Paul McCartney has opened up about the Beatles' song "Now and Then," admitting that performing it makes him "very emotional."
"It's really wonderful. When you introduce a new song, even if it's an old one like 'Now and Then,' the first response is that people are a bit unsure of what it is or what you're doing," McCartney shared in a recent interview with the Mirror. "But as the concerts go on, they start to get the idea. Word spreads on the internet," the legendary musician continued, noting how fans have become increasingly drawn to the song. "Now the reaction is incredibly strong, and for us, it's fantastic to play because it's such a lovely song. For me, it's especially meaningful as it's a John song, which makes it very emotional. I love performing it, and it seems the audience loves it too."
Regarded as the Beatles' final song, "Now and Then" was created from demo tapes recorded by John Lennon before his passing. The surviving members of the band initially attempted to salvage the track during the Anthology project, but Lennon's vocals were deemed unusable. Thanks to modern AI technology, the track was finally 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 appeared to overwhelm McCartney during a recent performance in Manchester, England. After delivering "Now and Then" at the show on December 15, the 82-year-old rocker was seen tearing up and gesturing in appreciation to the audience.