11/11/23-Beatles set amazing UK record!

Trusted Source: (CNN)

The Beatles break UK chart records as ‘Now and Then’ becomes No. 1 single
By Amarachi Orie, CNN

Published 7:02 AM EST, Sat November 11, 2023

The Beatles have made a record-breaking return to No. 1 on the UK charts with their latest and “last” song “Now and Then” becoming the country’s top single.

Released on November 2, “Now and Then” debuted on the UK’s Official Singles Chart at No. 42 the following day. Just over a week later, on Friday, the melancholic tune reached No. 1.

The Beatles set a new record coming back 60 years and six months after their first UK No. 1, “From Me To You,” in May 1963, according to Official Charts, beating Elvis Presley’s span of 47 years and six months.

It also comes another record-breaking 54 years after the band’s previous No. 1 hit, “The Ballad of John and Yoko,” in 1969 – overtaking English singer-songwriter Kate Bush’s 44-year gap between 1978 song “Wuthering Heights” and 2022 song “Running Up That Hill.”
Beatles now and then

The Beatles’ ‘last’ song ‘Now and Then’ is released

“BEATLEMANIA IS BACK,” wrote Official Charts in a joint Instagram post with The Beatles on Friday.

Paul McCartney, the band’s bass guitarist, told Official Charts on Friday, “It’s mind boggling. It’s blown my socks off. It’s also a very emotional moment for me. I love it!”

“Now and Then” features the sound of every member of the British rock group, including the vocals of the late John Lennon decades after he wrote it, as well as a guitar solo from the late George Harrison.

This was a feat thought not to be possible after Lennon died in 1980.
He wrote and recorded the song at his home in New York City in the late 1970s, and his wife Yoko Ono gave the demo to the remaining Beatles members in 1994. It took almost 30 years and the help of AI to complete the track.

At the ages of 81 and 83 respectively, McCartney and drummer Ringo Starr have made The Beatles the oldest band to claim a UK No.1 single, according to Official Charts.

“Now and Then” is the fastest-selling single of the year so far in the UK, with 48,600 physical and download sales in its first week, as well as 78,200 combined UK chart units across sales and streaming.

The Beatles have the most No. 1 singles in the UK, with 18 – with only Elvis Presley in the US having more (21), according to Official Charts.

Haven’t heard “Now & Then” yet? Listen!