now-and-then-review.html |access-date=2 November 2023 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102225603/https://www.vulture.com/article/beatles-now-and-then-review.html |url-status=live}}

In January 1994, the year Lennon was posthumously inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame,{{Cite web |first=Julia |last=Malleck |title=Paul McCartney got a little help from AI to create one last Beatles song |url=https://qz.com/ai-beatles-song-john-lennon-demo-paul-mccartney-1850532739 |year=2023 |access-date=14 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230926165813/https://qz.com/ai-beatles-song-john-lennon-demo-paul-mccartney-1850532739 |url-status=live |work=Quartz |archive-date=26 September 2023}}{{Cite book |last=Badman |first=Keith |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LDLhgzA930UC |title=The Beatles Diary Volume 2: After The Break-Up 1970–2001 |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2001 |isbn=9780857120014 |page=517}} his widow, Yoko Ono, gave Paul McCartney two cassette tapes she had previously mentioned to George Harrison. The tapes, which both had a note on them reading "For Paul", included home recordings of songs that Lennon had never completed and/or released commercially, two of them on one tape being the eventually completed and released "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love". The two other songs on the other tape were "Grow Old with Me" and "Now and Then". "Grow Old with Me" had already been released in 1984 on the posthumous album Milk and Honey, so the Beatles turned their attention to "Now and Then". In March 1995, the three surviving Beatles began to work on it by recording a rough backing track that was to be used as an overdub. It included acoustic guitars played by McCartney and Harrison, a rough drum track by Ringo Starr, an electric guitar by Harrison, and a bass and "a few synth [things]" played by McCartney."{{Cite web |last=Enos |first=Morgan |date=26 October 2023 |title=The Beatles' Final Song: Giles Martin On The Second Life Of "Now And Then" & How The Fab Four Are "Still Breaking New Ground" {{!}} GRAMMY.com |url=https://www.grammy.com/news/the-beatles-last-song-now-and-then-giles-martin-interview |access-date=17 December 2023 |website=grammy.com |archive-date=17 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231217010653/https://www.grammy.com/news/the-beatles-last-song-now-and-then-giles-martin-interview |url-status=live }} However, after several days of recording, all work on the song ceased and plans for a third reunion single were scrapped.

{{Multiple images

| footer = Jeff Lynne (left, pictured in 2014) co-produced an initial Beatles' version of "Now and Then" in 1995, only for it to be scrapped due to George Harrison's (right, pictured in 1996) dislike of the demo's poor sound quality.

| image1 = Jefflynne hydepark (cropped).jpg

| image2 = George Harrison Vrindavan (cropped).jpg

| total_width = 320

| alt1 = Jeff Lynne (pictured here in 2014) co-produced an initial Beatles' version of "Now and Then" in 1995.

| alt2 = George Harrison, pictured here chanting Hare Krishna in Vrindavan, India in 1996.

}}

Producer Jeff Lynne reported that sessions for "Now and Then" actually consisted only of "one day – one afternoon, really – messing with it. The song had a chorus but is almost totally lacking in verses. We did the backing track, a rough go that we really didn't finish". Additional factors behind scrapping the song were that the piano Lennon was playing on during his demo recording was noisy, which kept drowning out Lennon's vocals, as well as a technical defect in the original recording. As with "Real Love", a 60-Hz mains hum can be heard throughout the demo recording. However, it was noticeably louder on "Now and Then", making it considerably more difficult to remove.{{Cite web |date=1 November 2023 |title=The Beatles - Now And Then - The Last Beatles Song (Short Film) |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJAQoSCwuA&t=546 |publisher=Apple Corps |via=YouTube |access-date=1 November 2023 |archive-date=1 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231101211509/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APJAQoSCwuA&t=546 |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Felton |first1=James |title=The Beatles Will Release One "Final" Song Using Artificial Intelligence, Paul McCartney Says |url=https://www.iflscience.com/the-beatles-will-release-one-final-song-using-artificial-intelligence-paul-mccartney-says-69359 |website=IFLScience |access-date=2 November 2023 |date=13 June 2023 |archive-date=10 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231010163627/https://www.iflscience.com/the-beatles-will-release-one-final-song-using-artificial-intelligence-paul-mccartney-says-69359 |url-status=live}}

The project was largely shelved because of Harrison's dislike of the song due to its low-quality recording. McCartney later stated that Harrison called Lennon's demo recording "fucking rubbish". McCartney told Q magazine in 1997 that "George didn't like it. The Beatles being a democracy, we didn't do it."{{Cite magazine |date=June 1997 |title=Paul McCartney |page=108 |magazine=Q |issue=129 |url=https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.beatles/7clhNbsz3jE |url-status=live |access-date=29 July 2018 |archive-url=http://arquivo.pt/wayback/20110122130054/https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/rec.music.beatles/7clhNbsz3jE |archive-date=22 January 2011}}{{Cite web |date=9 April 2008 |title=The Rock Radio: Paul McCartney regrets not finishing third Beatles reunion song |url=http://www.therockradio.com/2006/12/paul-mccartney-regrets-not-finishing.html |access-date=3 November 2023 |archive-date=9 April 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080409215513/http://www.therockradio.com/2006/12/paul-mccartney-regrets-not-finishing.html |url-status=usurped}} Some such as Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer later speculated that, given Harrison had said "Apart from the quality, which was worse than the other two ['Free as a Bird' and 'Real Love'], I didn't think ['Now and Then'] was much of a song", he might have been critical of the song itself and not merely the recording quality. When the Beatles released their version of the song in 2023, Harrison's widow Olivia issued a press release stating: "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 wholeheartedly joined Paul and Ringo in completing the recording of 'Now and Then.'"

