It was a television show that changed the world of music. A young Cam was among the 73 million people who watched the Beatles perform on the Ed Sullivan Show on Feb. 9, 1964. The show that night was the band’s official introduction to North Americans. It was the beginning of the British Invasion, and worked out much better for the Brits than the one in 1775. The Beatles played five songs on that historic night, beginning with All My Loving, followed by Till There Was You, She Loves You, I Saw Her Standing There and I Want to Hold Your Hand. Now, just shy of 60 years later, the Beatles released a song — Now and Then — on Nov. 2, 2023. It is like the Beatles were together again for four glorious minutes. John was murdered in 1980, approximately a year after he wrote the “new” song. He left a cassette tape behind, with Then and Now inscribed on it. John’s partner, Yoko Ono, gave the tape to the remaining Beatles.

It is a good thing the cassette tape didn’t unravel, like I remember many of mine doing. It was like the recorder ate them, and spit them out in a tangled mess. In 1995, the three living Beatles tried to record the song. It wasn’t possible because John’s playing overwhelmed his vocals. Before giving up on the project, George played his part, which was significant, given he died in 2001. Now and Then wouldn’t be special without him. Last year, Paul and Ringo put their touches on the song. It made me smile when Ringo’s drumming starts. There is a story about John once being asked to assess Ringo’s drumming. “He’s not even the best drummer in the band,” John said. Years later, John said, “Ringo is a damn good drummer. He is not technically good, but I think Ringo’s drumming is underrated.” On the new track, Paul is his usual amazing self on base. (I am not a music critic, although I once judged a karaoke competition at a Saskatoon bar.) For the song, a string arrangement was written and added. The musicians weren’t told they were contributing to a Beatles track. McCartney led them to believe it was for a solo project. Also added were background vocals from the Beatles’ archives, including some from Here, There and Everywhere, as well as Eleanor Rigby, and Because.

When technology came along to separate Lennon’s vocals from his playing, it was suddenly 1969 again: Woodstock, Man on the Moon and Abbey Road. Is it the greatest Beatles’ song? No, but we’ll take it. We’d take chopsticks if all four were playing. Restoration technology, developed by Peter Jackson, was used to isolate the Lennon’s vocals and piano. Jackson was the person behind the 2021 documentary named The Beatles: Get Back. He is better known for Lord of the Rings, and the Hobbit. When I heard that a Lennon song was going to be released by the Beatles using artificial intelligence, I thought this can’t be good. Anything short of the original sound, played by the original Beatles, wouldn’t work. I was wrong, as I often am. Of course McCartney and Starr wouldn’t release something that wasn’t as good as it would have been in 1969. This song is extra special for those of us who are known as Baby Boomers, and damn proud of it. Well, other than getting old and feeling compelled to yell at kids to get off our lawns. In the first three days after its release, Now and Then was viewed 33 million times, mostly on YouTube. Take that, all you Swifties. At first, I listened to the song a couple of times a day. One night my wife texted me from upstairs to let me know the volume might be a tad high. In her defence, I have texted her more from in the house than she has texted me. People should talk more.

In a short documentary that accompanied the release of the song, McCartney described artificial intelligence technology as “kind of scary but exciting. We will just have to see where that leads. “To still be working on Beatles’ music in 2023 — wow,” he said. “We’re actually messing around with state-of-the-art technology, which is something the Beatles would’ve been very interested in. “This is probably the last Beatles song and we’ve all played on it, so it is a genuine Beatles recording.” It is not certain how much each played. McCartney is said to have replayed Lennon’s piano parts, and added a slide-guitar solo to what Harrison played all those years ago. Ringo said this the “closest we’ll ever come to having him (John) back in the room.” “This is the last track, ever, that you’ll get the four Beatles on the track. John, Paul, George and Ringo.” Four magical names from a magical time, and now together again in 2023 for four glorious minutes.

*****

After 25 years and change, John Gormley is handing off his NewsTalk radio show to Evan Bray, a former Regina police chief. I wish John well in his retirement from radio. May all his drives be straight, may his health be good and may Justin Trudeau lose the next federal election.

-Cam Hutchinson