Rock
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Heath, the bassist of legendary Japanese rock band X Japan, died on Oct. 29 after a battle with colorectal cancer. He was 55 years old.
The news of his death was announced in a statement issued by the band on Friday (Nov. 19). “His cancer was found during an examination in June of this year. Despite his efforts to battle the disease, his condition declined suddenly in October, and he took his last breath in the hospital,” the statement reads. Additionally, the band notes that Heath’s funeral will be private and attended by immediate family members only, and that his family asks for any visits, donations or flowers to be withheld.
Heath played bass for X Japan from 1992 up until the band’s split in 1997, and reunited with the group in 2007. He was with the group through the releases of albums like 1993’s Art of Life and 1996’s Dahlia. In 2018, the group performed at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.
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X Japan’s frontman Yoshiki Hayashi also shared a personal statement of mourning to his Instagram page, writing, “He was such a wonderful bass player, a band member, and a wonderful human being.
“Heath and I got closer than ever over this past year,” he continued. “On my birthday last year, he appeared as a guest on my program, and we talked endlessly afterwards in my dressing room. There was also a time after that when we talked on the phone for hours until daybreak. This summer, on August 20th, Heath performed as a guest at my dinner show. How could I have known that that would be my last performance with him? I couldn’t help make Heath’s wishes come true, and for that I feel fully responsible. I apologized to him when I bid farewell.”
Yoshiki’s statement continues, “Speaking as Yoshiki personally, I am so mentally and physically drained, so drenched in sorrow, that I don’t know what to say right now. I feel that if I stop now, I won’t be able to go any further, so I’m immersing myself in my busy schedule. But as the leader of the band, there are still some things that I must do. Heath’s family conveyed his words to me: ‘Don’t be sad,’ he said. ‘Cheer up, and say goodbye to me with a smile.’ Heath also requested that I, Yoshiki, be in charge of his memorial concert. I will discuss this further with his family to make sure that that is accomplished. There are also several things I need to fight for in order to make that happen.”
He concluded, “My story with Heath keeps going on and on. I wish I knew how to express the depth of my feelings here, but first I need to learn how to live with this profound loss. I will have more to say in the future. Thank you for everything, Heath. And may you rest in peace. I hope that someday we can play music together again.”
Read Yoshiki’s full statement here.
Green Day hits No. 1 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Airplay chart for the eighth time, as “The American Dream Is Killing Me” jumps 3-1 on the ranking dated Nov. 25. It reigns in its fourth week on the list, making it the third song to reach No. 1 in four weeks or fewer in 2023, […]
Bob Dylan made a rare public remark from the stage during his show at the Beacon Theatre in New York on Thursday night (Nov. 16) in which he offered up unequivocal support for his embattled friend, Rolling Stone magazine founder Jann Wenner.
“All right, like to say hello to Jann Wenner who’s in the house. Jann Wenner, surely everybody’s heard of him,” Dylan can be heard saying in a recording tweeted out by Dylan.FM Podcast of his comments to the crowd at the show. Billboard has confirmed the accuracy of Dylan’s quote. “Anyway, he just got booted out of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame – and we don’t think that’s right, we’re trying to get him back in.” At press time a spokesperson for the RRHOF Foundation had not returned Billboard‘s request for comment.
Dylan, 82, was referring to Wenner’s removal in September from the board of directors of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation after the organization’s 77-year-old co-founder made remarks in a New York Times interview that many labeled racist and sexist. While Wenner is still a member of the RRHOF as a non-performer, the organization’s board removed him from the Foundation after a Times interview to promote Wenner’s The Masters book in which the interviewer asked why there were no conversations with women or people of color in his collection.
Wenner, the former chairman of the RRHOF Foundation, conducted interviews with all white men for the book, including Bono, Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, Bruce Springsteen and Pete Townshend. In the introduction, Wenner explained that women and POC were not in his “zeitgeist.”
“When I was referring to the zeitgeist, I was referring to Black performers, not to the female performers, OK? Just to get that accurate,” Wenner told NYT writer David Marchese. “The selection was not a deliberate selection. It was kind of intuitive over the years; it just fell together that way. The people had to meet a couple criteria, but it was just kind of my personal interest and love of them. Insofar as the women, just none of them were as articulate enough on this intellectual level.”
