THE BEATLES' "NOW" IS A WOW: UPDATE

"Now and Then," the "new" song from the virtually reunited Beatles, has been selling briskly in the 24 hours since its release Thursday (11/2). Built around a 1979 John Lennon home demo and featuring the three other Beatles playing together, the track is #1 on the global iTunes chart, Apple Music’s global streaming rock tallies, Amazon Music streaming and physical around the world, Amazon's Global Trending Songs chart and YouTube’s Trending Global ranking. Whew!

Streaming had gained momentum by the start of the weekend, with the freshly fashioned Fabs track moving into the Top 15 on Spotify's global chart and Top 25 U.S., while it also made the Top 15 worldwide at Apple Music. "Now" is #1 at Apple Music U.K., Top 5 in Germany and Top 10 in Australia.

The song’s Peter Jackson-directed video, which debuted 11/3, finds Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr singing along with vintage film of the late Lennon and George Harrison.

McCartney and Starr managed to keep details of the “Now and Then” sessions largely under wraps, with McCartney admitting that the string players were not told the nature of the project while they were recording. “It was all a bit hush-hush,” he said in the Oliver Murray-directed short film about the song’s creation. “We pretended it was just something of mine.”

Said Sean Lennon, “It was incredibly touching to hear them working together after all the years my dad had been gone. It’s the last song he and Paul and George and Ringo will get to make together."

Soon after releasing “Now and Then,” Capitol hoisted a flag atop the Tower to celebrate the moment. The song is included on the Apple Corps/Capitol/UMe expanded editions of the 1973 compilations 1962-66 and 1967-1970, which arrive on 11/10.