A Hard Day’s Night: an Early Beatles’ Masterpiece

Although a movie, that starred The Beatles, was called A Hard Day Night, the true work of art was the album itself. John, Paul, George and Ringo gave us a powerful album, that is often overlooked, and it was the groups fourth career release.

But while the first seven songs on A Hard Days Night are included in the classic movies soundtrack, the album contains an additional six tracks of quality Beatles music. A Hard Days Night is the only Beatles album that exclusively features John Lennon and Paul McCartney as songwriters and lead vocalists. And while so much praise has been justifiably heaped on the groups later albums; Sgt. Pepper, Abbey Road, and the White Album; A Hard Days Night, which debuted in 1964, merits similar recognition and plaudits. The music is extraordinarily advanced for its time. It shows in the chords, progressions, and structures. The genius of the Beatles was their uncanny ability to create deeply complex and layered music while making it all seem so easy and melodious to the ears.

A Hard Days Night opens with a fabulous guitar riff, that immediately takes you in. The tracks on the album are all created with profound music that is not only engaging, but easy to listen to from start to finish.

And there’s an awful lot to hear on the album; an intriguing blend of songs, which was always a Beatles trademark. And I Love Her, by Paul, is considered by many to be his greatest love song of all time. McCartney delivers throughout the album, including in Cant Buy Me Love, which”more than four decades later”is remembered for a scream. That is, a scream that is unsurpassed in rock and roll history.

In A Hard Days Night, John Lennon’s harmonica can be frequently heard, and it never sounded better. More than any other Beatles album, A Hard Days Night allowed John to shine and showcase the width and breadth of his extraordinary musical talents.

Although overlooked back in the 60’s, A Hard Days Night is now among the best of all Beatles albums. Although some songs from the album are still overlooked, such as If I feel and Things We Said Today, it is still among the top favorite in The Beatles legendary history.