The Nowhere Fans

Over two weeks ago The Beatles released what’s been referred to as their last song.

Now And Then has been for years a particular favorite of the Beatles fandom, most probably since the home recording was brought to the public view. The reasons why that has happened are truly as emotional as they are now.

Now And Then keeps us longing for something we never got (or thought we never would): the blankness of the unfinished lyrics John Lennon recorded a few months before his passing and, until last year, the stories about the discontinued Anthology sessions that left us wanting more. There’s also the sorrow of fans who were and are constantly longing for someone they’ll never meet again and will miss more than just now and then. 

So it’s evident that to have the once in a lifetime opportunity to witness a new Beatles release in the twenty-first century, and that song being Now And Then, has been the wonderful adventure we could only dream about.

And if this has been such an important happening for the old fans who were missing the Beatles since the breakup, for the new generation of fans, Now And Then is the pot of gold in the end of the rainbow or, even better, the diamond that we found in the skies after following Lucy through the heavy clouds; a reward for our hearts and ears.

Now, we not only have the finished product of our loved song but we know a bit more about John’s construction of the lyrics, a bit more of where his mind was at while he was creating the lyrics – that being expressed through his hurried handwriting and construction of the rhymes – and what probably is one of the most precious things we John’s fans ever got: John’s crystal clear voice singing the verses we know so well and dearly. We were speechless for days.

This is why it took us both, Di and Mariana, more than two weeks to finally be able to calm ourselves down and put our emotions in this digital piece of paper. Today we share with you guys our reactions. We hope you enjoy and relate to it 🤍

Di’s reaction to the Now And Then release:

Now And Then made me once again confirm how much I love John Lennon. In perfect harmony with those who are still living on Earth and the comic partnership with the other one who’s also living in the skies, John proved that his brilliance is bigger than the critics he got and larger than his mind could have thought, eternalized in a unit of wisdom and talent. His art transcends time and let people in 2023 hug him, never letting go of his eternal impact and legacy. 

The “comeback” perspective that the song brings is a beautiful metaphor about how we’d love to have him back, we are “still in love with” him. And the Beatles kept the meaning of the song as a gift for all of us. The tears that left my eyes washed my heart with the purests of love. I genuinely miss and love someone I never met, or actually someone I got to know the soul through the deep works and arts even though I never met him face to face. It all made me so happy because I know that in the end that’s exactly how he wanted it to happen. He was just a guy who wrote songs in hope people would love him and accept him, and we do. Now And Then made me love John as if I was getting to know him for the first time all over again. And after crying a lot, laughing a lot, after freaking out a lot, I’m feeling whole, my heart full of positive feelings because of a song that’s over four decades old. Yeah, John, it’s all because of you.

The original version has John’s tenderness even with the piano louder than his voice. What the lyrics share goes beyond our ears, you love the song with John and understand what is going on with him as if you were next to him. When I first heard about the release of the song, it was like something in me was being born, a new feeling even though I’ve been a fan for quite a while. It was the very first time listening to something new like that, seeing something new like that. I saw John and John being himself and that made me fall in love with him all over again. I did fear the new version wouldn’t have the same impact on me, but I was being silly, it was a total and complete joy that aimed directly to my heart. I was even happier.

The documentary on the last Beatles song caused mixed feelings. It was a wonderful bittersweet moment, almost hard to watch, as if the reflection I was seeing was showing me a bright sunny day but outside the world was crying tears of sadness. The sorrow does not erase the happiness though, but it was still there.

The way Paul and Ringo miss John and George is very understandable, concrete even, the is just not bigger than the love that is still the same from day one. The lyrics match perfectly with the intention of the documentary, a lovely connection of the mixed feelings that are now bound to be together in a way that is hard to accept.

The band expressed, together with George’s beautiful contribution from the 90s, the way we feel about John and the things we’d have liked to tell him, also sharing the understanding that there are other ways to keep him alive and near then, and respecting his art is one of them. 

Yoko herself said that the fans keep John alive through their love, and the love his friends still have for him keep him eternal. Sean’s participation on the doc made it all even more special, the unseen footage of his childhood days with his parents. John singing and dancing around him, bringing light and happiness to their lives really is something we’ll remember forever.

