Hier encore

"Hier encore", whose original French title translates as something like "Just yesterday" or "Not so long ago", is a song written by Charles Aznavour and released in September 1964.[1]

"Hier encore"
Song by Charles Aznavour
LanguageFrench, English, Italian, Spanish
Released1964
Recorded1964
GenreChanson
Songwriter(s)Charles Aznavour

History

It was subsequently released in English as "Yesterday, When I Was Young", in Italian as "Ieri Si", in Danish as "Hvor tiden går", in Japanese 帰り来ぬ青春 ("Kaeri Konu Seishun"), in Spanish as "Ayer aún", "Eilen kun mä tiennyt en" in Finnish, "Když jsem já byl tenkrát kluk" in Czech language and "Μόλις χθες" in Greek. It is considered one of Aznavour's greatest hits.

The English-language lyrics, written by Herbert Kretzmer, tell of a man reflecting on his life, recalling how he had wasted his younger years on hedonistic pursuits, and now that he is older, he is unable to do everything that he had planned; the lyrical implication is that the man may be close to his impending death.

Roy Clark version
"Yesterday When I Was Young"
Single by Roy Clark
from the album Yesterday When I Was Young
B-side"Just Another Man"
ReleasedMay 1969
RecordedJanuary 1969
GenreCountry
LabelDot 45-17246
Songwriter(s)Charles Aznavour and Georges Garvarentz
Herbert Kretzmer (English lyric)
Producer(s)Joe Allison
Roy Clark singles chronology
"Love is Just a State of Mind"
(1969)		 "Yesterday When I Was Young"
(1969)		 "September Song"
(1969)

In the United States, the best-known version was recorded by country musician Roy Clark. His version, under the English title "Yesterday When I Was Young," became his biggest hit up to that time on the Billboard Hot Country Singles chart, peaking at No. 9 in August 1969, and indeed, it became his only top 40 pop hit, peaking at No. 19. Clark performed the song at Mickey Mantle's funeral in 1995, at Mantle's personal request.[2] In Canada, the song reached number seven on the pop chart, number two on the country chart, and number one AC.

Chart performance
Chart (1969) Peak
position
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks 1
Canadian RPM Country Tracks 2
Canadian RPM Top Singles 7
France (IFOP)[3] 33
U.S. Billboard Easy Listening[4] 6
U.S. Billboard Hot Country Singles[5] 9
U.S. Billboard Hot 100 19

Other notable cover versions

Charles Aznavour performed this song with Patrick Bruel in a live performance. This version can be heard on Aznavour's 40 chansons d'or album.

Amanda Lear recorded her personal version for her 2001 album Heart.

The song has been performed and recorded by many international stars, such as Bing Crosby, Shirley Bassey, Dusty Springfield, Roy Clark, Mel Torme, Jack Jones, Lena Horne, Andy Williams, Bebe Buell, Jimmy Durante,[6] Bobby Bare, Al Martino, The Peanuts, Glen Campbell, Julio Iglesias, Tony Kenny, Eddy Mitchell, Dean Reed,[7] Johnny Mathis, Marc Almond, Patricia Kaas, Matt Monro, Lena Martell, Nora Aunor, Willie Nelson, Elina Duni, etc., and an uptempo version by Blossom Dearie. According to Billboard, more than 90 versions of the song were recorded before 1972.[8]

In 2008, Aznavour and Elton John performed "Yesterday When I Was Young" for Aznavour's Duos album.[9]

In 2020, Willie Nelson released a version on his album First Rose of Spring.

Charts
Charles Aznavour
Chart (1970–71) Peak
position
Holland 3
Belgium[10] 6
Tony Kenny
Chart (1974) Peak
position
Ireland (IRMA)[11] 12

See also

References
  1. Catalog of copyright entries - Volume 10, Part 1, Issue 1 - 1967, p. 232
  2. Falkner, David (December 14, 1995). "The Last Days of Mickey Mantle". Dallas Observer. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
  3. "Toutes les Chansons N° 1 des Années 70" (in French). InfoDisc. Retrieved 11 March 2019.
  4. Whitburn, Joel (2002). Top Adult Contemporary: 1961-2001. Record Research. p. 57.
  5. Whitburn, Joel (2004). The Billboard Book Of Top 40 Country Hits: 1944-2006, Second edition. Record Research. p. 81.
  6. Billboard 8 Jul 1972
  7. Porque yo te amo, SHS
  8. Billboard 8 Jul 1972
  9. Charles Aznavour & Elton John - Yesterday When I Was Young, UltraTop
  10. Song artist 689 - Charles Aznavour, TSORT
  11. "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Yesterday When I Was Young". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
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