Chris Farlowe

From Wikipedia:

Chris Farlowe (born John Henry Deighton, 13 October 1940) is an English singer. He is best known for his hit single “Out of Time” written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, which rose to No. 1 in the UK Singles Chart in 1966, and his association with bands Atomic Rooster, the Thunderbirds, and Colosseum. Outside his music career, Farlowe collects war memorabilia. […]

In 1965, Paul McCartney considered giving “Yesterday” to English singer Chris Farlowe, who declined because he considered the song as too soft.

I was sitting having a drink with Paul McCartney. ‘I’ve written this song,’ he said, ‘you’d do a great version of it. It’s called Yesterday.’ I went home – and that was it. I forgot all about it. Then I was watching the television one night and there were the Beatles, singing Yesterday. I thought ‘Good God – I was offered that song’. Oh well…

Chris Farlowe – From Record Collector Magazine, October 2007

One day [Chris Farlowe] phoned me at my Duke Street pad. ‘Hey Eric, how ya doin’, it’s Chris Farlowe here,’ he said in his hoarse voice. I asked how he was getting on. ‘Oh, I’m OK. ’ere listen, you’ll never guess what happened. Paul McCartney – you know Paul out of The Beatles?’ Yes, I had heard of him. ‘Well he came round to our house in the middle of the night. I was out doing a show, but me mum was in and he left her a demo disc for me to listen to.’ This was wonderful news. When was Chris going into the studio to cut this gift from the gods? ‘Ah,’ he growled. ‘I don’t like it. It’s not for me. It’s too soft. I need a good rocker, you know, a shuffle or something.’ ‘Yeah, but Chris,’ I said. ‘Anything to give you a start, man, I mean even if it’s a ballad, you should go ahead and record it.’

‘No, I don’t like it,’ he insisted. ‘Too soft.’

‘So what are you gonna do with the song?’

‘Well, I sent it back, didn’t l?’

‘What was the title of the song?’

‘“Yesterday”,’ he retorted.

Eric Burdon – From “Don’t Let Me Be Misunderstood: A Memoir” by Eric Burdon, 2002