Jump to content

Yes (McAlmont & Butler song): Difference between revisions

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Corrected citation
m Reverted 1 edit by 82.42.232.186 (talk) to last revision by ResolutionsPerMinute
 
(41 intermediate revisions by 21 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|1995 single by McAlmont & Butler}}
{{Infobox single <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Songs -->
{{Use British English|date=January 2014}}
| Name = Yes
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2014}}
| Cover = McAlmontandButlerYes.jpg
{{Infobox song
| Border =
| Alt =
| name = Yes
| Caption =
| cover = McAlmontandButlerYes.jpg
| Artist = [[McAlmont and Butler]]
| alt =
| Album = [[The Sound of McAlmont and Butler]]
| type = single
| A-side =
| artist = [[McAlmont & Butler]]
| B-side =
| album = [[The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler]]
| Released = 15 May 1995
| B-side =
* "Don't Call It Soul"
| Format = [[compact disc|CD]]
* "How About You?"
| Recorded = 1995
* "What's the Excuse This Time?"
| Genre = [[pop music|pop]], [[neo soul]]
* "Disappointment"
| Length = 4:53, 4:00 (edit)
| released = {{start date|1995|5|15|df=y}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1995/Music-Week-1995-05-13.pdf|title=New Releases: Singles|magazine=[[Music Week]]|page=39|date=13 May 1995|access-date=4 June 2021}}</ref>
| Label = [[Hut Records|Hut]]
| recorded =
| Writer = [[David McAlmont]] & [[Bernard Butler]]
| studio =
| Producer = Bernard Butler & [[Mike Hedges]]
| venue =
| Certification =
| Chronology =
| genre = [[Soul music|Soul]]
| Last single =
| length =
* 4:53 (full version)
| This single = "'''Yes'''"<br />(1995)
* 4:00 (edit)
| Next single = "[[You Do]]"<br />(1995)
| Misc =
| label = [[Hut Records|Hut]]
| writer =
* [[David McAlmont]]
* [[Bernard Butler]]
| producer =
* Bernard Butler
* [[Mike Hedges]]
| next_title = [[You Do]]
| next_year = 1995
| misc = {{External music video|header=Audio|{{YouTube|vltxC9ljJqA|"Yes"}}}}
}}
}}
"'''Yes'''" is the debut single of English music duo [[McAlmont & Butler]], released on 15 May 1995 and later included on their debut album, ''[[The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler]]''. The [[soul ballad]]<ref name="masterton">{{cite web|url=https://chart-watch.uk/archives/1995/week-ending-may-27th-1995|title=Week Ending May 27th 1995|last=Masterton|first=James|author-link=James Masterton|publisher=Chart Watch UK|date=21 May 1995|access-date=10 March 2021}}</ref> was their first UK hit, peaking at number eight on the [[UK Singles Chart]], and remains their most successful single, selling over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom to earn a silver sales [[Music recording certification|certification]]. The song also charted in Ireland, reaching number 24, and in New Zealand, peaking at number 40. British magazine ''[[NME]]'' ranked the song at number 174 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2014.


==Background==
"'''Yes'''" is the debut single by [[McAlmont and Butler]], released in May 1995 and later included on their debut album ''[[The Sound of McAlmont and Butler]]''. It was their first UK hit, written and performed by the duo and peaked at number 8 on the [[UK singles chart]].<ref>[http://www.chartstats.com/songinfo.php?id=23003 "Chart Stats"].</ref> It remains their most successful single.
[[Bernard Butler]] had departed from [[Suede (band)|Suede]] in acrimonious circumstances. In 2013, Butler spoke to ''[[NME]]'' about the song's genesis:


{{Quote|"It was the first piece of music I wrote after I left Suede. I wrote it as an instrumental. Everything was in place, but it didn't have the voice... Everything I'd done in the past six months had been really dark. I'd come out of a very sad situation and lost a lot of friends, so it was a very liberating song."<ref>{{cite news|title=The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs|website=[[NME]]|publisher=[[IPC Media]]|page=34|location=London, England|date=11 May 2013}}</ref>}}
Both McAlmont and Butler had recently departed from their previous bands in acrimonious circumstances (McAlmont from [[Thieves (band)|Thieves]], Butler from [[Suede (band)|Suede]]), and the lyrics of the song were a thinly-disguised attack on their former colleagues. In 2013 Bernard Butler spoke to ''[[NME]]'' about the song's genesis:


