Yesterdays
Dame Kiri Te Kanawa & Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra Lyrics
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I'd listened to the radio
Waitin' for my favorite songs
Waiting they played I'd sing along
Those were such happy times
And not so long ago
How I wondered where they'd gone
But they're back again
Just like a long lost friend
All the songs I loved so well
(*) every sha-la-la-la
Every wo-wo-wo
Still shines
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
That they're starting to sing's
So fine
When they get to the part
Where he's breakin' her heart
It can really make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
Lookin' back on how it was
In years gone by
And the good times that I had
Makes today seem rather sad
So much has changed
It was songs of love that
I would sing to then
And I'd memorize each word
Those old melodies
Still sound so good to me
As they melt the years away
Repeat (*)
All my best memories
Come back clearly to me
Some can even make me cry
Just like before
It's yesterday once more
The song "Yesterday's" by Dame Kiri Te Kanawa & Nelson Riddle and His Orchestra is a nostalgic tune that speaks of the happy times of the singer's youth. The lyrics depict a time when she used to listen to her favorite songs on the radio and sing along with them. The memories of those times bring a smile to her face and often make her emotional. She reminisces about the old melodies that she used to memorize and sing to herself.
The lyrics feature a refrain that includes various sounds like sha-la-la-la, wo-wo-wo, and shing-a-ling-a-ling, which were quite popular in the 60s and 70s. The singer also talks about how listening to these songs now makes her remember the good times of her past and how things have changed since then. The part where the singer talks about how listening to songs that break the heart of the characters in the song can make her cry shows how invested she was in the music.
Overall, "Yesterday's" is a song that celebrates the music of the past and how it has the power to transport us back to happy memories.
Line by Line Meaning
When I was young
During my youthful years
I'd listened to the radio
I used to listen to the radio, waiting for my favorite songs to play
Waitin' for my favorite songs
Eagerly anticipating the airing of my preferred tracks
Waiting they played I'd sing along
Whenever the songs were played, I would sing cheerfully along with them
It made me smile
This brought joy, happiness, and laughter to my face
Those were such happy times
These were very delightful periods
And not so long ago
This was not too far back in time
How I wondered where they'd gone
I used to wonder where those happiness-filled periods had disappeared to
But they're back again
Those points in time appear to have been renewed
Just like a long lost friend
These moments feel like an old friend who has suddenly resurfaced
All the songs I loved so well
The tracks that I adored so much
Every sha-la-la-la
Every little bit of 'sha-la-la-la'
Every wo-wo-wo
Each and every 'wo-wo-wo'
Still shines
Can still be seen and is still significant
Every shing-a-ling-a-ling
All the pleasant sounds from the past
That they're starting to sing's
As people start singing, the sounds become apparent
So fine
They are very good
When they get to the part
At the moment when they get to the point
Where he's breakin' her heart
Whenever the man breaks the lady's heart
It can really make me cry
It has the ability to evoke strong feelings of sadness in me
Just like before
The experience brings to memory past and similar events
It's yesterday once more
It appears like a scene from a previous time
Lookin' back on how it was
Recalling the way things happened in the past
In years gone by
Some time ago
And the good times that I had
The pleasant moments that I experienced
Makes today seem rather sad
There is a feeling of gloom or sorrow when today is compared to the past
So much has changed
A lot of things are different now
It was songs of love that
The musical genre that dominated the airwaves was love-themed songs
I would sing to then
I would then sing along to such songs
And I'd memorize each word
I can recite each word of these tracks from memory
Those old melodies
Those tunes of the past
Still sound so good to me
They are still pleasant to my ears even now
As they melt the years away
Such songs have the ability to evoke pleasant memories that span several years
All my best memories
The happy moments that bring me the most joy
Come back clearly to me
These reminiscences return to me in a vivid manner
Some can even make me cry
A few are very emotional and have me on the verge of tears
Just like before
They make me feel like I'm reliving those moments again
It's yesterday once more
It is an experience that feels like it is from a previous time
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: JIM MUNDY, PEGGY WHITE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind