“Yesterday Once More” by The Carpenters

“Yesterday Once More” is a song based on the concept of nostalgia. That is to say that the Carpenters are reminiscing on the good ol’ days, if you will. They go about this specifically by remembering and giving a shoutout to their favorite songs of yesteryear. They don’t actually namedrop their preferred tunes but rather go about achieving this task partially by emulating some of the sounds (i.e. unique artistic expressions) which apparently made these songs exceptional. 

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Carpenters's Yesterday Once More at Lyrics.org.

Moreover this track was specifically designed as the intro to an eight-track medley the Carpenters’ put together which were all covers of tracks from the 1960s (thus the title of the album it is featured on, “Now & Then”). So the Carpenters are calling up “Yesterday Once More”. That is they are not only praising their beloved oldies but also actually reciting them for the present audience.

Lyrics of "Yesterday Once More"

Facts about “Yesterday Once More”  

Richard Carpenter wrote this song alongside the Carpenters’ regular collaborator, John Bettis.  And the track was produced by record producer Jack Daugherty. Daugherty also worked quite extensively with the group.

Richard Carpenter reportedly stated in the past that this is his personal favorite amongst the songs he has written.

And that is logical, considering that “Yesterday Once More” is arguably the Carpenters’ biggest success.  For instance, the song holds the distinction of being the best-selling track, globally, that the duo has ever dropped.

And in that regard, it topped two of Billboard’s lists (Adult Contemporary and US Cash Box) as well as Canada Top Singles and the Oricon International Singles Chart. Indeed the Carpenters have a massive fanbase in the country of Japan.

The track also peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and UK Singles Chart. Also, it broke the top 5 in Belgium, Japan, the Netherlands and New Zealand.

“Yesterday Once More” was released by A&M Records on 2 June 1973 as part of the Carpenters’ fifth album, “Now & Then”.

This classic was also featured on the Carpenters’ 1978 collection album titled “The Carpenters Collection”. FYI, their iconic hit “Top of the World” was also included in this album.

1 Response

  1. Anonymous says:

    Thank you for your post. I fell in love with this song for 10 years but i had not known about its origin until i read your writing.

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