Butler made demo recordings of the music used in the song with [[Julianne Regan]], formerly of [[All About Eve (band)|All About Eve]], singing alternate lyrics. The demo tape is attributed to an act called "Mrs Decorating Bike" with the song titled "What the girl should do?" on the tape.<ref name="vintage-alternative-decorating-bike">{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gE0COhKyugQ|title=Why Are Bernard Butler & & Julianne Regan "Mrs Decorating Bike"? Rare 90s Demo}}</ref> This demos surfaced online in 2023 and were acknowledged by Regan on her twitter account.<ref name="julianne-regan-twitter">{{cite tweet |number=1720191368251720111 |user=msjulianneregan |url=https://twitter.com/msjulianneregan/status/1720191368251720111|title=Well this is interesting |date=2 Nov 2023}}</ref>
{{Quote|"It was the first piece of music I wrote after I left Suede. I wrote it as an instrumental. Everything was in place, but it didn't have the voice... Everything I'd done in the past six months had been really dark. I'd come out of a very sad situation and lost a lot of friends, so it was a very liberating song. I met David at [[the Jazz Café]] in [[Camden Town|Camden]] and said, 'I've got this song, do you want to try it out?' He came back to me two days later and sang the first verse. He had no second verse, so I just said 'Sing the first one again'... I wanted it to be like a great piece of '60s vinyl."<ref>{{cite news |title=The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs |newspaper=[[NME]] |publisher=[[IPC Media]] |location=London, England |page=34 |date=11 May 2013}}</ref>}}

[[David McAlmont]] had departed his previous band, [[Thieves (band)|Thieves]], at around the same time that Butler had left Suede. Butler described to the ''NME'' how they met:

{{Quote|"I met David at [[the Jazz Café]] in [[Camden Town|Camden]] and said, 'I've got this song, do you want to try it out?' He came back to me two days later and sang the first verse. He had no second verse, so I just said 'Sing the first one again'... I wanted it to be like a great piece of '60s vinyl."<ref>{{cite news|title=The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs|website=[[NME]]|publisher=[[IPC Media]]|page=34|location=London, England|date=11 May 2013}}</ref>}}

The song was recorded utilising the [[Wall of Sound]] technique,<ref name="corcoran">{{cite web|url=https://albumism.com/features/mcalmont-butler-debut-album-the-sound-of-mcalmont-butler-turns-25-anniversary-retrospective|title=McAlmont & Butler's Debut Album 'The Sound of McAlmont & Butler' Turns 25 {{!}} Anniversary Retrospective|last=Corcoran|first=Patrick|publisher=Albumism|date=26 November 2020|access-date=13 November 2022}}</ref> and the lyrics of the song are a thinly disguised attack on their former colleagues.

==Critical reception==
Reviewing the song in his weekly UK chart column, [[James Masterton]] wrote that McAlmont "sings like an angel" and described the song as "the most utterly wonderful records you have heard in ages".<ref name="masterton"/> In a retrospective review, Patrick Corcoran of music website Albumism called McAlmont's vocal performance on the song "incredible" and noted that "Yes" is "perhaps, one of the most joyously uplifting songs of all time".<ref name="corcoran"/> In 2014, ''NME'' ranked the song at number 174 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".<ref>{{cite magazine|last1=Barker|first1=Emily|title=500 Greatest Songs of All Time|url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-songs-of-all-time-200-101-1421780|magazine=NME|date=31 January 2014|access-date=22 December 2016}}</ref>


==Track listings==
==Track listings==
'''UK CD1 and European CD single'''<ref name="ukcd1">{{cite AV media notes|title=Yes|others=[[McAlmont & Butler]]|year=1995|type=UK CD1 liner notes|publisher=[[Hut Records]]|id=HUTDG53, 7243 8 92911 2 4}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Yes|others=McAlmont & Butler|year=1995|type=European CD single liner notes|publisher=Hut Records|id=HUTCD 53, 7243 8 92926 2 6}}</ref>
===CD1===
# "Yes" (Full Version) – 4:53
# "Yes" (edit) – 4:00
# "Don't Call It Soul" – 3:56
# "How About You?" – 5:49

'''UK CD2'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Yes|others=McAlmont & Butler|year=1995|type=UK CD2 liner notes|publisher=Hut Records|id=HUTDX53, 7243 8 92910 2 5}}</ref>
# "Yes" (full version) – 4:53
# "What's the Excuse This Time?" – 5:07
# "What's the Excuse This Time?" – 5:07
# "Disappointment" – 7:32
# "Disappointment" – 7:32


'''UK cassette single'''<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Yes|others=McAlmont & Butler|year=1995|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Hut Records|id=HUTC 53}}</ref>
===CD2===
# "Yes" (Edit) – 4:00
# "Yes" (edit) – 4:00
# "Don't Call It Soul" – 3:57
# "Don't Call It Soul" – 3:56
* Another UK cassette was issued including "How About You?" as a bonus track.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|title=Yes|others=McAlmont & Butler|year=1995|type=UK cassette single sleeve|publisher=Hut Records|id=HUTC 53, 7243 8 92910 4 9}}</ref>
# "How About You?" – 5:49

