The Beatles fans left in floods of tears as Now and Then premieres on airwaves: 'Cried like a baby!'

With the help of Peter Jackson, McCartney and Starr were able to put the finishing touches on the track which debuted in the UK at 2pm on BBC Radio 2 and 6 Music.

It was also simulcast at the same time on the likes of Spotify, Apple Music and Amazon Prime Music, meaning fans across the globe have now had the chance to listen to Now and Then.

The first listen of Now and Then was always going to be an emotional affair for Beatles fans, with 6 Music's Lauren Laverne saying prior to its broadcast: "I cried like a baby when I heard it. Just gorgeous."

Rolling Stone magazine's Rob Sheffield also teased: "Hearing John and Paul sing the first chorus together, as they lock into the line 'Now and then I miss you' - it's intensely powerful, to say the least."

Now that the public has been able to hear it, many flocked to X, formerly Twitter, with their thoughts, including one listener who penned: "I was crying by the first chorus #NowandThen."

A second was similarly emotional as they added: "#NowandThen @thebeatles broke my heart. Hearing John so crisp and clear, the melodies and harmonies. It's all there for us to hear and... this can't be the last one."

Meanwhile, a third Beatles fan shared: "Absolute Stunner! The Beatles final single 'Now And Then'. Worth the Wait. Thank you @thebeatles #NowAndThen."

This was echoed by a fourth who was blown away: "Holy moly I'm crying sm rn. It's beautiful. #nowandthen."

The praise kept on coming as a fifth weighed in: "The Beatles new single, 'Now and Then' is absolute GOLD! Love it #TheBeatles #NowandThen."

And a sixth also took to X to share: "Y’all i’m crying so hard it’s so beautiful! the last beatles song. i’m so emotional rn." (sic)

Speaking on the accompanying short film which was released 24 hours before the song's first play, McCartney delved into the emotional process of releasing a track with the late Lennon and Harrison once again.

"All those memories come flooding back," he said after hearing Lennon's voice again thanks to Jackson's help. "My god, how lucky was I to have those men in my life?

"And to work with those men so intimately and to come up with such a body of music. To still be working on Beatles' music in 2023...Wow.

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"We're actually messing around with state-of-the-art technology, which is something The Beatles would've been very interested in.

"Now and Then, it's probably like, the last Beatles song and we've all played on it, so it is a genuine Beatle recording."

Lennon's son Sean also said during the short film: "My dad would've loved that because he was never shy to experiment with recording technology. I think it's really beautiful."

The single is being issued as a double A-side single with their 1962 debut Love Me Do.

GB News presenter Martin Daubney was left similarly emotional live on-air after hearing the track for the first time.

He told the People's Channel viewers: "I did say before the break there may be a tear stain on my lapel.

"I just listened to Now and Then, the last ever Beatles song... I think it's breathtaking, particularly Lennon's vocals because this demo has been on YouTube for over eight years... and the vocals were very hard to ascertain.

"Peter Jackson's AI from the Beatles movie has almost brought John Lennon back to life. It's astonishing, it's almost like Lennon is there!

"It's really moving. Paul McCartney's bassline is really technical, he's still got it. Ringo's drumline - this is all new, this is all recorded by the artists recently, about a year ago.

"Putting in George Harrison's guitar that he laid down himself before he passed away. The guitar solo is very, very emotional.

"And the way it ends, the sort of trademark Beatles string fades to silent, I think a fitting payoff to an astonishing career. It's beautiful."