At the Premiere Ceremony for the 2025 Grammy Awards, The Beatles won the award for Best Rock Performance for “Now And Then,” beating out songs from Pearl Jam, IDLES, The Black Keys, St. Vincent, and Green Day.
Accepting the trophy in their place was Sean Ono Lennon, the late John Lennon’s son. “Play the Beatles’ music to your kids,” he said. “I feel like the world can’t afford to forget about people like the Beatles. We need this music in the world; we need peace and love.” Watch his speech below.
Known as the “last Beatles song,” the track was originally a 1977 demo created by Lennon and was later intended for 1995’s The Beatles Anthology but was set aside due to technical challenges. “Now and Then” earned the iconic group their 25th career nomination and now 8th Grammy win.
But only the two living Beatles — Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr — are nominated for those awards. John Lennon, who died in 1980, and George Harrison, who died in 2001, are not.Because John Lennon and George Harrison have each been dead for more than five years, they cannot meet the Grammy test for "new recordings."
Because Lennon and Harrison have each been dead for more than five years, they cannot meet the Grammy test for “new recordings” – “material that has been recorded within five years of the release date.” There is precedent for this. Nat “King” Cole was not nominated when daughter Natalie Cole won record of the year and best traditional pop performance in 1992 for their studio-created duet “Unforgettable.” He had died in 1965.
With “Now and Then” winnning the record of the year, McCartney will complete his sweep of the Big Four awards, though it will have taken him longer to do so than any other act in Grammy history. He won best new artist in 1965 (with The Beatles), song of the year in 1967 for “Michelle” (in tandem with Lennon) and album of the year in 1968 for The Beatles’ landmark Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.
The Next Beatles Song? A New Beatles Tape Has Reportedly Emerged From Yoko Ono's Endless Archive.
Yoko Ono has reportedly 'found'' (she always knew it), an old cassette tape with an unreleased demo by John Lennon. According to some 'close' sources, not yet official, the song reflects Lennon's desire to reunite with The Beatles in the 1980s to make music like in the old days.