Throughout 2005 and 2006, press reports speculated that McCartney and Starr would release a complete version of the song in the future. Reports circulated in 2007{{Cite web |date=30 April 2007 |title=McCartney plans last 'great' song |url=http://www.inthenews.co.uk/money/autocodes/world-cup-teams/angola/mccartney-plans-last-great-song-%241081041.htm |publisher=In The News |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927223245/http://www.inthenews.co.uk/money/autocodes/world-cup-teams/angola/mccartney-plans-last-great-song-$1081041.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007}} that McCartney was hoping to complete the song as a "Lennon–McCartney composition" by writing new verses, utilizing archival recordings of backing vocals and guitar work from Harrison (who had died in 2001), and laying down a new drum track recorded by Starr.{{Cite web |date=29 May 2008 |title=Now And Then |url=http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/now-and-then/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111004065248/http://www.beatlesbible.com/songs/now-and-then/ |archive-date=4 October 2011 |access-date=30 September 2011 |publisher=The Beatles Bible}}

Prior to the 2023 release, the only available recording of the song was from Lennon's original demo. In February 2009, the same version of Lennon's recording was released on a bootleg CD, taken from a different source, with none of the "buzz" which hampered the Beatles' recording of the song in 1995.

During a Lynne documentary shown on BBC Four in 2012, McCartney stated about the song: "And there was another one that we started working on, but George went off it... that one's still lingering around, so I'm going to nick in with Jeff and do it. Finish it, one of these days."{{Cite episode |title=Mr Blue Sky: The Story of Jeff Lynne and ELO |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n3yf4 |access-date=16 October 2015 |series=Music Stories |network=BBC |station=BBC Four |date=5 October 2012 |transcript=Transcript Preview |transcript-url=http://tvguide.lastown.com/bbc/preview/mr-blue-sky/mr-blue-sky-the-story-of-jeff-lynne-and-elo.html |archive-date=27 December 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151227105345/http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01n3yf4 |url-status=live}} McCartney said in October 2021 that he still hoped to finish the track.{{Cite magazine |last=Remnick |first=David |date=11 October 2021 |title=Paul McCartney doesn't really want to stop the show |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/paul-mccartney-doesnt-really-want-to-stop-the-show |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211106061331/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/10/18/paul-mccartney-doesnt-really-want-to-stop-the-show |archive-date=6 November 2021 |access-date=10 December 2021 |magazine=The New Yorker}}

File:Giles Martin.jpg co-produced the final song|211x211px]]For the 2021 documentary series The Beatles: Get Back, director Peter Jackson's production company WingNut Films isolated instruments, vocals, and individual conversations utilising its audio restoration technology over a four-year period.{{cite news|last=Sisario|first=Ben|date=11 November 2021|title=Know How the Beatles Ended? Peter Jackson May Change Your Mind.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/arts/music/beatles-get-back-peter-jackson.html|access-date=15 November 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111102004/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/arts/music/beatles-get-back-peter-jackson.html|archive-date=11 November 2021|url-status=live}} The neural network, called MAL (machine-assisted learning) – named after the Beatles' former road manager Mal Evans,{{Cite web |last=Sparkes |first=Matthew |date=24 December 2021 |title=Beatles documentary Get Back used custom AI to strip unwanted sound |url=https://www.newscientist.com/article/2302552-beatles-documentary-get-back-used-custom-ai-to-strip-unwanted-sound/ |url-access=subscription |access-date=30 October 2023 |website=New Scientist |archive-date=30 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030142329/https://www.newscientist.com/article/2302552-beatles-documentary-get-back-used-custom-ai-to-strip-unwanted-sound/ |url-status=live }} and as a pun to HAL 9000 of 2001: A Space Odyssey – was also later used for the 2022 remix of the 1966 album Revolver, based directly on four-track master tapes. WingNut applied the same technique to Lennon's home recording of "Now and Then", while preserving the clarity of his vocal performance separated from the piano. The studio worked on a digital copy of the original tape provided by Sean Lennon, which was of much better quality than the third-generation copy that the three surviving Beatles had used in 1995.{{Cite web |title=Eras - The Beatles - Episode 6 - Now and Then |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001rzkp |access-date=2 November 2023 |publisher=BBC Sounds |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102174053/https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m001rzkp |url-status=live }} Lennon's vocals were isolated from his solo piano demo, which finally allowed the song to be finished.{{Cite web |last=Truss |first=Si |date=2025-02-27 |title=“AI is not creating John's voice. John's voice existed on that cassette and we made the song around him”: Giles Martin explains why you’d be wrong to think ‘AI’ created Lennon's parts for The Beatles' Now and Then |url=https://www.musicradar.com/artists/giles-martin-ai-beatles-now-and-then |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=MusicRadar |language=en}} McCartney recorded bass guitar, a slide guitar solo in the style of Harrison as a tribute to him, electric harpsichord, backing vocals, and piano in the style of Lennon's demo in his home studio in East Sussex while Starr later recorded a finalized drum track and backing vocals in his home studio in Los Angeles. Additionally, Harrison's guitar parts (both acoustic and electric) from the 1995 sessions were inserted into the song.

{{External media|title=External video|video1=[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tM0jMZqEVQo Giles Martin explains the techniques behind "Now and Then": “AI isn't creating John's voice"]}}

