Yesterday's Gone (song)

Last updated
"Yesterday's Gone"
Yesterday's Gone by Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde UK vinyl single A-side.jpg
A-side label variant of UK vinyl release
Single by Chad & Jeremy
from the album Yesterday's Gone
B-side "Lemon Tree"
Released27 September 1963 (UK)
March 1964 (US)
Recorded31 July 1963
Studio Abbey Road Studios
Genre Pop
Length2:31
Label Ember Records
World Artists 1021
Songwriter(s) Chad Stuart, Wendy Kidd
Producer(s) John Barry
Chad & Jeremy singles chronology
"Yesterday's Gone"
(1963)
"A Summer Song"
(1964)

"Yesterday's Gone" is the title of a 1963 hit single by Chad & Jeremy. Although the English duo would have a string of successful records in the United States through the mid-1960s, this song was their only hit in their native land.

Contents

History

The song was written in 1962 by Chad Stuart, who comprised Chad & Jeremy with Jeremy Clyde; it is the first song Stuart wrote. Stuart shares the song's writing credit with Wendy Kidd, the manager of a band Stuart belonged to at the time of the song's writing. According to Stuart, Kidd was given the songwriting credit in return for allowing him to compose "Yesterday's Gone" on her piano. [1]

Kidd also facilitated the hiring of Stuart as a staff writer at Rogers Music, which published "Yesterday's Gone", although the song remained unrecorded until Stuart and Clyde began performing as a duo, eventually recording "Yesterday's Gone" in July 1963 in a session at Abbey Road Studios produced and arranged by John Barry, who had discovered Chad & Jeremy at a London club and signed them to Ember Records, a newly formed independent label in which Barry was a partner. [1]

According to Chad Stuart, John Barry was unhappy with the duo's first attempts to record their vocal for "Yesterday's Gone": "he told us...we sounded like a locker room full of football players...in the end in desperation he said: 'Whisper it', so we kind of backed off a bit and so that sort of slightly sotto voce sound came about". [2]

Chart performance

"Yesterday's Gone" was the British duo's only UK hit. [3] Released 27 September 1963, "Yesterday's Gone" entered the UK top 50 on the chart dated 30 November 1963 and remained on the chart for seven weeks and peaked at No. 37. The follow-up single "Like I Love You Today" was released in January 1964 with no evident reaction. Chad Stuart would recall: "There was just no way a little independent label could compete in those days...John Barry bought himself out of his contract and we were stuck. I think we would've broken up then and there except for the fact that Noel Rogers, who published 'Yesterday's Gone' fenced it off to this other company in America called World Artists". [4] Stuart is referring to the Pittsburgh-based World Artists Records which released "Yesterday's Gone" in the US in March 1964 after label president Lou Guarino heard the single while visiting Great Britain in search of local tracks which World Artists might profitably release, the "British Invasion" of the US music scene then being in full swing. [5]

It rose to No. 21 on the Billboard Hot 100 in July 1964, the first of eleven singles to chart in America. [6] Chad & Jeremy would subsequently place three singles in the US top 20, but only their one top ten hit, "A Summer Song", rivals "Yesterday's Gone" as the duo's signature song. [7]

The American success of "Yesterday's Gone" occasioned a re-release of the track in Australia, [8] where it charted over the summer of 1964 with a No. 26 peak, and a major label cover in the UK, where in March 1964 Pye Records released a version of "Yesterday's Gone" recorded by the Overlanders with Tony Hatch producing; the Overlanders' version did not chart in the UK but was picked up by Hickory Records for US release in May 1964 and became a regional hit reaching No. 75 that July, marking the only Billboard Hot 100 appearance of the Overlanders which preceded that group's sole charting in their native UK (with the No. 1 "Michelle") by almost two years. [9]

Chart history

Chart (1963-64)Peak
position
Australia26
Canada (CHUM Hit Parade) [10] 20
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary [11] 19
UK Singles (OCC) [12] 37
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 [13] 21
U.S. Record World 27
U.S. Cash Box Top 10028

Cover version

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al Martino</span> American singer (1927–2009)

Al Martino was an American traditional pop and jazz singer. He had his greatest success as a singer between the early 1950s and mid-1970s, being described as "one of the great Italian American pop crooners", and became known as an actor, particularly for his role as singer Johnny Fontane in The Godfather.

