Nat King Cole and McCartney made 'Scrambled eggs' together and The Walrus was Ringo

Paul McCartney's classic Beatles hit, 'Yesterday', could have been inspired by an old Nat King Cole track, music experts have said.

'Yesterday', famously composed by McCartney in 1965 after he heard the melody in his sleep, is said to bare a strong resemblance to the Nat King Cole song 'Answer Me, My Love'.

Musicologists now believe that the singer may have heard Cole's 1953 track during his childhood, retained it in his subconscious and then dreamt the melody 12 years later.

'Yesterday' features the lines: "Yesterday, all my troubles seemed so far away, now it looks as though they're here to stay."
'Answer Me, My Love' features the similar lyrics: "Yesterday, I believed that love was here to stay, won't you tell me where I've gone astray."

Pop historian Spencer Leigh explored the links between the songs for a book about The Beatles entitled, 'The Walrus Was Ringo'.

"McCartney was working on this melody in his head which he realised was a cracking tune," he said.

"He was playing it to people saying 'Don't you recognise this?'