The restoration was followed by the addition of a string section written by McCartney, Giles Martin (the son of Beatles' former producer and longtime collaborator George Martin), and Ben Foster, recorded at Capitol Studios. The piece was given the decoy name of "Give & Take" to avoid leaks from the musicians and recorded during late April 2022.{{Cite news |last=Panetta |first=Alexander |date=7 November 2023 |title=She died without learning a secret: She'd played with the Beatles |pages=1 |work=CBC |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/caroline-buckman-obituary-beatles-1.7020774 |url-status=live |access-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107223944/https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/caroline-buckman-obituary-beatles-1.7020774 |archive-date=7 November 2023}} Finally, McCartney and Martin added portions of original vocal recordings of "Here, There and Everywhere", "Eleanor Rigby" (both from Revolver), and "Because" (from the 1969 album Abbey Road) into the new song, following the methods used for the 2006 remix album Love. Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer contrasted the original recording to the released version: "McCartney collaborates with his former muse not just by building on Lennon's work, but by undoing it. The Beatles release is almost a minute shorter than the Lennon demo, largely because the latter includes two pre-chorus bridges that the former removes (aside from a subtle, hard-to-hear allusion in McCartney's piano chords during the new solo)".{{cite news |last1=Lindbergh |first1=Ben |title=Five Thoughts About the Beatles' Last Song, "Now and Then" |url=https://www.theringer.com/music/2023/11/3/23945188/now-and-then-beatles-new-song-review-ai-paul-mccartney-john-lennon-george-harrison-ringo-starr |access-date=7 November 2023 |work=The Ringer |date=3 November 2023 |language=en |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107032522/https://www.theringer.com/music/2023/11/3/23945188/now-and-then-beatles-new-song-review-ai-paul-mccartney-john-lennon-george-harrison-ringo-starr |url-status=live }} Speaking about the removal of the pre-chorus bridge, McCartney said "It had a big middle section and I thought it rambled a bit. I thought to myself, Well, if I was working with John now ... I'd say, 'We've got to do something about that middle and maybe even remove it. I think it'll make the song stronger.' So we did. I think he would have been OK with that. Of course I'm never going to know but, y'know, I think mine's the best guess we can have."Mojo Magazine January 2024 on page 76 The finished track was produced by McCartney and Martin, while Lynne was credited for "additional production", and mixed by Spike Stent. Meanwhile, the stereo and Dolby Atmos mixes, alongside the vinyl mastering, were completed at Abbey Road Studios.{{Cite Instagram|postid=CzJY_SNNtsD|user=abbeyroadstudios|title=The last song by @TheBeatles is out now. 'Now and Then' is the final track from the @JohnLennon demo tape which gave birth to 'Free as A Bird' and 'Real Love' in 1995, completed using @GeorgeHarrisonOfficial guitar parts and finishing touches by @PaulMcCartney and @RingoStarrMusic. The double A-side single pairs the last Beatles song with the first: the band's 1962 debut UK single, 'Love Me Do'. We're honoured to have been involved as @MashupMartin and @SamOkell completed the stereo and Atmos mixes here, Miles Showell mastered and cut the vinyl at half speed and @OiMoigan handled the Atmos masters. Pre-order physical formats now and stay tuned for the music video coming tomorrow! {{!}} link in bio📷 © Apple Corps#NowandThen #TheBeatles #MasteredatAbbeyRoad|date=2 November 2023|author=Abbey Road Studios}}

On 13 June 2023, McCartney told BBC Radio 4's Today programme that he had "just finished" work on extracting Lennon's voice from an old demo of the latter's in order to complete the song, using (in his words) artificial intelligence. Dubbing the project "the final Beatles record", he did not name the song; however, BBC News reported it was likely that the song is "Now and Then" and that it would be released later in 2023.{{Cite news |last=Savage |first=Mark |date=13 June 2023 |title=Sir Paul McCartney says artificial intelligence has enabled a 'final' Beatles song |agency=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65881813 |url-status=live |access-date=13 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230805102233/https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-65881813 |archive-date=5 August 2023}} On the use of AI for sound source separation, McCartney clarified in June 2023 that "nothing has been artificially or synthetically created. It's all real and we all play on it. We cleaned up some existing recordings – a process which has gone on for years."

Ed Ruscha designed the front cover of the packaging for the vinyl release of the single.{{Cite web |last=Rabb |first=Maxwell |date=2023-10-31 |title=Final Beatles song to feature original cover art by Ed Ruscha. |url=https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-final-beatles-song-feature-original-cover-art-ruscha |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Artsy |language=en}} Ruscha, known for his use of text elements in his artworks, also produced the cover art for Paul McCartney's album McCartney III.{{Cite web |last=Reviews |first=The Press Music |date=2023-11-21 |title=The Beatles' 'Now and Then' Cover by Ed Ruscha |url=https://thepressmusicreviews.wordpress.com/2023/11/21/more-album-cover-outtakes-37/ |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=THE PRESS {{!}} Music Reviews |language=en}}

File:NowAndThen TheBeatles Single BackCoverArt.jpgThe design of the back cover art for the vinyl single incorporates a photograph of a handmade, folk art clock made from recycled materials by artist Chris Giffin which had been purchased by George Harrison in Providence, Rhode Island during a 1997 trip to visit his son Dhani who was attending Brown University. According to Olivia Harrison, George's widow, in the summer of 2022, after having recently cleaned the clock and replaced its battery, Paul McCartney called her to discuss plans for the release of the new Beatles single "Now And Then". As she was speaking with McCartney, she looked up at the clock's face whose design included the words "Now" and "Then". Olivia reported that she was "dumbfounded" by the coincidence and felt that it seemed like a sign from her then deceased husband that he would have approved of the release of the song. For the photograph of the clock, Olivia Harrison made an alteration to the original composition of elements on the face of the clock: She added a photograph of The Beatles onto the clock, which replaced an old sepia tone photograph of a Victorian family which had been included in the original design. She also called the artist to get approval and permission for the use of the clock in the design of the cover art for the single.{{Cite web |date=2023-11-21 |title=Why George Harrison Approved Of The Beatles' Now And Then: "It felt like George was saying, It's OK. It felt like approval." |url=https://www.mojo4music.com/articles/stories/why-george-harrison-approved-of-the-beatles-now-and-then/ |access-date=2024-12-27 |website=Mojo |language=en}}

On 25 October 2023, an image of an orange-and-white cassette tape with the tape reel winding was published on the Beatles' official website and official social media accounts. The bottom left of the tape read "Type I (Normal) Position", and the copyright section read "Yoko Ono Lennon, MPL Communications Ltd, G. H. Estate Ltd and Startling Music Ltd".{{Cite news |last=Curtis |first=Charles |date=25 October 2023 |title=Did the Beatles cryptically hint a new, final single is coming soon in 2023? |url=https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/10/beatles-new-single-now-and-then-release-date |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231026135208/https://ftw.usatoday.com/2023/10/beatles-new-single-now-and-then-release-date |archive-date=26 October 2023 |access-date=25 October 2023 |newspaper=USA Today}} The following day, the song was announced as a double A-side single for a release date of 2 November 2023, backed with a new stereo remix of "Love Me Do" – with both songs also featured on the expanded re-issues of the 1973 compilations 1962–1966 and 1967–1970.

