The Beatles’ final song “Now and Then” is nominated for a Grammy for Record of the Year and Ringo Starr is hoping they win.
“I’d love to win a Grammy," Ringo tells Music Week. "That’s the business I’m in – and the track is good. The last track ever by the boys."
The song used vocals John Lennon recorded on a demo in the late '70s, along with guitar the late George Harrison recorded in the mid-'90s, and new recordings from Paul McCartney and Ringo.
Ringo says it was McCartney who decided to revisit the track, using new AI technology to clean up Lennon and Harrison’s contributions, and says "he did a great job."
"He put the strings on and the lead guitar that gave the track its emotion,” Ringo says. “It worked out really great and let’s hope for a Grammy. We’ll see; a lot of people are up for Grammys.”
But just because AI worked for them doesn’t mean Ringo is totally embracing it.
“We’re all a bit afraid of it, because it can steal you,” he said. “Anyone who knows how to use it can steal you. If they just play any five of my songs into the computer, AI gets all of it and knows my every vocal move. They can have me sing anything and it will sound like me, because it’s taken from my personality.”
"But the good side is the way we used it on 'Now And Then.' God knows where it’s going to go,” he added. “We’re all worrying about it, but nobody’s really stolen anything yet.”