Wenner attempted to clarify his stance, saying he was not suggesting that “they’re not creative geniuses. It’s not that they’re inarticulate, although, go have a deep conversation with Grace Slick or Janis Joplin. Please, be my guest. You know, Joni [Mitchell] was not a philosopher of rock ’n’ roll. She didn’t, in my mind, meet that test. Not by her work, not by other interviews she did. The people I interviewed were the kind of philosophers of rock … Of Black artists — you know, Stevie Wonder, genius, right? I suppose when you use a word as broad as ‘masters,’ the fault is using that word. Maybe Marvin Gaye, or Curtis Mayfield? I mean, they just didn’t articulate at that level.”
Shortly after his removal from the board — and an unsuccessful plea to remain on it during an emergency meeting — Wenner issued an apology in which he noted that his comments in the Times, “diminished the contributions, genius, and impact of Black and women artists and I apologize wholeheartedly for those remarks.”
He said the book is a collection of interviews he’s done over the years that seemed to him to be represent “an idea of rock ‘n’ roll’s impact on my world; they were not meant to represent the whole of music and it’s diverse and important originators but to reflect the high points of my career and interviews I felt illustrated the breadth and experience in that career. They don’t reflect my appreciation and admiration for myriad totemic, world-changing artists whose music and ideas I revere and will celebrate and promote as long as I live. I totally understand the inflammatory nature of badly chosen words and deeply apologize and accept the consequences.”
The apology and walk-back, however, did little to calm the fury over Wenner’s original comments, with few, if any, artists or friends speaking out publicly to support him. Wenner left Rolling Stone in 2019 when the publication was acquired by Penske Media Corporation, which is also Billboard‘s parent company.
The magazine, whose president and CEO is Wenner’s son, Gus Wenner, issued a statement amid the controversy distancing itself from the RS founder. “Jann Wenner’s recent statement to the New York Times do not represent the value and practices of today’s Rolling Stone,” the publication tweeted. “Jann Wenner has not been directly involved in our operations since 2019. Out purpose, especially since his departure, has been to tell stories that reflect the diversity of voices and experiences that shape our world. At Rolling Stone‘s core is the understanding that music above all can bring us together, not divide us.”
Listen to Dylan’s comment below.
“All right, like to say hello to Jann Wenner who’s in the house. Jann Wenner, surely everybody’s heard of him. Anyway, he just got booted out of the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame – and we don’t think that’s right, we’re trying to get him back in.”— Bob Dylan 11/16/23 pic.twitter.com/Vkgt8klzYS— Dylan.FM Podcast (@TheFM_Dylan) November 17, 2023
Having been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame last year, Parton is making good on her promise to create her first full-fledged rock album, with Rockstar releasing Friday (Nov. 17), via Butterfly Records/Big Machine Label Group. Explore Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news The 30-track […]
Mitski’s “My Love Mine All Mine” returns to No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 dated Nov. 18, while Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” breaks into the top 10.
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The TikTok Billboard Top 50 is a weekly ranking of the most popular songs on TikTok in the United States based on creations, video views and user engagement. The latest chart reflects activity Nov. 6-12. Activity on TikTok is not included in Billboard charts except for the TikTok Billboard Top 50.
“My Love Mine All Mine” reaches No. 1 for a fourth week; three of those were consecutive upon the song’s initial ascent to the peak of the TikTok Billboard Top 50, but the Nov. 4 and 11 surveys instead featured Lil Mabu and Chrisean Rock’s “Mr. Take Ya B-tch” at No. 1.
Speaking of “Mr. Take Ya B-tch,” it drops to No. 2, while Aliyah’s Interlude’s “It Girl (Sped Up)” rises to No. 3, a new peak for the tune.
Ice Spice’s “Deli” and Bad Bunny’s “Monaco” also reach new highs, rounding out the top five at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively.
All five songs, however, have been in or around the top 10 of the TikTok Billboard Top 50 for the past four-plus weeks. Outside the top five are a handful of songs newer to the region, paced by Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” which vaults 11-6 after debuting on the Nov. 11 tally after the beginning of November (and, as such, many users moving out of Halloween mode and into Christmas).
The Nov. 11 ranking also saw Wham!’s “Last Christmas” appear on the TikTok Billboard Top 50; concurrently, it jumps 42-19. But now, Carey and Wham! are joined by other holiday tunes in Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” at No. 39 and Allan Sherman’s “You’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch (A Funny Christmas Song)” at No. 50.
