LogFAQs > #953800500

243. The Beatles Yesterday (1965)
from the album Help!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NrgmdOz227I

Key lyric:
Oh, I believe in yesterday

The Beatles have two very distinct eras, and no song better defines their earlier, more traditional sound than Yesterday. Which is funny, considering Paul McCartney is the only member to perform on the track. Like Bridge Over Troubled Water, this is a simple song that picks up on a universal subject in a way that immediately resonates. Theres no specifics even the narrator seems lost, not certain why his lover left but knowing he must have done something wrong. Its a song begging to turn back time, to stop this unidentifiable slight from being said only the lucky or truly lonely have avoided this feeling.

The sparseness of the instrumentation adds to the longing. Though this is actually quite dense; its easy to get lost in the acoustic guitar and McCartneys voice, and the popularity of covering this specific song must come from this oversimplification; anyone can play that part. But its the stringed accompaniment that puts it on another level. The true magnificence of this group is the way they make even complex recordings sound simple. Its even reached the point that theres a movie named after this song that completely oversimplifies their work. But Yesterday is so packed with emotions, few can pull it off like McCartney.

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