"Yesterday" | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|
Single by Toni Braxton | ||||
from the album Pulse | ||||
Released | September 29, 2009 | |||
Format | ||||
Genre | ||||
Length | 3:48 | |||
Label | Atlantic | |||
Writer(s) |
|
|||
Producer(s) | DJ Frank E | |||
Toni Braxton singles chronology | ||||
|
"Yesterday" is a song by American R&B singer–songwriter Toni Braxton. The track is the lead single from her album, Pulse, released on May 4, 2010.Trey Songz appears on the American version released to radio, "Troy Taylor Radio Edit". Outside North America, the original version of the song was released, which features only Braxton's vocals.
The song was a moderate success on Billboard's Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and peaked at number twelve. In the United Kingdom, the song debuted at number 50 on the Official UK Singles top 100 Chart and at number 17 on R&B Singles top 40.
The song was released on Braxton's official website on September 29, 2009, after four years in hiatus. It is Braxton's first single released under Atlantic Records. In the United Kingdom, the song was supposed to be released on February 22, 2010, but ultimately the single release date was moved to May 3, 2010. "Yesterday" is Braxton's first single release in the UK since "Hit the Freeway" in 2003, as Libra was only available on import and no singles from the album were released there.
A Spanish version of the track, titled "Ayer", was recorded with Alexander Acha but remains unreleased to this day.
The song received positive reviews from music critics. Nick Levine from Digital Spy rated the song 3 out of 5 stars and favorably reviewed the solo version of the song, saying: "'Yesterday' shares a little too much of its DNA with Beyoncé's 'Halo' to satisfy fully, but [Braxton] sounds as seductive as ever crooning the surprisingly bitter lyrics - ("I don't love you, don't need you, can't stand you,") she insists on the middle 8. In fact, when she growls those last three words, it's almost like she never went away. Mark Edward Nero from About.com say, positively, "Arguably the best song on Pulse is the passionately bitter break-up song "Yesterday", but interestingly, the better of two versions of the song isn't included on the album's standard version". Andy Kellman from Allmusic said: "'Yesterday' is a bitter breakup ballad in which the teeth-clenched 'I don’t love ya/Don’t need ya/Can’t stand ya no more' sounds very real". Mikael Wood from Los Angeles Times said: "Opener 'Yesterday' cribs its twinkly emo-soul texture (and some of its airy vocal melody) from Beyoncé's 'Broken-Hearted Girl'".