From their debut album The Beatles had confidence as performers, and their presence had been established enough from television appearances such as their iconic The Ed Sullivan Show performance for people to recognise their style, sound and character types. But with A Hard Day’s Night, all those things had become crystalline. Within that opening chord that has essays written on its musical composition alone, a band emerged with a unified sound that best demonstrated what they could do in this phase of pop music. The big emphasis is on popular, with the amount of Beatles being spread around over TV shows, consistent singles and of a course a hit movie, leaving very little time for the band to do anything else. The title song was written by John overnight! With that kind of work around, one could imagine a noticeable difference in the quality of the song writing. But that couldn’t be further from the truth, as with A Hard Day’s Night we got not just the best album of the band’s pre-Rubber Soul career, but the one that is most representative of what was so appealing about the band’s style, artistic approach and attitude during this period of their career.
When I say their career, I mean predominately John Lennon and Paul McCartney. This LP was the first to be made of only Beatles songs, and the only Beatles album that was only made up of song written by the Lennon-McCartney pair. Never again would they be that noticeably selfish in that kind of decision making (musically anyway), but pairing those down to just the two results in album with a clear focus. With that focus came more experiments with instrumentation, with different percussion, a new make of bass for Paul and George picking up the Rickenbacker 12-String guitar that makes up this albums sound, and would be a big inspiration going forward for the Byrds (and, later on, R.E.M. The Beatles influence is wide). And while With the Beatles had a more prominent sense of melancholy on each of the Beatles’ self-penned track, here even the soft ballads have a cocksure attitude about the certainty of themselves and the certainty of love. Perhaps as a result of that confidence, it extends to every aspect of the production, Paul and John have both said that they personally think that this is the album where they started to write not just good, but great. They did, however, give different answers as to which one was the first. Here, we will look at all of them…
Track by Track
“A Hard Day’s Night”: Many people have discussed that suspended opening chord, both a pounding force and a feel that hangs in the air transporting us to another world (one where the title makes complete and utter sense). Less has been said about that gorgeous outro, with George’s guitar toning like heavenly bells that as they fade out brings us back to reality. And of course in between that we have John and Paul’s passionate performances fluctuating leads in the choruses and verse, punctuated by George’s frantic little guitar solo (and of course, Ringo giving bus more cowbell!). Also it’s iambic pentameter, so makes for great Shakespearean readings.
“I Should Have Known Better”: We move from approaching a newer kind of sound to the band perfecting and adapting a style they were already good at. This music of this, with both the familiarity of the harmonica, subject matter and rhyme scheme, along with the different instrument and tones from the guitars (not just in the 12-string, but also in the solos), shows both the simplicity from the “Love Me Do” era of the Beatles (or probably the Quarrymen) and an added complexity in the composing (such as in the gorgeous middle eights).
“If I Fell”: This is the song that John Lennon defined as the first “great” song that he had written for the Beatles, and I think a lot of that has to do with the amount of his own self he is putting into the song, for good and for ill. This can be seen in lines like “and I found that love was more than just holding hands”, which I think is a deliberate dig at the song that had made them famous (even though there’s plenty of songs like that one on this LP) and a further indication of the self aware streak that would run through much of the Beatles’ discography. But one could read into this song , particular in the final verses, the collapsing relationship with his first wife and the affairs he embarked, which when read like that adds a cruel streak (of which many now know John was more than capable). Still, the bitter goes down better with so much sugar, here in an Everly Brothers like ballad with a beautiful blend of the 12 string and the melancholic harmonies.
“I’m Happy Just to Dance With You”: Of all the songs on the first half of the album that made it into the movie this is probably the weakest, but that is more a complement than anything else. Given the aforementioned cocksureness the prime songwriters were feeling at the time, it makes to give the most vulnerable song of the first side to the softer voice of George. And of course the flush of cymbals from Ringo adds to the sunshine, optimistic feel that George and the harmonies ultimately give off.
“And I Love Her”: Whilst John thought the first great song he had written for The Beatles was “If I Fell”, Paul’s own feeling was that “And I Love Her” was the greatest contribution he had given to the band so far. And as it is my favourite song off the album (and favourite sequence in the movie), it’s hard for me to disagree with him. Building from the “Till There Was You” cover from With the Beatles, building on a minor key pensive bass with a cheerful Spanish guitar lick from George, a stylistic shift emphasised by Ringo switching to the bongos and of course Paul’s assured to the point of naivety vocals.
