Did Paul's Voice Really Change?
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Nancy R:
calicoskych2001:
RMartinez:
Nancy R:
Wrote it when he was 22. He was still 22, just shy of 23 when he recorded Yesterday in June 1965. I believe the song was about his mother so it makes sense. ("I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday.") Remember how he said to Mike, "What will we do without her money?"
I don't think it was about his mom. It was originally about scrambled eggs, then he just needed some words.
RMartinez:
Show me an interview where he said it was about his mom.
Bruce M.:
Let It Be was about his mom, not yesterday.
The following is a quote from Ray Coleman's book "MCCARTNEY. YESTERDAY AND TODAY" which was written with Paul's co-operation:
It seemed such a pensive, melancholy song to be gestating across three key calendar years of Beatlemania, 1963 to 1965. These were heady times, in which the Beatles secured a multitude of awards, won the hearts and heads of millions around the world, and became the most influential force, musically and sociologically, since Elvis Presley. Touring America and being feted in his homeland, Paul McCartney never forgot the melody, but now the lyrics for a song he had called 'Yesterday', while poignant, seemed at odds with the euphoria that surrounded the Beatles. George Martin believes the words are 'the weakest part of the song' and represent a yearning by Paul for less frenzied times. 'Even though he was only twenty-two [when he finally recorded it], he had lived more than twenty-two years,' Martin says. 'It was a pretty complicated life at this time. They were in the middle of the trauma of being world heroes; this song happened two-thirds of the way through their touring years.' So Paul had already had his fill of hotel rooms, fans outside the door, and the prison of being famous. The threats, the tiresome aspect of being on the road, the noise, the hullabaloo - 'They got really sick to the teeth with it. So his lyrics are: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away."' Paul, however, rejects George Martin's theory that 'Yesterday' was a reaction to the mayhem of Beatlemania. 'That's George's theory about a lot of stuff,' Paul laughs. 'George also analyses "When I'm 64" as a young guy's view of hell. I don't quite agree with some of his analyses on these things. On "Yesterday", I don't think it was that at all, really. To us, it didn't seem too crazy. I think that to George, to people who looked at our lives, it looked crazy. To us, it was all we knew. It was very nice. We were earning a lot of money. It was fast and active. But so are my kids' lives and your kids' lives. You say to yourself: "My God, how do they do it?" Tearing about .. . but that's what you do at that age. I think that maybe it's a little bit too easy to think that I was yearning for quieter times.' Contrasting with any reaction to the success of the Beatles, a darker reason for the lyrics emerges from Paul McCartney's own reflections on his past in this song. He believes he may possibly have written 'Yesterday' as a catharsis for the death of his mother when he was aged fourteen. Suddenly, I'm not half the man I used to be There's a shadow hanging over me Yesterday came suddenly. Why she had to go, I don't know She wouldn't say I said something wrong. Now I long for yesterday.. .
Thank you!
I remember when I was a lot younger my mom saying something about Yesterday being about his mom. This was long before the internet days and before these books mentioned came out, so she must have heard it somewhere. For all I know maybe she meant Let It Be and made the mistake when we were listening to Yesterday, but I do remember her saying this when I was a young kid.
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paulfan11:
For all I know maybe she meant Let It Be and made the mistake when we were listening to Yesterday, but I do remember her saying this when I was a young kid.
Curiously Let It Be was originally inspired by a dream Paul had of Beatles roadie, Mal Evans and the original lyric made reference to 'Brother Mal'. And then later Paul decided to change it to 'Mother Mary' to make it more universally appealing.
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I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that originally, For No One was originally called A Blow Gun. But then he realized words were hard to come by, and then he changed it to For Know One after a dream he had. And that later, it was obviously about his mother. You know, "Behind the tears cried for no one." That's what I remember. Kind of.
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RMartinez:
I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that originally, For No One was originally called A Blow Gun. But then he realized words were hard to come by, and then he changed it to For Know One after a dream he had. And that later, it was obviously about his mother. You know, "Behind the tears cried for no one." That's what I remember. Kind of.
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paulfan11:
RMartinez:
I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that originally, For No One was originally called A Blow Gun. But then he realized words were hard to come by, and then he changed it to For Know One after a dream he had. And that later, it was obviously about his mother. You know, "Behind the tears cried for no one." That's what I remember. Kind of.
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Ditto. I always thought he wrote For No One about Jane.
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Nancy R:
paulfan11:
RMartinez:
I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that originally, For No One was originally called A Blow Gun. But then he realized words were hard to come by, and then he changed it to For Know One after a dream he had. And that later, it was obviously about his mother. You know, "Behind the tears cried for no one." That's what I remember. Kind of.
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Ditto. I always thought he wrote For No One about Jane.
RMartinez was just mocking people and their memories it seems, the reason I did the eye roll graphic.
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paulfan11:
Nancy R:
paulfan11:
RMartinez:
I read somewhere, I can't remember where, that originally, For No One was originally called A Blow Gun. But then he realized words were hard to come by, and then he changed it to For Know One after a dream he had. And that later, it was obviously about his mother. You know, "Behind the tears cried for no one." That's what I remember. Kind of.
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Ditto. I always thought he wrote For No One about Jane.
RMartinez was just mocking people and their memories it seems, the reason I did the eye roll graphic.