==Credits and personnel==
Credits are taken from the UK CD1 liner notes.<ref name="ukcd1"/>

'''Studio'''
* Engineered at Chateau de la Rouge Motte ([[Normandy]], France)

'''Personnel'''
{{div col}}
* David McAlmont – writing, vocals
* Bernard Butler – writing, guitars, "things", string arrangement, production
* Makoto Sakamoto – drums
* Gini Ball – violin
* Jote Osahn – violin
* Anne Stephenson – violin
* Johnny Taylor – violin
* Claire Orsler – viola
* [[Jocelyn Pook|Joss Pook]] – viola
* Billy McGhee – string arrangement
* [[Mike Hedges]] – production
* Ian Grimble – engineering
{{div col end}}

==Charts==
{|class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
!Chart (1995)
!Peak<br/>position
|-
!scope="row"|Europe ([[European Hot 100 Singles|Eurochart Hot 100]])<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-and-Media/90s/1995/MM-1995-06-10.pdf|title=Eurochart Hot 100 Singles|magazine=[[Music & Media]]|volume=12|issue=23|page=19|date=10 June 1995|access-date=6 April 2020}}</ref>
|39
|-
{{single chart|Ireland2|24|artist=Mc Almont and Butler|rowheader=true|access-date=18 July 2019 2019}}
|-
{{single chart|New Zealand|40|artist=McAlmont & Butler|song=Yes|rowheader=true|access-date=26 April 2019}}
|-
{{single chart|Scotland|5|date=19950603|rowheader=true|access-date=26 April 2019}}
|-
{{single chart|UK|8|date=19950603|rowheader=true|access-date=26 April 2019}}
|}

==Sales and certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=single|artist=McAlmont & Butler|title=Yes|award=Silver|relyear=1995|certyear=2020|id=8379-162-1|access-date=17 July 2020}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|noshipments=true|streaming=true}}


==References==
==References==
{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{Authority control}}
[[Category:1995 singles]]
[[Category:Songs written by Bernard Butler]]


{{DEFAULTSORT:Yes (McAlmont and Butler song)}}
{{1990s-single-stub}}
[[Category:1990s ballads]]
[[Category:1995 songs]]
[[Category:1995 debut singles]]
[[Category:Hut Records singles]]
[[Category:Song recordings produced by Mike Hedges]]
[[Category:Song recordings with Wall of Sound arrangements]]
[[Category:Songs written by Bernard Butler]]
[[Category:Songs written by David McAlmont]]
[[Category:Soul ballads]]

Latest revision as of 18:17, 17 May 2024

"Yes"
Single by McAlmont & Butler
from the album The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler
B-side
  • "Don't Call It Soul"
  • "How About You?"
  • "What's the Excuse This Time?"
  • "Disappointment"
Released15 May 1995 (1995-05-15)[1]
GenreSoul
Length
  • 4:53 (full version)
  • 4:00 (edit)
LabelHut
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
McAlmont & Butler singles chronology
"Yes"
(1995) 		"You Do"
(1995)
Audio
"Yes" on YouTube

"Yes" is the debut single of English music duo McAlmont & Butler, released on 15 May 1995 and later included on their debut album, The Sound Of... McAlmont & Butler. The soul ballad[2] was their first UK hit, peaking at number eight on the UK Singles Chart, and remains their most successful single, selling over 200,000 copies in the United Kingdom to earn a silver sales certification. The song also charted in Ireland, reaching number 24, and in New Zealand, peaking at number 40. British magazine NME ranked the song at number 174 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time" in 2014.

Background

[edit]

Bernard Butler had departed from Suede in acrimonious circumstances. In 2013, Butler spoke to NME about the song's genesis:

"It was the first piece of music I wrote after I left Suede. I wrote it as an instrumental. Everything was in place, but it didn't have the voice... Everything I'd done in the past six months had been really dark. I'd come out of a very sad situation and lost a lot of friends, so it was a very liberating song."[3]

Butler made demo recordings of the music used in the song with Julianne Regan, formerly of All About Eve, singing alternate lyrics. The demo tape is attributed to an act called "Mrs Decorating Bike" with the song titled "What the girl should do?" on the tape.[4] This demos surfaced online in 2023 and were acknowledged by Regan on her twitter account.[5]

David McAlmont had departed his previous band, Thieves, at around the same time that Butler had left Suede. Butler described to the NME how they met:

"I met David at the Jazz Café in Camden and said, 'I've got this song, do you want to try it out?' He came back to me two days later and sang the first verse. He had no second verse, so I just said 'Sing the first one again'... I wanted it to be like a great piece of '60s vinyl."[6]

The song was recorded utilising the Wall of Sound technique,[7] and the lyrics of the song are a thinly disguised attack on their former colleagues.

