The placeholder was “Scrambled Eggs”
Paul McCartney used “Scrambled Eggs” as a temporary title while he worked out the song that became “Yesterday.” The phrase came from makeshift lyrics he sang to the melody—including the memorable opening, “Scrambled eggs, oh my baby how I love your legs.” It was a joke, not the song’s intended subject.
Why a ballad began with breakfast
A melody can arrive before its words do. Singing nonsense or provisional lyrics lets a songwriter test the tune’s rhythm and phrasing without having to settle on the story right away. “Scrambled Eggs” gave McCartney words that fit while the finished lyrics were still taking shape.
Once the song had its final words, “Yesterday” replaced the kitchen-themed placeholder. The old title survives as a glimpse of the unglamorous work behind a polished ballad: sometimes the route to an enduring song begins with a line about breakfast.
