While the spectre of AI has led to anxiety for many creatives, some artists are using it ingeniously. In fact, AI may actually deliver us a final Beatles recording, with Deadline reporting (via BBC) that Paul McCartney is using the technology to extricate the vocals from an old John Lennon demo to create one last Beatles record.
In the interview, McCartney promised that the song would come out this year, although he’s yet to reveal what the song actually is. Deadline speculates that the track may be 1978’s “Now and Then,” one of the demos McCartney, Ringo Starr and George Harrison had worked with during the Beatles Anthology days in the mid-nineties. When the two Beatles’ singles, “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love,” were released, many fans complained that it sounded like John Lennon was singing underwater, but the technology has changed significantly since then. The band had also planned to issue “Grow Old With Me” and “Now and Then” as singles, but the vocal tracks were considered unusable.
“Grow Old With Me” became a minor hit when it was issued in demo form, becoming a popular song for weddings. According to the interview, McCartney was inspired to use AI after hearing what Peter Jackson and the crew of the Disney Plus documentary Get Back were able to accomplish with old demo recordings. McCartney has since used the tech to duet with Lennon on his recent tour.
While folks may be nervous about AI infringing on creative works, there is an argument to be made for its use in situations like these. The old Beatles Anthology recordings were cutting-edge for the nineties, but they would likely sound amazing now, given the latest technology. As long as McCartney has the blessing of the Lennon estate, I think I speak for all Beatlemaniacs when I say I can’t wait for this new Beatles record!