Back to the top 10, Drake’s “Cameras/Good Ones Go (Interlude),” following a No. 15 debut Nov. 11, leaps to No. 8. Released on the rapper’s 2011 album Take Care, the song has found TikTok success in recent months via a trend using the CapCut editing app to quickly show different photos of the user in a given year.
“Cameras/Good Ones Go” did not reach the Billboard Hot 100 upon its original release. In the latest Billboard chart tracking week of Nov. 3-9, the song earned 1.8 million official U.S. streams, up 6%, according to Luminate. Comparatively, the song pulled 813,000 streams in the week ending Nov. 10, 2022.
It’s also the first time in the TikTok Billboard Top 50’s top 10 for Doja Cat’s “Agora Hills,” which initially debuted at No. 48 in October and previously rose as high as No. 18 (Nov. 11). Many of the uploads using the song utilize its “Baby, can you call me back? I miss you. It’s so lonely in my mansion” line, followed by a supercut of photos and/or videos — at times fictional characters in addition to real people.
“Agora Hills” has nearly rebounded on the Hot 100 after debuting at No. 18 on the Oct. 7 tally, most recently ranking at No. 20 (it dropped as low as No. 61 Oct. 21) with 12.1 million streams, a boost of 6%.
The week’s top debut, meanwhile, belongs to Katy Perry, whose “Wide Awake” bows at No. 14. One of Perry’s many singles from Teenage Dream (it peaked at No. 2 on the Hot 100 in August 2012), “Wide Awake” is currently benefiting from a sped-up version, often using the lyrics “Thunder rumbling/ Castles crumbling/ I am trying to hold on” to reference past hardships while younger and overcoming them.
And as a potential preview of things to come, Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me” bows at No. 23 following the first few days of its release Nov. 10. The sound was teased on TikTok prior to its official premiere as far back as Oct. 23, building hype for the song, whose full Billboard chart debut – including on the Hot 100 – will come on the Nov. 25-dated rankings next week.
See the full TikTok Billboard Top 50 here, including debuts from Lil Durk, Taylor Swift, Lana Del Rey and more. You can also tune in each Friday to SiriusXM’s TikTok Radio (channel 4) to hear the premiere of the chart’s top 10 countdown at 3 p.m. ET, with reruns heard throughout the week.
Welcome to Billboard Pro’s Trending Up column, where we take a closer look at the songs, artists, curiosities and trends that have caught the music industry’s attention. Some have come out of nowhere, others have taken months to catch on, and all of them could become ubiquitous in the blink of a TikTok clip. This week: Creed is getting bigger at streaming following their reunion news; a dance trend has boosted a nearly decade-old Boosie BadAzz track; and 50 Cent is helping TikTok users unpack love languages.
Can You Take Streams Higher? Creed’s Catalog Increases Thanks to Reunion News, Rangers & More
After more than a decade of relative silence, the past few months have been busy for Creed and their fans. In July, the best-selling rock group announced their first shows together since 2012, as the leaders of the Summer of ’99 cruise setting sail in April 2024. A few months later, Creed unveiled a full-fledged reunion tour, where they’ll bring hits like “Higher,” “With Arms Wide Open” and “My Sacrifice” to 40 cities across North America beginning next July.
The reunion news has coincided with a few sports-adjacent viral moments for the band in recent weeks: last month, the Texas Rangers’ World Series run was powered by blasting “Higher” on the team bus and before games, which snowballed into their stadium singing along to the Rangers’ unofficial anthem.
And recently, a 2022 TikTok from the user @MaceAhWindu, featuring an epic sing-along of the “Higher” chorus, has gone viral by being paired with various sports heroics. Here’s the clip being synched up with a touchdown run from Minnesota Vikings QB Josh Dobbs, which Dobbs then re-posted:
Whether due to the reunion tour news, the new memes or a combination of both, Creed’s streaming totals have experienced a considerable bump in recent week. During the week of the tour announcement (Oct. 27-Nov. 2), Creed’s catalog earned 9.03 million U.S. on-demand streams – a nearly 18% gain from the previous week, according to Luminate – and the following week (Nov. 3-9), that total climbed to 10.12 million weekly streams. Check out how much Creed’s streams have spiked over the course of 2023 – especially as the Texas Rangers run and reunion tour news coalesced in October:
We’re still about five months away from Creed’s first reunion shows, so we’ll see if those streams can go even higher – to a place with golden streets, perchance – in early 2024. – Jason Lipshutz
Boosie BadAzz Further Cements Cult Classic King Status With New Gains For Old Song
From “Wipe Me Down” to “Set It Off,” Boosie BadAzz hits have soundtracked multiple generations of college kickbacks and club nights alike. Now, thanks to an accidental dance trend, his nearly 10-year-old “Show da World” (with Kiara, Webbie and Lil’ Trill & Trill Family) is enjoying a major bump in streaming activity.
