The Beatles
Now And Then

PAUL HAS DONE IT AGAIN!

Dear Debaseriani: only an epic event like the release of an unpublished song by the most important band of the 20th century could bring me back to this Sacred Virtual Temple of sharing culture, art, and noble, rustic banter.

I'll spare you the story of the song's genesis because by now even the stones know it, I'll go straight to my opinion:

I'll tell you in advance that my hearing as an old radio speaker (who started in '87 on the free radio stations of Buenos Aires) confidently states that "Now and then" will become "The Song of 2023." Mark it down for me, gracias.

It's clear that McCartney had the desire to release this song stuck in his throat since '95 (then it was rejected by Harrison, as you well know) and finally, with the excuse of Peter Jackson's "Machine Learning," he realized right away that now was the right time and he went forward like a tank with the project. And I thank him infinitely, as I believe do all or almost all Beatles fans in the world and music lovers.

I believe that under these conditions, he did a phenomenal production job, arranging all the elements he had at his disposal: for example, George's guitar and some backing vocals from '94, but the thing that gave me chills was the inclusion of the vocal harmonies from "Because" and the orchestral finale by Giles Martin. Ah, the most important thing, the reason for this release's existence: John's voice is impeccable, unmatched, a gem. They don't fool me; he recorded it last month from up there and handed it over to Paul via WeTransfer.

That Paul's tired voice doesn't match John's? That Macca's slide guitar solo in Harrison's style isn't up to par? That they erased the bridge? That it's too sad, nostalgic? WHO CARES! It's a beautiful song, with a very Beatles sound. Sure, it's not a masterpiece, but as it is, it's enough to overshadow everything in today's meager musical landscape.

Just a few lines to talk about the video: Peter Jackson, the sly one, wanted to kill us fans and nicely mixed a series of images and special effects to make even the toughest cry. Only the last frame I don't like: The Fab Four will NEVER vanish. It was a bomb, a supernova on social media: on the first day of release, it reached 8 million views, and today we're over 20 million, plus the hundreds of "reactions" happening worldwide on YouTube.

The Beatles are back to remind everyone why they are the Greatest Band of All Time. The world still needs their magic a lot.

Today more than ever.