The arrival of Strawberry Switchblade’s “Since Yesterday” in late 1984 felt like a transmission from a parallel dimension where the grit of post-punk Glasgow had been dipped in sugar and wrapped in polka dots. At a time when the British charts were dominated by the muscular soul of Wham! and the high-gloss synth-pop of Duran Duran, Rose McDowall and Jill Bryson appeared as a striking anomaly. They looked like Victorian dolls reimagined by a punk-rock seamstress, but beneath the layers of lace, ribbons, and heavy eyeliner lay a song of profound, autumnal melancholy. “Since Yesterday” is not merely a piece of mid-eighties bubblegum; it is a haunting meditation on the passage of time, the fragility of memory, and the inevitable decay of youthful certainty.
The song’s introduction is one of the most recognizable and evocative in the history of the era. It opens with a fanfare of synthesized horns that sounds both regal and funereal, a motif famously sampled from the opening of Sibelius’s Fifth Symphony. This classical anchor immediately elevates the track, signaling that we are not entering a space of trivial pop, but one of grand, sweeping emotion. As the drums kick in—a crisp, driving beat that propels the song forward—the layers of bright, shimmering keyboards create a wall of sound that is simultaneously uplifting and deeply lonely. It is a masterclass in the “sad banger” aesthetic, providing a melody that invites the listener to dance while the lyrics demand they reflect.
Vocally, McDowall and Bryson created a signature sound that was ethereal and distinctly unpolished in a way that felt authentic. Their harmonies are often delivered in a deadpan, almost nursery-rhyme fashion, which creates a chilling contrast with the song’s themes. When they sing about how “just since yesterday” everything has changed, there is no histrionic mourning. Instead, there is a sense of quiet shock, a realization that the world can shift beneath one’s feet in the span of twenty-four hours. This vocal restraint makes the sentiment feel more universal; it is the sound of two people realizing that the innocence of the previous day is gone forever and can never be reclaimed.
The lyrics of “Since Yesterday” are deceptively simple, echoing the brevity of the time they describe. They urge the listener to “just close your eyes and then remember the thoughts you’ve locked away,” suggesting that the real impact of time is internal and psychological. The chorus serves as a stark acknowledgment of loss, noting that “a part of you has gone since yesterday.” The brilliance of the songwriting lies in its ambiguity. While many listeners interpreted it as a standard reflection on a fading friendship or romance, Rose McDowall has since hinted at a much darker inspiration: the pervasive Cold War anxiety of the 1980s and the terrifying prospect of a world ending in an instant. By leaving the specifics open to interpretation, the band created a song that resonates with anyone who has ever felt the sudden, irreversible weight of a changing world.
Technically, the track benefited immensely from the production of David Motion. He managed to capture the duo’s DIY spirit while wrapping it in a lush, professional sheen that made it palatable for mainstream radio. The layering of the synthesizers is particularly impressive, creating a swirling, psychedelic atmosphere that hints at the band’s deeper roots in the Scottish underground scene. Before their pop makeover, Strawberry Switchblade was part of a circle that included members of Orange Juice and The Pastels, and that indie-pop sensibility remains the song’s skeleton. The polished production simply serves as the colorful clothing for a very sturdy, melancholic body of work.
The visual identity of Strawberry Switchblade was inseparable from the music, and “Since Yesterday” was its greatest advertisement. The music video, filled with flowers, mirrors, and the duo’s iconic attire, created a fantasy world that masked the song’s darkness. This juxtaposition was revolutionary; they were “alternative” before the term had been commodified, proving that you could be obsessed with aesthetics and fashion while still possessing a raw, emotional core. They paved the way for the “twee” movements and the gothic-pop hybrids of the following decades, influencing everyone from Björk to the indie-pop acts of the 2000s.
Decades later, “Since Yesterday” has lost none of its bittersweet power. It remains a definitive document of the mid-eighties, a period when the line between the avant-garde and the Top 40 was often beautifully blurred. It serves as a reminder that pop music is at its most potent when it acknowledges the shadows behind the bright lights. The song is a fleeting moment of beauty, much like the youth it describes—a vivid, polka-dotted dream that feels as though it happened just since yesterday, even as the years continue to pull it further into the distance.
The song peaked at No. 05 in the UK Singles Chart on the 21st January 1985.
Lyrics
Just close your eyes and then remember
The thoughts you’ve locked away
When tomorrow comes you’ll wish
You had today
And as we sit here alone
Looking for a reason to go on
It’s so clear that all we have now
Are our thoughts of yesterday
If you’re still there when it’s all over
I’m scared I’ll have to say
That a part of you has gone
Since yesterday
And as we sit here alone
Looking for a reason to go on
It’s so clear that all we have now
Are our thoughts of yesterday
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
Well, maybe this could be the ending
With nothing left of you
A hundred wishes couldn’t say
I don’t want to
And as we sit here alone
Looking for a reason to go on
It’s so clear that all we have now
Are our thoughts of yesterday
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
(It’s so clear that all we have now
Are thoughts of yesterday)
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
(It’s so clear that all we have now
Are thoughts of yesterday)
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
(It’s so clear that all we have now
Are thoughts of yesterday)
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
(It’s so clear that all we have now
Are thoughts of yesterday)
La, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la
(It’s so clear that all we have now
Are thoughts of yesterday…)
Written By Rose McDowall, Jill Bryson