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According to Luminate, “Show da World” collected just over 200,000 on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Nov. 3-9, marking a 27.1% increase in streams compared to the period of Oct. 27-Nov. 2 (over 158,000 streams). For the past three weeks, “Show da World” has posted double-digit percentage point gains. On TikTok – where the trend originated – the song’s official sound plays in over 20,200 posts. User @whytayyy sparked the dance trend with casual choreography inspired by the Mr. WoopWoop-helmed dance move that helped sparked a mini streaming resurgence for Migos’ “Handsome & Wealthy” last month. The original video also featured a quirky blurb detailing a specific friendship dynamic, but the trend has already evolved to simply executing the dance.
It may still be too early to tell if “Show Da World” can enter the Billboard Hot 100, but with streaming gains of this nature, the track could very well be on pace to surpass its original peak of No. 35 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. – Kyle Denis
50 Cent & Benny Benassi Score Surprise Streaming Hit With “Baby By Me”
TikTok users always find new ways of expressing what makes them happy both romantically and sexually, and lately, they’re using Benny Benassi’s 2010 remix of 50 Cent’s Ne-Yo-assisted “Baby By Me” to do so.
According to Luminate, “Baby By Me” earned over 637,000 on-demand U.S. streams during the period of Nov. 3-9. That’s a 16.3% increase from the streaming total for the period of Oct. 27-Nov. 2. Last week marked the second consecutive week “Baby By Me” has pulled in over half a million streams – a particularly impressive feat considering the song was earning just over 100,000 streams during the period of Oct. 13-19.
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On TikTok – where creators use the song to soundtrack different ways their partners (or potential partners) speak to their love languages – the most popular “Baby By Me” sound boasts over 76,400 posts. This week, the song debuted at No. 46 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 – the first entry on the ranking for all credited artists. Back in 2009, “Baby By Me” served as the lead single for Before I Self Destruct, Fiddy’s fourth studio album. The song climbed to a peak of No. 28 on the Hot 100 – while reaching the top 10 of both Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Hot Rap Songs – and eventually received its Benny Benassi remix just in time for New Years (Jan. 1, 2010).
With streaming still on the uptick, “Baby By Me” is well-positioned to scale even greater heights on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 and beyond. – K.D.
Peloton fans, get ready to rock out. The company announced on Wednesday (Nov. 15) exclusively via Billboard that it will host its first-ever Peloton Blink-182 Artist Series featuring drummer Travis Barker himself. Explore See latest videos, charts and news See latest videos, charts and news Marking the first time a musician has performed during a Peloton […]
“We had the car radio on,” Dolly Parton recalls of the day she met Carl Dean, her husband of 57 years. “I don’t remember what it was playing, but it was loud and it was rock’n’roll.”
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His love of the genre is, in many ways, what led Parton to record a rock album of her own: Rockstar. “I dedicated it to him because he has always loved rock’n’roll,” she says. “The harder [and] louder, the better.”
Spurred by her 2022 induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame — an honor the country legend felt she needed to “earn,” initially asking to be removed from the ballot — the 30-track Rockstar finds Parton, 77, taking on rock’s classic canon and often collaborating with the songs’ original artists. Elton John hops on “Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,” Ann Wilson appears on Heart’s “Magic Man,” and John Fogerty guests on Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Long As I Can See the Light,” to name a few. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr join her rendition of The Beatles’ classic “Let It Be,” which debuted at No. 2 on Billboard’s Rock Digital Song Sales chart, marking the first time any of the four Beatles had shared credited billing with one another on a Billboard chart outside of the group.
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The album, out Friday (Nov. 17) through Butterfly Records/Big Machine Label Group, also contains nine originals, including the incendiary “World on Fire,” which topped Billboard’s Rock Digital Sales chart in May. The song gave Parton, who holds the record for the most No. 1s on Hot Country Songs by a woman (25), her first rock chart-topper.
