The Beatles song written by Paul McCartney that begins “Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away” is “Yesterday.” McCartney wrote the melody and the song was released by the Beatles in 1965 on the album Help!
“Yesterday” was unusual for the Beatles because the recording featured McCartney alone on vocals and acoustic guitar, accompanied by a string quartet. It was the group’s first recording built around only one Beatles member, giving the track an intimate sound that differed sharply from the band’s usual full-group performances.
The melody reportedly came to McCartney in a dream, and he initially used the temporary words “Scrambled Eggs” while trying to develop the lyric. The final text became a reflective ballad about loss and regret. The song was credited to Lennon–McCartney, following the Beatles’ standard songwriting convention, although McCartney wrote it primarily himself.
“Yesterday” became one of the most widely recorded songs in popular music history. It is often confused with other McCartney compositions such as “Hey Jude,” “Let It Be” or “Penny Lane,” but the quoted opening line uniquely identifies “Yesterday.”