"Yesterday Once More", written by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis, is a hit song by The Carpenters from their 1973 album Now & Then. Thematically the song concerns reminiscing about songs of a generation gone by. It segues into a long medley, consisting of eight covers of 1960s tunes incorporated into a faux oldies radio program. The work takes up the entire B-side of the album.
The single version of the song peaked at number 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, kept from the number 1 spot by "Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" by Jim Croce.[1] It also became The Carpenters' ninth top-ten and fifth single to reach No. 2. in the Billboard Hot 100. The song also peaked at number 1 on the easy listening chart, becoming their eighth number 1 on that chart in four years.[2] It is The Carpenters' biggest-selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at number 2.[3] Richard Carpenter stated, on a Japanese documentary, that it was his favorite of all the songs that he had written. He has performed an instrumental version at concerts.
According to Cash Box, on June 2, 1973, "Yesterday Once More" was the highest-debuting single at No. 71. By August 4, it had reached No. 1.[4]
Japanese singer Yurica Nagasawa covered the song in 1995.[8]
Redd Kross, 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 Youth's cover of "Superstar" to promote the album. It reached No. 45 on the UK Singles Chart[9] and No. 84 on the Australian ARIA Charts.
The Spinners covered the song in 1981, reaching No. 52 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 and No. 45 on the Adult Contemporary chart. As with many of the Spinners' records from that period, their cover of the song included an additional bridge composed by Michael Zager, "Nothing Remains the Same," and was billed as a medley.
Hong Kong singer Priscilla Chan (singer) covered the song at her 1989 farewell concert. The performance is widely regarded as one of the best cover versions of Yesterday Once More.[10]
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