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Joined: Dec 2006
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Last edited by Gary E. Andrews; 06/08/19 04:05 PM.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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Joined: Oct 2017
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The song teaches alot about songwriting, prosody and mostly economy. Paul said, it began as "Scrambled eggs, oh, my baby, how I love your legs" but that wasnt right for the melody and feel of the song, even though it might have made a decent song for some other melody and music. But its a reason why music is written first most of the time, that melody was not going to come out of "Scrambled eggs, oh, my baby, how I love your legs"
But look at the lyric. No way somebody writing a lyric first is going to write the lyric out like this. You had to have the melody for the first word..."yesterday" first, because nobody writes one word and then a new line. Not unless you had the melody. Hence, yesterday is not written unless the music was written first. and look how few words are used.
It's not overly poetic, or descriptive, or contrived it's just a simple statement with an incredible melody and great performer.
Yesterday All my troubles seemed so far away Now it looks as though they're here to stay Oh, I believe in yesterday
Suddenly I'm not half the man I used to be There's a shadow hanging over me Oh, 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
Yesterday Love was such an easy game to play Now I need a place to hide away Oh, I believe in yesterday
Why she had to go, I don't know She wouldn't say I said something wrong Now I long for yesterday
Yesterday Love was such an easy game to play Now I need a place to hide away Oh, I believe in yesterday
Last edited by Fdemetrio; 03/29/19 10:29 AM.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Last edited by Gary E. Andrews; 06/08/19 04:06 PM.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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Joined: Oct 2017
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There seems to be a natural Melody in the notes of 'Yesterday' in that first giving of the word. You can tinker with the pitch of the three notes, ending higher/lower, raising/lowering the pitch of the middle note, the first note. You can find other Songs with the word in it. But the natural spoken cadence and pitch seems to have a strength of its own. I think the fourth line, where he repeats the word is what I call a Refrain-Type Chorus, a combination of Musical Refrain and, usually, Lyrical Line that are the gist of the storyline, what I call THE Hook, the title Line. In Verse II the word 'Suddenly' aheres to the Melodic pattern set in Verse I with the title word, 'Yesterday'. Verse II doesn't alter the pitch of the three notes. The word 'yesterday' is in the last Line of Verse II, although its place is moved from the end of the Line to an internal position. The perfect matching of the number of syllables enables the perfect matching of the number and pitch of the notes. Then the third Stanza, I believe qualifies more as a Bridge than a Chorus. The Refrain-Type Chorus, as opposed to a Stanza-Type, comprised of multiple lines is that Musical Refrain ending the two Verses. The identical Repeat of the Musical Movement of the Verses supplies Structure listeners can relate to. A third Repeat would risk monotony - mono-tone - which might allow listeners to drift off to their own thoughts, instead of staying 'hooked'. As a Bridge this third Stanza refreshes the ear, renews interest with new Melody, rising in pitch with increased emotion, stays conversationally on task of telling the story, and succinctly returning to end with the title, THE Hook, Lyrically, with only a slight variation of the three-note pitch in delivery of the word, 'Yesterday'. The ear is ready now for a third Repeat, identically, to the Verse Melody as given in Verses I and II. The last Line of Verse I is re-used in Verse III, and I don't think the listener minds. The simplicity overall makes that re-use perfectly acceptable. A quick visit to youtube for study of the actual performance and how it meets your personal tastes is worth your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXTJBr9tt8QNote also the Coda, the Final Musical Movement component of the composition. As simple as it is it works effectively to end the Song. it's just a triplet, right down the scale, DA da da, scrambled eggs fits that too, its just the wrong choice. But the song started as an accident, and was crafted into a great song. Alot of songwriters here would have stuck with scrambled eggs, and insisted it was good.
Last edited by Fdemetrio; 03/29/19 11:41 AM.
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Joined: Sep 2007
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Structurally it's a classic AABA song, just like Blue Moon or Somewhere over the Rainbow. Theme A happens twice, then theme B, then back to A. Feels like a chorus, but really a bridge that brings us back to A. After that, it's maybe another round and goodnight.
