The collaboration between Paul McCartney and AI technology brings together the surviving member of the band with the voice of the late John Lennon, creating a unique and emotionally powerful experience for Beatles enthusiasts worldwide
With the help of AI, McCartney managed to "extract" John Lennon's voice from a demo tape, providing a way to include Lennon's vocals in the final version of a song that had remained incomplete for decades
The song in question believed to be titled "Now and Then," was a composition by John Lennon dating back to 1978. The original demo tape, part of a collection labelled "For Paul" and given to McCartney by Yoko Ono, was brought to life with the assistance of AI technology
The "Now and Then" song was considered for the band's Anthology series in 1995 but was never completed. Technical issues, including background noise from Lennon's apartment and mixed reviews from the band members, contributed to its shelving
The breakthrough in AI technology can be attributed to Peter Jackson's documentary "Get Back." Through the use of custom-made AI algorithms, dialogue editor Emile de la Rey successfully identified the voices of the Beatles and separated them from the background noise
By isolating Lennon's vocals, the AI technology provided McCartney with a clear and pure rendition of Lennon's voice, allowing for seamless integration into the final version of the song
Paul McCartney described this upcoming Beatles release as the last Beatles record, marking it as a tribute to his late bandmate and friend, John Lennon. The completion of "Now and Then" represents a culmination of McCartney's long-standing desire to release a finished version of the song, bringing closure to an unfinished chapter in the Beatles' history
With the release of this AI-enhanced Beatles track, fans will witness a unique blend of the band's legacy and modern technology
Paul McCartney, in discussing the AI-generated music phenomenon, expressed a mix of excitement and concern. While he finds it both scary and exciting that people can mistake an AI-generated track for Lennon's voice, he acknowledges that AI represents the future of music