The Beatles exploited (and parodied) Beatlemania with the twofold triumph of their first film and their first album of original material. With their music breaking sales and chart records in the US, their management struck a deal with United Artists for a movie vehicle to capitalize on the craze. The film was directed by Richard Lester, produced by Walter Shenson, and written by Alun Owen; and featured the band happily avoiding hoards of fans and fighting boredom as they await a television performance. When producer Walter Shenson decided to change the title from 'Beatlemania!' to 'A Hard Day's Night', he told Lennon that he would have to write a new title song. Lennon delivered the song the very next day. The opening guitar chord has been a subject of debate among fans for years. George would reveal: "It is F with a G on top (on the 12-string), but you’ll have to ask Paul about the bass note to get the proper story."
The title came from Ringo. He would explain: "We went to do a job, and we'd worked all day and we happened to work all night. I came up still thinking it was day I suppose, and I said, 'It's been a hard day...' and I looked around and saw it was dark so I said, '...night!' So we came to 'A Hard Day's Night.'"
John recalled: "I was going home in the car and Dick Lester suggested the title, 'Hard Day's Night' from something Ringo had said. I had used it in 'In His Own Write,' but it was an off-the-cuff remark by Ringo. You know, one of those malapropisms. A Ringo-ism, where he said it not to be funny... just said it. So Dick Lester said, 'We are going to use that title.' And the next morning I brought in the song... 'cuz there was a little competition between Paul and I as to who got the A-side-- who got the hits. If you notice, in the early days the majority of singles, in the movies and everything, were mine... in the early period I'm dominating the group. The only reason he sang on 'A Hard Day's Night' was because I couldn't reach the notes. (sings) 'When I'm home/ everything seems to be right/ when I'm home...' --which is what we'd do sometimes. One of us couldn't reach a note but he wanted a different sound, so he'd get the other to do the harmony ... Paul and I enjoyed writing the music for the film, but there were times when we honestly thought we'd never get time to write all the material. We managed to get a couple finished while we were in Paris, and three more completed in America soaking up sun on Miami Beach."
Paul says: "The title was Ringo's. We'd almost finished making the film, and this fun bit arrived that we'd not known about before, which was naming the film. . So we were sitting around at Twickenham studios having a little brain-storming session... and we said, 'Well, there was something Ringo said the other day.' Ringo would do these little malapropisms, he would say things slightly wrong, like people do, but his were always wonderful, very lyrical... they were sort of magic even though he was just getting it wrong. And he said after a concert, 'Phew, it's been a hard day's night.' ... Most of the songs that John and I wrote together were kinda pulled out of thin air. That was the thing about John and me that I still marvel at... because we had been 16 year olds together. He'd come over to my house and we'd smoke Ty-Phoo tea in my dad's pipe. And because we'd done all that, by the time we got around to 'A Hard Day's Night,' we sort of expected that we sat down together to write a song and have a little bit of fun-- simply because we were used to doing it. That was how we did what we did ... These recent sessions in the studio have shown us one thing. It doesn't get any easier. Already we've got the 'knockers' saying that we can't get to number one again and that we must be running out of ideas. That's where the pressure comes in. The fans are marvellous, but some of the others make it clear they'd like it if we had a flop. We worry much more now and it seems that with every hit it gets that bit tougher. But we're pretty pleased with the material we've got out of it all... even if we finished one of the songs literally as we were getting ready to make a recording of it ... Normally John and I would go in the studio, sit down with the guys and say, 'Right, what are we going to do?' I'd say to John, 'Do you want to do that one of yours or shall we do this one of mine? Which shall we play 'em first?' We'd show it to the band over the course of twenty minutes, possibly half an hour. Ringo would stand around with a pair of drumsticks which he might tap on a seat or a packing case. John and I would sit with our two guitars. George would bring his guitar and see what chords we were doing and figure out what he could do. George Martin would sit down with us and then we would separate, go to each instrument and come out ready to fight. And within the next hour we would have done it-- we would have decided how we were going to play the song. If for some reason it needed to be mixed quickly we would go upstairs to the control room, but we often left it up to them and just went home. But as things went on, we might go up to the control room more often."
'A Hard Day's Night' was a massive success, delivering a wave of new Beatles music during the height of Beatlemania. The movie was a hit with fans and critics alike, setting records in the UK and setting the standard for rock musicals. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards: for Best Screenplay for Alun Owen, and Best Score Adaptation for George Martin. The Beatles were nominated for four Grammys in 1964: Record of the Year for "I Want to Hold Your Hand", Best Contemporary Song and Best Performance by a Vocal Group (which they won) for "A Hard Day's Night", and Best New Artist, which they won. The soundtrack album was released in the US on June 26, 1964 and in the UK on July 10. It went to number one in Australia, Germany, the UK, and the US. 'Can't Buy Me Love' became the first single ever to simultaneously hit number one in the US and the UK. 'A Hard Day's Night' is the only album by the Beatles in which every song was written by John Lennon and Paul McCartney.
http://www.thebeatles.com/
'A Hard Day's Night'
full album:
A Hard Day's Night 0:00
I Should've Known Better 2:51
If I Fell 6:06
Just To Dance With You 8:54
And I Love Her 11:09
Tell Me Why 14:08
Can't Buy Me Love 16:34
Anytime At All 19:07
I'll Cry Instead 21:38
Things We said Today 23:45
When I Get Home 26:52
You Can't Do That 29:31
I'll Be Back 32:32
'A Hard Day's Night'
full movie:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1uxhsu_a-hard-day-s-night-1964-full-movie_shortfilms
A Hard Day's Night 1964 full movie by ursula-strauss
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