The Beatles, or should we call them, The Immortals? Despite the passing of John Lennon 43 years ago, The Beatles are ready to sing together again one last time. Paul McCartney made the announcement in an interview with the BBC about his upcoming photo exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery which opens June 28. On the one hand, the news has elicited mixed reactions from fans: how could artificial intelligence replace the voice of the great John Lennon (not to mention all the questions of ethics that go along with that)? But on the other hand, what a pleasure it is to hear the Fab Four back together for one last encore, one last song before the curtain falls!
An unreleased Beatles single
Paul McCartney explained that John Lennon’s voice had been “extricated” from an old demo before being isolated from the backing track and then remixed. This was how artificial intelligence was able to reconstruct John Lennon’s voice from a recording dating back to 1980, shortly before his assassination in New York.
The demo in question was labelled “For Paul”. Like a plea to keep Beatlemania alive, John Lennon’s words here are moving and still resonate today like an appeal to posterity. According to the BBC, this demo may contain the song “Now and Then”, a 1978 John Lennon composition that George Harrison refused to work on, resulting in the song never seeing the light of day.
If these rumours hold true, the forthcoming track will be one we’ve never heard before. In any case, the miracle of modern technology is at work. Paul McCartney himself described AI’s musical prowess to be as “frightening” as they are “fascinating”.
The Beatles, forever and ever
The Beatles live on through some 14 best-selling albums and millions of records sold around the world, to the tune of melodies that span eras and continents. Some of the more nostalgic among us will remember “Let It Be”, “Yesterday” and “Hey Jude”, while some of the more joyful will still be singing along to “All You Need Is Love” and “Twist and Shout”, with one voice carrying the fierce joy of the celebrations that punctuate our lives and infuse our memories. If music is the universal language, The Beatles are the eternal band.
Translated by Jack Pownall.
This article first appeared on vogue.fr
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