The doc also made me want more, made me even more excited about the song, made me want to listen to the Bealtes talking about their beloved friend more, made me want to see more footage of John simply being himself while around his family.

It made me want more and it made me happy.

Now, when I first watched the Now And Then music video during the premiere, I was at the hospital with my sisters who had an asthma attack the previous hours. She’s an autistic Beatles fan, just like me and while I started the video, she was taking her medicine. Then the magic of the Beatles happened: she was feeling happy again, I was feeling calmer, and we both had a unique and fun moment together even though the situation we were in was not the most comfortable one.

The video moved my soul, a feeling of fulfillment that only The Beatles can make me feel. Although it was a bit silly – what I say with happiness that it was so silly – I fell in love with the fab four once again. To see Paul’s and Ringo’s faces with wrinkles near John and George in their 20s woke something in me. There was a warmth in my heart just from seeing my biggest idol in the world, John Lennon, having fun with me, sharing the feeling that was a nice experience to him as well.

I found the music video subtle in its message: nothing lasts forever but the love we feel for the Beatles and the love the Beatles feel for each other do.

The modern effects with the heavy remastered images caused some oddness and maybe try to put Paul and Ringo together was the very least they could have tried to do, but none of my personal criticisms matter more than the positive message I got from it. Again, I laughed, I cried and then I cried a bit more and loved every second from beginning to end.

John always has a special way of talking to each individual touched by his work, be it with phrases that people identify with or in sentences that he himself said he would leave to let us know that he is well, I feel that seeing him on the screen with such dedication and a passion shared among millions of fans, he touched our hearts and felt proud of the friends he had, the family who also participated in the entire process. A mixture of chilling sensations both for those who already know the soul of music and for those who perhaps have lay knowledge, in fact there is no strange language when speaking with love. 

Then, watching for the second time, everything came back to me like the first time I watched it, even with the familiar anxiety. John’s scenes filled my chest with sighs, when I saw the entire ensemble back together, everything made sense to me, the Beatles would never be an incomplete work despite some pieces being out of reach. Whenever the clip shines in my eyes, that same little bug of happiness transforms me into the most genuinely happy person in the world. I can’t even get professional criticism because I’m so at the top of my happiness. There were special effects that were a little lacking in perfection, the choice of some images could have been better, but nothing that makes me really dislike what was done. 

Thank you to everyone involved!

Mariana’s reaction to the Now And Then release:

I can’t even begin to describe the amount of times I listened to John’s home recording of Now And Then. First it was because it was very intriguing, the older fans with their multiple theories instigated me to try and understand more, then it was because I was determined to correct the transcriptions of the lyrics available on the internet – they were evidently full of mistakes – and I dedicated myself to that for long days. I can probably sing the song backwards, but let’s not do that, we know what people might actually start saying.

Now And Then grew on me more and more each time I heard it. The bittersweet lyrics, John’s emotional voice that flew over the melody like a feather that resists to lose balance and fall to the ground, the piano chords that seemed to be played by hands that needed to reassure its owner and creator of his honest attempts just as much as the verses needed tell the person they were dedicated to that the love was still there.

A strong song that became even stronger when we are the ones that had the lives changed by someone we wish would return to us.

I remember very well the day Paul first shared the news about the new song, there was something in his eyes, a love and admiration that are exclusively dedicated to the Beatles. Right at the same moment it was evident that he was talking about Now And Then and my heart skipped many beats.

The wait was longer than expected and meanwhile I had to talk many fans out of the pure panic and fear that they were in thinking the Beatles family was allowing the use of AI to recreate John’s voice, what in the end helped me be very confident that something wonderfully heartbreaking was coming. I trusted the families and Estates through the whole process, hoping they shared with me the same ethical beliefs and thankfully, as I suspected, they do.

When we had the date announcement, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes and my only reaction was to go “WHAT?”, and for hours I didn’t even see that they also announced a documentary on the song, something I was really not expecting at all, although it makes total sense that such an important moment in the Beatles history was going to have a three day release.

And, well, the unexpected documentary exceeded the expectations I created in only few days. Honest, dynamic and full of warmth, it shares the perspective of the important people that were there while the song was coming to life – old version and new version. I’m sure the new song means the world to them as well, that listening to it is a bittersweet, sadder and even more special experience.   

