Paul McCartney stands as a titan in the realm of popular music songwriting. His contributions to The Beatles are the stuff of legend, a testament to his enduring influence and remarkable talent. Among the band’s vast and celebrated discography, ‘Yesterday’ consistently emerges as a standout, a track that has resonated across generations and cultures. John Lennon himself, albeit with a touch of playful envy, acknowledged, “Well, we all know about ‘Yesterday’. I have had so much accolade for ‘Yesterday’. That’s Paul’s song and Paul’s baby. Well done.” Featured on the 1965 album Help!, ‘Yesterday’ quickly became a cornerstone of The Beatles’ legacy, inspiring countless covers from music icons like Frank Sinatra to Elvis Presley, each putting their spin on its now-iconic lyrics. But before these famous renditions, and before the world knew the poignant words of ‘Yesterday’, the song had a rather more whimsical beginning.
Paul McCartney and John Lennon of the Beatles in a scene from Help!
The genesis of ‘Yesterday’ is a story as unique as the song itself. McCartney recounted the moment of inspiration: “I was living in a little flat at the top of a house and I had a piano by my bed. I woke up one morning with a tune in my head and I thought, ‘Hey, I don’t know this tune – or do I?’ It was like a jazz melody.” Intrigued and slightly puzzled, McCartney initially suspected he might be subconsciously recalling an old jazz standard from his father’s repertoire. He rushed to the piano to solidify the melody and chords, ensuring this dream-born tune wouldn’t vanish. He then played it for friends, asking if they recognized it, convinced he couldn’t have composed it himself in a dream state.
Driven to develop this mysterious melody into a full song, McCartney needed lyrics, and quickly. In this early, formative stage, function triumphed over artistry. To simply remember and work with the melody, he improvised placeholder lyrics, words that were as far removed from heartbreak and nostalgia as possible. And so, ‘Yesterday’ was temporarily christened ‘Scrambled Eggs’. The initial lyrics, as McCartney playfully revealed, were: “Scrambled eggs, Oh you’ve got such lovely legs, Scrambled eggs. Oh, my baby, how I love your legs.”
The evolution from “Scrambled Eggs” to “Yesterday” is a tale shrouded in some playful ambiguity, typical of the Beatles’ collaborative and sometimes hazy recollections. While accounts vary, with McCartney, Lennon, and producer George Martin each claiming involvement in the final title, the exact path remains somewhat unclear. Numerous anecdotes and even supposed “full versions” of the ‘Scrambled Eggs’ song have surfaced over the years, adding to the mythos. However, the precise details of this lyrical transformation are ultimately less important than the outcome.
The core truth remains: Paul McCartney dreamt a melody of unparalleled beauty and enduring appeal. Upon waking, perhaps with breakfast on his mind, he used the most delightfully absurd stand-in lyrics imaginable. But within the creative crucible of The Beatles, this initial silliness was refined and polished, transforming ‘Scrambled Eggs’ into ‘Yesterday’, a song that would become not just a hit, but a timeless classic, forever etched in the annals of music history, despite its breakfast-themed lyrical origins.
