Timeless Beatles Hit: "Now and Then" Remains Unforgettable
The Beatles, one of the most renowned bands in music history, will release a "final" song titled "Now And Then" later this year. This significant milestone marks a blend of innovation and respect for musical legacy, as the song features the resurrected voice of John Lennon, thanks to the power of artificial intelligence (AI).
The AI system used to mimic Lennon's voice was trained using a dataset of his vocal recordings, interviews, and live performances. Deep learning algorithms and neural networks, such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs), were employed to analyse Lennon's voice characteristics, including tone, pitch, and phrasing. After training, the AI model was fine-tuned by a team of musicians and audio engineers to match Lennon's distinctive vocal nuances.
The voice of John Lennon was resurrected for "Now And Then" by using AI technology to isolate and extract his vocals from a noisy 1970s demo tape. This AI-driven process, originally developed by filmmaker Peter Jackson and used in The Beatles' "Get Back" documentary, separated Lennon's voice from background sounds like traffic and television, allowing Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr to add new instrumental and vocal parts around it without digitally recreating or fabricating Lennon's voice itself.
The collaboration between human expertise and AI technology was crucial in perfecting Lennon's voice. The audio for "Now And Then" was restored by Peter Jackson's team, using AI to separate Lennon's vocals. The dataset underwent a rigorous preprocessing phase to eliminate noise and enhance the quality of the recordings.
"Now and Then" is the only Beatles song featuring all four voices - Lennon (via demo), McCartney, Starr, and Harrison's parts from 1995 - released decades after their breakup. This landmark track stands as a symbol of the enduring influence of the Beatles and their commitment to realizing their artistic vision.
By bridging the gap between past and present, "Now And Then" reminds us of the enduring power of music and the enduring spirit of artistic collaboration. The release of "Now And Then" pays tribute to the legacy of John Lennon and the Beatles, marking a significant milestone in the intersection of AI and music. The song's completion is a testament to the remarkable progress in technology, opening up a world of possibilities for musicians, allowing them to collaborate with artists from past generations and breathe new life into unfinished works.
The track later won a Grammy, reflecting this blend of innovation and respect for musical legacy. With "Now And Then", the Beatles have once again demonstrated their ability to push boundaries and inspire generations with their music.
- The AI technology used to resurrect John Lennon's voice for "Now And Then" was trained on a dataset that included his vocal recordings, interviews, and live performances, leveraging deep learning algorithms such as recurrent neural networks (RNNs) and convolutional neural networks (CNNs) to analyze his voice characteristics.
- The completion of "Now And Then" represents a significant milestone at the intersection of AI and music, as it showcases the remarkable progress in technology that allows musicians to collaborate with artists from past generations and breathe new life into unfinished works.