You previously told Billboard you had never considered yourself a rock’n’roller “in any sense of the word.” Now having made this album, have you changed your opinion?
I’m beginning to feel a little rock’n’roll-y, but I’ll always be a country girl. Rockstar was kind of a tongue-in-cheek title. I thought, “Here I am, a rock star at my age.” I’ve done a few covers of some of the classic great songs in a bluegrass country version and I’ve done a few rockin’ little songs, but I’d never done a full-blown rock’n’roll album. It was a challenge, but it was a great joy. I really got into it, and I was surprised that I was able to sing it.
Your voice is so powerful on so many songs here. We don’t usually think of you as a belter.
No, but these songs required that. When you think of rock, you’ve got to do it with passion [and] power. I’ve always had a good range and fairly good pitch, so I knew that my voice would open up to it. I thought, “Well, if I screw this up, I’ve screwed up big time because I’ve got to do it good.” I wanted the rock artists, the rock field, to be proud of me if I was going to do it.
You and Steve Perry tenderly duet on the Journey classic “Open Arms,” but your husband, Carl, had suggested you cut that song years ago with another famous artist.
I’ve loved that song from day one, and that’s one of Carl’s favorite songs. He used to tell me, “You need to do ‘Open Arms’ with Kenny [Rogers].” I missed my chance with Kenny, of course. I had done the song before I’d even called Steve Perry to see if he would sing it with me. He did a beautiful job.
Did you plan to make so many of them duets from the start?
I had recorded a lot of the songs myself before I even realized that I was really going to hit on people to come sing with me. Then after I recorded them, I was like, “Oh my goodness. If I’m going to do ‘Let It Be’ [or] ‘Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me,’ I’m going to ask the people known for those songs if they will do it.”
Were you in the studio with any of the collaborators?
John [Fogerty] said, “Let’s just do it live like the old days.” That was one of the best times I had on the whole album. We got a big kick out of being in the booth looking at each other and really feeling what we were doing. Stevie Nicks, Ann Wilson, Debbie Harry… those were some of my favorite times working with all of them live in the studio… They all had their own magic; all had their own little personalities.
What was your most fun day in the studio?
Stevie Nicks stayed four days because she got a little throat thing going on, she was kind of hoarse, and she said, “This has got to be good. I’m not screwing up your record.” So, we got a chance to sample some of our foods and so we got a chance to really visit every day when we weren’t singing. That was a fun time, spending all that time just talking about the business, talking about some of our experiences. She actually stayed with Sheryl Crow, who also sang on “You’re No Good.”
You cover The Rolling Stones’ “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction” with Brandi Carlile and P!nk. Did you approach Mick Jagger?
He wanted to do something different than “Satisfaction” because he’d already done that, so we were trying to find the right song. He was so involved in his own [upcoming] album, which I completely understand, until I ran out of time because [with] vinyl, now you have a six-month wait. We had a deadline. But I wanted so badly to sing with Mick. And then I thought, “Well, if you’re not going to sing that with me, I’m going to get some girl power going here.”
Why have originals on Rockstar?
As a writer and publisher, I thought, “Well, dumbass, you got to write a few of your own. People would expect that of you.” And if it’s really a big seller, I could make some money on it.
One of the originals, “World on Fire,” addresses lying, greedy politicians. You generally stay away from politics. Was there a particular incident that inspired the song?
Anybody with any gumption whatsoever should have a fire in their belly about what’s going on in this world today. We’re gonna destroy ourselves with our pride and our stupidity and our greed. I felt guided to write that song. I wasn’t trying to wax political. I was just trying to make a statement, light the world on fire. Are we so crazy and disrespectful and thoughtless and heartless that we can’t even see or care what we’re doing to not only each other, but to the world? Where are we going to go if we destroy everything? I just kind of bolted right out of bed and thought I gotta go write this. I had finished the album actually…It doesn’t matter what your politics are. When I say greedy politicians, present and past. That’s all the world leaders. I wasn’t just talking about Biden and Trump. I’m just talking about anybody present and past that wouldn’t know the truth. I’m allowed to say what I think. I don’t get involved in politics and when they make jokes and say, “Dolly for President.” I think, “No, thank you.” That would have to be the worst job on Earth.
