"Yester Love" (Tamla 54167) was a 1968 song by

Motown Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

Records R&B group

The Miracles The Miracles (also known as Smokey Robinson and the Miracles from 1965 to 1972) were an American vocal group that was the first successful recording act for Berry Gordy's Motown Records, and one of the most important and most influential groups ...

(aka "Smokey Robinson" and The Miracles) on its

Tamla Motown Records is an American record label owned by the Universal Music Group. It was founded by Berry Gordy Jr. as Tamla Records on June 7, 1958, and incorporated as Motown Record Corporation on April 14, 1960. Its name, a portmanteau of ''moto ...

subsidiary label. It was recorded on December 18, 1967 (released on May 13, 1968), and was included on the group's album, '' Special Occasion''. Composed by Miracles lead singer

Smokey Robinson William "Smokey" Robinson Jr. (born February 19, 1940) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and former record executive director. He was the founder and front man of the Motown vocal group the Miracles, for which he was also chief ...

, and Motown staff songwriter Al Cleveland and produced by Robinson, the song was a ''Billboard'' top 40 pop hit, peaking at No. 31, and a top 10 R&B hit as well, peaking at No. 9. It also reached No. 24 on the U.S. ''

Cash Box ''Cashbox'', also known as ''Cash Box'', was an American music industry trade magazine, originally published weekly from July 1942 to November 1996. Ten years after its dissolution, it was revived and continues as ''Cashbox Magazine'', an online ...

'' Top 100. In Canada, the song reached No. 28. A mid-tempo song, instead of the usual ballad, a trademark of The Miracles, this tune is a sad lament about a lost love, the theme of many Miracles' songs. The song's title, "Yester Love", is a shortened form of "Yesterday Love", or "Love of Yesterday", indicating the relationship has now ended. Smokey, as the song's narrator, portrays a heartbroken man, reminiscing about a once-happy relationship with his girl, with promise of a future, that ended in failure, with his wondering just how it got there: :"Yesterday, we made future plans.... :She loved me, I could tell... :Can today be that tomorrow... :That we planned so well... :Yester Baby, I'll never forget her... :Though tomorrow might bring me one better... :Today, I go my way, dreaming of my Yester love..." During the song, Smokey, ever the master poet, also explains the meaning of his use of the term "''Yester''", in his usual fashion: :"Yester is..... :The Prefix that we fix :To things that have gone by... :Forever, they say...." Miracle Marv Tarplin's outstanding guitar work is evident throughout, and is actually the last thing the listener hears as the song draws to a close. During the song, Miracles

Claudette Robinson Claudette Annette Rogers Robinson ( Rogers; born June 20, 1938) is an American singer, best known as a member of the vocal group The Miracles from 1957 to 1972. Her brother Emerson "Sonny" Rogers was a founding member of the group, which befor ...

, cousin Bobby Rogers, Ronnie White, and Pete Moore, project sympathetic background vocals to Smokey's lead, with Claudette's voice clearly audible in the chorus. ''

'' called the song a "gem," stating that it is a "percolating rhythmic workout" with "tender blues vocals." "Yester Love" was released during 1968, a period during which The Miracles, a normally guaranteed Top 20 and occasional Top 10 group, were undergoing an inexplicable chart decline, along with many of Motown's other top groups, including

The Supremes The Supremes were an American girl group and a premier act of Motown Records during the 1960s. Founded as the Primettes in Detroit, Michigan, in 1959, the Supremes were the most commercially successful of Motown's acts and the most successful ...

. This trend was soon reversed by the Top 10 success of their hit "

Baby, Baby Don't Cry "Baby, Baby Don't Cry", released in December 1968, is a single recorded by The Miracles for Motown Records' Tamla label. The composition was written by Miracles lead singer Smokey Robinson, Motown staff writers Al Cleveland and Terry "Buzzy" John ...

" in spring 1969. "Yester Love" has inspired a cover version by Gerald Wilson and his Orchestra, and has been included in several Miracles "Greatest Hits" anthologies. Taken from the same album, the song's "B" side, "Much Better Off", like many Miracles "B" sides, was also a popular regional hit, and inspired a cover version by late rapper J Dilla.

Personnel — The Miracles

* Smokey Robinson - ''lead vocals'' * Pete Moore - ''bass vocals'' * Claudette Rogers-Robinson - ''soprano vocals'' * Ronnie White - ''baritone vocals'' * Bobby Rogers - ''tenor vocals'' * Marv Tarplin -''guitar''

Other personnel

The Funk Brothers The Funk Brothers were a group of Detroit-based session musicians who performed the backing to most Motown recordings from 1959 until the company moved to Los Angeles in 1972. Its members are considered among the most successful groups of stud ...

Bibliography

''Smokey Robinson & The Miracles: The 35th Anniversary Collection'' (The Miracles' Discography, p. 61)

References

External links

*
Review of ''"Yester Love"''by ''The Miracles''- from the "Old School Music Lover" website.
{{The Miracles singles The Miracles songs Songs written by Smokey Robinson 1968 singles Tamla Records singles Songs written by Al Cleveland Song recordings produced by Smokey Robinson 1968 songs