US single release: Yesterday

Although The Beatles chose not to release ‘Yesterday’ as a single in the UK, their US record label Capitol Records decided otherwise and released it with the b-side ‘Act Naturally’.

The single hit the charts by 29 September 1965, and from 9 October spent four weeks at number one. Altogether it spent 11 weeks on the charts, and sold over one million copies in the first five weeks.

Yesterday also became the most-played song on American radio for eight consecutive years, sealing its status as one of The Beatles’ most popular songs.