Yesterday (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack album to the 2019 film Yesterday, directed by Danny Boyle. It was released through Capitol Records on 21 June 2019. The soundtrack consists of 27 tracks, predominantly cover versions of Beatles songs performed by actor Himesh Patel (who portrays the lead character, Jack Malik) and Lily James, along with instrumental cues composed by Daniel Pemberton.
Background
The film features numerous Beatles songs performed by Patel, with Adem Ilhan serving as the film's music supervisor. To license the Beatles' discography, the producers reportedly spent nearly $10 million to acquire rights from Apple Records and Sony/ATV Music Publishing. Daniel Pemberton composed the incidental music—his second collaboration with Boyle after Steve Jobs (2015). Pemberton recorded for three to four weeks during mid-2018 at Abbey Road Studios, where the Beatles recorded most of their original songs. He used the Mrs. Mills piano (used by the Beatles on "Lady Madonna") and placed tea towels over drums "to give them Ringo's very distinctive dampened sound."
Track Listing
The album contains 27 tracks (total length: 56:18), including:
- "Yesterday" (film version, live at Abbey Road Studios) – Himesh Patel
- "Summer Song" (film version, live at Abbey Road Studios) – Himesh Patel
- "I Saw Her Standing There" (Tracks on the Tracks sessions) – Himesh Patel
- "Something" (from the album One Man Only) – Himesh Patel
- "Let It Be" (from the album One Man Only) – Himesh Patel
- "Here Comes the Sun" (from the album One Man Only) – Himesh Patel
- "Hey Jude" (from the album One Man Only) – Himesh Patel
- "All You Need Is Love" (live at Wembley) – Himesh Patel
- "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (live at Cleves School) – Himesh Patel
- "The Long and Winding Road" (recorded backstage) – Himesh Patel
The album also includes six instrumental interludes composed by Daniel Pemberton. Two original songs performed by Ed Sheeran in the film—"One Life" and "Penguins"—do not appear on the soundtrack.
Chart Performance
The soundtrack charted in several international markets:
| Chart (2019–2021) | Peak Position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA) | 14 |
| Portuguese Albums (AFP) | 26 |
| Scottish Albums (OCC) | 12 |
| Spanish Albums (Promusicae) | 78 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade) | 100 |
| UK Albums (OCC) | 40 |
| UK Soundtrack Albums (OCC) | 2 |
Reception
Marcy Donelson of AllMusic wrote that "for the most part, Patel and the music department accomplish what they set out to do here, but in a world where the Beatles recordings do exist, nearly an hour of middle-of-the-road Beatles covers is the domain of die-hard Patel fans." Celine Teo-Blockey of Under the Radar rated the album 5/10, remarking that "when one gets home from the movie theatre, surely it's the original Fab Four that's going on the stereo or streaming device and not this soundtrack." Megan Sagar of Umusic called it "a delightful tribute to The Beatles discography."
Accolades
The soundtrack received nominations at the Hollywood Music in Media Awards (Outstanding Music Supervision – Film and Best Soundtrack Album), the St. Louis Film Critics Association (Best Soundtrack), and the World Soundtrack Awards (Film Composer of the Year for Daniel Pemberton).
