It is 2023. You don’t even want to think about what’s going on. The present is unbearable. And yet—this is the last time you will read these words—there is a new Beatles track, patched together with something old, something long gone, and something gloriously alive. The song, titled, “Now and Then,” eerily recalls the last thing John ever said to Paul. In the mid–90s, George, Paul, and Ringo tried to make a track based on the demo, but the recording was all over the place. However, today, Peter Jackson showed Paul that with A.I., nothing can be real once again—on the newly released “Now and Then,” you can hear the naked voice of John Lennon, as if he were right there in the room with you. This is a trip back to the Beatles. It started with a simple melody from a private recording, and it turned into a production carrying that weight of the world. There will be a single. On one side will be “Love Me Do,” their first. On the other will be “Now and Then,” their last. It’s wonderful to be here. It’s certainly a thrill. —David Yaffe