Here’s what people are saying about the new Beatles song, ‘Now And Then’

It’s a technologically assisted reunion five decades in the making.

A brand-new Beatles song, “Now And Then,” came out Nov. 2, featuring all the members of the Fab Four.

“Now And Then,” billed as the last Beatles song, was written and recorded in the late 1970s as a demo by John Lennon, who died in 1980. After his death, his former bandmates, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr, continued to tinker with the song. Harrison died in 2001.

In 1994, Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, gave the “Now And Then” demo to the surviving Beatles, along with demos for “Free As a Bird” and “Real Love,” which would go on to appear on “The Beatles Anthology,” which came out in the mid-1990s.

“Now And Then,” however, didn’t make the cut at the time because there was no technology that would allow them to isolate Lennon’s vocals. That all changed when director Peter Jackson restored audio from footage taken in 1969 in his 2021 docuseries, “The Beatles: Get Back.” Jackson worked to separate Lennon’s audio for “Now And Then,” opening the door for it to see the light of day.

“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear. It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording,” McCartney said on the Beatles website announcing “Now And Then” would be released.

A video for “Now And Then,” directed by Jackson, is expected to come out Nov. 3. In the meantime, the world continues to react to the track.

“The Beatles’ new song ‘Now And Then’ is the final masterpiece they deserve,” Rolling Stone wrote.

“Now n Then absolutely incredible biblical celestial heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time long live The Beatles LG x,” former Oasis singer Liam Gallagher gushed.

Variety labeled the opening of the track as “breathtaking” before going on to say in its review that the song “is similar to and on a par with ‘Free as a Bird’ and ‘Real Love,’ and it’s safe to say they’ve made it as good as it probably could be.”

“Now And Then 10/10 thank you paul, ringo, george, john,” a fan wrote on X.

“‘Now & Then” by The Beatles is absolutely beautiful,” another fan commented.

“What an unexpected but wonderful end to The Beatles’ incredible discography. What a treat to experience a new release by The Beatles. Something I never thought I would have in my lifetime.”

“I literally teared up hearing John’s voice on Now And Then. My god,” one astonished fan wrote.

“I just experienced the release of a new Beatles song in 2023, the final Beatles song. What an absolute privilege and a historic day in music. I love The Beatles so much. SO much. The Beatles are forever.”

While the song appears to have won over many fans and critics, others felt let down by the track.

“The new Beatles song sounds like a 90s power pop band trying to sound like the Beatles,” music critic and Uproxx writer Steven Hyden commented.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com