Yesterday Once More (song)
Encyclopedia
"Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter
and John Bettis
, is a hit song by The Carpenters
from their 1973
album
Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" preceded an "Oldies Medley" on the album, consisting of nine songs from the 1960s. At the end of the song a motorcycle
engine transitions into the first song of the medley, "Fun, Fun, Fun
". The motorcycle was deleted on the version appearing on The Singles: 1969-1973.
The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
chart and #1 on the easy listening
chart, becoming their eighth #1 on that chart in four years. It is the Carpenters' biggest selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at #2. Richard Carpenter admitted on a Japanese documentary that it is his favorite of all the songs he's written. He has performed an instrumental version at concerts.
According to Cash Box Magazine
, on June 2, 1973, "Yesterday Once More" was the highest-debuting single, at #71. By August 4, it had reached #1.
Dionne Warwick
, a close friend of The Carpenters, performed it live in Las Vegas
the night before Karen Carpenter
's untimely death in 1983.
Richard Carpenter (musician)
Richard Lynn Carpenter is an American pop musician, best known as one half of the brother/sister duo The Carpenters, along with his sister Karen Carpenter. He was a producer, arranger, pianist and keyboardist, and occasional lyricist, as well as joining with Karen on harmony...
and John Bettis
John Bettis
John Bettis is an American lyricist who has co-written many famous popular songs over the years. In 2011, John was inducted into both the Songwriters Hall of Fame as well as the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame....
, is a hit song by The Carpenters
The Carpenters
Carpenters were an American vocal and instrumental duo, consisting of sister Karen and brother Richard Carpenter. The Carpenters were the #1 selling American music act of the 1970s. Though often referred to by the public as "The Carpenters", the duo's official name on authorized recordings and...
from their 1973
1973 in music
-January–April:*January 9 – Mick Jagger's request for a Japanese visa is rejected on account of a 1969 drug conviction, putting an abrupt end to The Rolling Stones' plans to perform in Japan during their forthcoming tour.*January 14...
album
Album
An album is a collection of recordings, released as a single package on gramophone record, cassette, compact disc, or via digital distribution. The word derives from the Latin word for list .Vinyl LP records have two sides, each comprising one half of the album...
Now & Then. Composed in the key of E, "Yesterday Once More" preceded an "Oldies Medley" on the album, consisting of nine songs from the 1960s. At the end of the song a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
engine transitions into the first song of the medley, "Fun, Fun, Fun
Fun, Fun, Fun
"Fun, Fun, Fun", written by Brian Wilson and Mike Love, was a hit single by The Beach Boys that was released in 1964 on the band's album Shut Down Volume 2.- Composition :...
". The motorcycle was deleted on the version appearing on The Singles: 1969-1973.
The song peaked at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
chart and #1 on the easy listening
Hot Adult Contemporary Tracks
The Adult Contemporary chart is a weekly chart published in Billboard magazine that lists the most popular songs on adult contemporary and "lite-pop" radio stations in the United States...
chart, becoming their eighth #1 on that chart in four years. It is the Carpenters' biggest selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at #2. Richard Carpenter admitted on a Japanese documentary that it is his favorite of all the songs he's written. He has performed an instrumental version at concerts.
According to Cash Box Magazine
Cash Box magazine
Cashbox magazine was a weekly publication devoted to the music and coin-operated machine industries in the USA which was published from July 1942 to November 16, 1996...
, on June 2, 1973, "Yesterday Once More" was the highest-debuting single, at #71. By August 4, it had reached #1.
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick
Dionne Warwick is an American singer, actress and TV show host, who became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization, and a United States Ambassador of Health....
, a close friend of The Carpenters, performed it live in Las Vegas
Las Vegas, Nevada
Las Vegas is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and is also the county seat of Clark County, Nevada. Las Vegas is an internationally renowned major resort city for gambling, shopping, and fine dining. The city bills itself as The Entertainment Capital of the World, and is famous...
the night before Karen Carpenter
Karen Carpenter
Karen Anne Carpenter was an American singer and drummer. She and her brother, Richard, formed the 1970s duo The Carpenters. She was a drummer of exceptional skill, but she is best remembered for her vocal performances of idealistic romantic ballads of true love...
