YESTERDAYS
Music: Jerome Kern- Lyrics: Otto Harbach
Year: 1933
Origin of the song
Fay Templeton performed this song in the music magazine Roberta, which premiered on 18 November 1933 at the New Amsterdam Theatre on Broadway and reached two hundred and ninety-five performances. In addition to 'Yesterdays', the play included other notable songs such as 'I'll Be Hard To Handle', 'Let's Begin' and 'Smoke Gets In Your Eyes'.
In 1935, Irene Dunne, Randolph Scott, Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers starred in the film version of the work, produced by RKO Radio Pictures, directed by William A. Seiter, in which Irene Dunne sang 'Yesterdays'. The film was very well received, getting excellent reviews of both the soundtrack and the Astaire and Rogers dances.
The same was not true of the 1952 version, Lovely To Look At, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and performed by Kathryn Grayson, Red Skelton, Howard Keel and Ann Miller, in which Kathryn Grayson sang 'Yesterdays'.
Otto Harbach was a librettist of fifty musical comedies and he was responsible for the lyrics of 'Cuddle up a Little Closer, Lovey Mine' (1908), 'Every Little Movement (Has a Meaning All Its Own)' (1910), 'Indian Love Call' (1924), 'Who?' (1925), 'She Didn't Say Yes' (1931), 'Smoke Gets in Your Eyes' (1933), 'Yesterdays' (1933) and 'I Won't Dance' (1935), among other songs.
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCES WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1933.11.09 |
1933.11.25 |
8 |
3 |
Frank Luther (voc) |
Jazz. Outstanding performances
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1938.09.27 |
Artie Shaw (cl, dir), Chuck Peterson, Claude Bowen, John Best (tp), George Arus, Russell Brown, Harry Rodgers (tb), George Koenig, Hank Freeman (cl, as), Tony Pastor, Ronnie Perry (cl, ts), Les Burness (p), Al Avola (g), Sid Weiss (b), Cliff Leeman (d) |
|
|
1944.02.16 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts, dir), Dizzy Gillespie, Vic Coulsen, Ed Vandever (tp), Leo Parker, Leonard Lowry (as), Don Byas, Ray Abrams (ts), Budd Johnson (b), Clyde Hart (p), Oscar Pettiford (b), Max Roach (d) |
|
|
1945.03.09 |
Errol Garner (p) |
|
|
J.J. Johnson Quintet |
1947.12.24 |
J.J. Johnson (tb), Leo Parker (bars), Hank Jones (p), Al Lucas (b), Shadow Wilson (d) |
|
1949.03.14 |
Lennie Tristano (p), Billy Bauer (g), Arnold Fishkin (b), Harold Granowsky (d) |
|
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1950.02.?? |
Bud Powell (p), Curly Russell (b), Max Roach (d) |
|
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1950.05.17 |
Stan Getz (ts), Al Haig (p), Tommy Potter (b), Roy Haynes (d) |
|
|
1952.04.21 |
Marian McPartland (p), Bill Crow (b), Joe Morello (d) |
|
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1955.01.18 |
Clifford Brown (tp), Max Roach (d), Richie Powell (p), Barry Galbraith (g), George Morrow (b), string section, Neal Hefti (dir) |
|
|
1955.12.03 |
Hampton Hawes (p), Red Mitchell (b), Chuck Thompson (d) |
|
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1957.07.09 |
Charles Mingus (b), Hampton Hawes (p), Dannie Richmond (d) |
|
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1959.04.07 |
Max Roach, Buddy Rich (d), Tommy Turrentine (tp), Willie Dennis, Julian Priester (tb), Phil Woods (as), Stanley Turrentine (ts), John Bunch (p), Bob Boswell, Phil Leshin (b), Gigi Gryce (dir) |
|
|
1960.12.20 |
Paul Gonsalves (ts), Nat Adderley (cnt), Wynton Kelly (p), Sam Jones (b), Jimmy Cobb (d) |
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1963.07.15 |
Sonny Rollins, Coleman Hawkins (ts), Paul Bley (p), Bob Cranshaw (b), Roy McCurdy (d) |
|
|
Miles Davis Quintet |
1965.12.23 |
Miles Davis (tp), Wayne Shorter (ts), Herbie Hancock (p), Ron Carter (b), Tony Williams (d) |
|
Dave Brubeck Quartet |
1979.08.?? |
Dave Brubeck (p), Jerry Bergonzi (ts, b), Chris Brubeck (b, tb), Butch Miles (d) |
|
1993.10.05 |
Dave Brubeck (p), Bobby Militello (as), Jack Six (b), Randy Jones (d) |
|
|
1997.??.?? |
Fred Hersch (p), Bill Frisell (g) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1939.04.20 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Frankie Newton (tp, dir), Kenneth Hollon, Stanley Payne (ts), Tab Smith (ss, as), Sonny White (p), Jimmy McLin (g), John Williams (b), Eddie Dougherty (d) |
|
|
1952.07.27 |
Billie Holiday (voc), Joe Newman (tp), Paul Quinichette (ts), Oscar Peterson (org), Freddy Green (g), Ray Brown (b), Gus Johnson (d) |
|
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1954.12.24 |
Helen Merrill (voc), Clifford Brown (tp), Danny Banks (fl, bars), Jimmy Jones (p), Barry Galbraith (g), Oscar Pettiford (b), Bobby Donaldson (d), Quincy Jones (dir) |
|
|
1961.06.29 |
Carmen McRae (voc), Nat Adderley (cnt), Eddie 'Lockjaw' Davis (ts), Norman Simmons (p), Mundell Lowe (g), Bob Cranshaw (b), Walter Perkins (d) |
|
|
1961.11.20 |
Frank Sinatra (voc), Don Costa Orchestra |
|
|
1963.01.06 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Nelson Riddle Orchestra |
|
|
2000.05.15 |
Patricia Barber (voc, p), Marc Johnson (b), Adam Nussbaum (d) |
On cinemas
The song 'Yesterdays' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Roberta |
Roberta |
1935 |
Irene Dunne |
|
Till The Clouds Roll By |
Hasta que las nubes pasen |
1946 |
A chorus |
|
Lovely To Look At |
El amor nació en París |
1952 |
Kathryn Grayson |
|
Fritz The Cat |
El gato caliente |
1972 |
Billie Holiday & Her Lads of Joy |
|
Next Stop, Greenwich Village |
Próxima parada, Greenwich Village |
1976 |
J.J. Johnson |
|
Ray |
Ray |
2004 |
Johnny O'Neill |