The Beatles are ready to drop their so-called final single. It drops Thursday morning 9am Eastern, 6am Western.

"Now and Then" is a reworking of a 1978 John Lennon song, just as "Real Love" was 30 years ago.

The Beatles' social media pages have added a mysterious picture of a cassette about to end on its A side. This is a Bat signal that the record, which Paul McCartney first mentioned months ago, is on its way.

This is NOT artificial intelligence. It's just Paul and Ringo adding their contributions to Lennon's original recording. They've got a George Harrison bit on it that George added years ago, obviously before he died. "Now and Then," which you can hear below in the demo recording, is a haunting, melancholy Lennon melody. I can't wait to hear what Paul and Ringo made of it.

Will there be more than just the single? Stay tuned. If ever we needed a distraction like this, its now.