Yesterday Once More (song)

"Yesterday Once More"
Single by The Carpenters
from the album Now & Then
B-side	"Road Ode"
Released	June 2, 1973
Format	7" single
Recorded	1973
Genre	Pop
Length	3:56
Label	A&M 1446
Writer(s)	Richard Carpenter, John Bettis
Producer(s)	Jack Daugherty
Certification	Gold
The Carpenters singles chronology
"Sing" (1973) "Yesterday Once More" (1973) "Top of the World" (1973)

"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" features a long middle section, 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 becoming their 5th number two hit and making them the act with the second most number two hits on the chart behind only Madonna. The song also peaked at number 1 on the easy listening chart, becoming their eighth number 1 on that chart in four years.^[1] It is The Carpenters' biggest-selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at number 2.^[2] Richard Carpenter admitted, 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.

Dionne Warwick, a close friend of The Carpenters, performed the song live in Las Vegas the night before Karen Carpenter's death in 1983.^[3]

Personnel

• Karen Carpenter - lead and backing vocals, drums
• Richard Carpenter - backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electric piano, Hammond organ, orchestration
• Joe Osborn - bass
• Tony Peluso - electric guitar
• Earl Dumler - English horn
• Uncredited - tambourine

Notable cover versions

• 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.

Chart performance

Weekly charts Chart (1973) Peak position Australia 9 Canadian RPM Singles Chart 1 Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary [4] 1 Oricon International Singles Chart 1 Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart 5 UK Singles Chart 2 US Billboard Hot 100 2 US Billboard Easy Listening 1 US Cash Box Top Singles 1

Year-end charts Chart (1973) Rank Australia[5] 65 Canada[6] 23 UK[7] 18 US Billboard Hot 100[8] 70 US Cash Box[9] 43

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1973 (U.S.)
• List of number-one singles of 1973 (Canada)

References

1. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 47.
2. "CARPENTERS | full Official Chart History | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
3. Schmidt, Randy L. Little Girl Blue: The Life of Karen Carpenter. Forward by Dionne Warwick. Chicago Review Press, 9781556529764). p. 368.)
4. "Image : RPM Weekly - Library and Archives Canada". Bac-lac.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
5. Steffen Hung. "Forum - Top 100 End of Year AMR Charts - 1980s (ARIA Charts: Special Occasion Charts)". Australian-charts.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
6. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
7. "Top 100 1973 - UK Music Charts". Uk-charts.top-source.info. Retrieved 2016-10-08.
8. "Top 100 Hits of 1973/Top 100 Songs of 1973". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-08.

External links

• Lyrics of this song at MetroLyrics