1964
I’m Happy Just to Dance With You
ALBUM
RELEASED
Great Britain: July 10, 1964 / No. 1 for 21 weeks, starting on July 25, 1964
United States: June 26, 1964 / No. 1 for 14 weeks, starting July 20, 1964, under the title Something New
This third album by the group was the first to be entirely written by Lennon-McCartney. Although George had made an attempt at composition with “Don’t Bother Me” on the preceding album, he did not write any songs for this album. Nor did Ringo have a chance to sing here, either. John and Paul ruled exclusively on this album. John was even dominant over his partner, because he wrote or cowrote ten of the thirteen songs. He admitted in a 1964 interview that writing the music for the movie with Paul was a pleasure, even though the deadlines were too tight: “We managed to finish two songs while we were in Paris, and three others in the United States under the sunshine at Miami Beach.” Only the first seven songs were used in the film; the others were published on side 2 of the 33 rpm record. As for George Martin, he orchestrated instrumental adaptations of the songs.
John and Paul had made great strides in their writing. The harmonies became more complex (“If I Fell,” “Things We Said Today”), the lyrics more personal and darker (“I’ll Cry Instead,” “I’ll Be Back”). Paul confirmed his talent for writing melodies (“And I Love Her”), as did John (“If I Fell,” “I’ll Be Back”). Each of the two singles taken from the record exceeded a million sales (“A Hard Day’s Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love”). Recorded in Paris during the group’s performance at the Olympia, “Can’t Buy Me Love” solidified the popularity of the Beatles in the United States. They continued to break sales records. They received two Grammy Awards—for Performance by a Vocal Group and for Best New Artists for 1964. The album came out on July 10 in Great Britain. As early as July 25, it reached first place for twenty-one weeks on the other side of the English Channel and for fourteen weeks in the United States. The Beatles ruled the world and opened the door for the British Invasion.
In the audience at the final concert in the film, there was a young boy who was then thirteen. He was the future recording star Phil Collins.
Brian Epstein wanted his musicians to perform in a movie. Richard Lester was selected as the director and Alun Owen as the scriptwriter. Filming began on Monday, March 2, and ended on Friday, April 24. During these eight weeks, the Beatles went through their initiation on camera. The theme was to follow the group in its everyday life. Scenes of Beatlemania, laid-back humor, freshness: the magic worked and the film was a success. United Artists, which produced it, made huge profits from it, especially since production costs were relatively low at that time (£200,000 [$303,000 U.S.]) The Beatles themselves only received a salary. The premiere took place on July 6 at the London Pavilion. The Academy Awards gave the movie two prizes: one to Alun Owen for Best Original Script and the second one to George Martin for Best Sound-track. The Beatles received nothing.
Someone Called Toots Thielemans
On February 8, after the rehearsals for The Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles met with Francis Hall, the salesman for Rickenbacker guitars. The appointment was set by Brian Epstein at 4:00 P.M at the New York Savoy Hilton. Hall was accompanied by Toots Thielemans, the famous Belgian harmonica player, who demonstrated the guitars!
In 1964, it was the year for Rickenbackers. Although Paul kept his old 1963 Hofner, he was offered a Rickenbacker 4001 bass for the first time. For some unknown reason, he only started using it during the summer of 1965. George, bedridden in his hotel room with the flu the night before The Ed Sullivan Show on February 9, remembered seeing John walk in with a Rickenbacker 360/12, an extraordinary electric twelve-string guitar that he wanted George to try. It was love at first sight; he started using it right away. Better still, this guitar became the distinctive trademark of the group for the next two years. Described as the “Beatles’ secret weapon,” it influenced many American musicians, such as Roger McGuinn of the Byrds. A big fan of Andrés Segovia, George also wanted to play classical guitar, so he bought a José Ramirez model. As for John, he was not left out, since he traded in his Rickenbacker 325 of the early years for an identical model, dated 1964. Both of them kept their electric/acoustic guitars, Gibsons J-160 E. The amplifiers were Vox AC-50 and AC-100. Meanwhile, Ringo stayed loyal to his Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl drum kit.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:29
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: vocal, bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, cowbell, bongos (?)
George Martin: piano
Norman Smith: bongos (?)
