Now and Then

In 1964, many of us in Mr. Dorward’s sixth grade class, sneaked transistor radios into class to listen to the arrival of the Beatles in NYC. We couldn’t wait until they were on American soil. Over the next several years we eagerly awaited new songs and albums. When Sgt Pepper’s was released, it changed the music world forever.

In 2023, with half of the Beatles dead, a new Beatles song gets released. I’ll admit I was hesitant to listen because I heard AI was used to create the song. My assumption was that it wouldn’t really be them, it would be fake. A little research proved me wrong. This was The Beatles! 43 years after John’s death, there was his voice. 22 years after George’s cancer death, there was his guitar. Ringo provided his superb beat and Paul added his genius and his harmony.

It’s a haunting song, both figuratively and literally. Is it in my top 50 Beatles songs? No. Is it wonderful and memorable and tear inducing? Yes, yes, and yes. To hear John’s voice and Paul’s voice together on the lyrics “Now and then I miss you”, incredible. The last words John said to Paul, before John was killed and after a visit was: Think of me now and then, old friend”. No wonder Paul needed this song to be completed.

So, The Beatles are back. For me they have never really left. They, and all their solo work, have been the music of my life. Their tragedies and their successes have in some ways mirrored my own. Their aging has been my aging. Their end foreshadows my end. When that time does come, hopefully decades from now, if you attend my Celebration of Life, be prepared to hear the music of the Fab Four. Everything from “Love me Do” to “Now and Then”. Thank you John, Paul, George and Ringo.