“Yesterday,” written primarily by Paul McCartney, is widely recognized as the most-covered song of all time. Although it was officially credited to the Lennon–McCartney songwriting partnership, McCartney wrote the melody and lyrics, and John Lennon had little involvement in its composition.
The Beatles recorded the song in June 1965, with McCartney providing the lead vocal and acoustic guitar. A string quartet arranged by George Martin completed the track, making it essentially the first Beatles recording performed by only one member of the group. The song first appeared on the UK album Help! and was issued as a US single later that year.
Its gentle chamber-pop arrangement and universal theme made it unusually attractive to other performers. Guinness World Records recorded 1,600 cover versions by January 1986, while later estimates have counted more than 2,000. Artists who recorded it include Frank Sinatra, Ray Charles, Marvin Gaye and Elvis Presley.
A common misconception is that “Yesterday” was initially released as a Paul McCartney solo single. The Beatles’ UK label declined that idea, so it remained credited to the group.