LISTENING
Yesterday by The Beatles
"Yesterday" is a song by English rock band The Beatles. This page provides information about the song and links to the lyrics and the official video.
Yesterday by The Beatles
Level
Beginner and intermediate students.
Facts about the song
- Song:
Yesterday
- Album:
Help! - Date of release:
August 6, 1965 - Genre:
Baroque pop - Length of the song:
2 minutes and 03 seconds. - Writers:
Lennon–McCartney
- Produced by:
George Martin
Interesting information about the song
According to biographers of McCartney and the Beatles, McCartney composed the entire melody in a dream one night in his room at the Wimpole Street home of his then girlfriend Jane Asher and her family. Upon waking, he hurried to a piano and played the tune to avoid forgetting it.
McCartney's initial concern was that he had subconsciously plagiarised someone else's work (known as cryptomnesia). As he put it:
"For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it."
The video
The lyrics
Language points
The song includes many interesting language points:
Eexpressions that may be useful to students:
-
Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away
Now it looks as though they're here to stay
oh, I believe in yesterday -
Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be
There's a shadow hanging over me
Oh, yesterday came suddenly.
Source: Wikipedia
