The Beatles posing together. From left to right: musicians George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul … [+]
The Beatles reached several Billboard charts last week with their first new single in decades, “Now and Then.” The tune arrived on a handful of lists, but not the Hot 100—the most closely-watched and competitive of the bunch. Now that a full tracking frame has passed in which millions listened to and purchased the song, it makes a grand entrance onto the main tally.
“Now and Then” debuts on this week’s Hot 100 at No. 7. It marks the band’s first new top 10 on the chart in nearly 28 years.
Their last new entrant inside the highest tier on the tally came to them back in 1996. That year, The Beatles hit No. 6 with “Free as a Bird.” That tune was taken from their Anthology album, and it was also new to fans, who flocked to buy the cut.
“Now and Then” debuts so high on the Hot 100 thanks largely to strong sales. The single sold 73,000 copies between digital and physical offerings, according to Billboard. That large a number would be enough for almost any act to reach the highest space on the ranking.
The Beatles’ new single also racked up 11 million streams. Radio programmers and DJs across the U.S. didn’t hesitate to put “Now and Then” into rotation as well, and the cut scored 2.1 million impressions at radio.
“Now and Then” is being billed as the last song from The Beatles. It was based off of a demo recorded by John Lennon but left unfinished before his death. With the help of new artificial intelligence technology, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr were able to finish the tune and share it with the world, who clearly loved it.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2023/11/13/the-beatles-chart-their-first-hot-100-top-10-hit-in-america-in-nearly-28-years/