According to founding member Paul McCartney, Beatles fans worldwide will soon hear a new Beatles song.
Earlier this week on BBC Radio 4, McCartney claimed artificial intelligence technology is revolutionizing music production. “We just finished up, and it’ll be released this year,” the Liverpudlian recording artist revealed.
Paul McCartney says artificial intelligence has enabled a “final” Beatles song https://t.co/aVuLHEwryc
— BBC News (UK) (@BBCNews) June 13, 2023
John Lennon’s Lost Voice
Using A.I. software, he and his engineers managed to “extricate” Lennon’s voice from an old demo to record the song, the title of which McCartney failed to name, though observers think it may be from “Now and Then,” a 1978 demo.
Free as a Bird
In 1995, they released the much-loved “Free as a Bird” as part of the band’s Anthology series; following this, the song “Real Love” appeared on Anthology 2. The new song was considered for this venture, though it failed to make the cut. However, 28 years later, fans will hear new Beatles material again.
George Wasn’t a Fan
Speaking of the process when trying to re-record the new single between ’95 and ’96, Sir Paul had problems getting George Harrison onboard. Harrison, who died in 2001, was not a fan of Lennon’s vocal quality; moreover, there was a background noise issue on the recording — something recorded on a boombox with Lennon on piano. Ergo, the band voted against it.
A bootleg recording of “Now and Then” without background noise appeared in 2009, which became the subject of many fan remixes. McCartney vowed to finish the real job one day and has reiterated this desire.
Thank Peter Jackson
The breakthrough in voice technology came during Peter Jackson‘s groundbreaking Beatles Documentary, Get Back. Dialogue editor Emile de la Rey used A.I. to extract the Beatles’ voices, easily distinguishing their pitch from surrounding noise onto a clean audio track.
McCartney has always fully embraced the current technology for his solo musical career, and on a recent tour, he ‘dueted’ with a virtual John Lennon. However, the musician is cautious in his praise for A.I. in light of potential issues musicians face.
Scary and Exciting
He admits concern about how John Lennon’s voice appears in all kinds of music, thanks to A.I.’s new software possibilities. “It’s kind of scary but exciting because it’s the future,” the singer concludes. “We’ll just have to see where that leads.”
But what do people think of all this? Fans must be happy, surely?
No, Thanks
Thanks, but no thanks, is one observer’s perspective. Just leave it, Sir Paul.
Ugh. No thanks.
— ▪️🏴☠️tchuck 🦇🔊 🇾🇪 (@thetchuck) June 13, 2023
To The Moon!
Meanwhile, others are sanguine. There must be many feasible demos of John Lennon’s voice out there.
It won’t be the last by a long shot, possibilities are infinite.
— Black Mariah (@twatter77) June 13, 2023
Can Anyone Sing in This One?
Others, like this gentleman, can see endless possibilities. Tupac and Buddy Holly for the chorus, anybody?
It really comes together when Tupac and Buddy Holly chime in on the chorus.
— Ted (@teddunne) June 13, 2023
It’s Still Lennon’s Voice
However, another poster sues for calmness. They didn’t recreate Lennon’s voice; they just isolated its entire signal from all other noise — just as in the Peter Jackson series.
All they’ve done is use the the technology Peter Jackson used for Get Back to isolate John’s vocals. They’ve not generated a voice using AI
— Andy B CP1905 🦅⚽️🏴🇬🇧🇺🇦🔴💙🦅🟢⚪️ (@AndyPBurton) June 13, 2023
George and John Would Not Approve
Purists consider this an insult to the departed band members. George was still alive when they released the Anthology records. Was that the same? Fandom has a spectrum, and this fan sits at the more diehard end.
Two of them are dead. It’s not a Beatles song
— derek ryan (@derekry82193375) June 13, 2023
The Man Himself
Here is the man himself, sharing the interview — and a McCartney-esque plug for his new art show. Sir Paul is happy, considering he thought he had “lost them all.” He is referring to the recordings — not his fans.
“I thought I’d lost them… It’s lovely having these memories” – Paul
Ahead of his exhibition opening at @NPGLondon this month, Paul shares his experiences with @BBCr4today.
Don’t miss the full interview on @bbcsounds 🎧https://t.co/UVYXpgEB5x
— Paul McCartney (@PaulMcCartney) June 13, 2023
What are your thoughts on this new venture? Are you happy to finally hear this song released? Are you now hopeful for more Beatles tracks, or is A.I. the enemy?
