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Yesterday

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“Yesterday”
“Yesterday” cover
Single by The Beatles
B-side "Act Naturally"
(US-1965)
"I Should Have Known Better" (UK-1976)
Released 13 September 1965(US)
4 March 1966 (UK-as part of an EP)
8 March 1976 (UK)
Format 7" & 12"
Recorded Abbey Road Studios:
14 June 1965
Genre Pop
Length 2:03
Label Parlophone/EMI (UK)
Capitol (US)
Writer(s) Lennon/McCartney
Producer George Martin
The Beatles singles chronology
"Let It Be"
(1970)

"Help!"
(1965)
"Yesterday"
(1965)
"Back in the USSR"
(1976)

"Day Tripper" /"We Can Work It Out"
(1965)
'Yesterday' is Paul completely on his own, really. We just helped finishing off the ribbons 'round it, you know -- tying it up.

—John Lennon, 1966

I just started playing it and this tune came, 'cuz that's what happens. They just, sort of-- they COME, you know. It just came and I couldn't think of any words to it, so originally it was just, 'Scrambled Egg.' It was called 'Scrambled Egg' for a couple of months, until I thought of 'Yesterday.' And that's it. True story.

—Paul McCartney, 1968

Paul wrote the lyrics to 'Yesterday.' Although the lyrics don't reslove into any sense, they're good lines. They certainly work, you know what I mean? They're good-- but if you read the whole song, it doesn't say anything; you don't know what happened. She left and he wishes it were yesterday-- that much you get-- but it doesn't really resolve. So, mine didn't used to either. I have had so much accolade for 'Yesterday.' That's Paul's song, and Paul's baby. Well done. Beautiful-- and I never wished I'd written it.

—John Lennon, 1980

It fell out of bed. I had a piano by my bedside and I... must have dreamed it, because I tumbled out of bed and put my hands on the piano keys and I had a tune in my head. It was just all there, a complete thing. I couldn't believe it. It came too easy. In fact, I didn't believe I'd written it. I thought maybe I'd heard it before, it was some other tune, and I went around for weeks playing the chords of the song for people, asking them, 'Is this like something? I think I've written it.' And people would say, 'No, it's not like anything else, but it's good.'

—Paul McCartney, 1984

The hits are always the ones you thought wouldn't be hits, like 'Yesterday' or 'Mull Of Kintyre.' I didn't want to put them out. We didn't put 'Yesterday' out in England, it was only here (America) that it was a single. We didn't think it was going to be a good idea... so it's crazy how it goes.

—Paul McCartney, 1986

We didn't think it fitted our image. In fact, it was one of our most successful songs.

—Paul McCartney, 1988


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