Critical reception

[edit]

Reviewing the song in his weekly UK chart column, James Masterton wrote that McAlmont "sings like an angel" and described the song as "the most utterly wonderful records you have heard in ages".[2] In a retrospective review, Patrick Corcoran of music website Albumism called McAlmont's vocal performance on the song "incredible" and noted that "Yes" is "perhaps, one of the most joyously uplifting songs of all time".[7] In 2014, NME ranked the song at number 174 on its list of the "500 Greatest Songs of All Time".[8]

Track listings

[edit]

UK CD1 and European CD single[9][10]

  1. "Yes" (edit) – 4:00
  2. "Don't Call It Soul" – 3:56
  3. "How About You?" – 5:49

UK CD2[11]

  1. "Yes" (full version) – 4:53
  2. "What's the Excuse This Time?" – 5:07
  3. "Disappointment" – 7:32

UK cassette single[12]

  1. "Yes" (edit) – 4:00
  2. "Don't Call It Soul" – 3:56
  • Another UK cassette was issued including "How About You?" as a bonus track.[13]

Credits and personnel

[edit]

Credits are taken from the UK CD1 liner notes.[9]

Studio

  • Engineered at Chateau de la Rouge Motte (Normandy, France)

Personnel

  • David McAlmont – writing, vocals
  • Bernard Butler – writing, guitars, "things", string arrangement, production
  • Makoto Sakamoto – drums
  • Gini Ball – violin
  • Jote Osahn – violin
  • Anne Stephenson – violin
  • Johnny Taylor – violin
  • Claire Orsler – viola
  • Joss Pook – viola
  • Billy McGhee – string arrangement
  • Mike Hedges – production
  • Ian Grimble – engineering

Charts

[edit]
Chart (1995) Peak
position
Europe (Eurochart Hot 100)[14] 39
Ireland (IRMA)[15] 24
New Zealand (Recorded Music NZ)[16] 40
Scotland (OCC)[17] 5
UK Singles (OCC)[18] 8

Sales and certifications

[edit]
Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[19] Silver 200,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "New Releases: Singles" (PDF). Music Week. 13 May 1995. p. 39. Retrieved 4 June 2021.
  2. ^ a b Masterton, James (21 May 1995). "Week Ending May 27th 1995". Chart Watch UK. Retrieved 10 March 2021.
  3. ^ "The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs". NME. London, England: IPC Media. 11 May 2013. p. 34.
  4. ^ Why Are Bernard Butler & & Julianne Regan "Mrs Decorating Bike"? Rare 90s Demo.
  5. ^ @msjulianneregan (2 November 2023). "Well this is interesting" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  6. ^ "The 100 Greatest Britpop Songs". NME. London, England: IPC Media. 11 May 2013. p. 34.
  7. ^ a b Corcoran, Patrick (26 November 2020). "McAlmont & Butler's Debut Album 'The Sound of McAlmont & Butler' Turns 25 | Anniversary Retrospective". Albumism. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
  8. ^ Barker, Emily (31 January 2014). "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". NME. Retrieved 22 December 2016.
  9. ^ a b Yes (UK CD1 liner notes). McAlmont & Butler. Hut Records. 1995. HUTDG53, 7243 8 92911 2 4.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  10. ^ Yes (European CD single liner notes). McAlmont & Butler. Hut Records. 1995. HUTCD 53, 7243 8 92926 2 6.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  11. ^ Yes (UK CD2 liner notes). McAlmont & Butler. Hut Records. 1995. HUTDX53, 7243 8 92910 2 5.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  12. ^ Yes (UK cassette single sleeve). McAlmont & Butler. Hut Records. 1995. HUTC 53.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  13. ^ Yes (UK cassette single sleeve). McAlmont & Butler. Hut Records. 1995. HUTC 53, 7243 8 92910 4 9.{{cite AV media notes}}: CS1 maint: others in cite AV media (notes) (link)
  14. ^ "Eurochart Hot 100 Singles" (PDF). Music & Media. Vol. 12, no. 23. 10 June 1995. p. 19. Retrieved 6 April 2020.
  15. ^ "The Irish Charts – Search Results – Mc Almont and Butler". Irish Singles Chart. Retrieved 18 July 2019 2019.
  16. ^ "McAlmont & Butler – Yes". Top 40 Singles. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  17. ^ "Official Scottish Singles Sales Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  19. ^ "British single certifications – McAlmont & Butler – Yes". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Yes_(McAlmont_%26_Butler_song)&oldid=1224327062"