The legendary The Beatles are again nominated for a Grammy music award more than 50 years after the group broke up. Their latest song, “Now and Then,” which was restored last year with the help of artificial intelligence, is up for the title of Record of the Year, along with hits by Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift.
Image source: Now And Then / YouTube
The song “Now and Then” was released in November 2023, but its story dates back to the late 1970s. Then John Lennon recorded a demo version of this composition outside the studio. The recording, along with other tracks “Free As A Bird” and “Real Love”, was later given to the remaining band members in the 1990s for inclusion in The Beatles Anthology project. However, “Now and Then” was never completed due to technical limitations of the time, which did not allow John Lennon’s vocals to be properly separated from the instrumental accompaniment.
The situation was changed only in 2021, when director Peter Jackson and his team, who were filming a documentary about the Beatles, used machine learning technology. This allowed the living Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to complete the song by separating the voice from the piano and creating a full track with musical accompaniment. “Now, thanks to AI, we have been able to bring this song back to life,” McCartney said.
Even though “Now and Then” was completed using artificial intelligence, it complies with the Grammys’ AI guidelines. The rules state that “only humans are eligible to be nominated for or win a Grammy, but works containing AI elements are eligible to compete in their respective categories.” The Grammy ceremony will take place on February 2, 2025, and The Beatles’ song will have to compete with modern hits from famous artists.