When Paul McCartney wrote Yesterdayit wasn't disappointed love he was thinking of…
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The former Beatles explained that a particular line from the 1965 hit, “I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday,” was written in reference to a conversation he had with… his mother!
“Sometimes you can only appreciate it in hindsight,” Paul McCartney said on his podcast A Life in Lyrics. I still remember a day when I was very embarrassed because I had embarrassed my mother. »
The musician and lyricist explained that he corrected his mother's pronunciation and thereby put her in an awkward position. “She spoke in a way that we thought was a little posh,” he said. I know she said something like, “Paul, can you ask him if he…” I said, “Ask! Ask! That’s a question, Mom.” And she was a little embarrassed. I remember thinking later, “God, I wish I'd never said that.” And it got stuck in my throat. After he died, I said to myself, “Oh, damn, I really wish…”
Until recently, many thought the song was about a breakup. Paul McCartney himself admitted to thinking the same thing. “When she died, I wondered if I had said something wrong, if we would go back to this crazy little thing,” the singer said. Then I do not know. Does that happen? Do you find yourself subconsciously adding words to a girl's words (about a lost love) that are actually those of your late mother? I think that could be true. It somehow fits when you look at the lyrics. »