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08 Jul 03 - 01:05 PM (#979129) Subject: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: GUEST,.gargoyle Excerpted from Times of LondonJuly 06, 2003
Experts claim Paul McCartney subconsciously took the melody for Yesterday from a popular 1950s composition. Music experts say Sir Paul McCartney subconsciously borrowed the melody of his classic ballad Yesterday from a Nat King Cole record.
The origins of Yesterday, which has been recorded by more than 2,000 artists and played on the radio more than six million times, has always been a mystery -- not least to McCartney himself.
Now musicologists have identified echoes of Answer Me, the 1953 U.K. hit for both Frankie Laine and David Whitfield, which was later covered by Cole.
They say the melodies, the rhythmic phrasing, the musical cadences and even the words strongly resemble each other.
They include: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay."
Answer Me has the lines: "Yesterday I believed that love was here to stay, won't you tell me where I've gone astray."
The similarity was spotted by Spencer Leigh, a pop historian who has interviewed McCartney on a program that he hosts on Radio Merseyside.
Leigh explored the links between the songs for a book about the Beatles called The Walrus was Ringo.
Dominic Pedler, who deconstructs songs to show how musicians came to write them, supports the Answer Me theory in his forthcoming book, The Songwriting Secrets of the Beatles.
"There are some uncanny similarities: the overlap of lyrics, the multiple rhyming emphasis on words ending with 'ay,' the similar scan of the songs," he said.
"McCartney didn't hijack the song, but he must have been inspired by it."
None of the other Beatles played during the song and would leave McCartney to perform it alone on stage.
Released as a single in the United States it immediately went to Number One.
Sincerely, |
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08 Jul 03 - 01:07 PM (#979130) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Clinton Hammond So? |
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08 Jul 03 - 01:19 PM (#979134) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: X So?! Because he owes some people some money. |
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08 Jul 03 - 01:28 PM (#979137) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Clinton Hammond Isn't he dead? No... wait... that's just his career... whatever... |
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08 Jul 03 - 02:24 PM (#979166) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Cool Beans Cheez Louise! You want to sue over who owes whom for rhyming day and stay? Somebody send a check to Ira Gershwin's estate: It's very clear/Our love is here to stay/ Mot for a year/ But ever and a day... |
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08 Jul 03 - 02:29 PM (#979172) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: greg stephens Wow, shock horror, I shall certainly reappraise the position of the Beatles in pop music history. Still, at least they were the first band to have hairstyles and jackets. |
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08 Jul 03 - 02:43 PM (#979180) Subject: ADDPOP: Answer Me My Love From: Joe Offer I suppose there are some similarities, but I don't think either the tune or lyrics is close enough to "Yesterday" to warrant a charge of plagiarism. I really like the Nat "King" Cole recording. Lyrics found at Lyrics World. Answer Me (My Love) -Artist: Nat King Cole -peak Billboard position # 6 in 1954 -English Words by Carl Sigman and Music by Gerhard Winkler Answer me, oh, my love Just what sin have I been guilty of? Tell me how I came to lose your love Please answer me, sweetheart You were mine yesterday I believed that love was here to stay Won't you tell me where I've gone astray? Please answer me, my love If you're happier without me I'll try not to care But if you still think about me Please listen to my prayer You must know I've been true Won't you say that we can start anew? In my sorrow now I turn to you Please answer me, my love (If you're happier without me) (I'll try not to care) But if you still think about me Please listen to my prayer You must know (you must know)I've been true (I've been true) Won't you say that we can start anew? In my sorrow now I turn to you Please answer me, my love Answer me, my love Original lyrics were by Fred Rauch - I imagine it must have been in German. Anybody got 'em? -Joe Offer- |
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08 Jul 03 - 03:38 PM (#979218) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: McGrath of Harlow The good thing about folk song is that we've always recognised that songs can change, and grow, and give birth to other songs, without this implying sharp practice. "The love of money is the root of all evil." |
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08 Jul 03 - 03:55 PM (#979229) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: X "Not having money is the root of all evil." ;o) |
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08 Jul 03 - 06:24 PM (#979311) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Peter T. This is ridiculous, the songs are nothing like each other. "Answer Me" is one of Cole's best known songs, and has a completely different style and shape, emphasis and everything. For real plagiarism, try George Harrison's "Something", whose first line is a direct, clear, steal from James Taylor's Something In the Way She Moves (an Apple artist at the time), and known to be such. yours, Peter T. |
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08 Jul 03 - 06:39 PM (#979322) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Art Thieme Oh, who the hell gives a flying turd? It just doesn't matter. |
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08 Jul 03 - 07:08 PM (#979339) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: harvey andrews Peter T and Art......agreed! |
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08 Jul 03 - 07:30 PM (#979356) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Peter T. Always. yours, Peter T. |
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08 Jul 03 - 10:36 PM (#979449) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: M.Ted I heard the song, to say that there is no similarity is an understatement--the original German song was apparently titled "Answer Me, My Lord", and was re-written, since "Lord" songs were not then played on the radio-- |
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09 Jul 03 - 05:48 AM (#979606) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: Dave Bryant The most distinctive thing about "Yesterday" is it's melody - which bears absolutely no similarity to that of "Answer Me". Yes McCartney might have (subconciously or otherwise) borrowed two lines of lyrics, but as the phrasing and emphasis is so different, I think even that's unlikely. Now if we start looking at Folk Songs . . . . . . . . |
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09 Jul 03 - 06:00 AM (#979611) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: GUEST Interesting.... |
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09 Jul 03 - 06:34 AM (#979630) Subject: RE: McCartney - Lifted Lyrics? From: IanC ... GUEST - I think the drift of the above is that it's not. ;-) |