RECORDED
Abbey Road: April 16, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 9
MIXING
Abbey Road: April 20 and 23 (Studio Two) / June 9, 1964 (Studio Three) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln, David Lloyd, Ken Scott
RELEASED AS A SINGLE
“A Hard Day’s Night” / “Things We Said Today”
Great Britain: July 10, 1964 / No. 1 on July 23, 1964
United States: July 13, 1964 / No. 1 on August 1, 1964
Around March 19, Ringo stumbled onto the title of the movie and its theme song, “A Hard Day’s Night.” He said in an interview: “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!’” When Richard Lester heard this expression, he knew he had the title of his movie. On April 15 the filming was drawing to an end, but they still did not have a theme song. Lester asked the Beatles for one. Recalls John: “The next morning I brought in the song. ’Cause there was a little competition between Paul and me as to who got the A side, who got the hit singles.”1 It was recorded the next day, and on April 17 the announcement was released to the press: the movie would be called A Hard Day’s Night.
On April 16 the Beatles entered the studio to record this song, which, according to John, had been written the night before. On the first track, they concentrated on the rhythm section (acoustic and electric guitars, bass, and drums) and despite four false starts, only nine takes were required to finalize it. Ringo impressed Geoff Emerick with his power. John and Paul simultaneously recorded their vocals on the second track. John explained later, in 1980, that Paul was singing the high notes (When I’m home, everything seems to be all right), since John could not manage to do so. On the four initial takes of the piece, George used the echo of his twelve-string Rickenbacker for the first time, in order to reinforce the intensity of the intro chord, but this effect was not kept (it was not used until “Everybody’s Trying to Be My Baby” on the following album). Lester strongly insisted that the intro of the piece be more “cinematic.” Finally, this famous chord—a D major 7th sus 4—came from the mixture of John and George’s guitars, Paul’s bass, and George Martin’s piano. In the guitar solo, George, who was not inspired or who was irritated by Lester’s constant barging in, was struggling. Martin suggested that he come back to it later. The third track was then set aside for various overdubs: John doubled his Gibson J-160 E as well as the vocal parts he shared with Paul; a cowbell and bongos were added at the same time. With the first three tracks completed, George could now concentrate on his guitar work. Martin decided to do the same thing as he did on “Misery.” He slowed down the tape recorder by half to facilitate George’s solo, which he doubled himself on piano, both of them playing together in unison and one octave lower. At the normal speed, both instruments sounded more clear, dynamic, and incisive. Lester wanted a dreamlike effect at the end of the song to connect with the first sequence of the film. George then picked up his twelve-string once again and on the slightly slower track, recorded a series of arpeggios that corresponded to the director’s wishes. The song was finally completed; it was recorded in three hours! Afterwards, there were several mixes, some produced for the movie and others for the record. The final mono mix came from the session on April 23, and the stereo was made on June 22.
According to authors Kevin Ryan and Brian Kehew, Norman Smith assumed responsibility for playing the bongo part on this song. “I went down into the studio to show Ringo how to play [the bongos],” he told them, “but he couldn’t maintain the rhythm. So I told him, ‘Okay, forget it, I’ll do it myself.’”2
Lennon-McCartney / 2:41
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar, harmonica
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar, rhythm guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 25–26, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 22
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
John admitted to David Sheff in 1980 that “I Should Have Known Better” was “just a song; it doesn’t mean a damn thing.”1 In 1964 he counted it as one of his favorites in A Hard Day’s Night: “There are four I really go for: ‘Can’t Buy Me Love,’ ‘If I Fell,’ ‘I Should Have Known Better,’ … and ‘Tell Me Why.’”2 Even if the lyrics were not among his best, the melody was rather catchy. Besides, it was this piece that was at the beginning of the first sung scene in the movie. Like “Love Me Do,” John was inspired by “Hey! Baby” by Bruce Channel. The harmonica intro and the beginning of the melody were relatively close.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
It was in the scene in the train car in A Hard Day’s Night, and to the sound of “I Should Have Known Better,” that Pattie Boyd, dressed like a high school girl, met George Harrison, her future husband.
