Today, I'm pleased to present a beautiful ballad written entirely by Paul McCartney, although credited to Lennon McCartney due to legal and musical arrangements. However, it can be considered a solo song by Paul... I'm referring with great satisfaction to the song "Yesterday."
For me, it's one of Paul's most beautiful and melancholic songs, simple and elemental, yet incredibly magical. To date, it has accumulated over two thousand versions across different genres and by different artists. In fact, it's recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records as the song with the most radio airplay and performances worldwide. It is estimated that from its recording in June 1965 until early 2026, this song was performed more than 7 million times.
According to McCartney himself, he composed the song inspired by a dream he had, and the next morning he woke up humming it. The melody stayed in his head all morning, and later that same day he went to the piano and began playing the chords. Paul McCartney was worried and afraid to record the song at the time because he thought it was already a known song and that he might be plagiarizing it. He said the melody was very familiar to him, which is why he thought the song already existed. Finally, after a few days, no other artist claimed the melody, and he proceeded to record it.
This song was originally titled "Scrambled Eggs" and featured McCartney accompanying himself on piano. There were even plans to include it in the 1965 film "Help!" However, a sudden change occurred, and the title was changed to "Yesterday." Instead of piano, McCartney used an acoustic guitar, and the song appeared on the English version of the album "Help!" but not in the film or on the soundtrack. Nevertheless, this did not hinder the overwhelming success the song enjoyed at the time and in subsequent decades.
The song is considered a landmark, or a transitional piece, as it is practically a solo song by Paul McCartney within the band. No other Beatle appears on the track, except for a string quartet contributed by producer George Martin, which lends it that orchestral and sublime touch. Two takes of this song were recorded, and the first take was selected for mixing and recording. Take two can be heard on the compilation album "Anthology 2," with slight changes to one of the song's lines. An interesting fact that caught my attention is that a Spaniard, the professional cellist Francisco Gabarró, participated in this song. At the time, he was working in George Martin's orchestra. He always said that the song was solely McCartney's, and in practice, that was true.
Some of the famous artists who have covered this song include Luis Miguel, Michael Bolton, Tom Jones, Bob Dylan, Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye, Plácido Domingo, Boyz II Men, among many others. Instrumental versions of this song have even been included in films and television series.
As I mentioned before, this song was recorded in June 1965 at EMI Studios in London, and was produced by George Martin for the Parlophone label. We can hear Paul on lead vocals and acoustic guitar, accompanied by a string quartet (viola, two violins, cello) provided by George Martin.
Well, my dear friends, this review has come to an end for today. I hope you enjoyed it. We'll see you again soon, read and comment, until next time. Blessings.
Original YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jSGkSZ7eIbA
Original story by @cayitus63 (Based on historical data with my own personal observations and opinions)
Screenshots from the The Beatles - " Yesterday " - Remix With New Stereo Balance -1965
Images from the era of singles, EPs and song promotions.
Separators created and edited by me in Canva: https://www.canva.com/
Translated with Google Translate: https://translate.google.com/
Rating: 90/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/music.
