United Artists 3366
Producer: George Martin
Track listing: A Hard Day’s Night (vocal) / Tell Me Why (vocal) / I Cry Instead (vocal) / I Should Have Known (instrumental) / I’m Happy Just to Dance With You (vocal) / And I Love Her (instrumental) / I Should Have Known Better (vocal) / If I Fell (vocal) / And I Love Her (vocal) / Ringo’s Theme (This Boy) / Can’t Buy Me Love (vocal) / A Day’s Night (instrumental)
July 25, 1964
14 weeks
On June 26, 1964 the soundtrack to A Hard Day’s Night was released. On July 6, the film made its debut at the London Pavilion to rave reviews. Less than three weeks later, the Fab Four had their third Number One album. Even more impressive was the fact it was the third time the group had hit summit in less than six months.
The title of the Beatles’ first foray on screen was inspired by an expression used by drummer Ringo Starr. “It was typical of Ringo,” says George Martin. “He was come up with all sorts of odd ways of putting things. He said, ‘God, it’s been a hard day’s night’ when he finished a particular take and was feeling a bit tired. Everyone thought it was a great title. It was just something out of the blue and that became the title of the film.”
“When the title was decided, John [Lennon] went away and wrote a tune,” Martin adds. “The main characteristic of that track, of course, is that it starts off on that clangy guitar chord, which was devised in order to make an impact on picture. It was actually written with idea of it being the opening track of the picture.”
A Hard Day’s Night, the movie, written by Alun Owen and directed by Richard Lester, was a fictional tale of two days in the life of the group, but it was inspired by the band’s real-life rise to superstardom. The Beatles’ newfound fame meant that they were often isolated from the public, while being whisked from train to car to hotel room to the stage. A Hard Day’s Night captured the frenzy, with an ample supply of humor and zaniness.
A Hard Day’s Night, the album, was record during March and April of 1964. The film’s title track, featuring Lennon’s double-tracked lead vocal and Paul McCartney on harmony, was cut on April 16. The album was a milestone in the evolution of the Beatles, since it marked the first time an album by the group consisted solely of Lennon and McCartney compositions, even if the American edition of the album was filled out by Martin’s instrumental versions of their songs. The songs on the second side of the British release later turned up in America on Something New and Beatles ’65.
While the title track was written for the film, Martin says most the others already existed, although legend has it that Lennon and McCartney worked at a feverish pace to write the material for the film. “There may have been other songs which we recorded for the picture, which they happened to have up their sleeves,” he says. “‘If I Fell’ was one of those, but mostly they were already recorded.”
In fact, “Can’t Buy Me Love” spent five weeks at Number One more than than two months before the soundtrack was released. Martin was a bit concerned about the music being overexposed. “I had to argue with Lester so that he didn’t use the music too much. I was a bit worried because he used ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ in two different sequences.”
In its second week on the chart, A Hard Day’s Night hit the top of the album chart. A week later, the title track became the group’s third straight Number One single, with the album still firmly entrenched in the top position. A Hard Night held at Number One until Halloween. All together, the Fab Four spent a total of 30 weeks on top of the album chart in 1964 — the most weeks at an artist at the top for an artist in a single year since Harry Belafonte racked up a total of 37 weeks at Number One in 1956.
THE TOP FIVE
Week of July 25, 1964
1. A Hard Day’s Night, The Beatles
2. Hello, Dolly!, Original Cast
3. Hello, Dolly!, Louis Armstrong
4. Funny Girl, Original Cast
5. Gilberto/Getz, Stan Getz & Jose Gilberto