For years, in interviews, Paul McCartney rejected the notion that “Yesterday” was inspired by his mother.

Well, in a recent edition of the podcast McCartney: A Life in Lyrics, He said: “Some did suggest to me that this was a “losing my mother song”. Which I always said, ‘No, I don’t think so,’ But the more you think about it, ‘Why’d she have to go? I don’t know, she wouldn’t say.’ Losing your mother to cancer, no one said anything. We didn’t know what it was at all.” Paul was 14 when his mother died. 

About the line… “I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday” Paul explained: “I remember very clearly one day feeling very embarrassed because I embarrassed my mum.” He was referring to teasing her about her Irish accent and it stuck with him through the years.

The #1 song was originally released in 1965. It’s one of the most recorded songs in the history of music and has been officially recorded over 2, 200 times.

According to BMI, it was performed live over 7 million times in the 20th century. And in 1997, “Yesterday” was inducted into the Grammy Song Hall of Fame.