Beatles get Grammy nod for final song - but why aren’t John Lennon and George Harrison nominated?
The Beatles ' 2023 single " Now and Then " has been nominated in the Record of the Year category for the 2025 Grammys, setting a new record for the longest span between nominations.
The nominations for the 2025 Grammy Awards were announced on Friday (November 8). Among the nominees included the Liverpudlian four-piece, who received a nod 60 years after first picking up a Grammy nomination for "I Want To Hold Your Hand" in 1965.
The previous record holder was Tony Bennett, who had a 59-year span between winning a Grammy for "I Left My Heart in San Francisco" in 1963 and being nominated alongside Lady Gaga for "I Get a Kick Out of You" in 2022.
Official rules state that although the majority of "Now and Then" qualifies as newly recorded, the archive elements featuring John Lennon, who died in 1980, and George Harrison, who died in 2001, do not meet the definition and are therefore not Grammy-eligible.
In a five-star review of "Now and Then," The Independent's Mark Beaumont wrote that the song provides "the rock'n'roll era cultural closure."
While the song was critically acclaimed, The Independent writer Michael Hann argued that the song should be the very final release from the highly influential group and said that it's time to "agree we've reached the end of the long and winding road."
On Friday, Beyonce shattered a record to become the most nominated artist of all time, with a total of 99 nominations throughout her career. She was previously tied with her husband Jay-Z at 88, but moved ahead after leading the 2025 nominations with 11 nods, including Album of the Year for her country-influenced Cowboy Carter.
Taylor Swift received yet another Album of the Year nomination for her 2024 hit album, The Tortured Poets Department. The recognition pulls her out of a tie with Barbra Streisand, placing her as the woman with the most nominations in the category.
Other artists who will be vying for Album of the Year include breakout star Chappell Roan with her debut album, The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess, and Sabrina Carpenter with her sixth record, Short n' Sweet.
British star Charli XCX is also up for her critically adored and trend-setting album Brat, while RAYE received a nod for Best New Artist.
Hip-hop star Kendrick Lamar was nominated for both Record and Song of the Year for his diss track "Not Like Us", which ties him with Jay-Z for the most nods in those categories by a rapper.