There was a little bit of controversy online when the track listing got announced and Kid Rock was on there singing an original song, “Either Or,” with you. Did you have any hesitation about having him on here, especially given his shooting up Bud Light cans in protest of Bud Light’s support of transgender influencer Dylan Mulvaney?
Well, I had already done the song before that all happened, all that deal with the beer cans and all that. But this song was about a bad boy and he just seemed to fit the bill because he kind of has that reputation. He likes it. That’s kind of who he is…I always try to say I don’t condemn nor condone anything, I just try to accept things and people as they are and try to love them because of and in spite of.
Did making this album light a spark to jump into any other genre of music that you haven’t explored yet?
I don’t know yet, but I don’t plan to do another rock’n’roll [album]. I did 30 songs. I think I left enough to where they can do every kind of compilation known to man long after I’m gone from this world. So I think I’ve done it, and I hope I did it well.
Recorded back then, a top 10 hit now: The Beatles’ “Now and Then” has returned the music legends to the upper reaches of the Billboard Hot 100, debuting at No. 7 on this week’s chart. Billed as the final Beatles song, “Now and Then” was first recorded as a demo by John Lennon in 1977, and was completed decades later by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr, with George Harrison’s guitar parts also incorporated into the final track.
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With the No. 7 debut, “Now and Then” becomes The Beatles’ 35th top 10 hit, and their first in 27 years. What does the future hold for “Now and Then” as viewed within the context of the band’s catalog? And will more classic artists try to revive older demos with newer technology? Billboard staffers discuss these questions and more below.
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1. On a scale of 1-10 – 1 being crushed, 10 being elated – how excited should Beatles fans be about a No. 7 Hot 100 debut for “Now and Then,” considering the fanfare surrounding the release of the “final Beatles song”?
Eric Renner Brown: A 7? A 3? I’m not sure. It’s like that Don Draper “I don’t think of you at all” meme from Mad Men – I doubt fans are as invested in The Beatles’ performance on the chart as pop stans are for their favorites, and for executives, the part of the equation where chart position indicates current popularity or aids future success isn’t relevant here. It’s The Beatles! I doubt Hot 100 position matters much to them or their fans.
Gil Kaufman: 5 – Have to give it a neutral rating because, on the one hand, true Beatlebums have to be gobsmacked that a “new” song from their beloved band didn’t come in at No. 1! How in this universe could this song not top EVERY chart across the universe after such a long wait?! Then again, in the streaming era of the here today/gone later today music machine, a dusty, mechanically manipulated, decades-old demo of a sleepy song they rejected at least once before charting at all is pretty sweet, all considering.
Jason Lipshutz: An 8. “Now and Then” received a high-profile rollout and release, and obviously The Beatles remain culturally enormous, but still, this is a polished demo that was originally recorded over 40 years ago, so a top 10 debut is pretty remarkable. I only docked two points because landing at No. 1 on the Hot 100 with “Now and Then” would have not only been surreal for the Fab Four, but also extended their record of Hot 100 chart-toppers – the Beatles still have the most at 20 No. 1s, but every year, modern artists like Taylor Swift and Drake creep closer to that mark. Joe Lynch: A 9. As a lifelong Beatles devotee who liked but didn’t love “Now and Then,” I was still pretty excited to see this peak. It’s wild that 59 years after their first Hot 100 chart-topper they’re going top 10 with a new song. Hopes for it going No. 1 were a bit unreasonable: its Thursday release meant that first-week interest was split into two tracking periods (since the weekly charts begin a new tracking period each Friday); plus, it’s not exactly radio catnip, being a more melancholic tune than an earworm. (And really, does anyone think this deserves to be a new No. 1 in the Beatles catalog, which is regarded with almost Biblical reverence?) A top 10 entry – their record-extending 35th – is a perfect peak for this song.
Katie Atkinson: I’ll go with a 7 for No. 7! Yes, this was the “final Beatles song,” but there were also quite a few factors working against it, like its international premiere coming on Thursday morning, almost a full day before the U.S. chart tracking week begins. Plus, this is not an upbeat, poppy Beatles song. It’s emotional, yes, but not as melodically memorable as The Beatles’ biggest hits, or as their ’90s song releases. All things considered, I think a top 10 debut is a big win.
2. “Now and Then” debuts in the top 10 with 11 million streams, 2.1 million in radio reach and 73,000 physical and digital singles in its first full week. Do you think the song enjoyed a one-week burst in attention, or could you see it persisting as a new hit?
