The Beatles’ drummer has been speaking about the way the band put together the track ‘Now and Then’
Ringo Starr has recalled how Paul McCartney got in touch with him to outline the plan to release The Beatles’ song ‘Now and Then’, which is nominated for two Grammys. The Fab Four returned to the charts last year with the track that was completed with the aid of artificial intelligence (AI).
Released last November, ‘Now and Then’, featured cleaned-up John Lennon vocals from the 1970s and 1995 guitar recordings from George Harrison alongside new work from Sir Paul and Sir Ringo. The vocals are taken from a demo recorded by John at his home in New York’s Dakota Building.
The track is nominated for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance at the Grammys, which will take place in February 2025. About the nomination, the 84-year-old from Dingle told Music Week: “I’d love to win a Grammy. That’s the business I’m in – and the track is good. The last track ever by the boys.”
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About Sir Paul’s plans for the track, Sir Ringo recalled: “He said, ‘You know that track we did? Well, I put it together. Are you going to play drums on it?’
“I said, ‘Sure, send the files over.’ That’s how we do it now – and I put the drums on and sang on the chorus.
“He did a great job. He put the strings on and the lead guitar that gave the track its emotion. It worked out really great and let’s hope for a Grammy. We’ll see; a lot of people are up for Grammys.”
Sir Paul has been playing the track during his ‘Got Back’ world tour, during which photos and videos of the band in their heyday are shown on the arena’s screens. It makes for an emotional moment and the 82-year-old tends to pause at the end of the song and drink in the atmosphere.
Sir Ringo – who is releasing his new country album ‘Look Up’ next month – added that he is slightly concerned about the impact AI could have on music but feels that ‘Now and Then’ highlights the positive aspects of the technology. He explained: “We’re all a bit afraid of it, because it can steal you.
“Anyone who knows how to use it can steal you. If they just play any five of my songs into the computer, AI gets all of it and knows my every vocal move. They can have me sing anything and it will sound like me, because it’s taken from my personality.
“But the good side is the way we used it on ‘Now and Then’. God knows where it’s going to go. We’re all worrying about it, but nobody’s really stolen anything yet.”
