Brett Ellis is not impressed with the Beatles final song

Despite being born after they split, I have devoured anything and everything fab four related, countless times, have met Paul and seen him in concert, and class myself as something of a mid-table aficionado.

So, with that in mind, just imagine my excitement when, hot on the heels of Peter Jackson's excellent Get Back documentary from a couple of years ago, I learnt that the Beatles were to release a ‘final’ song.

Now and Then, the final (final) single was written by Lennon in the late 70s where it lay inert in a state of flux for the best part of 40 years before AI came trotting along as the fifth Beatle.

At the time of the original recording George Harrison put a block on its release as he deemed it to be ‘rubbish’ and, as much as it pains me to say so, George was right. A pedestrian ballad at best, it mopes along in first gear and never shifts up and sounds little more than a bog-standard Liam Gallagher album filler.

Brett Ellis agrees with George Harrison about the song Now and Then

Now many Beatles co-aficionados are, in lieu of ‘raving’ about the song, being respectful and taking care not to criticise by deeming it ‘haunting’ and ‘melancholy’ and as a ‘suitable’ bookend to the Beatles never to be surpassed career and back catalogue.

Taking a subjective view, I admit I feel somewhat angry. The fanfare prior to release was akin to having a golden ticket to Wonka’s factory only to find a solo chocolatier producing product from a bedsit in south London.

This leads us to the one thing that cultural icons of yesteryear, of which the Beatles remain in top spot, have to fall back on, should they not spoil their ballot paper: Their legacy.

It's not just about the numbers which in themselves are impressive and then some: In the US, the Beatles sold in excess of 1.6 billion singles with 21 number one albums. Worldwide album sales top 700 million and they spent 132 weeks at number 1 in the UK.

Paul is feted as royalty and cannot go anywhere on planet earth without being treated with utter awe as Ringo milks the adulation at every available opportunity, and then, feeling bored or believing they can cement their legacy just a little further, which they really did not need to do, they go ahead and release Now and Then which is like substituting a fully fit Erling Haaland for an injured Troy Deeney.

Hopefully no other ‘secret’ tapes will be found as, by continuing with this egotistical folly, they may well demolish a legacy that others can only dream of and may well be renamed in future years as the drab four.

• Brett Ellis is a teacher.