The Beatles announce the release of what will be their final "new" song

After weeks of speculation, the Beatles have finally announced a release date for their final song ever. "Now and Then," a song originally considered for "The Beatles Anthology" in 1995 and put aside for time reasons, will be released at 10 a.m. on November 10th, with a music video coming on November 3rd. Those will be preceded by "Now and Then -- The Last Beatles Song," a 12-minute documentary written and directed by Oliver Murry, at 3:30 p.m. on November 1st on the Beatles' YouTube channel; the film will feature commentary about the song from Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, the late George Harrison, Sean Ono Lennon and Peter Jackson. A trailer is now available on the channel.

"Now and Then" will be released as a commercial single, paired with the Beatles' very first single "Love Me Do" as a double A-side. We will play that song Thursday morning at 10am upon its official release.

"Now and Then" was produced by McCartney and Giles Martin, son of the late Beatles producer George Martin. McCartney and the late John Lennon share lead vocals, the latter's rescued from his demo version of the song via AI. All four Beatles sing background vocals, while Harrison plays guitar, McCartney plays bass, piano, harpsichord and shaker, and Starr plays drums, tambourines and shaker. McCartney, Martin and Ben Foster also wrote the song's string arrangement.

Electric Light Orchestra founder Jeff Lynne is credited with "additional production" on "Now and Then" from the original "Anthology" sessions. He tells us that working on the project was a dream come true: "I loved them. That's some of the most fun I ever had in the studio, with the Beatles. It was the best treat I could ever wish for."

"Now and Then" will also be the final track on a remastered and expanded edition of "1962-1967 ('The Blue Album'), which is being released on November 10th along with a similarly updated edition of "1962-1966 ('The Red Album'). Both were originally released in the 90s, and the new editions will feature the latest mixes done by Giles Martin, son of the Beatles' late producer George Martin, for recent box set projects. Each will feature an additional nine songs not included on the original additions.

The new compilations will be available as two-CD sets, in a four-CD slipcased set and a six-LP slipcased set.

The full tracklisting for CD includes:

1962-1966 (2023 EDITION)

(2CD: stereo / Digital + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos)

* = newly added track

CD1

• 1: Love Me Do (2023 Mix)
• 2: Please Please Me (2023 Mix)
• 3: I Saw Her Standing There (2023 Mix) *
• 4: Twist And Shout (2023 Mix) *
• 5: From Me To You (2023 Mix)
• 6: She Loves You (2023 Mix)
• 7: I Want To Hold Your Hand (2023 Mix)
• 8: This Boy (2023 Mix) *
• 9: All My Loving (2023 Mix)
• 10: Roll Over Beethoven (2023 Mix) *
• 11: You Really Got A Hold On Me (2023 Mix) *
• 12: Can’t Buy Me Love (2023 Mix)
• 13: You Can’t Do That (2023 Mix) *
• 14: A Hard Day’s Night (2023 Mix)
• 15: And I Love Her (2023 Mix)
• 16: Eight Days A Week (2023 Mix)
• 17: I Feel Fine (2023 Mix)
• 18: Ticket To Ride (2023 Mix)
• 19: Yesterday (2023 Mix)

CD2

• 1: Help! (2023 Mix)
• 2: You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away (2023 Mix)
• 3: We Can Work It Out (2023 Mix)
• 4: Day Tripper (2023 Mix)
• 5: Drive My Car (2023 Mix)
• 6 Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) (2023 Mix)
• 7: Nowhere Man (2023 Mix)
• 8: Michelle (2023 Mix)
• 9: In My Life (2023 Mix)
• 10: If I Needed Someone (2023 Mix) *
• 11: Girl (2023 Mix)
• 12: Paperback Writer (2022 Mix)
• 13: Eleanor Rigby (2022 Mix)
• 14: Yellow Submarine (2022 Mix)
• 15: Taxman (2022 Mix) *
• 16: Got To Get You Into My Life (2022 Mix) *
• 17: I’m Only Sleeping (2022 Mix) *
• 18: Here, There And Everywhere (2022 Mix) *
• 19: Tomorrow Never Knows (2022 Mix) *

1967-1970 (2023 EDITION)

(2CD: stereo / Digital + Streaming: stereo & Dolby Atmos)

* = newly added track

CD1

• 1: Strawberry Fields Forever (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 2: Penny Lane (2017 Mix)
• 3: Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (2017 Mix)
• 4: With A Little Help From My Friends (2017 Mix)
• 5: Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (2017 Mix)
• 6: Within You Without You (2017 Mix) *
• 7: A Day In The Life (2017 Mix)
• 8: All You Need Is Love (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 9: I Am The Walrus (2023 Mix)
• 10: Hello, Goodbye (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 11: The Fool On The Hill (2023 Mix)
• 12: Magical Mystery Tour (2023 Mix)
• 13: Lady Madonna (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 14: Hey Jude (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 15: Revolution (2023 Mix)

CD2

• 1: Back In The U.S.S.R. (2018 Mix)
• 2: Dear Prudence (2018 Mix) *
• 3: While My Guitar Gently Weeps (2018 Mix)
• 4: Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da (2018 Mix)
• 5: Glass Onion (2018 Mix) *
• 6: Blackbird (2018 Mix) *
• 7: Hey Bulldog (2023 Mix) *
• 8: Get Back (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 9: Don’t Let Me Down (2021 Mix)
• 10: The Ballad Of John And Yoko (2015 Stereo Mix / 2023 Dolby Atmos Mix)
• 11: Old Brown Shoe (2023 Mix)
• 12: Here Comes The Sun (2019 Mix)
• 13: Come Together (2019 Mix)
• 14: Something (2019 Mix)
• 15: Octopus’s Garden (2019 Mix)
• 16: Oh! Darling (2019 Mix) *
• 17: I Want You (She’s So Heavy) (2019 Mix) *
• 18: Let It Be (2021 Mix)
• 19: Across The Universe (2021 Mix)
• 20: I Me Mine (2021 Mix) *
• 21: The Long And Winding Road (2021 Mix)
• 22: Now And Then *