Could these legends give the world a break? How many songs do you have to write before you are satisfied? They scarcely left any moments for anyone else to write any of the good songs eh? None more so than this, their first of many songs using session musicians and expanding their horizons. Here, today, we will be exploring the ukulele chords Yesterday is comprised of and the story behind this miniature epic.
The Story of the Ukulele Chords Yesterday is Comprised of
According to select biographers of McCartney and the Beatles, McCartney composed the entire melody in a dream one night in his room at the Wimpole Street home of his then girlfriend Jane Asher and her family, waking in the middle of the night and hurrying to a piano to play the tune to avoid forgetting it.
McCartney’s initial concern was that he had subconsciously plagiarised someone else’s work. As he put it himself, ‘For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it.’
Upon being convinced that he had not copied the melody, McCartney began writing lyrics to suit it:
‘I remember mulling over the tune ‘Yesterday’, and suddenly getting these little one-word openings to the verse. I started to develop the idea … da-da da, yes-ter-day, sud-den-ly, fun-il-ly, mer-il-ly and Yes-ter-day, that’s good. All my troubles seemed so far away. It’s easy to rhyme those a’s: say, nay, today, away, play, stay, there’s a lot of rhymes and those fall in quite easily, so I gradually pieced it together from that journey. Sud-den-ly, and ‘b’ again, another easy rhyme: e, me, tree, flea, we, and I had the basis of it.’
Lyrics and Ukulele Chords Yesterday
Given that the entirety of the song can be played with just eleven chords, it would be pertinent to explore the lyrics in more detail, though before we go on the chords will be detailed below, for your diligent study:
The Lyrics to Sing Along to
Yesterday
All my trouble 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
Final Tones
So, there you have it, this small though I hope useful and comprehensive guide to the ukulele chords Yesterday is comprised of and the story behind such an important stepping stone in the Beatles career as songwriters and musical legends at large.
FAQs Ukulele Chords Yesterday
Though there are not any recordings of the Beatles playing ukulele on recordings, it was in fact one of the first instruments both John Lennon and Paul McCartney learned as children. It was John’s first instrument, actually, for his mother played. McCartney was the person who taught Lennon guitar chords, helping him progress from the ukulele to the guitar in this way. He only really knew ukulele chords, apparently, hence why many of his most famous compositions are rather easy to play on ukulele.
One of the hardest to play for a beginner is likely to be the Bb, as it uses all four of one’s fingers at a given time. This chord is particularly difficult for those ukulele players who are arthritic, or have an other kind of condition which limits their ability to use their fingers.
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