Recorded in three takes on February 25, during the first session set aside for the new album, “I Should Have Known Better” provoked the laughter of Paul, George, and Ringo because John was clowning around, according to Mark Lewisohn. Out of these three takes, a single one was complete. John supplied the singing, the rhythm guitar work, and the harmonica playing (diatonic in C). Paul was on bass, George on rhythm guitar and on electric (on his twelve-string Rickenbacker), and Ringo on drums. John was not satisfied with the results. Therefore, the group redid it the next day during a marathon session. Nineteen other takes were recorded, but very few of them went beyond the bridge. Finally, the ninth take was used as the basis for the various overdubs. John doubled his voice, without Paul’s help, and supplied his harmonica part independent of the singing. On this song, John produced his last real riff on harmonica, the later harmonica playing being only accompaniments (“Rocky Raccoon,” “All Together Now”) or solos (“I’m a Loser”). The mono mix was carried out on March 3 and the stereo on June 22. In the latter (on the left channel), there was a mistake in the edit at exactly 2:15.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:18
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: vocal, bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 27, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 15
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
“If I Fell,” which was mainly written by John, was a superb ballad that once again revealed his taste for melodies, and especially harmonies for several voices. This technique, which was hinted at in “This Boy,” became apparent in the sublime “Because” in 1969. Paul realized that John was hiding beneath his acerbic and wincing mask a warm personality that he never wanted to reveal, lest he be rejected: “We wrote ‘If I Fell’ together but with the emphasis on John because he sang it. It was a nice harmony number.”1 As for John, he found in this song the seeds of “In My Life.” “It has the same chord sequence as ‘In My Life’: D and B minor and E minor, those kinds of things. And it’s semiautobio-graphical, but not consciously. It shows that I wrote sentimental love ballads, silly love songs.”2 Through semi-autobiographical allusions, John implied his frequent tantrums and his unhappy marriage with Cynthia. In 1968, he admitted he had been too cowardly to leave her and live on his own.
Contract Clauses
For A Hard Day’s Night, a contract clause prevented the Beatles from courting women in order not to let down their female admirers. So to sing “If I Fell,” John asked Ringo to do it, which caused much giggling on the film set!
Recorded in fifteen takes on February 27, “If I Fell” developed as it was being recorded. Right from the third take, George Martin suggested they add some drums. At the eleventh take, John inserted his intro, accompanied by his Gibson J-160 E and George’s Rickenbacker. The fifteenth take was the final one. What was significant in this song were the incredible vocal performances of John and Paul, especially since, at their request, they sang together on the same mike in order to preserve the unity of their voices. The results are really successful (on the stereo version, however, you can hear Paul’s voice cracking at 1:45). The mono and stereo mixes followed on March 3 and June 22. Despite the difficulty of the vocals, the Beatles did not hesitate to play “If I Fell” in public, for example, at the Hollywood Bowl concerts in 1964 and 1965 (without, however, including it on the 1977 record).
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana loved this song and performed it in concert every time there was a technical problem.
Lennon-McCartney / 1:55
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
George: vocal, rhythm guitar
John: backing vocals, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
Ringo: drums, tom bass
RECORDED
Abbey Road: March 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 4
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
“We wrote ‘I’m Happy Just to Dance with You’ for George in the film. It was a bit of a formula song.… We wouldn’t have actually wanted to sing it,”1 Paul explained. John, who was nevertheless the author, also stated in 1980 that he could not have sung it. Neither he nor Paul were very concerned with the songs written for George, their own priorities being more egocentric. “George had his fans, so we would write a song for him. Nothing more, nothing less.” “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” was the last song that John and Paul wrote for him, because, starting in 1965, he wrote his own compositions.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
“I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” had the honor of being the first song recorded on a Sunday, which was a totally new practice at EMI in those days! It should be mentioned that the very next day, the Beatles were to begin filming the movie. Therefore, it was urgent!
