Beatles' Yesterday is a cover...

...of an old Neapolitan song, according to producer

Rome - An Italian producer claims the Beatles' hit Yesterday is in fact a cover of a 19th century Neapolitan song.

Lilli Greco, a song-writer famous during the 1960s and 1970s, played a version of Piccere' Che Vene a Dicere' on Italian television late Tuesday.

The song, composed in Naples in 1895, appeared remarkably similar to Paul McCartney's composition.

Greco said McCartney and fellow band-member John Lennon had an 'encyclopaedic knowledge' of world music and were particularly fond of Neapolitan songs.

Recorded in 1965, Yesterday is one of the Beatles' best-known songs. According to the Guinness Book of Records, it has the most cover versions of any song ever written.

McCartney once said he dreamt of the ballad while staying over at his girlfriend's house in a London flat.

Beatles biographies say McCartney was initially concerned that he had subconsciously plagiarised the song.

'For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before.

'Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it,' a book by Craig Cross quotes McCartney as saying.

This is not the first time that music experts have noted similarities between Yesterday and other songs.

Three years ago, British musicologist Spencer Leigh told the BBC the song appeared to have been inspired by Nat King Cole's Answer Me.

McCartney's publicists later denied any resemblance between Answer Me and Yesterday.

© 2006 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

from www.music.monstersandcritics.com july 19, 2006

note to mods: this news story might be a better fit in "and your bird can sing."

Originally Posted by instant karla

note to mods: this news story might be a better fit in "and your bird can sing."

It could, though it fits here too. Guess I'm feeling too lazy to move it.

Karla, do you have a link to the website where you found this article? I'm just curious.

And I call myself a Beatle fan - I didn't know John and Paul were particularly fond of Neapolitan songs. Which were those?

Originally Posted by SF4-EVER

Karla, do you have a link to the website where you found this article? I'm just curious.

[http://music.monstersandcritics.com/news/

see if this works. you'll have to scroll way down.

What's the song called? I want to hear this song for myself.

So that's where he heard it before! He dreamed it, but he had heard it before!

It's... like a bullet to my heart...

Originally Posted by .Psychedelic.Stars.

What's the song called? I want to hear this song for myself.

Isn't it called 'Che Vene a Dicere', thats what it says was played by someone on a tuesday night or something according to the article?

Well, I spent 45 minutes trying to find a recording SOMEWHERE of this damn song - No such luck. I did listen to a snippet of Nat King Cole's rendition of "Answer Me" - It sounds nothing like Yesterday

i've been looking, too --- to no avail. next stop: mom's house. she's got tons of old italian records which i'll dig through. if the song turns up i will certainly share it here.

makes me sad aw

..but ..now I want Neapolitan ice cream.
..and now I feel quite stupid.

I just don't think that certain people can accept that Paul McCartney could actually wirte good songs himself and as it's such a well known song crtics and people out there are always trying to find something to put Paul down with!
I think they should just accept it's his song instead of always trying to find new songs that sound slightly like it! quite stupid really!

Too true.
Funny, how it took 40+ years for anyone to make the connection on an Italian song that's been around for ages. I mean, weren't The Beatles popular in Italy? Or, with people versed in Italian music?
If only George had been so lucky with My Sweet Lord.

Yes, and the chorus to "Hey Jude" sounds uncannily like an ancient Visigoth tribal call.

Yes, and the chorus to "Hey Jude" sounds uncannily like an ancient Visigoth tribal call.

Of course John and Paul had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Visigoth culture.

I personally think this is just another lame attempt to extort money off of a former Beatle. Like George's "My Sweet Lord/He's So Fine" mixup.

Originally Posted by Everywhere Man

Of course John and Paul had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Visigoth culture.

I personally think this is just another lame attempt to extort money off of a former Beatle. Like George's "My Sweet Lord/He's So Fine" mixup.

It won't fly.

Originally Posted by Everywhere Man

Of course John and Paul had an encyclopaedic knowledge of Visigoth culture.

They were always caught reading books on that! They never put them down!

Nobody probably had recorded or even performed the Italian song until now. Somebody there should point out a record or broadcast young Paul had possibly listened to and 'copied' the song.

What's wrong with people who want to believe this?

Originally Posted by 62hofner

Yes, and the chorus to "Hey Jude" sounds uncannily like an ancient Visigoth tribal call.

RATFLMAO! Man, I just spewed coffee all over my keyboard on that one!

As to the hypothesis of the article, what a f**kin' crock. Yeah, John and Paul, they liked Elvis, Little Richard and Buddy Holly all right, but when it came to those Neapolitan folk songs, wow, they just couldn't get enough!

Yes, and the chorus to "Hey Jude" sounds uncannily like an ancient Visigoth tribal call.

I can imagine... Germania, 389 AD. The Roman Legionaires are marching through the forests anticipating an enemy attack. Suddenly they look up in fear as a hideous Visigoth Tribal Chant floats through the trees:

"Na, na na na na na naaa"