A 12-minute documentary film, Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song, written and directed by British filmmaker Oliver Murray, debuted on 1 November 2023 on the Beatles' YouTube channel, Disney+,{{Cite web |title=New Short Film "Now And Then – The Last Beatles Song" Now Streaming On Disney+ |url=https://press.disneyplus.com/news/disney-plus-now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-new-short-film-now-streaming |url-status=live |date=1 November 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103221211/https://press.disneyplus.com/news/disney-plus-now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-new-short-film-now-streaming |archive-date=3 November 2023 |access-date=3 November 2023 |publisher=Disney+ Press}} and linear channels including CBC Television in Canada,{{cite press release|url=https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/cbc-is-the-exclusive-broadcast-home-in-canada-for-now-and-then-the-last-bea|title=CBC IS THE EXCLUSIVE BROADCAST HOME IN CANADA FOR NOW AND THEN - THE LAST BEATLES SONG SHORT FILM, PREMIERING NOVEMBER 1 ON CBC TV AND CBC GEM|publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|date=26 October 2023|access-date=11 November 2023|archive-date=11 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111150337/https://www.cbc.ca/mediacentre/press-release/cbc-is-the-exclusive-broadcast-home-in-canada-for-now-and-then-the-last-bea|url-status=live}} and TVN24 in Poland.{{Cite web |last=Mazur |first=Maciej |date=1 November 2023 |title="Now and Then". Premiera ostatniego utworu The Beatles 2 listopada |trans-title="Now and Then". On November 2, the last Beatles song premieres |url=https://fakty.tvn24.pl/zobacz-fakty/now-and-then-premiera-ostatniego-utworu-the-beatles-2-listopada-7418805 |access-date=14 November 2023 |website=fakty.tvn24.pl |language=pl |archive-date=14 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114230642/https://fakty.tvn24.pl/zobacz-fakty/now-and-then-premiera-ostatniego-utworu-the-beatles-2-listopada-7418805 |url-status=live }} The short film tells the story of the song's inception, including commentaries by McCartney, Starr, Harrison, Sean Lennon, and Jackson. The film also played excerpts of John Lennon's separated vocal tracks and from the final song.

To celebrate the release of "Now and Then", animated projection mappings of the cassette tape from the Beatles' website popped up at Beatles-related locations across Liverpool, including the Strawberry Field, the road sign for Penny Lane, outside Lennon's childhood home, and the Cavern Club.{{Cite magazine |last=Dunworth |first=Liberty |date=26 October 2023 |title=The Beatles continue to tease 'final song' with projections across Liverpool |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-beatles-continue-to-tease-final-song-with-projections-across-liverpool-3521832 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028215302/https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-beatles-continue-to-tease-final-song-with-projections-across-liverpool-3521832 |archive-date=28 October 2023 |access-date=28 October 2023 |magazine=NME}}

The BBC prepared an extended edition of The One Show on BBC One, BBC Radio 2 podcast series Eras: The Beatles hosted by Martin Freeman, as well as other programming on BBC Two and the BBC iPlayer.{{Cite web |title=The BBC celebrates The Beatles |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bbc-celebrates-the-beatles/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231028215301/https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/bbc-celebrates-the-beatles/ |archive-date=28 October 2023 |access-date=28 October 2023 |publisher=BBC}} In the United States, iHeartMedia said it would premiere "Now and Then" simultaneously over 740 of its radio stations, with the song repeated hourly for the rest of the day on the company's classic rock stations.{{Cite web |last=Venta |first=Lance |date=27 October 2023 |title=740 iHeartMedia Stations To Simultaneously Debut 'Last Beatles Song' |url=https://radioinsight.com/headlines/260345/740-iheartmedia-stations-to-simultaneously-debut-last-beatles-song/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231029003236/https://radioinsight.com/headlines/260345/740-iheartmedia-stations-to-simultaneously-debut-last-beatles-song/ |archive-date=29 October 2023 |access-date=29 October 2023 |publisher=RadioInsight}} Sirius XM said the song also premiered on The Beatles Channel at the moment it was released.{{cite web|url=https://blog.siriusxm.com/now-and-then-the-beatles-channel/|title=Hear 'Now And Then,' the Last Beatles Song, on The Beatles Channel|publisher=SiriusXM|date=3 November 2023|access-date=11 November 2023|archive-date=11 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111105119/https://blog.siriusxm.com/now-and-then-the-beatles-channel/|url-status=live}}

A music video for "Now and Then", directed by Peter Jackson, premiered on 3 November 2023. It features footage of the Beatles, including a snippet of a newly found film of the band from 1962 provided by Pete Best, scenes filmed during the 1995 recording sessions for Anthology, home movie footage of Lennon and Harrison and of the group taken from the "Hello Goodbye" 1967 promotional films juxtaposed by Wētā FX with recent footage of McCartney and Starr performing backing vocals and their bass and drums parts in 2023 and McCartney during the recording of the orchestra.{{cite web |last=Matt |first= Hurwitz |date=9 February 2024|title=Magic Before and After: Peter Jackson's "Now and Then" Music Video|publisher=Sound & Vision|url=https://www.soundandvision.com/content/creation-beatles-last-song-and-rebirth-red-and-blue|access-date =12 April 2024}}

