# "Now and Then" - the last Beatles song being debuted {2023-11-02} **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** music\ **Created:** [November 2, 2023, 5:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460 "2023-11-02T05:27:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiendish_astronaut/32/3295_2.png) [@Fiendish\_Astronaut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fiendish_Astronaut)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/21 "2023-11-02T17:06:02Z")
Yeah it reminds me of Jealous Guy a little bit. It is beautiful though in it’s own way. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 6:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/22 "2023-11-02T18:18:16Z")
Everybody needs to stop saying it’s a Beatles song. It’s not. It’s a late John Lennon solo song with guest artists. Sad to hear how Lennon had the rock beaten out of him. Rock was what he lived for. Rock was what he once played eight hours a night. Losing rock was losing the will to live. You can hear it in this song. ---
**Author:** ![ShadowFacts](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shadowfacts/32/2934_2.png) [@ShadowFacts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShadowFacts)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/23 "2023-11-02T18:39:51Z")
Well, I like it. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/24 "2023-11-02T18:56:25Z")
I like it quite a bit. ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/25 "2023-11-02T19:10:56Z")
Well, that’s the thing. If you like Lennon’s post-Imagine work, you will like this. Many Beatles fans, including me, don’t care for his later records. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/26 "2023-11-02T19:41:10Z")
I actually prefer both Paul’s and George’s post-Beatle work to all of John’s post-Beatle work, so i would’ve loved to just have them do one of their own songs as a new Beatle track, and perhaps think outside the box with John’s old recordings. Maybe something like how they did “I’ve Got a Feeling” or “A Day in the Life.” Weave partial John and Paul (or even George) songs together. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 7:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/27 "2023-11-02T19:46:23Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > Incidentally, Paul also worked on a new Rolling Stones song recently, [Bite My Head Off](https://youtu.be/s_yZWjnip6w?si=mSpwmMFIWgPPH-bd), which is much better imo. The song does have ooomph. But if I’d heard it sometime in the past I might have thought it was a joke song on Dr. Demento. ---
**Author:** ![Jaycat.again](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jaycat.again/32/11525_2.png) [@Jaycat.again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jaycat.again)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/28 "2023-11-02T20:04:58Z")
Boy, Mick still has the pipes, don’t he? I like the Lennon song, though I prefer the demo version. ---
**Author:** ![martyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@martyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/martyg)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/29 "2023-11-02T20:12:47Z")
> [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](#): > > Sounds like ELO featuring John Lennon. I lasted halfway through it before “make it stop” kicked in. This should not have been the final Beatles song. Beatles songs grab you whether you like them or not, and that quality is just not there. I’m with George when he called it effing rubbish. If they were trying to destroy their legacy, this one’s going to really help them achieve it. ---
**Author:** ![slicedalone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slicedalone/32/12515_2.png) [@slicedalone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/slicedalone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 8:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/30 "2023-11-02T20:17:10Z")
I’m a little surprised that Paul couldn’t invent a better hook for the guitar solo, which was kinda blah. That’s really all it needed, to my mind. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/31 "2023-11-02T20:19:40Z")
Yeah, I’ve now heard it once (thanks for the link), and do not really have much desire to hear it again. A forgettable dirge. John Lennon is my least favorite Post-Beatles Beatle. I even prefer Ringo’s solo work to his. Speaking of which… Ringo’s solo albums are almost ‘Beatles’ albums in that all four Beatles played on the early ones. And after John died the other two still routinely played with Ringo. ---
**Author:** ![bordelond](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bordelond/32/150_2.png) [@bordelond](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bordelond)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/32 "2023-11-02T20:30:06Z")
After listening to it twice so far today, I agree with those who liken it to Lennon’s post _Imagine_ work. I do enjoy Ringo’s drumming throughout. I enjoyed the instrumentation in general. And Lennon wasn’t in bad form or anything – he just took a back seat to the other players. ---