Eric Renner Brown: I’ve been wrong before, but this feels like a one-week burst in attention. I wouldn’t consider myself a Beatles obsessive, but I’m certainly a huge fan – the listen-to-all-the-demos-on-the-new-reissues tier fan – and “Now and Then” feels… completely inessential to me. The Beatles’ sound isn’t exactly in the zeitgeist either, currently. I don’t see it catching steam as a genuine hit, and I don’t see diehards listening to it enough to sustain a strong chart position.
Gil Kaufman: I think this track was lucky to come in with those numbers, which, honestly, feel tame-to-flop-ish considering the relentless hype around it. Keep in mind that a week before, a “From the Vault” song from Taylor Swift’s 1989 (Taylor’s Version), “Is It Over Now (Taylor’s Version),” debuted with 32 million streams and 4.7 million radio airplay impressions. Yes, she is a modern star, but The Beatles are forever stars – so given the tepid reaction, this song feels like a novelty with short legs that will slowly fade after the initial hype.
Jason Lipshutz: Probably a one-week burst, but since I’m generally in favor of “Now and Then” as a pop artifact, I could see the song performing well on streaming and sales platforms, and scoring a few scattered radio plays, over the next few months. Unreleased Beatles songs don’t come around very often, and “Now and Then” could catch on – maybe not as a new hit, but as a totem of fan appreciation, that spends extended time near the top of their catalog’s streams and sales figures.
Joe Lynch: I don’t think it’s going to disappear into nothingness. Interest in the song, and its inclusion on the expanded edition of the so-called Beatles Blue Album, will linger as the curious and the fanatical revisit what’s been promised as the final Beatles song. Do I think it will persist as a “hit”? No. As Christmas music encroaches on the Hot 100 and excitement over this song wanes, its Hot 100 life will be akin to Jimmy Nicol’s time with the Fab Four. Katie Atkinson: I’m thinking a one-week burst, though I imagine radio could hang around on certain formats (that is, if all of the AC stations playing it haven’t already made the switch to holiday music). As an aside, I hope Beatles fans aren’t sleeping on the new Red and Blue Album greatest-hits revamps that came out last week too, because the updated audio on those classic songs makes it sound like hearing them for the first time. If “Now and Then” just has a one-week pop of interest, those collections deserve to be an in-demand holiday gift over the next month-plus and years to come.
3. What were your expectations for “Now and Then” – and now that you’ve had over a week to experience it, would you say that the song met them?
Eric Renner Brown: I had no expectations. We have so many brilliant Beatles songs that aren’t going anywhere, and getting more – beyond the expanded reissues, which have troves of fascinating, curio-level demos and outtakes – was never a possibility I considered seriously. I can’t say that I’m disappointed, because I didn’t have any hopes for the song. But my lack of anticipation hasn’t made this a pleasantly-surprised-by-default situation. There’s an uncanny valley aspect to the whole endeavor that just makes me feel weird. Maybe I’d feel differently if the song was good enough to make me look past that.
Gil Kaufman: Knowing what I knew about the song, and then learned about its creation pre-release, it’s pretty much what I expected. It’s no revelation or holy grail, but it is a nice, sweet coda to the greatest rock story of all time. It didn’t change any perceptions or reveal anything monumental, but it sure was nice to hear Lennon’s vocals one last time. I wasn’t expecting that much and it lived up to those expectations. Won’t turn it off if it comes on, but won’t go looking for it, either.
Jason Lipshutz: My expectations were pretty low for “Now and Then” – they usually are for excavated demos – so to have the song join my regular rotation and bask in its pensive beauty has been quite the pleasant surprise. “Now and Then” is not a Beatles classic, but it was never going to be; instead, we have a collection of lovely melodies and luxurious production, packaged as a coda in 2023 but likely going to last as a charming deep cut in the years to come. Joe Lynch: As someone who greets the inevitable onslaught of AI-assisted resurrections with a grim resolution, I was relieved. AI was only used to clean up imperfections on shoddy tape, not to recreate or mimic anyone’s voice or guitar. (Incidentally, AI was used in precisely the same way on Peter Jackson’s justly celebrated Get Back documentary in 2021.) The song itself lacks the immediate melodicism that one associates with the Beatles, even on their filler tracks, but it’s likable in a swan song-y way. Given that my expectations existed in the space between dread and anxiety, I’m happy the song is well-intentioned, well-executed and solid. And for anyone claiming this is a stain on their legacy, well, you’re clearly not familiar with the 1982 abomination “The Beatles’ Movie Medley,” a Capitol-sanctioned single that somehow hit No. 12 on the Hot 100.
