After decades of not releasing new music and the passing of two members of the band, The Beatles have released their final song, “Now And Then.” With the help of AI technology and the use of old recordings, the surviving members of the band were able to put together one last song.
The Beatles are one of the most influential and well-known bands of all time. They heavily influenced not just the music industry but popular culture as well. They paved the way for many musicians and bands who came after them.
“As a musician, I really respect their intelligence and their integrity,” sophomore orchestra member Imogen Hendrickse said. “They started a new genre and style of music that wasn’t there before, so I really admire that.”
I think it’s really magical that they were able to come together as an entire band.
— song writing teacher Frank Webster
After the death of John Lennon on Dec. 8, 1980, and the passing of George Harrison on Nov. 29, 2001, many fans believed that they had heard the last of The Beatles discography. Over the years, they have released several other albums and song restorations such as the Love album, which was released in 2006 and contained a compilation of remixed songs. On Nov 2, 2023, however, for the first time in years, The Beatles released a new song.
The majority of the vocals in the song were old recordings of John Lennon singing from 1977. The tapes were given to Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr by Yoko Ono, John’s wife, after his death. While George Harrison was alive, he worked on the guitar portion of the song. The band eventually quit trying to record the track and then Harrison passed. It wasn’t until 2023 that the song was finally finished and released.
“I think it’s really magical that they were able to come together as an entire band,” song writing teacher Frank Webster said. “I think the process of how the song came together is absolutely fascinating. The fact they had an original recording that they tried to add onto when George Harrison was alive, and still years later came back a third time and finally got it right is pretty amazing.”
On top of the old recordings, artificial intelligence was used to lift John Lennon’s voice from the original tapes to isolate the vocals, which has raised mixed opinions from listeners. Many fans are disappointed that the creation of the song is so different from The Beatles’ original methods, and others are intrigued by the unique construction of the song.
Junior Nathan Howard, an avid music listener and creator, feels that fans refuse to separate the production methods of The Beatles’ heyday with those of modern day.
“I think their new song is good,” Howard said. “I think a lot of people dislike it unjustly because it was produced in a way that is modern and different from the ’60s. Back then, everything kind of blended together, and these days every instrument is kind of separate. So people hear that and they automatically hate it and don’t even listen to what the song sounds like.”
“Now And Then” is just one example of the increasingly more prevalent use of AI in the music industry. Whether it is used to generate lyrics, write full songs, or isolate different aspects of songs during production, many musicians and avid music listeners are concerned about the negative effects of using AI when writing and performing music.
By nature humans are creative and that’s a part of who we are and what makes us human. I think the more we allow technology to replace creativity, the more dangerous it can be.
— Webster
“I hope that AI would never be used to replace musicians or musicality,” Webster said. “I think that goes for how AI is used in every circumstance. You don’t want it replacing human creativity. By nature humans are creative and that’s a part of who we are and what makes us human. I think the more we allow technology to replace creativity, the more dangerous it can be.”
As a musician, Hendrickse understands the risks and benefits of AI in the music industry and how it can be used to harm performers.
“Since I’m a classical musician, [AI] is really strange to me,” Hendrickse said. “I think it sort of takes away the purpose of classical music because it’s meant to connect the person to the instrument and with AI it’s a whole other style.”
This final step in the discography of an legendary band serves as a way to see how far both music and technology have come over the last few decades. As musicians and artists continue to master their craft, avid music listeners and creators alike will see how artificial intelligence plays into songwriting and the music industry.
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