Sue Records was also the name of a Louisiana-based record company which owned Jewel Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Searchers (band)</span> English band (founded 1959)

The Searchers are an English Merseybeat group who emerged during the British Invasion of the 1960s. The band's hits include a remake of the Drifters' 1961 hit, "Sweets for My Sweet"; "Sugar and Spice" ; remakes of Jackie DeShannon's "Needles and Pins" and "When You Walk in the Room"; a cover of the Orlons' "Don't Throw Your Love Away"; and a cover of the Clovers' "Love Potion No. 9". With the Swinging Blue Jeans, the Searchers tied for being the second group from Liverpool, after the Beatles, to have a hit in the US when their "Needles and Pins" and the Swinging Blue Jeans' "Hippy Hippy Shake" both reached the Hot 100 on 7 March 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad & Jeremy</span> British band

Chad & Jeremy were a British musical duo consisting of Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, who began working in 1962 and had their first hit song in the UK with "Yesterday's Gone" (1963). That song became a hit in the United States in the following year as part of the British Invasion. Unlike the rock-music sounds of their peers, Chad & Jeremy performed in a soft, folk-inflected style that is characterised by hushed and whispered vocals. The duo had a string of hits in the United States, including "Willow Weep for Me", "Before and After", and their biggest hit, "A Summer Song". After some commercial failures and divergent personal ambitions, Chad & Jeremy disbanded in 1968.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bobby Bloom</span> American singer-songwriter (1946–1974)

Robert Bloom was an American singer-songwriter. He is known best for the upbeat 1970 hit, "Montego Bay", which was co-written with and produced by Jeff Barry. It may be that his success with "Montego Bay" has overshadowed other aspects of his career. There is some conflicting information surrounding the circumstances of his death.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">(They Long to Be) Close to You</span> 1970 single by The Carpenters

"(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David with sections of the early version written by Cathy Steeves. The best-known version is that recorded by American duo The Carpenters for their second studio album Close to You (1970) and produced by Jack Daugherty. Released on May 14, 1970, the single topped both the US Billboard Hot 100 and Adult Contemporary charts. It also reached the top of the Canadian and Australian charts and peaked at number six on the charts of both the UK and Ireland. The record was certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shakin' All Over</span> 1960 song by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates

"Shakin' All Over" is a song originally performed by Johnny Kidd & the Pirates. It was written by leader Johnny Kidd, and his original recording reached No. 1 on the UK Singles Chart in August 1960. The song is sometimes credited to Frederick Albert Heath, which is Kidd's real name. Kidd's recording was not a hit outside Europe. In other parts of the world the song is better known by recordings from other artists.

"(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" is a song written by American songwriting duo Burt Bacharach and Hal David. Originally recorded as a demo by Dionne Warwick in 1963, "(There's) Always Something There to Remind Me" first charted for Lou Johnson, whose version reached No. 49 on the Billboard Hot 100 in mid-1964. Sandie Shaw took the song to No. 1 in the UK that same year, while the duo Naked Eyes had a No. 8 hit with the song in the US two decades later in 1983.

Bob & Earl were an American music singing duo in the 1960s, best known for writing and recording the original version of "Harlem Shuffle".

The Overlanders were a British music group active during the 1960s.

"You Were on My Mind" is a popular song written by Sylvia Fricker in 1961. It was originally recorded by Ian & Sylvia, but better known versions were recorded by We Five and Crispian St. Peters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Willow Weep for Me</span> Original song written and composed by Ann Ronell

"Willow Weep for Me" is a popular song composed in 1932 by Ann Ronell, who also wrote the lyrics. The song form is AABA, written in 4
4
time, although occasionally adapted for 3
4
waltz time.