Jackson personally directed the "Now and Then" music video, filming new footage of McCartney and Starr and using restored old footage similarly to Get Back to have all four Beatles visually on-screen.{{cite news|last=Sisario|first=Ben|date=11 November 2021|title=Know How the Beatles Ended? Peter Jackson May Change Your Mind.|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/arts/music/beatles-get-back-peter-jackson.html|access-date=15 November 2021|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111102004/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/11/arts/music/beatles-get-back-peter-jackson.html|archive-date=11 November 2021|url-status=live}} In an interview days before the song's release, Jackson claimed that he had originally been "very reluctant" due to the heavy responsibility of directing the video, stating: "I knew The Beatles don’t take no for an answer if their minds are set on something - but they didn’t even wait for me to say no. I found myself swept along as they quickly addressed my concerns. Paul and Ringo shot footage of themselves performing and sent that to me. Apple unearthed over 14 hours of long forgotten film shot during the 1995 recording sessions, including several hours of Paul, George and Ringo working on Now And Then, and gave all that to me. Sean and Olivia found some great unseen home movie footage and sent that. To cap things off, a few precious seconds of The Beatles performing in their leather suits, the earliest known film of The Beatles and never seen before, was kindly supplied by Pete Best. Watching this footage completely changed the situation - I could see how a music video could be made. Actually, I found it far easier if I thought of it as making a short movie, so that's what I did… My lack of confidence with music videos didn't matter anymore if I wasn't making one."{{cite web |title=Peter Jackson Talks About Making The Beatles' Last Music Video, 'Now And Then'. "It was going to be far easier to do a runner." |url=https://www.thebeatles.com/peter-jackson-talks-about-making-beatles-last-music-video-it-was-going-be-far-easier-do-runner |website=Slate|date=October 31, 2023 |access-date=7 February 2025}}

About the middle section of the video, Jackson stated: "Our initial plan of having similar emotional power continue through this middle section would be completely wrong. That was not who The Beatles were. At their core they were irreverent and funny, and the middle section should capture that spirit. We needed to laugh at The Beatles, and laugh with them. They were always sending themselves up - and the more seriously other people took them, the more they would clown around."

On review aggregator Metacritic, the single has a weighted average review score of 87 out of 100 from 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".{{cite web |title=Now and Then [Single] by The Beatles|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/now-and-then-single/the-beatles |accessdate=3 November 2023 |publisher=Metacritic |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103155039/https://www.metacritic.com/music/now-and-then-single/the-beatles |url-status=live }} In the first review published for its completed incarnation, Erlewine wrote in the Los Angeles Times that the track was "elegant [and] softly psychedelic" with "a wistful undercurrent", calling it "a fitting conclusion to the Beatles' recorded career – not so much a summation [but rather] a coda that conveys a sense of what the band both achieved and lost". In The Guardian, Alexis Petridis gave the song four stars out of five, calling it "a poignant act of closure".{{Cite news |last=Petridis |first=Alexis |date=2 November 2023 |title=The Beatles: Now and Then review – 'final' song is a poignant act of closure |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/02/the-beatles-now-and-then-review |access-date=2 November 2023 |issn=0261-3077 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102154658/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/02/the-beatles-now-and-then-review |url-status=live }} Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone called it "the final masterpiece that the Beatles—and their fans—deserve".{{Cite magazine |last=Sheffield |first=Rob |date=2 November 2023 |title=The Beatles Return for One More Masterpiece With New Song 'Now And Then' |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beatles-new-song-now-and-then-1234868643/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102151501/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/beatles-new-song-now-and-then-1234868643/ |url-status=live }} Ed Power of The Irish Times praised Lennon's vocals on the track, deeming it "a 2023 pop odyssey sure to warm the cockles of Beatles fans young, old and in-between".{{Cite magazine |last=Power |first=Ed |date=2 November 2023 |title=The Beatles: Now and Then review - A near miraculous, sad, fab farewell |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2023/11/02/the-beatles-now-and-then-review-a-near-miraculous-sad-fab-farewell/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |newspaper=The Irish Times |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103023548/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/music/review/2023/11/02/the-beatles-now-and-then-review-a-near-miraculous-sad-fab-farewell/ |url-status=live }}

Vulture{{'s}} Craig Jenkins said the tune had lyrics and orchestral flourishes similar to "The Long and Winding Road", writing "If this is the end of the Beatles, they have left us with a snapshot of their strengths." The Arizona Republic{{'s}} Ed Masley praised the song for making him cry repeatedly, saying he could not ask for more from a Beatles song.{{Cite news |last=Masley |first=Ed |date=2 November 2023 |title=You'll weep: The Beatles last song, 'Now and Then,' is a haunting final statement |newspaper=The Arizona Republic |url=https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/11/02/the-beatles-now-and-then-review/71423672007/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103030033/https://www.azcentral.com/story/entertainment/music/2023/11/02/the-beatles-now-and-then-review/71423672007/ |url-status=live }} In Clash, Robin Murray said the "beautiful" single felt like McCartney's "super-human attempt to re-frame the group's ending. Instead of rancour, unity. Instead of solo competition, studio unity. Instead of losing his friends, finding their voices once more."{{Cite magazine |last=Murray |first=Robin |date=2 November 2023 |title=Review: The Beatles – 'Now And Then' |url=https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/review-the-beatles-now-and-then/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |magazine=Clash |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103033226/https://www.clashmusic.com/reviews/review-the-beatles-now-and-then/ |url-status=live }} Mark Beaumont of The Independent gave the tune a perfect five-star rating, writing "Sorry Swifties, hard luck Elton, in your face Sphere – this is the musical event of the year and one of the greatest tear-jerkers in history."{{Cite news |last=Beaumont |first=Mark |date=2 November 2023 |title=Now and Then by The Beatles, review: John Lennon is in the room, bright, clear and miraculously alive |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/now-then-the-beatles-review-lennon-mccartney-b2440412.html |access-date=3 November 2023 |magazine=The Independent |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103054351/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/reviews/now-then-the-beatles-review-lennon-mccartney-b2440412.html |url-status=live }}

