Decryption | The “final” Beatles song? Really ?

Made possible by artificial intelligence, the song Now and Then brings together the Fab Four for the last time. Or not. Decryption.

The event

You thought you’d done the Beatles tour? Think again. Despite the fact that the lemon has been squeezed as much as possible, the Fab Four still find a way to give us “new” equipment, or rather old ones made new. Launched on All Souls Day (coincidence?), Now and Then is presented and marketed as the “final” Beatles song. In fact, it is an old demo by John Lennon, recorded at the end of the 1970s, rearranged in two parts by the three surviving Beatles, all accompanied by a short YouTube documentary to explain the project. Anything that directly or indirectly relates to the best pop group in history is an event in itself. But was it really necessary? That is the question.

The story

In 1994, Yoko Ono gave Paul McCartney a cassette with four demos recorded by her late husband on a cassette recorder. The three surviving Beatles decide to rework them for the TV series Anthology, which promises to be the definitive documentary on the group. Exercise helps resuscitate Free as a Bird And Real Lovewho experienced the success we know in the mid-1990s. The trio had started tinkering on a third song, Now and Thenbut had lost interest in it, due to technical problems (impossible to separate the piano and John’s voice) and lack of inspiration (George Harrison is reported to have called it ” fuckin rubbish “). But Paul never gave up on finishing the job. This is now a reality, thanks to artificial intelligence. Using the same technology as Peter Jackson on the film Get Back, we managed to isolate John’s voice and rework the song properly. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr redid their bass and drum tracks. We kept George’s rhythm guitar (Paul does the solo, like). We added an orchestra, choirs (some of which were transplanted to Because And Eleanor Rigby) and there you have it, miracle: we have a new Beatles song.

Criticism

Let’s not be cynical: there is something moving about hearing the Fab Four reunited again. The magic of the 1960s no longer works, but the result is of good quality and listens well. Now and Then is neither better nor worse than Free as a Bird Or Real Love. It is entirely in the same vein, although Lennon’s voice seems more embodied, less ghostly, than on the two previous exercises. There will be more than one to rejoice in this “resurrection” of the group. But the operation still raises questions. Without error, Free as a Bird And Real Lovee did not leave a lasting imprint in popular memory. Why then put the cover back on? The reception will inevitably be favorable, but it would be surprising if Now and Then turns into a classic. As far as we are concerned, this is at best a curiosity, which can also be challenged on an ethical level.

And after ?

It is also questionable whether this is truly the “final” Beatles song. It would be surprising if Paul and Ringo worked on other demos from behind the scenes. But technology suggests other, more terrifying scenarios.

According to Jonathan Bonneau, researcher and associate professor at the UQAM Media School, it is already technically possible to create a new Beatles song from the group’s entire audio catalog. In the near future, we will also be able to “personalize” our experience, by requesting something “tailor-made” from our machines.

Impressive on paper, but with drawbacks, adds Mr. Bonneau. “One of the difficulties is that there is no aesthetic feeling or intention from the machine. What artificial intelligence can do is take all of that and create something similar. But it still takes humans to judge the aesthetic quality of the thing, and they will spend hours going through material to find a pearl. »

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