Expert: 'Happy That It Happened,' New Beatles Tune Drops

GARDEN CITY, NY — After 45 years, the Beatles faithful have a new song to enjoy. "Now and Then," which began with a discarded John Lennon demo decades ago, was released on Thursday.

In the 1990s, George Harrison added guitar tracks, but it would be nearly 30 more years for the technology to catch up before the world would hear the lost tune. Paul McCartney added background vocals and bass riffs, while Ringo Starr laid down his drum tracks.

"I loved it," said Rob Leonard, host of the long-running "Beatlesongs" at WHPC Radio/Nassau Community College, told Patch. "I really think it's a great song."

While social media reaction has been mixed about the surprise single from the Fab Four, Leonard said it's not fair to compare it to their iconic discography.

"You can't judge it that way," he said. "The other songs had years and years to marinate."

Leonard has the knowledge, playing tunes related to John, Paul, George and Ringo on most Friday nights during the last 30 years. He thinks Lennon would have been happy with how this was able to "come together."

"This was all Paul," Leonard said. "One thing about Paul, he always remembers things."

It took Academy Award-winning director Peter Jackson, who helmed the "Get Back" documentary, to bring the necessary audio capabilities to the fore.

"They invented a machine that was able to identify a vocal and a guitar. They could be together on the same track and splits it. That's what they did with [Lennon's] demo," Leonard said.

"Now and Then" is labeled as the last Beatles song.

"The important thing is that all four members of the Beatles play on it when they did this," he said.

The Beatles expert said "Now and Then" does not taint the incredible legacy of the quartet.

"As a Beatles fan, I'm happy that it happened," Leonard said. "It's a worthy song to add to the Beatles collection," he said.