Katie Atkinson: I didn’t have any expectations about what it would sound like, but I was surprised that it’s such a quiet song. I now understand why “Free as a Bird” and “Real Love” got the nod as the ’90s song releases, because they’re more in line with some of The Beatles’ poppier songs, but I was mostly impressed by the emotional wallop of “Now and Then.” The way it was set up with the mini-documentary and the backstory about how all four Beatles contributed to the song over the decades was so poignant. It feels like an unexpectedly sweet gift from a band that truly owes fans nothing more than they’ve already brought to the world.
4. Considering that “Now and Then” scored a top 10 debut after it was first recorded as a demo in 1977, and completed decades later thanks to new technology, do you think we’re about to see an influx of classic artists using AI and modern software to perfect and release older material?
Eric Renner Brown: I fully expect there to be an influx, especially considering the swell in repurposing old hits for new ones. Audiences are more nostalgic now than ever. So many classic artists are gone, and the ones who are still around aren’t getting any younger. But ultimately, I don’t see this method being any more successful long-term on the charts than the outtakes dumps we see on reissues – that is to say, I don’t expect them to be successful, really. Many truly great artists achieved that distinction in part through outstanding quality control, and I think that when listeners dig beyond what artists released, they quickly discover previously unreleased material was shelved for a reason. Put another way: The Beatles could only debut at No. 7, and with a solid song. What “new” song from a classic artist would have a bigger draw than a “new,” respectable Beatles song?
Gil Kaufman: Probably, but this feels like such a unique, one-off kind of thing I hope we don’t start digging into the crates for unfinished songs from beloved artists that won’t significantly add to their legacies, if not outright despoil them. A good friend who is a major rock band manager once told me, “If they didn’t release it as a single or even include it 11 tracks deep, you probably don’t need/want to hear it.”
Jason Lipshutz: Probably, although most of those attempts won’t likely achieve the chart impact of “Now and Then,” simply because no other artists possess The Beatles’ timeless stature. If technology allows artists to revisit garbled or incomplete material and freshen it up, though, they should do it, by all means. Why leave something on the cutting room floor if you feel like you now have the tools and desire to make it presentable to the world? Joe Lynch: Absolutely. Anyone pretending AI isn’t going to change the reissue/remaster/catalog game has their head in the sand. I fear – well, let’s be honest, know – that ethical questions about dead artists and AI will be secondary to profitability, but I’m heartened to see that in this case, everyone’s priorities seemed straight. AI was used to improve a worn-out tape, not to create anything new. Fingers crossed that those in charge of the estates of our late icons take the same care when using AI for potential future releases.
Katie Atkinson: It is exciting to think that this technology could salvage spotty archival audio from late legends, especially with the blessing of living collaborators and family members like in this case. I think hearing those two letters – “AI” – from Paul McCartney in an interview months ago scared a lot of music purists, but seeing this materialize feels like the best-case scenario for how the technology can be used.
5. Fill in the blank: the long-dormant artist who I’d be most excited to get a “final” new song from would be _______. Eric Renner Brown: Robert Johnson… there have to be more 78s out there somewhere.
Gil Kaufman: Kurt Cobain. Duh. Despite my previous answer.
Jason Lipshutz: Daft Punk. If our favorite French robots unveiled one final dance single before officially hanging up their helmets, I would expect a full-on, five-alarm banger. Let’s hope that they have even more than that for us someday, though.
Joe Lynch: Led Zeppelin. The reissues have shown us that plenty of material was left on the floor, and there’s gotta be some bonkers Bonzo drumming out there that the remaining three-fourths of the band could finish off.
Katie Atkinson: Freddie Mercury with Queen. Knowing how active the band has remained, just wrapping up a new tour with Adam Lambert, the idea of getting to hear Freddie’s restored vocals on one more bombastic Queen hit is very tempting.
Foo Fighters had so much fun jamming with H.E.R. on Saturday Night Live last month that they’re releasing a quick-turnaround joint single. The band announced on Tuesday (Nov. 14) that they’re each releasing their versions of the song they performed on the show, “The Glass,” on Friday (Nov. 17). The double A-side single of the […]