Now And Then - "new" Beatles song

 I am sure that I was not alone in my eager and curious anticipation of the release of "Now And Then", billed as the last Beatles song. I have to confess that I was there, refreshing the page on my chosen streaming service as the time of release approached. So, what do I make of "Now And Then"?

Inevitably, when appraising the single, people are going to draw comparisons with "Free as A Bird" and "Real Love", the two Beatles tracks which emerged from similar foundations and source material, and which formed part of the Anthology projects in the 1990s.

For me "Now And Then" betrays more signs of its origins than its aforementioned predecessors, but at the same time the production and the arrangement which surround the lead vocal feel more organic and restrained.

The atmosphere of the track is somewhat mournful, enveloped in a kind of wistfulness. My initial reaction was that this is apposite for our times, a sense of melancholy, ennui and nagging anxiety. Was this general tenor intended to tap into the perceived public mood of 2023? I'm not really sure, but it was one of the first characteristics of "Now And Then" which jumped out to me. It may be another case of that perennial Beatles facility for effortlessly evoking the zeitgeist. 

On the face of it the song lacks the "charm" and ebullience of, for instance, "Real Love", and even its musical subtlety, but that may be missing the point; on reflection, "Now And Then" should perhaps be viewed more as a "mood piece", rather than as a hook-laden potboiler. 

In putting the track together, they resisted the temptation to try too hard to make it "exciting", relying instead on the qualities of the basic song, then judiciously embellishing the raw material, as it were.

I think they have done a commendable job in playing to the song's strengths and lyrical direction, as opposed to making it into something that it wasn't. Having suggested that the overall ambience is downbeat, I think that the instrumentation and arrangement are in keeping with the reflective nature of the words. The piano and electric guitars are tastefully done, and Ringo Starr's drumming exhibits his distinctive "feel" to some effect.

So, overall a creditable effort, provided that the listener did not have excessive expectations beforehand. It sounds "modern", which to some degree is inescapable, but it has a personality and an effect.