It was definitely the best thing they could have done, through the very well thought and emotional documentary they managed to calm down the afflicted fans who were still worried about the use of AI technology, give them a small taste of the brilliant work they did on John’s voice and excite even more the fans who were already totally in for the next Beatles adventure. I loved every second of it. It had everything that I appreciate as a researcher and as a fan, new material, new footage of John, and a lot of unconditional love towards the band and the boys.

Those few seconds of John’s crystal clear voice were a Beatles blessing, one of the most breathtaking surprises ever and I’m hoping we’ll get to listen to the full isolated vocal version soon.

Then after a whole sleepless night, it was finally Now And Then day. The dream was not over, they kept a little piece of their hearts and talent to surprise us with. And what a magical moment it was.

I’m sure I won’t be able to express 5% of what I actually felt, so for that I apologize in advance, but I’m gonna start by saying that nothing could have prepared me for the unexpected and new feeling that would soon touch the windows of my soul. A new song by my favorite band and boys, was I understanding it right?

A constant memory that I have is from when I was being extremely reluctant to listen to the complete discography of The Beatles, simply because I thought I wouldn’t be able to experience that insane roller coaster of emotions while listening to a favorite song for the first time. And even though I listened to Now And Then countless times over the years, I felt like I was discovering a whole new song. It felt almost like bumping into a secret treasure after years searching for it. Knowing every verse did not affect the epiphany; it was a first time, a whole new song and a whole new journey. It was like rediscovering the Beatles.

I was sitting on the edge of my seat during the first few seconds, wanting nothing more than to finally dive into more of John’s crystal clear voice and, weirdly, it felt like an eternity, but then John said the first word and an explosion of emotions happened, tears quickly ran down my eyes while a big smile put a mixture of joy and sadness on my face. I couldn’t believe what was really happening. It felt like the continuation of an old childhood dream that I had and remembered with fondness. It felt like a long forgotten memory that came back out of the blue in a sort of weird deja vu with the same sensations but better, deeper.       

When an 80 year old Paul harmonized with an almost 40 year old John, wow. Just wow… I think that was one of the things most of the fans were hoping for, to listen to those two together, to be able to sense the thrilling energy that happened between them and that gives us goosebumps. And it did, all over again. And then Ringo’s incredible drumming and George’s fabulous guitar, their unforgettable voices in the back as well, knowing how Ringo was in his most joyful mood singing to and with his friends. They were together and the magic was there and they knew it.

They managed to leave me breathless even when I knew something extraordinary was coming. I love the new melody, sounding like the perfect mix of John’s blues and Paul’s optimism. I love the finishing touches Paul gave to John’s lyrics. I love Ringo drums having a profound conversation with George’s guitar. A real Beatles song, that’s what it is.

And listening to the new version of Now And Then was the experience of a lifetime, bigger than any dream I’ver ever had. Of course, in the back of my mind and heart I had constant thoughts and hopes that one day we’d see Paul and Ringo finishing this song but it seemed so far from happening, and it happening out of the blue, made it all even more magical. There were no rumors, Paul just let it out in the middle of an interview and I’m glad it happened that way. 

I have many special interests and hyperfixations, none never made me feel the happiness I feel when I live anything related to the Beatles. I feel so hugged and seen and I can relate to what they say in their art; those lyrics being now directly connected to every happy memory that I have because the best way to celebrate something is listening to the Beatles.

The Beatles make sure to show how each and every fan is special, no matter if we are fans for only 5 years, 20 or 60, if we knew them from the Cavern or if we first listened to them on Spotify. The love and the songs are dedicated to us, they reach us and never forget us. They are here. 

I never felt like I was born in the wrong era but living the whole crazy “The Beatles last song” time makes me even more sure about it. I was not supposed to see the dreamy beginning of the Beatles but I was destined to live the perfect ending.

And now talking more specifically about John, it was if he was here today, telling me the story of what he was singing, letting me in and, for someone who has been completely and intensely fascinating by the man for years, someone who loves him knowing that he’s never gonna come back and loves him regardless, someone who knows his voice, his words and his work are the best and only way to “meet him”, that was the most emotional moment for me as a fan and admirer. And I’m glad I’m getting to know him a bit more every single day. And I thank every day, every path that I took in my life and that guided me to John and I thank John for rescuing me when I didn’t even let myself realize I needed to be rescued, now he’s done that once again with a little help from his friends. He has given me a meaning and a mission. Loving John is an adventure I was born to live.