**Author:** ![Beckdawrek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beckdawrek/32/3647_2.png) [@Beckdawrek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beckdawrek)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/33 "2023-11-02T21:11:54Z")
I liked it. It’s not a _great_ Beatles song. I loved hearing their voices again. And yeah Ringo was good. Doesn’t Julians voice sound just like his Dad’s? I went back and listened to his few songs. I don’t know if it’s natural or he trained his voice to sound like John, but it does. Amazing. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/34 "2023-11-02T21:40:15Z")
Well, what can I say, I liked it better than “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”, much better. Don’t get me wrong, Jeff Lynne is a cool guy, but this “new” song fortunately had little of his production and sounds better. And the production is technically astonishing. Nothing earthshaking, but decent. (just like the recent Stones album) ---
**Author:** ![martyg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f475e1/32.png) [@martyg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/martyg)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/35 "2023-11-02T21:55:43Z")
Quite the ironic assessment. ---
**Author:** ![Mijin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mijin/32/9369_2.png) [@Mijin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mijin)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/36 "2023-11-02T21:55:58Z")
It falls apart when they’re singing together. I can’t quite decide if it’s autotune or just an elderly voice but it sounds off. I guess for the fans it’s awesome to hear them together, regardless of whether it was the best choice for the song. > [@blondebear](#): > > None of the post-Beatles Beatles songs do much for me. They all sound so anemic…there’s just no (pardon the pun) life, no Beatles “spark” in them. It’s too bad they couldn’t have unearthed a more rocking song to work with. I thought _Free as a Bird_ was great, but I would agree that it would have been better a little faster and with 60s punchier / experimental production. ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 9:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/37 "2023-11-02T21:56:13Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > John Lennon is my least favorite Post-Beatles Beatle. I even prefer Ringo’s solo work to his. I would agree. It goes like this: 1. George 2. Paul 3. Ringo 4. John ---
**Author:** ![Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/elmer_j.fudd/32/1211_2.png) [@Elmer\_J.Fudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elmer_J.Fudd)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/38 "2023-11-02T22:07:54Z")
> [@Mahaloth](#): > > > [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > > > John Lennon is my least favorite Post-Beatles Beatle. I even prefer Ringo’s solo work to his. > > I would agree. It goes like this: > > 1. George > 2. Paul > 3. Ringo > 4. John > … How soon we forget… [![](https://www.petebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/beyond340.jpg) ](https://www.petebest.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/beyond340.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 10:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/39 "2023-11-02T22:17:11Z")
By the way, what became of this guy? [![](https://i.discogs.com/BNB6Ira4WRowMIiox6vow8v6YsPrt8i9b5FseNSMA0k/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:586/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTQ3MDYw/NzEtMTQ0MDUwMzkz/MC02Mjk4LmpwZWc.jpeg) ](https://i.discogs.com/BNB6Ira4WRowMIiox6vow8v6YsPrt8i9b5FseNSMA0k/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:586/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTQ3MDYw/NzEtMTQ0MDUwMzkz/MC02Mjk4LmpwZWc.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![HMS\_Irruncible](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hms_irruncible/32/7394_2.png) [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)\ **Post date:** [November 2, 2023, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460/40 "2023-11-02T22:54:19Z")
> [@Happy\_Lendervedder](#): > > The surviving Beatles are/have been more concerned with putting something out that includes all original members, instead of something that’s actually good. They never cared who worked on a song, or how many of them appeared on the track, when they were still together, but now it’s become paramount to have all four perform, to the detriment of the material itself. These are my thoughts exactly. I like the Beatles, and dammit, I also really like John Lennon as a solo artist. Like the 1995 retread from John’s demos, _Now and Then_ starts out very promisingly sounding like a new Lennon solo cut. But of course we all know what’s coming, the inevitable glurgy 4-part harmony mugging for attention in a song that didn’t need it at all. All the creepier since half the party are now dead. Revitalize old Beatles tapes or Lennon tapes, but for Chrissakes please stop with the postmortem reunions. Aside from being creepy, it just doesn’t work artistically. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/now-and-then-the-last-beatles-song-being-debuted-2023-11-02/992460.md?page=3)