The Beatles Are #1 On The Charts Once Again
After all these years, Beatlemania is still alive and well. The Beatles have once again topped the chart with their recently released single “Now and Then,” making them the artist with the longest gap between their first and last number ones.
Sir Paul McCartney was even surprised, saying, “It’s blown my socks off!” The song debuted at number 42 but quickly rose 41 places, also setting records as this century’s fastest-selling vinyl single (via BBC News).
John Lennon’s Now And Then
“Now and Then” was written by John Lennon in 1978 and finally completed last year. Through the assistance of AI, The Beatles were able to take the rough recording John Lennon made and improve the quality to include the late Beatle in the final recording.
In a time when AI’s usages are as controversial as ever, this may be one of the few times people can agree it was a good use of technology in the music world.
60 Years Running
The Beatles first dominated the chart 60 years ago with “From Me to You,” and “Now and Then,” is now in the top spot, truly cementing the band’s legacy as a timeless act.
The last time the band topped the charts was in 1969 with The Ballad of John and Yoko. This chart-topper also makes this the oldest band to take the number one spot, with McCartney and Ringo Starr being 82 and 83 years old, respectively.
Just 10 Hours
Another record to add to The Beatles’ lengthy list of accomplishments is that the single was able to reach the number 42 spot in just 10 hours.
Still, it didn’t take long for the single to climb to number one, with 78,200 combined UK chart units across sales and streaming. The band also has the biggest one-week physical sales in nearly a decade, selling 38,000 units. “Now and Then,” also is their 18th chart-topping single.
18 Number Ones
With 18 number ones, The Beatles are only second to Elvis Presley on the UK charts, who has 21 UK chart-topping singles to his name.
However, this does make the band the British act with the most singles in UK charts history. In other words, to the surprise of no one, the band is still legendary and always will be.
The Last For The Beatles?
The only thing unfortunate about “Now and Then,” is that it will likely be the last single from The Beatles we ever get.
Still, that’s a small thing to complain about, considering two of the members have passed away, and pretty much no one was expecting to get a new song from them. Still, it’s truly incredible to see that a band has such staying power over six decades after their debut.
Get Back Doc
Make sure to check out “Now and Then,” if you haven’t already, as it is a truly great song from The Beatles that could have easily made it onto one of their albums back in their heyday.
If you want to see more from the band, make sure to check out Peter Jackson’s Get Back documentary series from 2021. It’s currently streaming on Disney+.
