Only Yesterday (song)

"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.

"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
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
"Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town " (1974) "Only Yesterday" (1975) "Solitaire" (1975)

Cash Box called it a "ballad with its infectious beat" and that "Karen's dulcet, multi-tracked vocals soar over a dynamic arrangement which should be buzzing over the airwaves for a long time."^[2]

The song was The Carpenters' twelfth and 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 red moon bridge, which was roped off to the general public, in the Japanese Garden at Huntington Library.

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

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (1975) Peak position Australia (Kent Music Report)[3] 16 Canada Top Singles (RPM)[4] 2 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[5] 2 Ireland (IRMA)[6] 5 Oricon International Singles Chart 1 Oricon (Japanese) Singles Chart 12 New Zealand[7] 10 UK Singles Chart[8] 7 US Billboard Hot 100[9] 4 US Billboard Adult Contemporary[10] 1 US Cash Box Top 100[11] 8 West Germany (GfK)[12] 43

Year-end charts Chart (1975) Rank Canada RPM Top Singles[13] 59 Canada RPM Adult Contemporary[14] 15 New Zealand[15] 33 US Billboard Hot 100[16] 94

See also

• List of number-one adult contemporary singles of 1975 (U.S.)