‘Yesterday’ Prompts US Chart Revival For Five Beatles Classics

The US release of the new film Yesterday has prompted the reappearance of five classic Beatles tracks on Billboard’s Hot Rock Songs chart. The magazine reports that according to Nielsen Music data, the film’s 28 June theatrical release was followed by a 26% improvement in equivalent album units of Beatles music in the 28 June-4 July tracking week, totalling 54,000.

The Hot Rock Songs chart dated 13 July has ‘Here Comes The Sun’ at No. 9, with 3.8 million streams in the US and 2,000 downloads. ‘Let It Be’ is at No. 12 with 2.8m streams and 2,000 downloads. ‘Yesterday’ re-enters at No. 14 (2.3m streams, 2,000 downloads); ‘Hey Jude’ stands at No. 16 (2.4m streams, 2,000 downloads); and ‘Come Together’ at No. 17 (2.7m streams, 1,000 downloads).

‘Here Comes The Sun’ thus becomes The Beatles’ first-ever top ten title on the Hot Rock Songs chart, which was introduced by Billboard in 2009. The Abbey Road track had previously reached No. 14 in 2017, the same peak achieved by ‘Come Together’ the year before. The news comes 50 years to the week since ‘Here Comes The Sun’ was being recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

Yesterday star Himesh Patel’s own version of the title track ballad itself enters Hot Rock Songs at No. 37, and Rock Digital Song Sales at No. 4. The Beatles’ original of ‘Yesterday’ is at No. 14, one of their four titles on that survey.

Nielsen also reports that The Beatles’ catalogue was streamed 51.2 million times in the chart week via on-demand services. That’s a rise of 17% week-on-week. Digital downloads of 35,000 represented a rise of 40%.

The group’s 1 compilation, one of the biggest-selling albums of the 21st century, climbs 9-4 on Top Rock Albums and is up 60-43 on the Billboard 200. The retrospective is in its 375th week on the latter chart. 1 is also up 38-26 on the Official Charts Company’s UK album chart.

The Yesterday soundtrack can be bought here.

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