Who was yesterday written by?

Answer 1

There are two conflicting answers to this question, both attributed to Paul McCartney. He has been quoted as saying that he wrote it on tour in 1964. He has also claimed that he dreamed the melody in his sleep and upon waking, went to the piano next to his bed and played it so he wouldn't forget it. If the latter story is true, he probably wrote it at the home of Jane Asher, his one-time fiance, with whose family he lived in 1964. He has also said that he wrote "Yesterday" in two parts, first the melody, the the lyrics. For awhile, he only had "working lyrics" and called the song, "Scrambled Eggs". At what point he added the words is unclear, but in the interim he played the melody for friends to see if it sounded like another existing song as he did not want to be accused of plagarism (George Martin himself verifies this part of the story, saying McCartney seemed "sure he had unconsciously heard it somewhere, but I assured him he hadn't"). The song itself was not recorded until 1965. Richard Lester, who directed their movie, Help!, claims that he remembers Paul working on it during the filming, in the spring of 1965.

Answer 2

Paul McCartney and John Lennon.