Ringo Starr Sets The Record Straight: No AI Used In Final Beatles Song

In an exclusive interview with AARP, legendary rocker Ringo Starr has taken a moment to address what he calls the “terrible rumors” surrounding the recent Beatles single, Now and Then. The 83-year-old musician wants to set the record straight and assure fans that no artificial intelligence was involved in creating the track. 

According to Ringo, he and Paul McCartney, 81, used authentic recordings of John Lennon’s voice and piano playing for the song.

“There were terrible rumors that it’s not John, it’s AI, whatever bulls— people said. Paul and I would not have done that,” he stated.

Ringo went on to explain how he and McCartney collaborated to finish the track, showcasing the genuine spirit of The Beatles. “Last year, Paul called and said, ‘You remember that unfinished song of John’s, “Now and Then?” Why don’t we work on that?’ He sent it to me, and I played the drums and sang,” he recalled.

The song’s origins date back to the 1970s when John Lennon recorded it. Ringo also mentioned the late George Harrison’s involvement in the ’90s when the group initially attempted to complete it. “We had a great track of John singing and playing piano and George playing rhythm guitar,” Ringo recounted.

He further stated, “It’s a beautiful song and a nice way to finally close that door.”

Paul had previously revealed that filmmaker Peter Jackson’s technology, developed during the making of the 2021 docuseries Get Back, was used to isolate and de-mix old audio for Now and Then. However, he was adamant that AI was not part of the creative process.

Ringo’s comments in AARP echo what he had previously shared with PEOPLE in July. “This is absolutely John Lennon’s voice, taken off, as neat as we can, a cassette. And that’s all I can tell you!” he stated emphatically.

He also reflected on their earlier attempt to refurbish the track in the ’90s when they worked on songs like Free as a Bird and Real Love with producer Jeff Lynne. 

We did that in the ’90s, George, Paul and I, with the help of Jeff Lynne, who took John’s voice off a cassette. Whichever way he did that, I don’t know. Jeff is very… [he] dials in,” he shared, adding, “And he had that job, and he was producing. When we did those two tracks, then we got to the third one, we felt we’d done enough, and we worked on it for 10 minutes.”