In 2023, Paul McCartney set the internet ablaze when he somewhat casually mentioned that he was working on a new song from The Beatles. Fans of the group were initially worried, as he mentioned he was using artificial intelligence to do so, but their fears were mostly assuaged after it was revealed how exactly the tech was being utilized. Months after the single, titled “Now and Then,” dropped, the track’s producer has stated that the legendary musician was just as respectful as one might hope during the delicate recording process.
“What was really exciting for me was watching Paul’s total respect for his band members in the process of doing this,” said Giles Martin, the producer behind “Now and Then.” He partnered with McCartney and Ringo Starr, the only two remaining members of The Beatles, on their surprise new single.
Martin told Louder Sound that while he and McCartney were working on “Now and Then,” the superstar went out of his way to ensure that the four members of the band were all represented and heard on the tune. When asked about the late musician George Harrison’s role on the track–which was recorded decades ago–Martin explained how McCartney treated his work.
“Paul was like: ‘Okay, the rhythm that’s being played by George, can you just isolate that? I want to hear what George is doing,’” Martin stated during the interview all about the making of “Now and Then.” He added that McCartney wanted to “make sure that we are playing exactly the rhythm he is playing and that we follow that on the record.”
Martin stated that when they were making the single, which was kept secret until the two Beatles rockers and their team were completely ready, McCartney felt that it was “really important that his contribution is really respected and that we’re not washing things out with too much color,” meaning the work that Harrison left behind.
While much of the instrumentation was re-recorded when the band was making “Now and Then,” the tune uses vocals and piano recorded by John Lennon before he died, as well as guitar playing–several tracks of it–by Harrison.
The producer also shared that McCartney didn’t go into this latest recording session without giving it a lot of careful thought. Martin commented that McCartney said, “I’m not trying to do stuff for the sake of it. I’m doing stuff because it’s The Beatles.” He went on to assert that, “If we’re going to do that, if you’re going to do that with any artist, you must do it with the artist that did it in the first place,” which speaks to how important he felt it was to include Starr, Harrison, and Lennon and not simply let the technology take over.
Martin is well-known to the Beatles, as his father, George Martin, was the band’s producer for much of their time together. The senior Martin is regarded as one of the best producers of all time, for his creativity, musical genius, and the work he did to further what could be done in a studio.
