Yesterday (song)

The song "Yesterday" by Paul McCartney was originally recorded by The Beatles for their album Help! in 1965. According to the Guinness Book of Records, "Yesterday" has the most cover versions of any song ever written, while BMI asserts that it was performed over seven million times in the 20th century alone. The song remains popular today with more than 3000 recorded cover versions, the first hitting the United Kingdom top 10 three months after the release of Help!.

The release

While on holiday in Portugal at The Villa of Shadows in June 1965, McCartney completed the finishing touches on the lyric, which touched upon the death of his mother. Two days after returning home, the track was laid down at Abbey Road Studios on the 14th and 17th June 1965. There are conflicting accounts of how the song was recorded, the most quoted one being that McCartney recorded the song by himself, without bothering to involve the other band members. Alternative sources, however, state that McCartney and the other Beatles tried a variety of instruments, including drums and an organ, and that George Martin later persuaded them to allow McCartney to play his acoustic guitar, later on editing in a string quartet for backup.

Related Topics:
Portugal - June - 1965 - Abbey Road Studios - 14th - 17th June - Drums - Organ - Acoustic guitar

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Although McCartney had fallen in love with the song, he had a much harder time convincing the other members of the band that it was worthy of an album place, the main objection being that it did not fit in with their image, especially considering that "Yesterday" was extremely unlike other Beatles' songs at the time. This feeling was so strong that John, George and Ringo refused to permit the release of a single in the United Kingdom. This did not prevent Matt Monro from recording the first of many cover versions of "Yesterday" to come — his version made it into the top ten in the UK charts soon after its release in the autumn of 1965.

Related Topics:
John - George - Ringo - Matt Monro

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

In America, the Beatles' influence on their record label, Capitol, was not as strong. A single was released there, pairing "Yesterday" with "Act Naturally" on Side B. The single was charting by 29 September 1965, and topped the charts for a full month, beginning on October 9. The song spent a remarkable total of 11 weeks in the American charts, selling a million copies within five weeks. Notably, "Yesterday" was the most-played song on American radio for eight consecutive years, its popularity refusing to abate.

Related Topics:
America - Capitol - 29 September - 1965 - October 9

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On March 4 1966, "Yesterday" was released as an EP in America, joined by "Act Naturally" on Side A, as well as Can't Buy Me Love / I Feel Fine on Side B. By 12 March it had begun its run on the charts. On March 26 1966, the EP went to number one, a position it held for two months.

Related Topics:
March 4 - 1966 - EP - 12 March - March 26

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Meanwhile, in the United Kingdom, Help! debuted at number one on August 14 1965 (the first album in history to do so), and continued to top the charts for nine weeks. McCartney also used "Yesterday" for vengeance – a couple of years earlier, the mother of his ex-girlfriend, Iris Caldwell, accused McCartney of having no feelings. McCartney phoned her and said, "You know that you said I had no feelings? Watch telly on Sunday and then tell me I've got no feelings." The following Sunday, the Beatles appeared on "Blackpool Night Out" on BBC, and performed "Yesterday" live for the first time.

Related Topics:
August 14 - 1965 - Telly - Sunday - BBC

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On March 8, 1976, "Yesterday" was released by Parlophone as a single in the United Kingdom, featuring "I Should Have Known Better" on Side B. Entering the charts on March 13, the single stayed there for seven weeks, but it never rose higher than number 8 in the charts. The release actually came about due to the expiration of the Beatles' contract with EMI, Parlophone's parent. EMI released as many singles by the Beatles as they could on the same day, leading to 23 of them hitting the top 100 in the United Kingdom charts, including no less than six in the top 50.

Related Topics:
March 8 - 1976 - Parlophone - March 13 - EMI

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~