The Beatles
A Hard Day's Night

THE REVIEW

“Write this album with America in mind”.    This was Brian Epstein's suggestion when the Beatles set to work on this album,    written after the triumphant  “little tour”   in America in February 1964.    As one historian said:   “With that tour,    the Beatles filled,    in the hearts of Americans  (young and old),    the  void  left by  the  death  of   Kennedy”.

And  the Beatles,  during the shooting of the film of the same name,  brought out   “a  series of   songs   made   for  the   market   and  which  I  don’t   consider   of   any   relevance”  -    as Lennon said (exaggerating) in the 70s.

The pleasantness  of some  of these   “market-songs”    is  beyond    question;   I   am particularly   referring to   “A  Hard Day’s Night”,    “Can’t Buy Me Love”    and  especially  to    “I Should Have Known Better”.   But  if we look for  real songs,  we have to look elsewhere.   

On the other hand,   it would  be  wrong   to say  that  “A  Hard Day’s  Night”   was    an album made just to sell.    At least  three  tracks  present  here,   are,    despite their simplicity,     among  the  best  things  ever  recorded  by the Beatles,   and  this,  20 years ago,     aroused   great respect in me for  the  4,    who could have played  their cards  fully,   because,   paraphrasing  John Robertson,     “in 1964,  at the peak of  Beatlemania,    they   could have sold  millions   of  copies   even  reciting  the  alphabet”.

Here’s what I save.

“I’ll  Cry  Instead”,   by  Lennon,  has  a really bad melody,   but with beautiful lyrics that as John himself said  “fully describe my fragility”.   Like it or not what it says,   it is  a  masterpiece   of sincerity.    The song is about the anger of losing a loved one.  Even if  a girl  appears  in  the lyrics,  as an external element that determines John's anger,   actually that external element  could  easily  be  a  song  about   the   loss   of  friend  Stuart    Sutcliffe,    or   his  mother Julia.   Just replace  the word “girl” in the second verse with “friend”  or “mother”.   

It is sad to think that   John  wasted  much  more   valuable   songs    like    “Yes It Is”,    “It’s Only Love”    and  “You Have to Hide Your Love Away”    to write adolescent love lyrics,   when he was able  to bare himself  so well.  

“If  I  Fell”   is   a good song,   even if   too   “McCartney-like in the melody”  (that is, with too many variations in the singing line) and  with  really  too  adolescent   lyrics   (like:  we’re together but don’t cheat on me).  The verses, however,  are  quite elaborate,    probably  written before the music;   Lennon called it   “semi-autobiographical”.    It was   the Beatles’ song  that   Kurt   Cobain  loved  more  than  any  other.

“Things We Said Today”   by   McCartney,   with an  “almost Lennon-like melody”    (that is, with few variations in the singing line)   and really mature in its lyrics,  even though it's about love.  It deals  with the hope  of  a   faithful  love.   Lennon understood the value of the song,   and had the idea to accompany it with beautiful vocal doubles, and  effective guitar strums (especially  at the beginning and the end) that give a touch of originality to this already  excellent song.  Really  lovely  change.  At the time it was underestimated and released  as a B-side.   One of my  12 favorite  from the minor production (up to  “Help!”).

“I’ll Be Back”.  Simply stunning  acoustic ballad,   which Lennon said he borrowed from a Shannon piece.  John always spoke of it with particular pride,  and listening to it, it’s easy   to understand why.    George Martin wanted it at the end of the album  “to close with a bang”.

“And  I Love Her”,  Paul’s song  which  Lennon  also  loved   and    described    as    “his  first “Yesterday”.     After listening   to it,  I stopped mocking the  Beatles,   and  began to respect them   saying:  “Well,  they had talent”.    It’s hard   to exaggerate   when   praising this piece,     which    seems to have been borrowed  from a piece of classical music.   This song   was  a   teamwork effort.    One of them  told Paul  to replace the electric guitar  with   the acoustic one  because  the electric sound  would disturb  the  sweetness  of the melody;    someone  else  came    up with  the idea of finger snaps.    The result is  one  of those  masterpieces of delicacy   that  leave you astonished  while listening to them,    and   silent  after listening.  
An album with  3  jewels,   1  beautiful song,   and an excellent lyric deserves more than a passing grade.