Only Yesterday (song)

"Only Yesterday"
"Only Yesterday"
	Cover to the single "Only Yesterday"
Single by the Carpenters
from the album Horizon
B-side	"Happy"
Released	March 14, 1975
Recorded	January 1975
Genre	Pop
Length	4:10 (album version); 3:50 (single version);
Label	A&M; 1677
Songwriter(s)	Richard Carpenter; John Bettis
Producer(s)	Richard Carpenter
The Carpenters singles chronology

"Only Yesterday" is a song recorded by the Carpenters. Released on March 14, 1975, the song was composed by Richard Carpenter and John Bettis. "Only Yesterday" peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 and number one on the Adult Contemporary (AC) charts,^[1] The Carpenters' eleventh number one on that chart.

The song was The Carpenters' last top-ten single on the Billboard Hot 100—though they would have nine more top-ten singles on the AC charts, ending with AC number seven "Make Believe It's Your First Time", a few months after Karen's death in 1983.

The music video features some footage of Karen and Richard at work in the studio. After Karen sang the line, "the promise of morning light", it faded from the studio to a fountain in Huntington Library Gardens in San Marino, California. It then featured some footage of a Japanese bridge.

Personnel[]

Karen Carpenter – lead and backing vocals
Richard Carpenter – backing vocals, piano, Wurlitzer electronic piano, Fender Rhodes electric piano, orchestration
Joe Osborn – bass guitar
Tony Peluso – guitar
Jim Gordon – drums
Bob Messenger – tenor saxophone
Earle Dumler – oboe
Uncredited – percussion

Chart performance[]

Weekly charts[]

Chart (1975)	Peak position
Australia (Kent Music Report)^[2]	16
Canada RPM Top Singles	2
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[3]	2
Ireland (IRMA)^[4]	5
Oricon International Singles Chart	1
Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart	12
New Zealand^[5]	10
UK Singles Chart^[6]	7
US Billboard Hot 100^[7]	4
US Billboard Adult Contemporary^[8]	1

Year-end charts[]

Chart (1975)	Rank
Canada RPM Top Singles^[9]	59
Canada RPM Adult Contemporary^[10]	15
New Zealand^[11]	33
US Billboard Hot 100^[12]	94

References[]

^ Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 47.
^ Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-05-17. Retrieved 2018-03-10.
^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Only Yesterday". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
^ "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-07-07. Retrieved 2017-03-29.
^ "The Carpenters | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
^ "Carpenters Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2020.
^ "Adult Contemporary Music Chart". Billboard. 1975-05-03. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
^ "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27, 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.
^ "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.
^ "Top Selling Singles of 1975 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-12-31. Retrieved 2016-10-10.
^ "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

Bibliography[]

The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits, 6th Edition, 1996

External links[]

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[1] Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 47.

[2] Kent, David (1993). Australian Chart Book 1970-1992. St Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. ISBN 0-646-11917-6.

[3] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". Collectionscanada.gc.ca. 1975-05-17. Retrieved 2018-03-10.

[sc_Ireland2_-4] "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Only Yesterday". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved July 11, 2017.

[5] "NZ Top 40 Singles Chart | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-07-07. Retrieved 2017-03-29.

[6] "The Carpenters | full Official Chart History". Official Charts Company. Retrieved December 10, 2020.

[7] "Carpenters Chart History: Hot 100". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2020.

[8] "Adult Contemporary Music Chart". Billboard. 1975-05-03. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

[9] "Top Singles – Volume 24, No. 14, December 27, 1975". RPM. Library and Archives Canada. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 28 March 2017.

[10] "Item Display - RPM - Library and Archives Canada". collectionscanada.gc.ca.

[11] "Top Selling Singles of 1975 | The Official New Zealand Music Chart". Nztop40.co.nz. 1975-12-31. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

[12] "Top 100 Hits of 1975/Top 100 Songs of 1975". Musicoutfitters.com. Retrieved 2016-10-10.

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hide v t The Carpenters
Karen Carpenter Richard Carpenter
Studio albums	Offering (Ticket to Ride) (1969) Close to You (1970) Carpenters (1971) A Song for You (1972) Now & Then (1973) Horizon (1975) A Kind of Hush (1976) Passage (1977) Christmas Portrait (1978) Made in America (1981) Voice of the Heart (1983) An Old-Fashioned Christmas (1984) Lovelines (1989) As Time Goes By (2001)
Live albums	Live in Japan (1975) Live at the Palladium (1976)
Compilation albums	The Singles: 1969–1973 (1973) The Singles: 1974–1978 (1978) The Very Best of the Carpenters (1983) Yesterday Once More (1984) Only Yesterday (1990) From the Top (1991) Interpretations: A 25th Anniversary Celebration (1995) Love Songs (1997) Reflections (1998) The Singles: 1969–1981 (2000) The Essential Collection: 1965–1997 (2002) Carpenters Perform Carpenter (2003) Gold: 35th Anniversary Edition (2004) The Ultimate Collection (2006) 40/40 (2009) Carpenters with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra (2018)
Solo albums	Time (1987) Karen Carpenter (1996) Pianist, Arranger, Composer, Conductor (1998)
Singles	"Looking for Love" "Ticket to Ride" "(They Long to Be) Close to You" "We've Only Just Begun" "Merry Christmas, Darling" "For All We Know" "Rainy Days and Mondays" "Superstar" "Bless the Beasts and Children" "Hurting Each Other" "It's Going to Take Some Time" "Goodbye to Love" "Sing" "Yesterday Once More" "Top of the World" "Jambalaya (On the Bayou)" "I Won't Last a Day Without You" "Please Mr. Postman" "Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town" "Only Yesterday" "Solitaire" "There's a Kind of Hush (All Over the World)" "I Need to Be in Love" "Goofus" "All You Get from Love Is a Love Song" "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" "The Christmas Song (Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire)" "Sweet, Sweet Smile" "I Believe You" "Touch Me When We're Dancing" "(Want You) Back in My Life Again" "Those Good Old Dreams" "Beechwood 4-5789" "Make Believe It's Your First Time" "Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore" "Now" "Little Altar Boy" "Honolulu City Lights" "Something in Your Eyes" "If I Had You" "Ave Maria" "The Rainbow Connection"
Other songs	"Let Me Be the One" "A Song for You" "This Masquerade" "Breaking Up Is Hard to Do" "Can't Smile Without You" "I Just Fall in Love Again" "Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again"
Television series and specials	Make Your Own Kind of Music (1971) Live at the BBC (1971) Very First TV Special (1976) Space Encounters (1978) A Christmas Portrait (1978) Music, Music, Music (1980)
Music video releases	Gold: Greatest Hits (1991 VHS / 2002 DVD) Interpretations (1995 VHS / 2003 DVD)
Documentaries	Close to You: Remembering The Carpenters (1998) Only Yesterday: The Carpenters Story (2007)
Related	Discography Songs John Bettis Joe Osborn Tony Peluso If I Were a Carpenter Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story The Karen Carpenter Story Classic Carpenters (2016 Dami Im tribute album)
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