On TikTok, Gen Z Beatles Fans Share Their Thoughts on ‘Now and Then’

Eloise Smith, 23, posted a reaction video to TikTok immediately after listening to “Now and Then,” the Beatles song released Thursday.

“I can’t believe it’s 2023 and I’m getting the joy of hearing a new Beatles song for the first time,” wrote Ms. Smith, who has a tattoo on her forearm of the cover of the album “Abbey Road.” band, in the video’s caption. .

In an interview, she added that she was a third-generation fan: her grandmother introduced her father to the Beatles, and her father introduced them to her.

“I was 1 when George Harrison died,” Mrs. Smith said.

Ms. Smith, a civil servant who lives in Manchester, England, said she was “excited” weeks ago when she heard about “Now and Then.” The ability to respond immediately and connect with other fans of the band through social media has made the experience of hearing a new Beatles song richer, she added.

“Instead of just being in your friends’ bubble, you can talk about it with people all over the world,” she said.

The Beatles were late to digital media. The group did not sell downloads of its songs on Apple’s iTunes Store until 2010, seven years after the store opened. As streaming became the primary medium for music fans, the Beatles once again held their ground and waited until 2015 before making the band’s work available on Spotify, Apple Music and other platforms.

The decision to go digital made it easier for new generations of listeners to discover a group that had won the adoration of crowds of screaming fans in the 1960s. Now, Gen Z listeners regularly post Beatles-related videos on social media platforms.

“This song is my Roman Empire,” one listener wrote in one TikTok post, referencing a meme that claims men think about the Roman Empire at least once a day. In the comments on the video, several people responded that the video brought them to tears. “Sobbing,” they wrote. Others said they loved listening to the song with their grandparents.

Skylar Moody, 24, said she spent most of Thursday avoiding “Now and Then” spoilers. She’s a superfan whose social media presence is almost entirely devoted to all things Beatles. She wanted to capture her reaction to her first listen, which meant waiting until she finished work. She kept her phone on silent all day so she wouldn’t accidentally hear a clip of “Now and Then” while scrolling online.

Mrs. Moody, who lives in New Jersey and appropriately drops by @lucyinthesky.lar on TikTok, she said she became a Beatles fan after watching “A Hard Day’s Night,” the group’s 1964 film, during a high school music history class. She described the Beatles’ online fandom as “very diverse and also united.”

“It doesn’t matter what age or demographic you are,” she said, “we can all figure out that we love the Beatles.”

She continued: “This is where we find our people now. It’s so easy to find a fan community on social media of people to talk to who will understand you.”

Late Thursday afternoon, she made a reaction video of herself listening to “Now and Then” in her car. “I listen to the Beatles! In 2023!” she exclaimed, holding her face during a two-minute segment describing what she hears.

The Beatles’ company, Apple Corps, has announced ‘Now and Then’ as the group’s ‘final song’. It is the third Beatles release since John Lennon’s death in 1980, following ‘Free as a Bird’ and ‘Real Love’ in the mid-1990s. All three were built on home demo recordings made by Mr. Lennon.

“My heart feels so heavy right now, but in a good way,” Ms. Moody said in another TikTok video, adding, “We are reliving their last song together, and this will go down in history. I’m so happy that we can all share it together and that we can share our thoughts online in this way with people who understand.”

Ms Smith, the official in England, said she would try not to wear out ‘Now and Then’ in the coming days. “I’ve listened to it off and on, just to enjoy it,” she said, “because it’s such a big deal.”