Other critics felt "Now and Then" did not live up to some of the band's previous songs. Geoff Edgers of The Washington Post wrote that the song was "kind of mundane"; of its inclusion on the 1967–1970 reissue, he concluded, "A passable song is simply not good enough when you're sharing vinyl with 'Strawberry Fields Forever', 'A Day in the Life' or 'Let It Be.'"{{Cite news |last=Edgers |first=Geoff |date=1 November 2023 |title=The 'new' Beatles song is perfectly fine. Which is not good enough. |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/2023/11/02/now-then-beatles-new-song-john-lennon/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |issn=0190-8286}} For The New York Times, Jon Pareles concluded, "Its existence matters more than its quality ... The song can't compare to the music the four Beatles made together in the 1960s. All it can do is remind listeners of a synergy, musical and personal, that's now lost forever."{{cite news|last=Pareles|first=Jon|title=The Beatles' 'Now and Then': A Glimpse of Past Greatness|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/arts/music/beatles-now-and-then-last-song.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2 November 2023|access-date=3 November 2023|archive-date=3 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103023009/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/02/arts/music/beatles-now-and-then-last-song.html|url-status=live}} Comparing the song to the other posthumous Beatles releases "Free as a Bird" and "Real Love", Mark Richardson wrote for Pitchfork: "To my ear, 'Now and Then' is the weakest of the posthumous singles ... 'Now and Then' is pretty much impossible to imagine as an actual Beatles song, and it seems especially far from what might have been Lennon's original intention. And yet, it's enjoyable just the same."{{cite web |last1=Richardson |first1=Mark |title=Why the Beatles' Last Song Couldn't Have Existed Until Now |url=https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-beatles-now-and-then-technology/ |access-date=3 November 2023 |website=Pitchfork |date=2 November 2023 |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103041042/https://pitchfork.com/thepitch/the-beatles-now-and-then-technology/ |url-status=live}} Ben Lindbergh of The Ringer wrote: "I can't help but be a bit let down by the bridge's omission. Without those surprising, distinctly Lennon-esque digressions, the song's structure is simpler and more repetitive."

Russell Root wrote for Salon that the song was "not a Beatles song, but rather a Beatles tribute song", noting that "the studio versions of ['Free as a Bird' and 'Real Love'] stay truer to both the original demos and the Beatles' own sound."{{cite news |last1=Root |first1=Russell |title=Why "Now and Then" isn't a Beatles song |url=https://www.salon.com/2023/11/06/beatles-now-and-then/ |access-date=7 November 2023 |work=Salon |date=6 November 2023 |language=en |archive-date=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106235842/https://www.salon.com/2023/11/06/beatles-now-and-then/ |url-status=live }} Jem Aswad of Variety said, "So in the end, 'Now and Then' is not a lost Beatles classic. But to paraphrase McCartney's famous quote regarding criticism of The White Album, 'It's a bloody new Beatles song, shut up!'"{{Cite magazine |last=Aswad |first=Jem |date=2 November 2023 |title=The Beatles' 'Now and Then' Is a Bittersweet Finale for the Fab Four's Recording Career: Single Review |url=https://variety.com/2023/music/reviews/the-beatles-new-song-now-and-then-review-1235777477/ |access-date=2 November 2023 |magazine=Variety |archive-date=3 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231103024021/https://variety.com/2023/music/reviews/the-beatles-new-song-now-and-then-review-1235777477/ |url-status=live}}

Mastering engineer Ian Shepherd noted the lack of dynamics in the stereo version, also pointing out that the Dolby Atmos version does not suffer from the loudness war problems.{{Cite web |date=2 November 2023 |title=The Beatles' 'Now and Then' is a marvel of audio restoration - but did it really need to be so LOUD ? - Production Advice |url=https://productionadvice.co.uk/now-and-then/ |access-date=28 November 2023 |language=en-US |archive-date=13 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231113041458/https://productionadvice.co.uk/now-and-then/ |url-status=live }} Miles Showell confirmed that the mix he received was heavily limited.{{Cite twitter|number=1720367346726891590|user=Miles_Showell|title=Not a lot that can be done in mastering when the mix is already sounding like that and has been approved by the band, the producers and the label. It could have been even louder, the source I worked with was the LESS limited version! For LMD I had more input. Best leave it there.|first=Miles|last=Showell|date=3 November 2023|access-date=28 November 2023}}

In November 2023, Ultimate Classic Rock named "Now and Then" the third-best rock song of 2023.{{Cite web |publisher=Townsquare Media |language=en-US |title=Top 30 Rock Songs of 2023 |url=https://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-rock-songs-2023/ |first=Allison |last=Rapp |date=29 November 2023 |accessdate=29 November 2023 |website=Ultimate Classic Rock |archive-date=29 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129165956/https://ultimateclassicrock.com/best-rock-songs-2023/ |url-status=live }}

=== Accolades ===

"Now and Then" was nominated for Record of the Year and won Best Rock Performance at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards,{{Cite news |last=Lee |first=Benjamin |date=2025-02-02 |title=Grammy awards 2025: list of winners |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/feb/02/grammy-2025-winners |access-date=2025-02-03 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}} marking the group's first nomination since 1997.{{Cite magazine |last=Willman |first=Chris |date=8 November 2024 |title=Grammy Nominations 2025: Beyonce Leads With 11 Nods as Taylor Swift, Chappell Roan, Sabrina Carpenter and Charli XCX Are Among Top Nominees |url=https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grammy-nominations-2025-beyonce-taylor-swift-chappell-roan-complete-list-1236204610/ |magazine=Variety |access-date=8 November 2024 |archive-date=8 November 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241108164954/https://variety.com/2024/music/news/grammy-nominations-2025-beyonce-taylor-swift-chappell-roan-complete-list-1236204610/ |url-status=live }} The nomination was also historically significant as the first artificial intelligence-assisted track to be nominated for a Grammy Award.{{cite web |last1=King |first1=Ashley |title=Beatles 'Now & Then' Becomes First AI-Assisted Song Nominated for a Grammy |url=https://www.digitalmusicnews.com/2024/11/08/beatles-now-and-then-ai-assist-grammy/ |website=www.digitalmusicnews.com |date=9 November 2024 |publisher=Digital Music News |access-date=6 January 2025}}

