Paul McCartney has opened up regarding the Beatles’ “Now and Then,” admitting he gets “very emotional” when he performs the song.
“It’s really great. When you introduce a new song, even though it’s an old song, like ‘Now and Then,'” McCartney explained during a recent conversation with the Mirror. “The first reaction is, people aren’t quite sure what it is or what you’re doing.”
“But during the run of the concerts, they get the idea. The word gets out on the internet,” the legendary rocker continued, noting how fans have since gravitated towards the song. “So now the reaction is really strong, and for us it’s great to play because it’s a nice song to play, and for me, it’s particularly great because it’s a John song. And so it’s very emotional for me. I love it. I love doing it, and the audience seem to love it too.”
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Regarded as the Beatles’ final song, “Now and Then” was created from demo tapes recorded by John Lennon prior to his death. The band’s surviving members originally tried to salvage the track around the time of the Anthology project, but Lennon’s vocals were deemed unusable. Modern AI technology allowed the track to finally be completed. “Now and Then” was released last November and has since been nominated for both Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance at the 67th Grammy Awards.
Emotions seemed to get the best of McCartney during a recent performance in Manchester, England. After playing “Now and Then” at the Dec. 15 show, the 82-year-old rocker could be seen tearing up and gesturing in appreciation to the crowd (video below).
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McCartney is set to wrap his 2024 touring with a pair of performances at the O2 in London on Dec. 18 and 19.
“We finish it up around Christmas time,” the Beatles confirmed to the Mirror. “So that’s exciting. We’re looking forward to London, and then that will finish this tour, and we’ll all be very glad to have a nice Christmas holiday.”
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Gallery Credit: Michael Gallucci