Why Art Matters: Now and Then

 

Truly Now and Then, digital editing was the only way to create this magic in the video. 

Why the cassette? The demo was recorded in this format on a boom box, with "for Paul" written in John's handwriting on the label. The feels. 

Why the three shadowy triangles? Ah, this goes back to the re-releases of the Beatles' red and blue greatest hits albums and the corners in the stairwell from those covers. Does the single represent the third installment? 

See?

I've seen the triangles turned vertically, with four, which also calls back to the With the Beatles album cover. Am I also seeing something in the pixelation? I think there's more there than meets the eye.

And what's with the clock? Apparently, it was an art piece George owned. Olivia was looking at it in their home when Paul called to say he wanted to start work on the song, with her and Dhani's blessing. Startled, she looked at the phone in one hand and the clock in the other. Her reply was "This has to be George's way of saying yes." 

Beatles fans are having a field day with the new single, both for and against. My take? It's not on par with Here There and Everywhere or While My Guitar Gently Weeps but I love it; of the three post-Lennon singles, it is my favorite. 

Detractors are complaining that it's a John solo, and should have been credited as such. My argument against this lies in the fact it was written, in his handwriting, that it was for Paul. It was given to him by Yoko. The remaining three worked on it back in the 90s with the intention of it being a Beatles record. There was intent by all four. 

Detractors are also complaining that in real life, George hated the song and refused to work on it. In fact, he hated the poor quality of the audio, which is what Peter Jackson fixed. I also think that Olivia, Dhani, and Jeff Lynne, well aware of who George was as a person, would not have been on board with this project if that was the case. 

George's veto is why it is unlikely we will ever see Carnival of Light released under the Beatles name. 

What is my take? It is wistful, melancholy nostalgia. I love how it ends, it's beautiful. The harmony is especially poignant, John's youthful voice frozen in the 70s, accompanied by Paul's aged voice. I wish Paul would have written some of the lyrics, but as I understand it, the song is credited to all four. 

And special grace to Pete Best, who contributes a look back: within the video, as the timeline starts to go backward, he provides the only color footage of the band from their time in Germany. Who would have thought Pete would be a secret weapon in all of this? Makes me wish there was a touch of Klaus, Astrid, and Stu in there too. 

One of the vlogger critics sums it up nicely, saying that it was a classic Beatles collaboration in that Paul is the only one who could take John's sad song and make it better. 

There you go.

For some reason, the song made me reflect on my fandom, which started in the early to mid-70s, making it, sadly, impossible for me to have ever seen John in concert. Fittingly, Peter Jackson was going for that too. What would my timeline look like? 

Sing along children...

1973 - I start watching the Beatles cartoons after school, learning the lyrics from Paul and Ringo singalongs

1977 - buying the red album on 8-track 

1978 - The Bee Gees Sgt Pepper movie musical turning me towards watching Help! and A Hard Days Night. 

1979 - jamming to McCartney and Wings

1980 - a bright snowy morning, learning of the actions of the devil's best friend

1981 - Lennon memorial recordings, listening to Double Fantasy

1985 - First real after-school job, start buying Beatles on cassette

1986 - Singing Spies Like Us with the gang on the way to our Christmas party

1987 - bonding with friend Maria and having Beatles sleepovers that included Let it Be and Yellow Submarine on picture disc and tubes of cookie dough, McCartney's All the Best on cassette

1988 - Revolver on repeat, Travelling Wilburys, scoring the Lennon documentary poster from a video store as a birthday gift from my sister

1989 - Relishing the WRKX Beatles catalog, including a dirty copy of the White Album

1992 - First Beatle live, Paul McCartney at the Silverdome, McCartney on MTV Unplugged

1993 - graduating from college and buying the Beatles box set for myself as a graduation present

1994 - Live at the BBC is released, including rarities recorded live on the program

1995 - Anthology on A-Beatles-C

2001 - Heartbroken, I call in sick to watch VH-1 coverage... IYKYK

2002 - Macca in STL

2003 - Let it Be... Naked is released, and Paul's animosity toward Phil Spector justified

2004 - Ringo and Sheila E at the Fabulous Fox

2005 - "We aren't buying a Blue Ray player until Yellow Submarine comes out"

2007 - Ringo at Soaring Eagle with friends from Norway

2011 - free Fab Four album from iTunes, I skate to My Sweet Lord

2015 to 2018 - I skate to Within You Without You 

2016 - Macca at the Van Andel, up there with the best show ever

2017 to 2019 - I skate to Here There and Everywhere

2018 - Purchase my first remaster box set, the White Album, obsession with the Love soundtrack

2021 - OBSESSED with McCartney's remix of Find My Way and I watched Get Back four times before it was taken off The Disney Channel

2022 - Love at the Mirage for our anniversary, Ringo at Soaring Eagle, Revolver remaster

2023 - Abbey Road remaster, I skate to I'm Only Sleeping, Ringo at DeVos, I'm featured DJ on Sirius/XM Beatles Channel, and contribute to Now and Then making it to #1 

2024? I'm debating skating to Long Long Long or Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight. I've been a fan for 50 years, I think I'm in it for life.