Reprise » My Only and One: A Hard Day’s Night
With this month’s release of The Beatles U.S. albums by Capitol Records and my ongoing re-appreciation of the group’s library of songs, I’ve decided to reprise a series arc from the archives. Each a short post of the British albums on The Lads official list.
From these, in the order as they are in 2009’s remastered stereo set, I’ll list their songs from the spotlighted album and pick two:
- the only – if I could only listen to one track, the best song that exemplifies the album, it would be this number
- the one – if I could pick a single tune that doesn’t get either the play or the credit it deserves, it’s this one
A Hard Day’s Night
A Hard Day’s Night
I Should Have Known Better
If I Fell
I’m Happy Just To Dance With You
And I Love Her
Tell Me Why
Can’t Buy Me Love
Any Time At All
I’ll Cry Instead
Things We Said Today
When I Get Home
You Can’t Do That
I’ll Be Back
The Beatles A Hard Day’s Night album was their third in eighteen months to be released by 10 July 1964. Timed to coincide with the release of their first movie. One that completed the catapult to worldwide superstardom. The album reached #1 in the UK charts and was cemented there for 21 of the 38 weeks spent in the Top Twenty. The U.S. soundtrack LP spent 14 weeks at the top of our album register.
My Only: A Hard Day’s Night. Again, how can I not pick the title track?!? Not only did that triumphant strum of a guitar, bass, and grand piano herald the opening of the song, but also the album, a movie of the same name, and a Pop era. It brought to my 10-year old eyes and ears all the possibilities of what film and music could deliver. Little wonder it’s in my Top Ten. This one cemented my admiration of the lads in ’64, and it’s lasted through to this day.
My One: If I Fell. Oh sure, if I just based it upon the film, I could have picked Can’t Buy Me Love. Mainly for starting the ‘music video’ decades before they were christened. But for the actual album, this seemingly simple love tune hides some, at that time, pretty mature Lennon lyrics within. A characteristic for this extraordinary songwriter. Plus, it has John and Paul sharing another lead vocal beautifully*.
* It should be noted on the stereo mix of the song, McCartney’s voice strains and cracks on the second instance of the word “vain”. Paul’s didn’t crack on the mono version.
What would be your Only and One for this album?
The entire series can be found here.
It Rains... You Get Wet 
One Response to “Reprise » My Only and One: A Hard Day’s Night”
[…] A Hard’s Day’s Night (1964): “Again, how can I not pick the title track?!? Not only did that triumphant strum of a guitar, bass, and grand piano herald the opening of the song, but also the album, a movie of the same name, and a Pop era.” See why here. […]
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