A Hard Day's Night

A Hard Day's Night

Recorded: January 29, 1963 (EMI Pathe Marconi Studios, Paris); February 25-27, March 1, April 16 and 22, June 1-2, 1963 (Studio 2, Abbey Road Studios, London, England)
Mixed: February 26, March 3, April 23, June 4, 9 and 22, 1963
Length: 30:30
Credits:
Produced by George Martin
Engineered and Mixed by Norman Smith
Liner Notes by Tony Barrow
Photography by Robert Freeman
First released: July 10, 1964
Versions:

• A Hard Day's Night UK: Parlophone PMC 1230, July 10, 1964 (mono)
• A Hard Day's Night UK: Parlophone PMC 3058, July 10, 1964 (stereo)
• A Hard Day's Night US: United Artists UAL 3366, June 26, 1964 (mono)
• A Hard Day's Night US: United Artists UAS 6366, June 26, 1964 (stereo)
• Something New US: Capitol T 2108, July 20, 1964 (mono)
• Something New US: Capitol ST 2108, July 20, 1964 (mono)
• A Hard Day's Night (CD) Parlophone CDP 7 46437 2, July 21, 1987
• Something New (CD) Capitol CDP 7243 8 66876 2 3, November 16, 2004

Highest chart position: UK: 1 (21 weeks beginning July 25, 1964)
History:

• The Beatles signed with United Artists to do their first film while the group was still at the early peak of British Beatlemania, a low-budget black-and-white romp that would serve mainly as a vehicle for their songs. Of course, in the interim, the band exploded in America, making them worldwide stars to boot, and so A Hard Day's Night came to be viewed by the Beatles and their handlers as a chance to show off their ever-improving mastery of all forms of pop. To that end, the thirteen songs on AHDN are all Lennon-McCartney originals (with John contributing the lion's share of ten tracks, and Paul submitting three more or less on his own).
• Because United Artists had the rights to the film and its soundtrack, the Beatles' American label, Capitol, was unable to release an album from the movie. So they did the next best thing, releasing a full eight of the film's songs on the a- and b-sides of four singles. The other songs were released on a new compilation album entitled, appropriately enough, Something New. UA, for their part, could only release songs actually in the film, and so their US version of AHDN was padded out with four George Martin instrumentals used as background in the movie.

Trivia:

• The single "Can't Buy Me Love" was actually recorded while the group was in Paris preparing two German-language cover versions of "I Want To Hold Your Hand" and "She Loves You" as a tribute to their Hamburg days. The vocals and solo were done back at Abbey Road.
• This album is also notable as the only Beatles LP with no George Harrison compositions, or songs sung by Ringo Starr.

Tracklisting:

Side One:

1. A Hard Day's Night (2:34)
2. I Should Have Known Better (2:46)
3. If I Fell (2:24)
4. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You (1:59)
5. And I Love Her (2:33)
6. Tell Me Why (2:12)
7. Can't Buy Me Love (2:14)

Side Two:

1. Any Time At All (2:15)
2. I'll Cry Instead (1:49)
3. Things We Said Today (2:40)
4. When I Get Home (2:20)
5. You Can't Do That (2:39)
6. I'll Be Back (2:20)