Could there still be more music from The Beatles that is yet to be released?

By James Hibbs

Published: Monday, 06 November 2023 at 13:35 PM


Until recently, it was thought impossible that we would ever hear a new song from The Beatles, due to the deaths of John Lennon and George Harrison in 1980 and 2001 respectively.

However, a song which was written and recorded by Lennon in 1977, Now and Then, has now been completed and released, with Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr providing new material and AI audio restoration technology being used to extract Lennon’s voice from a demo.

This technology was developed by Peter Jackson‘s production company, and was previously used for his work on The Beatles documentary Get Back.

The song has been dubbed “the last Beatles song” – however, Jackson has now cast doubt on this, suggesting there could still be more to come.

The Beatles performig on stage, wearing suits
The Beatles.
Keystone-France/Gamma-Keystone via Getty Images

He told The Sunday Times: “We can take a performance from Get Back, separate John and George, and then have Paul and Ringo add a chorus or harmonies.

“You might end up with a decent song, but I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that. It’s fanboy stuff, but certainly conceivable.”

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Jackson also explained why he wanted to work on the song in the first place, saying: “It felt so wrong to have a Beatles song all to myself. It’s not a classic in the sense of I Am the Walrus or Penny Lane – it’s not complex like that. It’s simple, but it’s got a haunting quality.

“Whenever anyone asks why I like The Beatles, I just say they make me happy.

“With the world in the state it is, we need The Beatles to appear again, as if a flying saucer has touched down and they’ve got off and are providing us with their one last song to cheer us up.”

Jackson, who also directed the music video for the song, explained that he had a meeting with George Harrison’s son Dhani before starting work.

He said: “I discussed the ending with him, and described one vague idea I’d been toying with. His eyes immediately filled with tears – so that is the way we went.”