"Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" is a soul song written by Ron Miller and Bryan Wells, released by American Motown singer-songwriter-musician Stevie Wonder on the album My Cherie Amour (1969). It peaked at number 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 the weeks of December 13 and 20, 1969 and became Wonder's ninth Top 10 single of the 1960s.Stevie Wonder, Billboard Hot 100 – Billboard.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024.Billboard Hot 100, Week of December 20, 1969 – Billboard.com. Retrieved November 12, 2024. In November 1969, it reached number 2 on the UK singles chart, making it Wonder's biggest UK hit at that time.
Stevie also recorded an Italian version with the title "Solo te, solo me, solo noi" (Only you, only me, only us), translated by Peter Ricci. The song was later reworked into an electronic version by Jennifer Rush on her 1985 Movin' album.
Background The song had been first recorded, in 1966, by blue-eyed Motown soul singer Chris Clark.
At the time the song was released, Wonder was going through some vocal problems and was required to wait before recording a song. Due to this, instead of making Wonder record new ones, they decided to release songs that he had recorded years earlier, and this song was one of them (it was recorded two years earlier). The song's main theme is nostalgia for a loved one.
Cash Box called it a "sparkling easy-blues-beat ballad" with "interesting lyric, performance and production."
Personnel Lead vocals: Stevie Wonder Background vocals: The Originals: Freddie Gorman, Walter Gaines, Hank Dixon, C. P. Spencer The Andantes: Jackie Hicks, Marlene Barrow, Louvain Demps Instrumentation: The Funk Brothers
Chart performance
Weekly charts Chart (1969–70)PeakpositionAustralia11Belgium7Canada RPM Top Singles10Canada RPM Adult ContemporaryRPM Adult Contemporary, January 10, 1970.15Netherlands 2New Zealand (Listener)10South Africa (Springbok)14Spain (AFE)18UK Singles (OCC)2U.S. Hot 100 (Billboard)7U.S. R&B (Billboard)5U.S. Easy Listening (Billboard)10U.S. Cash Box Top 1009
Year-end charts Chart (1969)RankCanada47U.S. (Joel Whitburn's Pop Annual)75
References
External links List of cover versions of "Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday" at SecondHandSongs.com