I love how the repetitions and rhymes happen. I said something wrong now I long...The first verse begins and ends with yesterday, the second verse begins and ends with suddenly...Why she had to go I don't know.
He woke up with this song in his head, quickly dashed it off with the Scrambled Eggs lyric as a placeholder, and then spent several days asking people if this was already a song. It was so naturally familiar that he thought he might have been mistaking an existing song for a new idea.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Last edited by Gary E. Andrews; 06/08/19 04:06 PM.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 239 Likes: 3
Serious Contributor
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Being good is a curse. A producer once said in an interview (I wish I could remember who it was) that being good is a plateau, above which few can ascend. For example Paul McCartney's "Yesterday" and John Lennon's "Imagine" stand out as beyond good. They are GREAT. How many of either of these fine artists have more than a few GREAT works to show for decades of "success"? I believe anyone who devotes genuine effort and heart into their craft can produce a GREAT work. It is unfortunate that we have lost the category of GREATNESS in an ocean of sewage. Our own direct access, to opportunities to present our recorded works, finds our offerings lost like a recital of a Shakespeare Sonnet on a crowded school bus. I hold out the hope/belief that GREATNESS will rise above the din but it will take more time to be recognized and acknowledged.
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Joined: Dec 2006
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Last edited by Gary E. Andrews; 06/08/19 04:07 PM.
There will always be another song to be written. Someone will write it. Why not you? www.garyeandrews.com
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Joined: Nov 2016
Posts: 239 Likes: 3
Serious Contributor
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Serious Contributor
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Thank you for lifting my hope back to the top of the flag pole. This site attracts me because it is all about the human minds you speak of, with the only qualification being "Does it move you?" If a song moves me, it is GREAT.
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Joined: Apr 2001
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Some of you guys should help judge the current Just Plain Folks Music Awards! All you need is Spotify (Free or Paid version) and Facebook. If you have both, we could use your help if you have some time to help. That includes current nominees and anyone else.
If you want to help, let me know by either sending me a PM on Facebook or sending me a Friend Request (if we're not already Facebook friends). We do the judging via the chat on Facebook, using Spotify playlists I created for each genre playlist, and uploads or links to the songs not on Spotify. Nominees can vote in any genre they are not involved in.
Thanks! Brian
Brian Austin Whitney Founder Just Plain Folks jpfolkspro@gmail.com Skype: Brian Austin Whitney Facebook: www.facebook.com/justplainfolks"Don't sit around and wait for success to come to you... it doesn't know the way." -Brian Austin Whitney "It's easier to be the bigger man when you actually are..." -Brian Austin Whitney "Sometimes all you have to do to inspire humans to greatness is to give them a reason and opportunity to do something great." -Brian Austin Whitney
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Joined: Apr 2019
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A quick visit to youtube for study of the actual performance and how it meets your personal tastes is worth your time. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXTJBr9tt8Q Note that the entire piece, with introduction, is only 2:32. Everything about this is perfect. Singing, guitar playing, the look... everything. There's nothing wrong with ladies being moved to emotion by a man singing a beautiful ballad. Need more of that.
Last edited by arad_ralami; 04/11/19 09:33 AM.
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Joined: Feb 2005
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Morning Gary and fellow JPF'rs: (Especially arad_ralami... our new-comer)
Great topic. It's always good to hear "The Story Behind the Song"... and/or the legends they become. Was it luck, fate or pure genius? The end result was an enduring song that sounded much older than the experience of the writer. What I especially enjoyed... that scrambled eggs... used as a temporary mnemonic expression until an opportune time arrived to allow him to work on the song a bit more. That is a great technique. Getting something down on paper (unless you happen to be one of those people with a vast memory at your disposal) is a way of reminding yourself what does not work... but should be changed.
I've gradually moved this song into the category of "old standards" as the Restaurant and Bar Piano Players often classify them.
Last edited by Dave Rice; 04/11/19 09:55 AM. Reason: spelling
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I have a book: ALL THE SONGS--It has all the songs by the BEATLES with background story of each--It is one of my reference books I use a lot!
Mackie
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"If one man can do it, any man can do it. It is true. But the real question is, if one man did it, are you willing to do what it takes to do it as well?" –Brian Austin Whitney
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