“Lord of the Rings” filmmaker Peter Jackson said he believes it’s possible to create more Beatles music in the future with the use of AI (artificial intelligence) technology.
“We can take a performance from ‘Get Back,’ separate John and George, and then have Paul and Ringo add a chorus or harmonies. You might end up with a decent song but I haven’t had conversations with Paul about that,” Jackson said in a Sunday Times interview. “It’s fanboy stuff, but certainly conceivable.”
His comments come just after the release of the song “Now and Then” on November 2. The single was created using the late John Lennon’s voice, which they were able to isolate from previous recordings through the use of technology.
“Now and Then” came from a demo John Lennon recorded before he was murdered in 1980. Jackson was able to help clean up the track and incorporate the vocals of McCartney and Starr alongside guitar contributions Harrison played in the 1990s.
Jackson also directed the new YouTube documentary “The Beatles — Now And Then — The Last Beatles Song.”
“It felt so wrong to have a Beatles song all to myself,” Jackson told the outlet. “It’s not a classic in the sense of ‘I Am the Walrus’ or ‘Penny Lane’ — it’s not complex like that. It’s simple, but it’s got a haunting quality. Whenever anyone asks why I like the Beatles, I say they make me happy. With the world in the state it is, we need the Beatles to appear again, as if a flying saucer has touched down and they’ve got off and are providing us with their one last song to cheer us up.”
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Former Beatles member Paul McCartney dispelled rumors that the new recording was made using AI, however.
“There it was, John’s voice, crystal clear,” McCartney said. “It’s quite emotional. And we all play on it, it’s a genuine Beatles recording. In 2023 to still be working on Beatles music, and about to release a new song the public haven’t heard, I think it’s an exciting thing.”
He added, “We cleaned up some existing recordings — a process which has gone on for years.”
McCartney defended the creation of the song in a making-of film released last week, saying his late bandmate would have wanted the song to be made.
“Every time I thought like that I thought, wait a minute, let’s say I had a chance to ask John, ‘Hey John, would you like us to finish this last song of yours?’ I’m telling you, I know the answer would have been, ‘Yeah!’” McCartney said.
