Some songs feel like gifts from the past, carried forward so that we can hold them in the present. “Now And Then” is exactly that — a fragment of John Lennon’s voice from the late 1970s, lovingly completed by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr in 2023, with echoes of George Harrison woven in. It is more than a song; it is a final chapter, a message across time.
Lennon’s vocal, tender and imperfect, sits at the heart of the track. Technology cleaned the tape, but the fragility of his voice remains — a reminder of both his absence and his enduring presence. His words are aching in their simplicity: “Now and then, I miss you.” It’s a line that resonates not only as a love song, but as a reflection of friendship, of brotherhood, and of the unbreakable ties that distance and death cannot erase.
The arrangement is understated, almost reverent. Paul’s bass and harmonies circle gently around John, Ringo’s drumming is steady and sympathetic, and George’s earlier guitar parts are folded in like a memory — present, even if faintly. Together, it feels as though all four Beatles are in the room again, one last time.
What makes “Now And Then” so powerful is not its polish, but its honesty. It doesn’t try to be another “Hey Jude” or “Let It Be.” Instead, it feels intimate, almost fragile, like something that was never meant for the world but is now shared with it as a parting gift.
For fans, it is more than just music. It is closure, reunion, and farewell all at once — a reminder that The Beatles’ story was never just about charts and fame, but about friendship, loss, and the enduring beauty of songs that speak to the human heart.
When the last note fades, what lingers is gratitude: gratitude that after all these years, The Beatles still have something left to say — and that love, once given, truly never disappears.