Status: 10.11.2023, 19:48 PM
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Paul McCartney (l-r), John Lennon, Ringo Starr and George Harrison aka The Beatles have once again broken a record: they record the largest span between two number one hits ever. © Lapresse/epa/dpa
Just over a week ago, the Beatles released their "last" song. Now the band, which disbanded in 1970, greets from the top again - and not only in their home country.
Baden-Baden/London - Today, as then, the number one: After 54 years, the Beatles have stormed the single charts in Germany and Great Britain again. The song "Now And Then" shot to the top within a few days of its release, according to Germany's GfK Entertainment and Britain's The Official Charts Company.
In Germany it is the 12th and in their home country the 18th number one hit of the legendary band. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney spoke of "stunning" news. "It knocks my socks off," said the 81-year-old. "It's a very emotional moment for me as well. I love it!"
The Beatles had disbanded in 1970. "Now And Then" German is considered the group's "last" song. The song was originally composed and sung by John Lennon in the 1970s. After Lennon's murder in 1980, the three other ex-Beatles McCartney, Ringo Starr (83) and George Harrison, who died in 2001, continued to develop the work. But it was only with the help of technical innovations that the song could finally be completed - thanks to artificial intelligence, Lennon's vocals on an old recording could be neatly isolated from his piano playing.
The last time it reached number 1969 in the charts was in 1
The last time the Beatles topped the charts was in 1969, in Germany with "Come Together" and in Great Britain with "The Ballad of John and Yoko". "This means that Paul McCartney & Co. have the largest span between two number one hits ever, namely a whopping 54 years," GfK Entertainment announced. "On top of that, 'Now And Then' is the highest-grossing week of an international single in over two years."
In the UK, the previous record was 44 years: Kate Bush landed at the top position in both 1978 and 2022 with her hit "Wuthering Heights". The success of the Beatles had been expected for days. Just ten hours after its release, "Now And Then" had reached number 42 in the UK charts. Now it went up another 41 ranks.
It is not the only revival of a British band that was founded in the 1960s: The Rolling Stones are also at number three in the German album charts with their new record "Hackney Diamonds", previously they even greeted from the top in Germany and Great Britain. Dpa