Exciting news awaits Beatles enthusiasts as the iconic band prepares to unveil their ultimate track, featuring the late John Lennon on vocals.
The intriguing aspect behind this extraordinary feat was revealed by Paul McCartney himself during an interview with BBC Radio 4. McCartney disclosed that he has harnessed the power of artificial intelligence (AI) to revive Lennon’s voice, with the intention of creating what he deems the final Beatles record. Although McCartney remained tight-lipped about the specific song, reports suggest that it is “Now and Then,” a composition penned by Lennon in 1978.
According to a BBC report, the journey towards this remarkable achievement began in 1994 when Lennon’s widow, Yoko Ono, handed McCartney a demo tape labeled “For Paul.”
The tape contained recordings of songs that Lennon had created shortly before his tragic death in 1980. Lennon, seated at his piano in his New York apartment, captured these tracks on a humble boom box, resulting in a sound that was lo-fi and unrefined.
Initially, the surviving Beatles attempted to record the song in the mid-1990s. However, George Harrison raised objections due to the subpar quality of Lennon’s vocals and the persistent background noise from the apartment’s surroundings. Despite these challenges, McCartney recognized the song’s beautiful verse and Lennon’s captivating voice, knowing that it required some fine-tuning.
To address the audio obstacles, McCartney turned to the power of AI technology.
Inspired by his collaboration with Peter Jackson on the 2021 Beatles documentary series, McCartney employed an AI program to isolate Lennon’s vocals and eliminate the unwanted background noise.
By training the AI system to distinguish between Lennon’s voice and the accompanying piano, they were able to enhance the overall sound quality.
While an official release date for the final Beatles record is yet to be announced, McCartney confirmed its availability within this year. Expressing mixed sentiments towards AI, he acknowledged both its potential and the concerns surrounding the technology. McCartney voiced his concerns about the possibility of people mistaking AI-generated tracks for authentic recordings. However, he also expressed excitement about the vast possibilities AI offers for the future of music.