It may sound weird but the memory of John’s life makes me feel alive.

And Now And Then has become the most special song I’ve ever had the pleasure to witness the release.

I can’t say I didn’t miss the “I don’t wanna lose you” verses, I did, that was an essential part of the abandon – meaning both loneliness and waive – that John was putting towards the lyrics but knowing John was babbling most of the words from that part, definitely trying to make them fit, and allowing us to as much as guess if that was what he really was saying, if that was really what he meant or if that was only a single recording improvisation, it makes sense it was cut out. And, in the end, it wouldn’t fit the new beat, the new context and the new expression of the song, now one more about eternal love than about past mistakes. 

During the release I was also able to observe how some people discredit Paul for his actions and deny any possibility that John could have left the song for him. John would always have some songs for Ringo to finish/sing under his sleeve and that’s how I see that the whole “John left the cassette for Paul to complete” was taken too literally when put in the context of his passing. He did that before for somebody else and it is not as if John left a song for Paul knowing he was going to die and Paul would finish it as a tribute but I totally don’t see why he couldn’t have left aside one to finish with Paul some day or let Paul himself finish it; quite the contrary, it makes total sense. 

It’s actually weird that people think it’s weird that John might have left a song for Paul to finish, Paul who had been John’s songwriting partner for years and that, no matter what, he still loved deeply. A song that he may have left for Paul and that was about Paul! But even if he didn’t leave it specifically for Paul and Yoko was really the one who chose it because, as she very well put decades ago, it would help people grieve, it is still about love, a love that Paul talks about every single time he’s asked about John and that now he put into finishing their last collaboration. 

Of course there is always the possibility of the lyrics being something else dedicated to somebody else but, mainly with the new version, it translates as an act of love between John and Paul and then between the Fab Four as well. And that act of love resonates to us.

John wrote home and Paul sent all his loving to him, then shared all that loving with us.

And if the song and its lyrics were dedicated to Paul, the new version was the answer to the love letter, expressing mutual sentiments. If they were not, it was a gift from Paul to an old friend and partner who’s still with him more than every now and then.

The most important thing now is that love is all John and George got from this renewed project, and also the meaningful closure both Paul and Ringo needed and that only Now And Then and its beautiful message about sorrow could have brought to this moment of their lives. The song might as well have been called Now And Them. 

An event I won’t ever forget: the last tribute from the Beatles to the Beatles.

Then on Friday we were all excitedly waiting for the music video. It started and it ended in a blink of an eye and, well, it was something. My reaction to all of it was to have no reaction, it happens sometimes and, according to my friend who was with me, I stayed quiet for a long time. It was a bit too much to process. 

Emotionally, it was a shock to see young John appearing on my screen next to old Paul, watching old Ringo playing just like he did back in the 1967 video, and see him coordinating the orchestra. The same happened when I saw young George looking a bit lost like he always did in most music videos. 

The energy matched the lyrics, a very bittersweet feeling of seeing John and George in their 20s playing along with Paul and Ringo in their 80s, and being their funny and carefree selves matched the beat of the Beatles version of the song.

It all just made me wish even more that we had John and George here. It definitely made me miss them more and, unfortunately, also led me to have one of those epiphanic moments in which our minds go blank, our vision blurry and we realize they are really gone and that what we are seeing is just a video. George’s no longer that body. John is no longer watching the wheels go ‘round. And although I saw some people saying that they liked the fact that it wasn’t a sad video in the sense of not having the boys in a melancholy scenario but rather having fun side by side, I genuinely think it made me sadder than it would have if it had in fact been a sad video with the intention to make people cry. 

The way it was done, with John and George being their happy and carefree selves, as I said before, made in me a stronger impression of how unfair life is and how tragically it takes wonderful opportunities from wonderful people – because sometimes I do forget that they are gone and I do think the boys would have loved being here to share this last moment. We have to say goodbye to our friends, our loved ones, the ones we wished we said “I love you” to more and life doesn’t wait, life does not allow us to separate what was reality to what it will be without their presence. The video made me grieve John and George in a way I don’t remember doing before and this is why it has been so difficult to write all of this.