Peter Jackson's music video was met with polarized reviews, with praise for its emotional weight but criticism regarding the insertion of Harrison and Lennon into more recent footage. In a mixed review, Mark Woods of the Beatles-themed website Zap stated: "I have read the Peter Jackson interviews, heard his approach to it and knew that not only did he have the Anthology session footage but also an unseen clip courtesy of Pete Best, and my mind had put together a chronological journey through Beatledom. A then and now if you will. What we got was much different, experimental in many ways, a mix of archive footage and CGI that for me felt at odds with the wistful longing on the song itself." However, he recognized that there are "parts of the 'Now and Then' video to be adored and admired here."{{cite web |last1=Woods |first1=Mark |title=Review: Now and Then music video |url=https://zapthebeatles.com/2023/11/03/review-now-and-then-music-video/ |website=zap|date=3 November 2023 |access-date=7 February 2025}}

Mary Kate Carr of The A.V. Club stated that the video "works best when focused on the archival footage of the band working on the track; the blend of present-day McCartney and Starr with Sgt. Pepper-era Lennon and Harrison is jarring and frankly, a little goofy [...] Nevertheless, Beatle fanatics may find themselves charmed by the time capsule quality of the video, which travels backward through the group’s career all the way through to childhood photos and footage of the four members."{{cite web |last1=Carr |first1=Mary Kate |title=The Beatles' "Now And Then" music video is a goofy little time capsule |url=https://www.avclub.com/the-beatles-now-and-then-music-video-peter-jackson-1850989279 |website=The A.V. Club|date=3 November 2023 |access-date=7 February 2025}}

In a positive review, Purav Menon of The Oxford Student stated: "Though [the inserted Harrison and Lennon] can border a little on the uncanny valley side, the video is an emotional experience, particularly the final third, which takes the Beatles all the way back in time to their beginnings as the Quarrymen in the Cavern Club in Liverpool. The song finishes with the Beatles bowing following a live concert, and then disappearing from the frame, a creative decision from Jackson that almost brought a tear to my eye (even as someone who wasn’t old enough to experience half of the band being alive, yet alone performing and releasing music!)."{{cite web |last1=Menon |first1=Purav |title=The Beatles’ ‘Now and Then’ Review |url=https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2023/11/12/the-beatles-now-and-then-review-4-5/ |website=Slate|date=12 November 2023 |access-date=7 February 2025}} Conversely, Sam Adams of Slate called it "an abomination" that "shows that Peter Jackson has really, truly lost it" and that he "wants to do more than collapse the decades; he wants to erase them."{{cite web |last1=Adams |first1=Sam |title=The Beatles’ “Final” Music Video Is an Abomination |url=https://slate.com/culture/2023/11/beatles-now-and-then-new-song-video-peter-jackson.html |website=Slate|date=6 November 2023 |access-date=7 February 2025}}

"Now and Then" debuted on the UK Singles Chart on 3 November 2023 at number 42, based on ten hours of sales.{{cite magazine |last1=Brandle |first1=Lars |title=The Beatles' 'Now and Then' Heading For U.K. No. 1 |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-beatles-now-and-then-uk-chart-race-1235463994/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=6 November 2023 |date=6 November 2023 |archive-date=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106101432/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-beatles-now-and-then-uk-chart-race-1235463994/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 on 10/11/2023 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20231110/7501/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=12 June 2025 |date=10 November 2023 |url-status=live}}{{cite web |title=Official Singles Chart Top 100 on 3/11/2023 |url=https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20231103/7501/ |publisher=Official Charts Company |access-date=6 November 2023 |date=5 November 2023 |archive-date=7 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231107200458/https://www.officialcharts.com/charts/singles-chart/20231103/7501/ |url-status=live}} The following week it rose 41 positions to reach number one on the chart, the Beatles' only UK number one song in 54 years since their 1969 single "The Ballad of John and Yoko", setting a record for the longest gap between number one singles by any musical act.{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/10/the-beatles-54-years-no-1-singles-now-and-then-uk-chart |title=The Beatles set record 54-year gap between No 1 singles as Now and Then tops UK chart |first=Ben |last=Beaumont-Thomas |date=10 November 2023 |work=The Guardian |access-date=10 November 2023 |archive-date=11 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111080219/https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/nov/10/the-beatles-54-years-no-1-singles-now-and-then-uk-chart |url-status=live }} Furthermore, it became the only song co-written by Starr to top the UK chart. It accumulated 78,000 units in its first full week of sales and streaming with 48,000 from physical sales and downloads.{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/beatles-now-then-number-1-song-record/|title=The Beatles' Now And Then is UK's Official Number 1 song in record-breaking return|date=10 November 2023|work=The Official Charts Company|first=Carl|last=Smith|access-date=11 November 2023|archive-date=11 November 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231111151035/https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/beatles-now-then-number-1-song-record/|url-status=live}}