This song was worked on the day before the first day of filming of A Hard Day’s Night. The Beatles concentrated on the rhythmic track of the song. Based on the staged performance in the movie, John played electric guitar on his Rickenbacker 325, while George played his Gibson J-160 E. Paul was on bass and Ringo on drums. Once the first two takes were recorded, George recorded his vocal, then doubled his voice, while John and Paul shared the vocal harmony. Finally, Ringo added a tom tom beat. The song was completed in only four takes. It was the only song on the record sung by George. Ringo had no vocals on the album. The mono mix was carried out on March 3, and the stereo mix on June 22.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:28
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass
John: rhythm guitar
George: classical guitar
Ringo: bongos, claves
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 25–27, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 21
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
Written in the small music room of the Asher family at 57 Wimpole Street, in London, “And I Love Her” was Paul’s first ballad, the first of a long series that made him one of the greatest melody composers of pop music. He admitted that he was surprised by the song and loved the chords and images it generated: “I like the imagery of the stars and the sky.”1 Despite his relationship with Jane Asher in those days, to whom he was engaged, he claimed in 1984, “It was a love song, really, written for no one in particular.”2 The title also played an important role: “The ‘And’ in the title was an important thing. ‘And I Love Her,’ it came right out of left field, you were right up to speed the minute you heard it.”3
Dick James, their editor at the time, apparently remembered John and Paul asking for a break in the middle of the recording session in order to write a bridge in a corner of the studio. John claimed in 1972 that he had written the bridge of “And I Love Her,” before recanting and being more subtle in 1980, when he claimed instead: “The middle eight, I helped with that.”4 Paul agreed: “The middle eight is mine. I would say that John probably helped with the middle eight, but he can’t say ‘It’s mine.’”5 From Smokey Robinson to Diana Krall, “And I Love Her” has been the subject of numerous covers throughout the world. Paul’s favorite version was Esther Phillips’s “And I Love Him.”
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
In the superb documentary filmed in 2011 by Martin Scorsese, George Harrison: Living in the Material World, Paul revealed that George was the author of the guitar riff on “And I Love Her.”
“And I Love Her” was recorded in two takes on February 25. Only the second one was complete. But the version was not satisfactory: the Beatles were searching for the right arrangement. The piece did not yet have the charm and lightness of the final version. George was on his twelve-string Rickenbacker, and Ringo supplied a regular rhythm on drums (See Anthology 1). The riff that was so characteristic on guitar had not been found yet, and there was no bridge. The Beatles decided to return to it the next day. Sixteen other takes were then recorded. Ringo gave up his Ludwig to play claves and bongos. But the song still did not sound right. It appears that it was during this session that the bridge was added and George switched to his José Ramirez classical guitar. Paul said to Barry Miles, “George played really good guitar on it. It worked very well.”6 They reworked the song on February 27 and at the end of the twenty-first take, the group was finally satisfied. Interestingly, in the final version, the doubling of Paul’s voice suddenly disappears between 1:08 and 1:17. Was this due to a failed “punch in” or an accidental deletion? The first mono mix took place on March 3, for the record as well as for the movie. United Artists needed the completed songs for filming. The final mono and stereo mixes were completed on June 22.
Norman Smith captured the warmth of Paul’s voice by means of the Neumann U 48 microphone, which he passed through the EMI RS114 limiter, one of his favorite effects.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:06
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
George: backing vocals, lead guitar
Ringo: drums
George Martin: piano (?)
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 27, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 8
MIXING
Abbey Road: March 3, 1964 (Studio One) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick, A. B. Lincoln
In 1980, John admitted having written “Tell Me Why.” “It was like a black New York girl-group song.”1 He was no doubt referring to the Shirelles, the Marvelettes, or the Donays, by whom the Beatles were greatly inspired. It was one of the seven songs kept for the A Hard Day’s Night movie; John wrote it quickly: “They needed another upbeat song and I just knocked it off.”2 In 1964, he considered it one of his four favorite songs (see “I Should Have Known Better”). While the music and the tempo were joyful, the lyrics were definitely darker. Paul felt this song, like many others on the record, evoked in a roundabout way John’s relationship problems at that time: “I think a lot of these [Lennon’s] songs like ‘Tell Me Why’ may have been based on real experiences or affairs John was having, or arguments with Cynthia [Lennon’s wife] or whatever, but it never occurred to us until later to put that slant on it all.”3
And the Beach Boys Tell the Story
“Tell Me Why” was one of the favorite songs of Brian Wilson, the brilliant composer from the Beach Boys, who did a remake of it on the Beach Boys’ Party! album in 1965. It was probably its doo-wop aspect that attracted Brian.
