Yesterday Man

{{Infobox song

| name = Yesterday Man

| cover = Yesterday_Man_-_Chris_Andrews.jpg

| alt =

| type = single

| artist = Chris Andrews

| album =

| B-side = Too Bad You Don't Want Me

| released = 17 September 1965

| recorded =

| studio =

| venue =

| genre = {{flatlist|

• Pop
• ska
• reggae

}}

| length = 2'20"

| label = Decca F11536

| writer = Chris Andrews

| producer = Ken Woodman

| prev_title = Someone's Taken Maria Away

| prev_year = 6.1965

| next_title = To Whom It Concerns

| next_year = 11.1965

| misc = {{External music video|header=Performance video|{{YouTube|euWl-La-4YU|"Yesterday Man" on Beat Club}}}}

}}

"Yesterday Man" is a song written by Chris Andrews and was his first single as a solo singer, released on 17 September 1965.{{Cite magazine|date=October 1965 |title=Chris Writes Two More - For Himself |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Beat-Instrumental/6510-Beat-Instrumental-1965-10-OCR.pdf |magazine=Beat Instrumental |issue=10 |page=25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240614031742/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Beat-Instrumental/6510-Beat-Instrumental-1965-10-OCR.pdf |archive-date=14 June 2024 |access-date=17 February 2025 |via=WorldRadioHistory}}{{Cite magazine |date=13 November 1965 |title=Stones, Chris Andrews Win Silver Discs |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Disc/1965/Disc-1965-11-13.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520095652/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Disc/1965/Disc-1965-11-13.pdf |archive-date=20 May 2024 |access-date=17 February 2025 |magazine=Disc Weekly |page=5 |via=WorldRadioHistory}} It climbed to No. 3 in the UK Singles Chart,{{cite book

|first= David

|last= Roberts

|year= 2006

|title= British Hit Singles & Albums

|edition= 19th

|publisher= Guinness World Records Limited

|location= London

|isbn= 1-904994-10-5

|page= 24}} and No. 1 in Ireland, New Zealand, Germany and Austria.{{cite web|author=Steffen Hung |url=http://austriancharts.at/showitem.asp?interpret=Chris+Andrews&titel=Yesterday+Man&cat=s |title=Chris Andrews - Yesterday Man |website=Austriancharts.at |access-date=2016-09-29}} In England it sold 20,000 copies in its first day.{{cite magazine |last1=Andreson |first1=Omer |title=Music Capitals of the World |magazine=Billboard |date=11 December 1965 |volume=77 |issue=50 |page=28 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7iIEAAAAMBAJ&dq=yesterday+man+chris+andrews&pg=PA28 |access-date=6 December 2022}} After a visit to England in September 1965, Jerry Wexler made a deal for Atco Records to release the single in the United States.{{cite magazine |title=Atl. to Release Andrews' Hit |magazine=Billboard |date=30 October 1965 |volume=77 |issue=44 |page=6 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=yesterday+man+chris+andrews&pg=PA7 |access-date=6 December 2022}} In the US, it reached No. 94 in 1966. The Cash Box trade paper reported in its 5 February 1966 issue that it had passed 300,000 sales in Germany alone, and later over 800,000 as a final tally in that country (28 May 1966). Additionally, Andrews was awarded a silver disc for 250,000 sales of the single in the UK.{{Cite magazine |date=13 November 1965 |title=Stones, Chris Andrews Win Silver Discs |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Disc/1965/Disc-1965-11-13.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240520095652/https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Disc/1965/Disc-1965-11-13.pdf |archive-date=20 May 2024 |access-date=17 February 2025 |magazine=Disc Weekly |page=5 |via=WorldRadioHistory}}

In a contemporary review of the song, the Evening Sentinel wrote how: "Why write hits for Adam and Sandie all the time? says Andrews and sounds quite good on his own", further deeming it to be "Blue-beatish and good."{{cite journal |last1=Farmer |first1=Bob |title=The Groove |journal=Evening Sentinel |date=2 October 1965 |page=4 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/867368319/?terms=chris%20andrews%20yesterday%20man&match=1 |access-date=6 December 2022}} In 2014, Spin included the song in their list of "25 Major Moments in White Reggae History"; in the accompanying write-up, writer Chris Martins deemed it "the birth of White Reggae" and highlighted how the song "made [Andrews'] heart pitter and patter to an island riddim".{{cite web |last1=Martins |first1=Chris |title=Rude Awakening: 25 Major Moments in White Reggae History |url=https://www.spin.com/2014/12/25-major-moments-white-reggae-history-rude-magic/141219-white-reggae/ |website=Spin |access-date=1 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200127035547/https://www.spin.com/2014/12/25-major-moments-white-reggae-history-rude-magic/141219-white-reggae/ |archive-date=27 January 2020 |page=2 |date=19 December 2014 |quote=Behold, the birth of White Reggae. This young, kempt Caucasian was writing songs for the likes of future Moz fave Sandie Shaw and American upstarts the Mamas & the Papas when he composed this number that made his English heart pitter and patter to an island riddim. "Yesterday Man" hit No. 3 in the U.K., despite the confusion written on the faces of all those pale folks above, and their general lack of groove.}} Mario Villanueva of The Greenville News included the song in a list of twelve exemplary "cod-reggae" songs.{{cite journal |last1=Villanueva |first1=Mario |title=Mix of the Week |journal=The Greenville News |date=17 April 2007 |page=75 |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/195939657/?terms=chris%20andrews%20yesterday%20man&match=1 |access-date=6 December 2022}}

Reggae Mint of UDiscover Music wrote that the "ska-styled solo hit" was a musical predecessor to the Beatles' song "Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da" (1968).{{cite web |last1=Mint |first1=Reggae |title=One Love: How Reggae Music Inspired The World |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/in-depth-features/one-love-reggae-music-inspired-world/ |website=uDiscoverMusic |date=July 2022 |access-date=1 December 2022 |quote=...in terms of musical style, “Oh-Bla-Di, Oh-Bla-Da” was similar to “Yesterday Man,” the 1965 ska-styled solo hit by Chris Andrews, the musical brains behind Sandie Shaw’s career.}} Andrews' brass-heavy hit was also a partial inspiration for the oom-pah arrangement written by Johnny Marr for the Smiths' song "Frankly Mr. Shankly" (1986).{{cite book |last1=Rogan |first1=Johnny |title=Morrissey & Marr: The Severed Alliance |date=2012 |publisher=Omnibus Press |location=London |isbn=9780857127822 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SHX_AgAAQBAJ&dq=chris+andrews+yesterday+man&pg=PT566 |access-date=8 December 2022 |chapter=The Queen Is Dead}}

A German-language version was also recorded.{{cite magazine |last1=Hutchins |first1=Chris |title=Music Capitals of the World |magazine=Billboard |date=30 October 1965 |volume=77 |issue=44 |page=24 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aSkEAAAAMBAJ&dq=yesterday+man+chris+andrews&pg=PA7 |access-date=6 December 2022}} Named "Alles tuʼ ich für dich", it was released on the label Deutsche Vogue.