's untimely death in 1983.
Theme
The lyrics are about remembering youth and listening to music on the radio, feeling alive, and having fun.Cover versions
- "Hier est près de toi (Sha la la)" by Claude FrançoisClaude FrançoisClaude François was a French pop singer, songwriter and dancer. He wrote "Comme d'habitude," the original version of "My Way."-Early life:...
(France) in 1973, adaptation by Eddy Marnay.
- In 1981, The Spinners recorded the song as a medley with "Nothing Remains the Same". The medley went to #32 on the soul chart.
- The ShaggsThe ShaggsThe Shaggs were an American all-female rock group formed in Fremont, New Hampshire in 1968. The band was composed of sisters Dorothy "Dot" Wiggin , Betty Wiggin , Helen Wiggin , and later Rachel Wiggin ....
, now seen as one of the most important outsider musicOutsider musicOutsider music, a term coined by Irwin Chusid in the mid-1990s, are songs and compositions by musicians who are not part of the commercial music industry who write songs that ignore standard musical or lyrical conventions, either because they have no formal training or because they disagree with...
groups, recorded a cover of the song which later appeared on their 1982 compilation "Shaggs' Own Thing".
- Italo DiscoItalo discoItalo disco encompasses much of the dance music output in Europe during the 1980s. It is one of the world's first forms of mostly electronic dance music and evolved during the late 1970s and early 1980s in Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and other parts of Europe...
singer Sabrina SalernoSabrina SalernoSabrina Salerno , also known in her singing career as Sabrina, is an Italian singer, television hostess, model, actress and record producer...
covered the song on her 1991 album Over the Pop.
- Redd KrossRedd KrossRedd Kross, a rock band from Hawthorne, California had their roots in 1978 in a band called The Tourists begun by Jeff and Steve McDonald while the brothers were still in middle school...
, a rock/punk band from Hawthorne, California covered the song on the 1994 Carpenters tribute album If I Were A Carpenter. This cover was also released as a double-A side single with Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
's cover of SuperstarSuperstarA superstar is a widely acclaimed celebrity.Superstar or superstars may also refer to:-People:* Warhol Superstar, associates of Andy Warhol* WWE Superstar, the term used to refer to entertainers from the WWE...
to promote the album.
- The British indie rock band CineramaCinerama (band)Cinerama were a UK indie pop band, headed up by David Gedge, the frontman for The Wedding Present.-Career:Originally formed in 1998 while on a break from The Wedding Present, Cinerama started as a duo of Gedge and his then-girlfriend Sally Murrell...
released a cover of the song as a B-side on their 2001 single "Superman".
- Swedish popPop musicPop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
and countryCountry musicCountry music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
singer Kikki DanielssonKikki DanielssonAnn-Kristin "Kikki" Danielsson is a Swedish country, dansband and pop singer. Sometimes, she also plays the accordion and she has also written some lyrics. She is also famous for yodeling in some songs. Kikki Danielsson gained her largest popularity in the Nordic region from the late 1970s until...
coveredCover versionIn popular music, a cover version or cover song, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording of a contemporary or previously recorded, commercially released song or popular song...
the song on her 2006 album, I dag & i morgonI dag & i morgonI dag & i morgon was released on April 12, 2006, and is a compilation album from Swedish pop and country singer Kikki Danielsson. The album also contains four new-released recordings: "Yesterday Once More", "Looking for Freedom", "Blue Virgin Isles" and The Eagles' classic "New Kid in Town", which...
.
Charts
| Chart (1973) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Canadian Singles Chart | 1 |
| Oricon International Singles Chart | 1 |
| Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart | 5 |
| UK Singles Chart | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Hot 100 | 2 |
| U.S. Billboard Easy Listening | 1 |
| US Cash Box Top Singles | 1 |
See also
- List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1973 (U.S.)
- List of RPM number-one singles of 1973