"Now and Then" - The Beatles

[GregB]

No one has asked and it doesn't really matter what I think, but anyway ...

 

The Beatles were my biggest of all musical influences. I can actually remember being transfixed hearing “Love Me Do” for the first time on my transistor radio just a couple of months shy of my 12th birthday.  It unlocked something in me, bringing colour into a drab world and giving me and my generation a new focus.  They dominated my complete high-school phase from Please Please Me (1963) to Let It Be (1970).  They were the reason I started playing guitar at age 13.

 

And now ... “Now and Then”.  The verses are brilliant melodically and lyrically.  Simple, plaintive, but beautiful and inventive.  The choruses are unfortunately mediocre due to trite melody/lyrics, a confused arrangement and some muddy mixing. Ringo’s voice doesn’t help, but who could deny him this unique moment.  Paul’s slide guitar, despite good intentions, doesn’t come close to George’s technical ability, musicality and unique tone. Giles Martin’s string arrangements are NOT as good as his Dad’s.

 

But, hey, compared to much of recent music, it is a masterpiece.  Fortunately they avoided repeating Jeff Lynne’s ‘ELO effect’ so evident on “Free As A Bird” (which I regard as a much stronger song).

 

What really pushes “Now and Then” into greatness, in my opinion, is the innovative video which complements the music.  It presses every conceivable button of emotional nostalgia for the great times we’ve had with the four Beatles.  While the “Free..” video contained many, many easter egg visuals from past songs, “Now..”  instead concentrates solely on the men themselves, cleverly melding them ‘now’ and ‘then’.  The final shots, of them receding into history, and a final bow on stage, mirrors the "I'd like to say thank you on behalf of the group and ourselves and I hope we've passed the audition"  from John at the end of the rooftop performance in the “Let It Be” and “Get Back” films.  It may be age, but I am hard-pressed not to get misty-eyed and my throat tighten each time I watch and listen to this, their latest and last production.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Opxhh9Oh3rg 

 

Cheers,
Greg

 

[john]

For all it counts, I enjoyed the song. The Beatles have been there all through my life. I don’t give them credit for all their songs have meant to me through the years. It might not be their best song, but still it was an emotional “So long”. I liked the idea of the video, though the execution of some parts could have been better. It was nice that after all these years an unreleased original still makes it out.

[Bridget Murphy]

I'd like to hear that  AI generated beetles song.

[El Diablo Songwriter]

Have you seen the movie "Yesterday"?  If not, go watch it!

[El Diablo Songwriter]

Did any of you watch the documentary on "The Turtles" on how they wanted to portray themselves as "The Beatles" alternative?

[john]

2 hours ago, El Diablo Songwriter said:

Have you seen the movie "Yesterday"?  If not, go watch it!

It’s a great movie. It reminded me just how much I loved their music and that their music had been there all through my life.

[Mahesh]

2 hours ago, john said:

It’s a great movie. It reminded me just how much I loved their music and that their music had been there all through my life.

 

Same here. I got into The Beatles a lil late in my life but this movie did take me back to the past decade as I watched this movie. Totally for a Beatles fan. I haven't seen the new docu series yet though. Need to sit on it soon.

 

As for the new song, so very beautiful. Such an interesting chord progression!

[McnaughtonPark]

Thanks for the link, I really enjoyed it.

[GregB]

On 11/16/2023 at 12:17 AM, Mahesh said:

Such an interesting chord progression!

 

He used Fma7 to E a lot in his last years.  These two songs were on the same demo tape Yoko gave to Paul:

 

"Now and Then" ... 

 

 

Whereas "Free As a Bird" ...

 

I can make my full PDF transcriptions available if anyone wants them.

 

Greg