♪ Yesterday ♪ (Redux)

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, History, music, Social commentary

Yesterday … we were young, we trusted, we believed that somehow humans were humane, that we all wanted essentially the same things, that we could … trust.  Yesterday, we believed that love could overcome all odds, that right would somehow win out over might, that good ultimately beats evil.  We wore the rosy-coloured glasses, we believed the myths and fairy tales.  Yesterday …

According to Songfacts …

This is the most covered pop song of all time, with over 3,000 versions Say WHAT??? recorded according to The Guinness Book Of World Records. For years, it was also the song with the most radio plays, but in 1999 BMI music publishing reported that You’ve Lost That Lovin’ Feelin’ had passed it. Still, at any given time, some version of “Yesterday” is probably being broadcast somewhere.

Paul McCartney wrote this song and was the only Beatle to play on it. It was the first time a Beatle recorded without the others.

McCartney claimed that while The Beatles were touring in Paris, he tumbled out of bed and this tune was in his head. He thought he had heard it somewhere before, and played the melody to different people in the music industry to make sure he wasn’t stealing it. The working title was “Scrambled Eggs” until Paul could figure out lyrics.  Scrambled Eggs???  smh.

This song caused a rift between McCartney and Yoko Ono. When The Beatles Anthology album was released, McCartney asked that the writing credit on this read “McCartney/Lennon,” since he wrote it. Yoko refused, and it was listed as “Lennon/McCartney,” which is how they usually credited songs written by either Beatle.

Some of the artists who have covered this song include Boyz II Men, Ray Charles, En Vogue, Marianne Faithfull, Marvin Gaye, Tom Jones, Nana Mouskouri, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, The Supremes, The Toys, Andy Williams, and Tammy Wynette.  Tammy Wynette???  You’ve got to be kidding me!  

Okay … my curiosity piqued, I had to go listen to Tammy Wynette’s version.  For those who may not know of Wynette, she is heavy, heavy country … twang and all!  I survived a full 17 seconds before I felt ill and exited.  So now, here’s Paul …

Yesterday
The Beatles

Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they’re here to stay
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Suddenly, I’m not half the man I used to be
There’s a shadow hanging over me.
Oh, yesterday came suddenly

Why she had to go I don’t know she wouldn’t say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday

Why she had to go I don’t know she wouldn’t say
I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday

Yesterday, love was such an easy game to play
Now I need a place to hide away
Oh, I believe in yesterday
Mm mm mm mm mm mm mm

Songwriters: Michel Jean Pierre Colombier / John Winston Lennon / Paul James Mccartney
Yesterday lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC

22 thoughts on “♪ Yesterday ♪ (Redux)”

  1. I remember walking up Laketon Road on a sunny day in Wilkinsburg, PA, as a ten-year-old, singing this song aloud to myself. That memory makes me smile. So does the song, but in a different way. Hugs and cheers.

    Liked by 1 person

    • Oh wow! Great memories, eh? My daughter played the trumpet in her high school band … we lived atop a mountain then, and we used to make her go down into the woods to practice! Then she switched to the drum, which she still, at age 52, plays with the Cincinnati Pipes & Drums Corp! Glad you enjoyed the song!

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    • Your comment plants a picture in my mind … a devastated landscape covered in dead bodies, no trees, no sign of life at all, but a music player playing “Yesterday” … the last song played at the end of the world.

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    • Yes, I think most people consider this to be the most classic of their repertoire. I’m so glad you liked it! A cold weekend, but a nice, peaceful one. I figured you’d be hugging your pillow this weekend! xx

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  7. Very strange, Jill. These days I always go back to your earlier posts to make sure I don’t repeat myself in my comments. But something else caught my eye today. At the bottom of your Yesterday post from December, 2020, it had today’s post attached as a “More in FILOSOFA’S WORD.” I have to say I had no idea Word Press could predict the future, right down to the “3 h ago” time stamp!
    Paul and Yoko never did get along, did they. Yoko stole John from Paul, and Paul never forgave her. Kind of like a slighted lover.
    Ah, YESTERDAY. Love was still a game to be played… I always took love seriously, never a game!

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    • Who knows? 🤷 I never see those things that WP attaches at the end of my posts when I preview them, or even when answering comments.

      I did read somewhere that there was always some animosity between Paul and Yoko Ono … understandably, I think. Personally, I was never a big fan of Yoko, either.

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        • I always thought she was quite arrogant, but that’s just how she came off to me … I didn’t know her personally. Yes, the person is more important than the star, though we never really know the person in most cases.

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  8. Jill, great great song. It was one that needed to be played and sung simply. It is on a short list of his greatest songs as a result out of a long list to choose from. Keith

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  10. Pingback: ♪ Yesterday ♪ (Redux) | Ned Hamson's Second Line View of the News

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