All About YESTERDAY

If you work with Mumbai's Marketing Communications industry, everything is wanted YESTERDAY. But in the world of music - Yesterday takes on a totally different meaning. 

Yesterday was the day YESTERDAY was first released - 51 years ago in 1965. It was the first solo song released by the Beatles featuring Paul McCartney with his guitar.

The song in the making had a working title - Scrambled Eggs. And the rough lyric went something like this.

Scrambled eggs/Oh my baby how I love your legs/Not as much as I love scrambled eggs

Would that have made the song as popular as it is? Your guess is as good as mine. 

Over the past 51 years, Yesterday is possibly the most covered song in the history of recorded music with as many as 2200 versions. I thought this would be a good place to review some of the other versions of the song that helped make it as famous. 

Frank Sinatra recorded this version of Yesterday in 1969 on the album My Way that included cover songs of other singers including Simon and Garfunkel's Mrs. Robinson. 

Another legend with a Jazz touch who covered the song in 1966 a year after its original release was Ray Charles.

Yesterday was covered by the King of Rock n Roll - Elvis in 1970. Got this version along with another of the Beatles hits with the Paul McCartney touch.

From the King to the Queen of Soul - Aretha Franklin in 1979

In the boy band era of the 1990s came this version from one of the best R&B quartets of the generation - Boyz II Men - in acapella.

I hope hearing the song so many times hasn't made you sentimental or Wet Wet Wet

I hope you enjoyed all those versions of Yesterday. Going back to the original singer in another place another time. 

Do let me know, which version you liked the best... or maybe you like a version not included here. 

A special word goes out to the greatest Beatles fan I've known - a senior of mine in school (a classmate of my brother) who had the most incredible collection of books, music and videos of the Fab 4. He even learnt to play the guitar during his days in IIT a few years later. Hey Rohit Malhotra - hope you still enjoy your Beatles songs...

Meanwhile the rest of us could get back to today. This blog will be back in the morrow with more musical connections that I think you may like. Have a great day.