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Bruce M.:
Yes, his voice has changed, generally not for the better -- but hey, he's about to turn 72, what do you expect? Meanwhile, here is a really interesting chart that's been all over the intertubes today comparing the vocal ranges of great singers, current, recent and not-so recent. Paul makes the top 10 in terms of range: http://www.concerthotels.com/worlds-greatest-vocal-ranges
just spoke with my wife about pauls voice range in the 60's-80's... Several months ago a I visited a webpage which offered much more details about voice ranges (Paul and serveral other important musicans). I remember about a chart with much more song examples. Unfortunately I didn't bookmarked it. Does someone could help me? I'm not sure how I landed on that page...
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Paul made the Top Ten in vocal range...wow... Wasn't "Yesterday" in part at least, about Asher? I can see how it could also be about his mother
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Like most Paul songs, Yesterday really wasn't about a real experience. It was a made up song about an old man singing about the regrets of youth. Written by a young man putting himself into that situation. Like most of Paul's songs. The most personal aspect of the song might be the melody. Paul is a master melodist.
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Yeah maybe, not sure if I view the lyrics of "Yesterday" as old man thoughts, but a young man's version of an older... perhaps, I think the regretfulness of the song reminds more of an episode than someone looking back decades. That's why I think "Yesterday" seems somehow personal but not specifically what. He did this stuff more obviously with "Eleanor Rigby", one of his masterful storytelling songs. In "When I'm Sixty-Four" he puts himself in a situation many years in the future. It turned out perhaps not quite like it, but it's still a good song!
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Excuse my broken English, but look on the bright side... Marianne Faithfull's comeback in 1979.
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Hendrix Ibsen:
Yeah maybe, not sure if I view the lyrics of "Yesterday" as old man thoughts, but a young man's version of an older... perhaps, I think the regretfulness of the song reminds more of an episode than someone looking back decades. That's why I think "Yesterday" seems somehow personal but not specifically what. He did this stuff more obviously with "Eleanor Rigby", one of his masterful storytelling songs. In "When I'm Sixty-Four" he puts himself in a situation many years in the future. It turned out perhaps not quite like it, but it's still a good song!
Well, it has been written widely that the words were strange for a 23 year old to sing. An older person would long for yesterday, not someone in their early 20s.
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Don't underestimate melancholia in young people.
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Hendrix Ibsen:
Don't underestimate melancholia in young people.
I don't. I'm just saying what I have read. And Paul is ANYTHING but melancholy!
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RMartinez:
Hendrix Ibsen:
Yeah maybe, not sure if I view the lyrics of "Yesterday" as old man thoughts, but a young man's version of an older... perhaps, I think the regretfulness of the song reminds more of an episode than someone looking back decades. That's why I think "Yesterday" seems somehow personal but not specifically what. He did this stuff more obviously with "Eleanor Rigby", one of his masterful storytelling songs. In "When I'm Sixty-Four" he puts himself in a situation many years in the future. It turned out perhaps not quite like it, but it's still a good song!
Well, it has been written widely that the words were strange for a 23 year old to sing. An older person would long for yesterday, not someone in their early 20s.
Why wouldn't a 23 year old long for his youth (prior to age 14) when his dear mother was alive and well? (and Paul always said he grieves in private--he hides his melancholia well)
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Nancy R:
RMartinez:
Hendrix Ibsen:
Yeah maybe, not sure if I view the lyrics of "Yesterday" as old man thoughts, but a young man's version of an older... perhaps, I think the regretfulness of the song reminds more of an episode than someone looking back decades. That's why I think "Yesterday" seems somehow personal but not specifically what. He did this stuff more obviously with "Eleanor Rigby", one of his masterful storytelling songs. In "When I'm Sixty-Four" he puts himself in a situation many years in the future. It turned out perhaps not quite like it, but it's still a good song!
Well, it has been written widely that the words were strange for a 23 year old to sing. An older person would long for yesterday, not someone in their early 20s.
Why wouldn't a 23 year old long for his youth (prior to age 14) when his dear mother was alive and well? (and Paul always said he grieves in private--he hides his melancholia well)
It's not about his mother. IF it was, then yeah. But, it's not. Yesterday is about a guy losing a girl. It's a love song. But I could accept a 23 year old being sad about losing a girlfriend. Which is what the song is about.
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Well, to be honest, I don't think it was particularly fun to be a teenager, I was very unsure of myself and wanted not only yesterday sometimes, but to disappear completely. Maybe it's just me who is a bit schizo, but I remember adolescence as both fun and difficult. Perhaps not so different from now... ...... I don't know, but I know that I was not happy all the time. I could yearn for yestermorrow.
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RMartinez:
Nancy R:
RMartinez:
Hendrix Ibsen:
Yeah maybe, not sure if I view the lyrics of "Yesterday" as old man thoughts, but a young man's version of an older... perhaps, I think the regretfulness of the song reminds more of an episode than someone looking back decades. That's why I think "Yesterday" seems somehow personal but not specifically what. He did this stuff more obviously with "Eleanor Rigby", one of his masterful storytelling songs. In "When I'm Sixty-Four" he puts himself in a situation many years in the future. It turned out perhaps not quite like it, but it's still a good song!
Well, it has been written widely that the words were strange for a 23 year old to sing. An older person would long for yesterday, not someone in their early 20s.
Why wouldn't a 23 year old long for his youth (prior to age 14) when his dear mother was alive and well? (and Paul always said he grieves in private--he hides his melancholia well)
It's not about his mother. IF it was, then yeah. But, it's not. Yesterday is about a guy losing a girl. It's a love song. But I could accept a 23 year old being sad about losing a girlfriend. Which is what the song is about.
So you have said many times and I disagree. We've already been through this. :
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Again and Again and Again. If one didn't know better one could say that the song was inspired by.