A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night
LP by The Beatles
Released	US-June 26 1964, UK-July 10 1964
Recorded	Abbey Road Studios 1964
Genre	Rock
Length	US 29 min 21 s, UK 30 min 28 s
Record label	US-United Artists, UK-Parlophone
Producer	George Martin
Professional reviews
Q	4 stars out of 5
AMG	5 stars out of 5
The Beatles Chronology
With the Beatles (963)	A Hard Day's Night (1964)	Beatles for Sale (1964)

A Hard Day's Night was The Beatles' third album, released in 1964 as the soundtrack to their first film of the same name. All songs are composed by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

The album, whilst showcasing the development of the band's songwriting talents, sticks to the basic rock and roll instrumentation and song format. Some of the more notable songs on the album include the title track (with its distinct, instantly recognizable opening chord), and the catchy "Can't Buy Me Love". It also features "And I Love Her", the first of what would become many popular McCartney ballads.

The United States version of the album was released on June 26, 1964 by United Artists and contained the seven songs from the film ("A Hard Day's Night", "Tell Me Why", "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You", "I Should Have Known Better", "If I Fell", "And I Love Her", "Can't Buy Me Love"), plus "I'll Cry Instead." The U.S. version also included four instrumental versions of Lennon and McCartney songs by George Martin. ("I Should Have Known Better" (instrumental), "And I Love Her" (instrumental), "Ringo's Theme (This Boy)" (instrumental) and "A Hard Day's Night" (instrumental).)

The title of the album (and film) was the accidental creation of drummer Ringo Starr. The band had begun filming the motion picture while it was still without a title. After one particularly rough day of shooting, Starr emerged from the studio (thinking it was still daytime) and said "It's been a hard day..." (noticing that it was now dark outside) "...'s night."

Released by EMI Records, produced by George Martin.

1. "A Hard Day's Night" SAMPLE (104k)
2. "I Should Have Known Better"
3. "If I Fell"
4. "I'm Happy Just to Dance With You"
5. "And I Love Her" SAMPLE (163k)
6. "Tell Me Why"
7. "Can't Buy Me Love" SAMPLE (121k)
8. "Any Time At All"
9. "I'll Cry Instead"
10. "Things We Said Today"
11. "When I Get Home"
12. "You Can't Do That"
13. "I'll Be Back"

(The Track Listing is from the CD Release. This album was originally released on LP.)

Peter Sellers recorded a comedy version of the song "A Hard Day's Night", in which he chanted the lyrics in the style of Laurence Olivier as Shakespeare's Richard III.

The film A Hard Day's Night was written by New York Times film critic Bosely Crowther noted that the film is also a subtle satire on the image of rock-and-roll music (and the Beatles in particular) as a source of youth rebellion and defiance of authority. In the film, the Beatles are portrayed as likeable young lads who are constantly amazed at the attention they receive and who want nothing more than run around and have a good time; however, they have to deal with screaming crowds, idiot journalists who ask nonsense questions, and authority figures who constantly look down upon them. The biggest troublemaker in the film is an elderly senior citizen, Paul McCartney's "clean" grandfather (played by Wilfrid Brambell).

Many see the film as playing a major role in development of modern music videos, especially the "Can't Buy Me Love" segment, which featured creative camera work, and the band running and jumping around in a field.

The film's director, Richard Lester, also directed the Beatles' next film, Help!. He went on to direct several popular motion pictures of the 1970s and 1980s, including The Three Musketeers and Superman II.

Two extras in this film would become famous in their own right. Phil Collins was an extra in the concert sequence and later became the drummer in the group Genesis. Pattie Boyd later married both George Harrison and Eric Clapton.