Some songs arrive not just as music, but as letters from the past — carrying voices we thought we’d never hear again. “Now and Then” is that kind of song. Brought to life in 2023 from a late 1970s demo by John Lennon, lovingly completed by Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and with the spirit of George Harrison still felt in every note, it stands as both a gift and a goodbye.
From the opening piano chords, there’s a quiet intimacy, as if John is singing directly to you from across time. His voice, preserved with care, is tender and vulnerable, carrying the weight of both longing and acceptance. The lyrics are simple yet aching: “Now and then, I miss you… oh, now and then, I want you to be there for me.”
Paul and Ringo don’t just add instrumentation — they add presence. Paul’s harmonies wrap gently around John’s lead, and Ringo’s steady, understated drumming gives the song a heartbeat. The arrangement blooms slowly, layers of strings and guitar adding depth without losing the song’s fragile core.
There’s a bittersweet beauty in hearing all four Beatles together one last time, even if separated by decades and technology. “Now and Then” doesn’t try to be an anthem or a chart-topping hit — it’s a quiet conversation between old friends, one that we, as listeners, are lucky enough to overhear.
What makes it so moving is the way it blurs past and present. It’s John’s voice from another lifetime, Paul’s devotion in bringing it to completion, Ringo’s steadying touch, and George’s influence in the choices they made years ago. It’s not just a song — it’s a bridge across time, a final chapter in a story that changed music forever.
Let “Now and Then” find you when you’re thinking of someone you’ve lost, when you wish you could have just one more moment. Let it remind you that love, once shared, doesn’t fade — it lingers in memory, in melody, in the spaces between now and then.
Because even when the band is gone,
The song — and the love — remain.