The Beatles have been disbanded for decades by now, but former member Paul McCartney has shared the real meaning of one of their biggest hits and how it might not be what you think

Paul McCartney has shared the real meaning of one of the Beatles’ most well-known songs – and it is not about what you might think.

Yesterday, was a huge hit for the four-piece Scouse band when it was first released in 1965. The song shot to No1 on the American Billboard charts and caused Beatle-mania to reach the States, propelling the cheeky chaps into household names internationally.

Since then, the song has earned the prestigious title of being one of the most recorded songs in pop history, amassing over 2,000 different cover versions of the song. The song was also the basis for a film directed by Danny Boyle that uses The Beatles’ music extensively throughout.

But in a recent interview, Paul has now revealed the secret meaning behind the song that no one else had known about. While the song in general refers to the breakdown of a relationship, the real meaning is a lot more touching and personal to McCartney.

Explaining the line “I said something wrong, now I long for yesterday”, Paul admitted that this was in reference to a conversation he had with his mother prior to writing the song. Reflecting on the lyrics, he said: “Sometimes, it’s only in retrospect you can appreciate it.”

Speaking on his A Life in Lyrics podcast, Paul did a deep dive on the song and recalled how the song had come about, together with co-writer John Lennon. He said: “I remember very clearly one day feeling very embarrassed because I embarrassed my mum.”

As he recalled, Paul had corrected his mum’s pronunciation of a word, which had caused her to be red-faced. “She would talk what we thought was a little bit posh,” Paul explained.

He continued: “I know that she said something like, ‘Paul, will you ask him if he’s going?’ and I went, ‘Arsk?! Arsk! It’s ask, mum! And she got a little bit embarrassed.

“I remember later thinking, ‘God, I wish I’d never said that’. And it stuck with me – after she died, I thought, ‘Oh f**k, I really wish I didn’t say that.”

Up until now, many believed that the song’s entire meaning was based on the breakdown of a close relationship. However, with Paul’s new interpretation, the song now has two different stories to tell.

Paul himself added that he had gotten swept up in the belief that the song was about a couple deciding to call time on their relationship. “When she died, I did wonder, ‘I said something wrong’ – are we harking back to that crazy little thing,” Paul said.

“So I don’t know. Does this happen? Do you find yourself unconsciously putting songs into girl lyrics (about a lost love) that are really your dead mother? I suspect it might be true. It sort of fits, if you look at the lyrics.”