I didn’t wish I could go back in time to meet them and see them perform back in the days, I wish they were here now being their authentic selves the same way they were on the video. 

So the idea of the video itself was great, how they were then, how they are now, how they are remembered now, how they are still the Beatles, that genuinely moved me.

Now visually, I, Mariana, think that it wasn’t as well executed as it could have been, and as someone who works with digital arts daily, I cannot say that I thought it was all perfectly done. I’m not talking about the cheesiness, I love the cheesiness, it suits them well, and I’m also not talking about the use of AI technology itself and/or green screen and/or photoshop – l think they manage to use it in a respectful way, putting real John and real George in new contexts only, just like they did with their song parts as well, and that was really important for me – what I’m talking about is truly the visual development of video. 

They could have done the exact same thing but better, think it through a bit more. The overly remastered videos and pictures were a bit weird and the image motions were uncomfortable to watch. There was no need to do that if the result was only face distortions and robotic movements. Leave the pictures the way they are, we love them so much just the way they are! The colors didn’t match, the sizes were disproportionate, transitions were too static and raw.

To sum it up, there was a lack of finesse. 

I see that maybe that was their goal – to produce a scenario in which borderline psychedelia, surrealism and 90s edition got together and created a music video – and if it was, then they did a good job but even that requires a bit more attention to details. Fairly, it is also important to notice that Peter Jackson said he had no experiences with music videos, it’s important to take that into consideration. He did what he could with what he had and for a first it was good.

I was expecting more from it though, but I know that’s on me. I was hoping for something more artistic when what we got was very literal. And in the end, I find it to be too similar to what was done on the Free As A Bird music video more than two decades ago: put the Beatles in places they were not physically at but had some connection to their history and make them move around using old footage. 

It is also obvious that my expectations were too high because of the I’m Only Sleeping music video – a Grammy nominee – I was expecting that level of visual creation. Now I see that we are probably not getting anything like that again anytime soon. The Now And Then video may as well get a Grammy nomination but it will definitely be for its emotional aspect rather than the artistic one.

The most disappointing thing though for me was that there was not a single new footage of John on the music video. Not even one. And from the things Peter Jackson said during interviews my hopes were high. I talked about it for days. Now, looking back on the things he said, it is clear that he/the team decided to put the unseen video of John on the doc rather than on the music video, it really wouldn’t have fitted the narrative of the video so it is understandable, but as the very literal autistic person I am, his words and the way he talked about it had a strong impact on me and it was a surprise to realize that the new footage was only the one from the doc. 

Not complaining about the footage we got though, that was one of the most special videos of househusband John I’ve ever seen and I understand how special those moments and videos are to both Sean and Yoko as well. I couldn’t be more glad that they opened their private archives once more and allowed us inside the coziness of their home even after so many years. 

The ending of the music video, now, really was the best way to finish it, the way they first dreamed they’d be seen one day, the way they changed the world and the way they’ll always be remembered. And, paraphrasing some of the lovely things John said a few months before he passed, the Beatles won’t reunite but their music goes on.

We will always welcome them back in our homes and we will be grateful for all they gave us and all we have to this day.

Boys, you’ve passed the audition! You’re on the toppermost of the poppermost! You rock the world!

Now And Then was the only song that could finish all the songs.

And if Now And Then was the last chapter of the band, this is now its epilogue. 

There’s no end to the Beatles. It’s just a new phase and we are the ones responsible to write the next chapters of their history while listening to the old and beloved songs we’ll never get tired of and that will, without a doubt, continue to inspire the next generations.

John, Paul, George and Ringo got together and changed the world with their talent, words and wit, their impact will never cease to exist. 

There won’t ever be the last replay of a dear song by the Beatles, there won’t ever be the last author intrigued by the fascinating nuances of the Fab Four’s creation and relationship, there won’t ever be the last fan in pure excitement while listening to A Day In The Life. There won’t ever be no Beatles even if the Beatles are no longer creating. 

And, honestly, it’s been long years since the Beatles were about new songs, they’ve been about a love that shows that break ups, deaths and the passing of time won’t ever erase  the good moments, the extraordinary music, the wonderful memories and the constantly passionate fans.

And as they were there for every single one of us then, they’re here for us now as well. They’ll be forever. Because, in this new beginning, the love they created is the love that remains.

While there’s life, there’s Beatles.