Yesterday Once More (song)

"Yesterday Once More"
Artwork for U.S. vinyl single
Single by Carpenters
from the album Now & Then
B-side"Road Ode"
ReleasedMay 16, 1973
Recorded1973
StudioA&M Studios, Los Angeles, California
Length3:56
LabelA&M 1446
Songwriter(s)Richard Carpenter, John Bettis
Producer(s)Richard Carpenter, Karen Carpenter
Carpenters singles chronology
"Sing"
(1973)
"Yesterday Once More"
(1973)
"Top of the World"
(1973)
Official audio
"Yesterday Once More" on YouTube

"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] 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]

  1. ^ "The Hot 100 Chart". Billboard.
  2. ^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961–2001. Record Research. p. 47.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference UKSingleChart was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cash Box Top 100 Singles, August 4, 1973