In the United States, it debuted at number one on the Billboard Digital Song Sales chart for the week ending 11 November 2023. The song sold 17,000 downloads, all on 2 November, the final day of the chart's tracking week. That same week, it also debuted at number 5 on the Billboard Bubbling Under Hot 100 chart.{{cite magazine |last1=Trust |first1=Gary |last2=Rutherford |first2=Kevin |title=The Beatles' 'Now and Then' Debuts at No. 1 on Digital Song Sales Chart |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-beatles-now-and-then-number-one-debut-digital-song-sales-chart-1235464802/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=6 November 2023 |date=6 November 2023 |archive-date=6 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106221522/https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/the-beatles-now-and-then-number-one-debut-digital-song-sales-chart-1235464802/ |url-status=live }} "Now and Then" debuted at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 dated 18 November, and was their 35th top ten single on that chart with 73,000 units sold.{{cite magazine |last1=Trust |first1=Gary |title=The Beatles Make More Hot 100 History as 'Now and Then' Debuts in Top 10 |url=https://www.billboard.com/lists/the-beatles-now-and-then-hot-100-top-10-debut/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=14 November 2023 |date=13 November 2023 |archive-date=14 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231114005413/https://www.billboard.com/lists/the-beatles-now-and-then-hot-100-top-10-debut/ |url-status=live }} "Now and Then" reached number one on the Billboard Adult Alternative Airplay chart for the week ending 9 December 2023, and was the band's only number one on a Billboard radio airplay chart since "Let It Be" topped the Adult Contemporary chart in April 1970.{{cite magazine |last1=Rutherford |first1=Kevin |title=The Beatles Hit No. 1 on an Airplay Chart for the First Time in Over 50 Years |url=https://www.billboard.com/music/chart-beat/beatles-now-and-then-number-one-adult-alternative-airplay-chart-1235521249/ |magazine=Billboard |access-date=7 December 2023 |date=1 December 2023}}

The song was used at several points in the 2024 film Argylle, along with an orchestral version of the track produced for the film.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2024/artisans/global/argylle-beatles-now-and-then-lorne-balfe-1235890307/|title='Argylle' Composer Lorne Balfe Had to Keep the Existence of the Beatles' 'Now and Then' a Secret for a Year and a Half: 'It's the Holy Grail'|date=3 February 2024|work=Variety|first=K.J.|last=Yossman|access-date=7 February 2024|archive-date=5 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240205231815/https://variety.com/2024/artisans/global/argylle-beatles-now-and-then-lorne-balfe-1235890307/amp/|url-status=live}}

• John Lennon – lead and backing vocals
• Paul McCartney – backing vocals, bass, lap steel guitar, acoustic guitar, piano, electric harpsichord, shaker
• George Harrison – backing vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar
• Ringo Starr – backing vocals, drums, tambourine, shaker

{{More citations needed section|date=November 2023}}

• Neel Hammond, Adrianne Pope, Charlie Bisharat, Andrew Bulbrook, Songa Lee, Serena McKinney – violin
• Ayvren Harrison, Caroline Buckman, Drew Forde, Linnea Powell – viola
• Mia Barcia-Colombo, Giovanna Clayton, Hillary Smith – cello
• Mike Valerio – double bass
• Jérôme Leroy – conductor{{cite web | url=https://www.jeromeleroy.com/complog-content/2023/10/30/recording-now-and-then-at-capitol-studios | title=Recording "Now and Then" at Capitol Studios | date=2 November 2023 | access-date=6 November 2023 | archive-date=6 November 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231106123315/https://www.jeromeleroy.com/complog-content/2023/10/30/recording-now-and-then-at-capitol-studios | url-status=live }}

• Paul McCartney, Giles Martin, Ben Foster – string arrangement
• Produced by Paul McCartney and Giles Martin, with additional production by Jeff Lynne
• Mark "Spike" Stent – stereo mix
• Giles Martin, Sam Okell – Atmos mixes
• Miles Showell – vinyl mastering
• Oli Morgan – Atmos mastering
• Bruce Sugar, Steve Genewick, Greg McAllister, Geoff Emerick, Keith Smith, Mark "Spike" Stent, Steve Orchard, Jon Jacobs – engineering{{Cite web |title=Now And Then by The Beatles |date=2 November 2023 |url=https://music.apple.com/us/song/now-and-then/1713197541 |via=Apple Music |access-date=2 November 2023 |archive-date=2 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231102174100/https://music.apple.com/us/song/now-and-then/1713197541 |url-status=live }}

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{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for "Now and Then"}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|artist=The Beatles|title=Now and Then|award=Platinum|type=single|relyear=2023|certyear=2025|access-date=28 May 2025}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|artist=Beatles|title=Now And Then|award=Silver|type=single|relyear=2023|certyear=2024|accessdate=16 February 2024|id=4658-1786-1}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true|nosales=true|noshipments=true}}

{{Notelist|refs=

{{efn|name=recording|The final product was recorded on multiple occasions:{{cite web |last1=Hurwitz |first1=Matt |title=The Creation of The Beatles' Last Song and the Rebirth of Red and Blue |url=https://www.soundandvision.com/content/creation-beatles-last-song-and-rebirth-red-and-blue-0 |website=Sound and Vision |date=9 February 2024 |publisher=AVTech Media Americas |access-date=10 April 2024 |archive-date=1 March 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240301170352/https://www.soundandvision.com/content/creation-beatles-last-song-and-rebirth-red-and-blue-0 |url-status=live }}

• 6 June 1966 (backing vocals from "Eleanor Rigby")
• 14 June 1966 (backing vocals from "Here, There and Everywhere")
• 4 August 1969 (backing vocals from "Because")
• {{c.|1977}} (Lennon's lead vocals)
• 2 February 1995 (Harrison's acoustic and electric guitars)
• 2 February 2021 (McCartney's guitar solo)
• 9 July 2021 (McCartney's bass lines)
• 12 July 2021 (McCartney's vocals)
• 9 April 2022 (Starr's drums)
• 1 May 2022 (orchestra)}}

}}

{{Reflist}}

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• {{YouTube|id=APJAQoSCwuA|title=Now and Then – The Last Beatles Song (Short film)}}

{{The Beatles singles}}

{{The Beatles Anthology}}

{{Peter Jackson}}

{{Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance}}

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