The Beatles' Now And Then was a secret project, Paul McCartney reveals as he ... trends now
The orchestra playing in the new Beatles single Now and Then had no idea they were recording the Fab Four's last track, it has emerged.
Paul McCartley revealed that the whole operation had to be kept top secret - even from those hired to play the music.
43 years after John Lennon's death – and more than two decades on from George Harrison's passing – The Beatles have come together with the help of AI and audio tech pioneered by Lord of the Rings and Get Back director Sir Peter Jackson.
Now And Then, written and sung by John in 1977, features acoustic and electric guitar played by George in 1995. Sir Paul McCartney completed the bass and Sir Ringo Starr recorded the drums in the last year.
And the orchestra were very 'excited' to be playing the music, despite not knowing what it was for.
'We had to put the music out on the stands for the musicians (in the orchestra), but we couldn't tell them it was a new Beatles song. It was all a bit of a high secret, and hush hush,' McCartney told the Telegraph.
'They were all good players and all very up for it. They were excited to be playing on this new piece of music, even though they didn't quite know what it was,' he said.
Sir Paul McCartney playing bass on the new and final song Now And Then. It features all four Beatles
McCartney told the BBC: 'There's a slide guitar solo, George never got around to doing that. I would have liked him to have done it, but he didn't.
'So I thought what I'd like to do is do solo in George's style. So I did a slide guitar solo on my Rickenbacker lap steel, it was really a tribute to George.'
Now And Then was released to the exultation and excitement of tens of millions of fans yesterday.
Listening parties have been held all over the world, including in their home city of Liverpool at The Cavern Club and the Liverpool Beatles Museum. Tears were shed as the song played.
Liam Gallagher tweeted: 'Now n Then absolutely incredible biblical celestial heartbreaking and heartwarming all at the same time long live The Beatles LG x'.
BBC Radio 2 listeners, the first to hear it in the UK, said they were in tears