“Tell Me Why”: We shift back into the pop rock told for the absolute belter of “Tell Me Why”, which despite the up tempo melody that sounds lots like another “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” actually has some more sour lyrics (hi again John!) about feeling lied about and misused in a relationship, with himself struggling to hold back the tears. Though this is hidden by the combined harmonies of the band just blasting the listening with the vocal strength, particular in the strange falsetto section in which the hurt of the relationship sounds more like everyone collective stubbed their toes.
“Can’t Buy Me Love”: Side One ends with one of the best and most memorable singles the band ever wrote. After ending their previous album with a song performed by John that declared that money was all they wanted, here Paul sings about how that money is not actually doing much for him (the burden!). Ringo’s swinging beat adds a swagger to Paul’s singing, as a bouncing bass that is only matched by what George brings to it with his solo. And as mentioned before, the sequence that was set to this song in the movie is pretty much the birth of the modern music video.
“Any Time At All”: Side Two begins all the songs that were not included on the movie, though that by no means represents a drop in quality. Indeed “Any Time At All” combines the force of “Tell Me Why” – in John’s dual vocals the thumping backing Ringo gives him, and the eventual George Martin contributed piano – with the vulnerability of a “I’m Happy Just to Dance With You”. Then there is the constant clang of guitar, backed with slight piano that builds up to a solo of both instruments that is both sensitive and of ecstasy.
“I’ll Cry Instead”: This was the song that was the closest to appearing on the film, which makes sense as this might be the strongest song on the second side. Structurally this feels the most like traditional rock and roll, almost Buddy Holly like, especially with that added tambourine. This is another song from John about a bitter break up, but the lyrics of the chorus approach a more self reflective, “loser” status that predates the first non-love song that the Beatles would write on the next album. The guitars and bass in the middle eight that stumble and fall as though the song itself is a drunken phone call.
“Things We Said Today”: Ringo keeps the tambourine out for the next track, this one a more knowingly sombre track with Paul in the lead, much like in the vein of “And I Love Her”, and George back in the vocal duties. The mix of the guitar is varied, but somehow still sounds sparse, filling out with the singular bangs of George’s Rickenbacker, as though he trying to get the memory out of the woman. The track is ultimately melancholy, but the bounce of the guitars still provide a sense of cool, particular in middle eight where the piano rumbles and Paul ruminates on the luck of love.
“When I Get Home”: Probably the weakest song on the album in terms of a memorable memory, but still a strong number with a jagged edge coming from the guitars that hints at the struggles coming out in the wake of their touring. John sings about coming home to say things to his woman, only to immediately have to leave again, and considering the life of the Beatles at the time their was certainly an amount of autobiography to this tale.
“You Can’t Do That”: The debut album of the Kinks would come out at the same of this album’s release, and this song more than any of the others could have really fit into that LP, particularly how the verses end with what sounds like power chords. Though it’s probably more influenced by the same kind of blues rock that influenced that other British Invasion group, each a precursor to the garage rock genre, with with all the band belting out a number about feeling let down by a woman (some added cowbell to boot). Incredibly catchy but, still, the women can do whatever she wants guys! Sixties, huh?
“I’ll Be Back”: A Hard Day’s Night ends with another dark ballad that hints at the sort of folk influenced compositions that the band would create after they had met a certain Robert Zimmerman. The pop optimism of the first half is ending with a more downbeat feel, but here it counteracts the jaggedness of the penultimate song with the mellow guitars counteracting against this relationship gone sour. The album ends with those classical guitars fading out, bring the tales of this classic album to a surprisingly ambiguous close…
The combination of cocksure, melancholy, joy, love and a slice of bitterness is the reason why makes A Hard Day’s Night the best and most representative album of the band’s mindset and image at this period of pop culture history. Listening to the album today though, it became even more clear that, particularly in the second half, they were letting more of the personal bile – particularly John – from the life of overwork and touring colour the emotions of the songs, the reasons why they were truly having “a hard day’s night”. With the next album, the band were more than happy to show that on the cover itself…
What did you think though?
The Beatles Album Rankings
- A Hard Day’s Night
- Please Please Me
- With the Beatles