The Beatles are set to release their heartfelt “final song,” Now and Then, next week.
*Now And Then* was written by John Lennon after the Beatles disbanded in 1970 and has circulated as a bootleg for years.
The song, a remorseful love letter to an old friend (or lover), includes the lines: “Now and then, I miss you / Now and then, I want you to return to me.”
After Lennon was tragically shot outside his New York apartment in December 1980, his widow, Yoko Ono, gave the song to Sir Paul McCartney.
It was part of a cassette labeled “For Paul,” which also included early versions of *Free As A Bird* and *Real Love* — two songs the remaining Beatles later polished and released as singles in 1995 and 1996 for their Anthology project.
Although the band tried to record Now And Then, the session was abandoned, with George Harrison criticizing the quality of Lennon’s demo as “rubbish.”
Sir Paul has wanted to finish the song ever since, and advancements in audio technology have finally made that possible.