"I Love You Because" is a song written and recorded by country music singer-songwriter Leon Payne in 1949. The song has been covered by several artists throughout the years, including hit cover versions by Al Martino in 1963 and Jim Reeves in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">A Summer Song</span> 1964 single by Chad & Jeremy

"A Summer Song" is a 1964 song by the English pop music duo Chad & Jeremy. The song was written by Clive Metcalf, Keith Noble and Chad Stuart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Before and After (song)</span> 1965 single by Chad & Jeremy

"Before and After" is a 1965 hit single by Chad & Jeremy. It was the duo's label debut on Columbia Records, released after Columbia acquired rights to all of the duo's post-January 1, 1965 recordings. The song was written by Van McCoy, then a staff writer for Columbia's publishing arm April Blackwood Music. Artie Wayne, professional manager of April Blackwood, placed "Before and After" with Chad & Jeremy, who recorded the song in March 1965 in the sessions for their album also entitled Before and After; Lor Crane produced these sessions at Columbia's New York City studios.

<i>Distant Shores</i> (album) 1966 studio album by Chad & Jeremy

Distant Shores is the fifth studio album by the English duo Chad & Jeremy. It was released on 15 August 1966. Distant Shores was recorded between November 1965 and March 1966. This is the first album in which the duo were given time to craft their sound and style. This album is a precursor to their psychedelic album, Of Cabbages and Kings. It includes the first recording of Paul Simon's "Homeward Bound", predating even Simon & Garfunkel's record.

<i>Yesterdays Gone</i> (Chad & Jeremy album) 1964 studio album by Chad & Jeremy

Yesterday's Gone is the debut studio album by English duo Chad & Jeremy. It was released in the United States in July 1964. The album contains three of their American hits: "A Summer Song", "Willow Weep for Me", and the title song, "Yesterday's Gone." The song "The Truth Often Hurts the Heart" was prominently featured in a January 1965 episode of the television program The Patty Duke Show, but was never issued as a single.

<i>Yesterdays Gone: The Complete Ember & World Artists Recordings</i> 2016 compilation album by Chad & Jeremy

Yesterday's Gone: The Complete Ember & World Artists Recordings is a complete collection of all of Chad & Jeremy's music from the early years of their career, 1963 and 1964. It contains all of their recordings for Ember Records in the UK and World Artists Records in the US.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Should I (song)</span> 1965 song written by Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde

"Should I" is a song written by Chad Stuart and Jeremy Clyde, first recorded by their duo Chad & Jeremy as the B-side to "I Have Dreamed", which became a top-100 hit in the US. The song was arranged by Stuart and was included a week later on their fourth studio album I Don't Want to Lose You Baby.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chad Stuart</span> British musician (1941–2020)

David Stuart Chadwick, better known by his stage name Chad Stuart, was an English musician. He was one half of the duo Chad & Jeremy.

References

  1. 1 2 "Chad & Jeremy Official Site" . Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  2. Stuart, Chad (October 18, 2010). "Steel Pier Radio Show" (Interview). Interviewed by Ed Hurst. WBIG (AM).
  3. "UK Official Charts". Official Charts Company. 2019. Retrieved 31 January 2019.
  4. "Interview with Chad Stuart". Classicbands.com. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  5. The Pittsburgh Press 21 November 1972 Record Businesses Spinning Here p. 38
  6. "Hot 100: Chad & Jeremy". Billboard . 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  7. Perrone, James E. (2009). Mods, Rockers & the Music of the British Invasion. Westport CT: Praeger Publishers. pp. 152, 153. ISBN   978-0-275-99860-8.
  8. Billboard: 6 June 1964 (vol. 76, No. 23), p.29
  9. "Pye Records Discography". Globaldogproductions.info. Retrieved 7 April 2010.
  10. CHUM Hit Parade, June 22, 1964
  11. "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1965-01-11. Retrieved 2021-01-18.
  12. "Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com.{{cite web}}: Missing or empty |url= (help)
  13. Joel Whitburn's Top Pop Singles 1955–1990 - ISBN   0-89820-089-X