Richard Carpenter Richard Carpenter may refer to:
* Richard Carpenter (theologian) (1575–1627), English clergyman and theological writer
* Richard Carpenter (ca. 1700–1750), original owner of the Belvale property in Virginia
* Richard Cromwell Carpenter (1812� ...
and John Bettis, is a hit song by the Carpenters from their 1973 album '' Now & Then''. Thematically the song concerns reminiscing about songs of a generation gone by. It segues into a long medley, consisting of eight covers of 1960s tunes incorporated into a faux oldies radio program. The work takes up the entire B-side of the album.
The single version of the song peaked at number 2 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart, kept from the number 1 spot by "
Bad, Bad Leroy Brown
"Bad, Bad Leroy Brown" is an uptempo, strophic story song written by American folk rock singer Jim Croce. Released as part of his 1973 album '' Life and Times'', the song was a No. 1 hit for him, spending two weeks at the top of the ''Billboard ...
" by Jim Croce. It was the duo's fifth number two hit and makes them the act with the second-most number two hits on the chart behind
Madonna
Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...
. The song also peaked at number 1 on the easy listening chart, becoming their eighth number 1 on that chart in four years. It is the Carpenters' biggest-selling record worldwide and their best-selling single in the UK, peaking at number 2. Richard Carpenter stated, on a Japanese documentary, that it was his favorite of all the songs that he had written. He has performed an instrumental version at concerts.
According to ''
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 ...
'', on June 2, 1973, "Yesterday Once More" was the highest-debuting single at No. 71. By August 4, it had reached No. 1.
Song structure
"Yesterday Once More" is a ballad published in the key of
E major
E major (or the key of E) is a major scale based on E, consisting of the pitches E, F, G, A, B, C, and D. Its key signature has four sharps. Its relative minor is C-sharp minor and its parallel minor is E minor. Its enharmonic equivalent, ...
.
Reception
''
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 ...
Richard Carpenter Richard Carpenter may refer to:
* Richard Carpenter (theologian) (1575–1627), English clergyman and theological writer
* Richard Carpenter (ca. 1700–1750), original owner of the Belvale property in Virginia
* Richard Cromwell Carpenter (1812� ...
Hammond organ
The Hammond organ is an electric organ invented by Laurens Hammond and John M. Hanert and first manufactured in 1935. Multiple models have been produced, most of which use sliding drawbars to vary sounds. Until 1975, Hammond organs generated s ...
,
orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", orc ...
Joe Osborn
Joseph Osborn (August 28, 1937 – December 14, 2018Tony Peluso – electric guitar
*Earl Dumler –
English horn
The cor anglais (, or original ; plural: ''cors anglais''), or English horn in North America, is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is approximately one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an alto ...
*Uncredited – tambourine
Cover versions
* Redd Kross, a rock/punk band from Hawthorne, California covered the song on the 1994 Carpenters tribute album, '' If I Were a Carpenter''. This cover was also released as a double A-side single with
Sonic Youth
Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...
's cover of " Superstar" to promote the album. It reached No. 45 on the UK Singles Chart and No. 84 on the Australian ARIA Charts.
* The Spinners covered the song as a medley with "Nothing Remains the Same" in 1981, reaching No. 52 on the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 45 on the Adult Contemporary chart.