Of all the timeless classics in The Beatles catalogue, one gentle ballad from 1965 continues to stand head and shoulders above the rest when it comes to cover versions.
With a staggering 319 recorded covers to its name, ‘Yesterday’ is the most covered Beatles song of all time. Written by Paul McCartney (though credited to Lennon–McCartney), the song was recorded in just one take at Abbey Road Studios on June 14, 1965.
A stark contrast to the band’s typical pop-rock sound, it featured only McCartney’s vocal and acoustic guitar, accompanied by a string quartet – the first time classical instruments were so prominently featured in a Beatles track.
Released as part of the Help! album, Yesterday wasn’t even put out as a single in the UK until years later – but that didn’t stop its global reach.
American artists were quick to latch onto its universal sentiment – Elvis Presley famously recorded a live version in 1969, Frank Sinatra added it to his repertoire, Aretha Franklin brought gospel-soul to it, while Marvin Gaye, Ray Charles, and even Boyz II Men put their own spin on ‘Yesterday’.
It’s crossed genres, generations, and continents, even making it into the Guinness Book of Records as the most covered pop song of all time. In total, 319 officially recorded covers have been documented – a number that continues to grow.
Coming in behind it is ‘Hey Jude’ with 225 covers, followed closely by ‘Eleanor Rigby’ (221), ‘Michelle’ (214), and finally ‘Let It Be’ with 195. Each of these songs has had a powerful cultural impact, but none has achieved quite the same worldwide resonance as ‘Yesterday’.
Interestingly, the volume of Beatles cover versions has seen notable ebbs and flows across the decades, statistics show. One of the turning points came in 1980, the year of John Lennon’s death.
That same year, Beatles covers were surprisingly scarce, but by 1981, the number surged. Many of those new covers paid tribute to Lennon, with artists reinterpreting his Beatles compositions and solo works in his memory.
Then in 2000, interest skyrocketed again following the release of Beatles 1, a compilation CD featuring 27 of the band’s number-one hits.
The album was a global phenomenon, rekindling a wave of Beatles nostalgia. Cover versions flourished once more, particularly in 2001, as musicians young and old sought to pay tribute in their own ways.