About The Song
“Yesterday’s Wine” is a song written and performed by Willie Nelson, released in 1971 as the title track on his album Yesterday’s Wine on RCA Records. The song was also re-recorded for the 1980 album Family Bible on Columbia Records. The track was not released as a single but became a cornerstone of the concept album, which explores themes of life, death, and spiritual reflection. The 3:14 song sets the tone for the album’s narrative, with lyrics like: “I’m drinking yesterday’s wine / And yesterday’s wine tastes better than today’s.”
The 1971 version was recorded in 1971 at RCA Studios in Nashville, Tennessee, produced by Felton Jarvis. The session featured Nelson’s band, with Bee Spears on bass, Paul English on drums, and Bobbie Nelson on piano, alongside session musicians including Charlie McCoy on harmonica. The arrangement is minimal, with Nelson’s acoustic guitar and McCoy’s harmonica creating a reflective mood, fitting the album’s introspective theme. The album Yesterday’s Wine initially underperformed, reaching No. 62 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, but gained critical acclaim over time, selling over 500,000 copies by 1985, earning gold certification from the RIAA.
Nelson wrote the song as the opening piece for Yesterday’s Wine, a concept album he envisioned as a journey through a man’s life, from birth to afterlife. The song introduces the album’s protagonist, reflecting on his past through the metaphor of wine. In a 1971 interview with Country Music magazine, Nelson said: “I wanted to start the story with something that felt lived-in, like an old memory.” The track gained renewed attention with the 1980 re-recording, which featured a slightly fuller arrangement, and was included in the 1980 television special Willie Nelson: Gospel Hour, aired on TNN.
Covers of the song include a 1972 version by George Jones on With Love and a 1985 rendition by Merle Haggard on His Epic Hits, per SecondHandSongs. A live performance from a 1975 Austin City Limits episode was released on the 2006 album Live at Austin City Limits. The song appeared in the 1986 film Sweet Dreams, used in a reflective scene, and in a 2017 episode of The Ranch, featured during a moment of nostalgia. Nelson recorded a duet version with Kris Kristofferson in 1987 for The Highwaymen, released in 1990.
Nelson included “Yesterday’s Wine” in his live sets, notably at the 1975 Fourth of July Picnic in Liberty Hill, Texas, where he performed it as part of the full album sequence. A 1998 recording with Johnny Cash was released on the album VH1 Storytellers in 1999. The song was featured at Farm Aid 1986, Nelson’s benefit concert for farmers, and included in a 2018 documentary, Willie Nelson: The Story of Yesterday’s Wine, aired on PBS, exploring the album’s creation. The track remains a significant part of Nelson’s performances, often paired with other songs from the album.
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Lyric
I’m drinking yesterday’s wine
And yesterday’s wine tastes better than today’s
I’ve been sipping on the memories
Of a love that went awayThe years have come and gone
Like the pages of a book I’ve read
But the chapters of my heart
Are still stained with the things we saidI’m drinking yesterday’s wine
And yesterday’s wine tastes better than today’s
I’ve been sipping on the memories
Of a love that went awayThe laughter and the tears
They’re all bottled up inside
And every glass I pour
Brings back the days we triedI’m drinking yesterday’s wine
And yesterday’s wine tastes better than today’s
I’ve been sipping on the memories
Of a love that went away