This song, which was recorded on February 27, after “And I Love Her” and before “If I Fell,” did not involve any particular difficulty. The Beatles managed to complete it in barely eight takes, despite the rather complex vocal harmonies. John and George supplied an efficient rhythm section, Paul played a great part on walking bass, and Ringo beat the skins and the cymbals with energy. Only the doubling of John’s voice left a bit to be desired, the launching of the choruses not being really in place. It also seems there was a piano in the mix, on the right of the stereo, although the session reports do not mention it. Was it George Martin or Paul? The mono mix of “Tell Me Why” was completed on March 3, and the stereo on June 22.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:12
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass
John: rhythm guitar
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Studios EMI Pathé Marconi: January 29, 1964
Abbey Road: February 25, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 4
MIXING
Abbey Road: February 26, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Jacques Esmenjaud (EMI Pathé Marconi), Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
RELEASED AS A SINGLE
“Can’t Buy Me Love” / “You Can’t Do That”
Great Britain: March 20, 1964 / No. 1 on April 2, 1964
United States: March 16, 1964 / No. 1 on April 4, 1964
Between February 1 and December 31, 1964, the Beatles achieved the amazing feat of positioning six number 1 records on the Billboard Hot 100, including “Can’t Buy Me Love,” which culminated at the top of the charts for five weeks. This had never been done before! This song was composed and recorded in Paris. The Beatles were in the capital of France for nineteen shows at the Olympia. They were staying at the George V Hotel, near the Champs-Élysées, and at their request, a piano was installed in their room so they could work. Paul composed “Can’t Buy Me Love” on this piano. “‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ is my attempt to write in a bluesy mode. The idea behind it was that all these material possessions are all very well but they won’t buy me what I really want.”1 John, who in 1972 attributed the song to “John and Paul, but principally Paul,” acknowledged eight years later “that was entirely Paul’s.”2 He added, “Maybe I had something to do with the chorus, but I don’t know. I always considered it his song.”3
On Wednesday, January 29, 1964, for the first and only time during their career, the Beatles recorded in France, at the studios of EMI Pathé Marconi in Boulogne-Billancourt, at 62 rue de Sèvres. Norman Smith did not like this place, where “[There] was absolutely no atmosphere!”4 Nevertheless, they managed to record the unforgettable German versions of two of their songs (“Komm Gib Mir Deine Hand”—“I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “Sie Liebt Dich”—“She Loves You”) before tackling the latest composition by Paul, “Can’t Buy Me Love.” George Martin had a brilliant idea: “We need an intro, something that catches the ear immediately. So let’s start with the chorus.”5 The Beatles followed his advice and only needed four takes to be satisfied. The first two takes had a rhythm & blues feel: Paul was looking for a black intonation in his voice, while John and George answered him with very “girl group” choruses. The third take was close to the definitive version when the choruses were dropped. The fourth take was the best one. Paul then recorded his voice on a free track, while George performed a solo on his Gretsch Country Gentleman. On February 25, the Beatles returned to Abbey Road to finalize “Can’t Buy Me Love.” Meanwhile, the group left to conquer America: the Liverpool four were seen by 73 million television viewers and shook hands with Cassius Clay. Paul doubled his vocal and George rerecorded a new solo, this time on his new twelve-string Rickenbacker. But you could hear behind his solo traces of a previous take coming from a recording made in Paris! The very next day, Martin and Smith proceeded with the mono mix. On March 10, a first stereo mix was completed. But the definitive stereo mix came from the marathon day on June 22. “Can’t Buy Me Love” became a colossal success. The single appeared in the United States on March 16, four days before it came out in Great Britain. As soon as it did, it was immediately a golden record. In less than a week, Capitol sold over 2 million copies of it. On British soil, preorders went beyond a million singles. It was also the first song in the history of records to go directly from twenty-seventh to first place within a week. America went crazy. In the April 11, 1964 edition of Billboard, no less than fourteen Beatles songs were rated among the Hot 100. This record has never been broken.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
In his memoirs, Geoff Emerick revealed a rather surprising anecdote. When the tape that had been recorded in Paris arrived at Abbey Road, Norman Smith noticed that it had a ripple in it because it had been spooled incorrectly. As a result, there was a partial loss of treble on Ringo’s hi-hat cymbal. Because the group was absent, there was only one solution: Norman set himself up in the studio and replayed the faulty hi-hat parts himself! As for the Beatles, they never realized it. This revelation casts light on a document found in 1991 in the EMI archives: an unknown drummer had been paid £5.15 ($7.20 U.S.) for a session on March 10, 1964. Sure enough, it was Norman. Q.E.D.!
Lennon-McCartney / 2:10
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass, piano, backing vocals
George: lead guitar, classical rhythm guitar
Ringo: drums, cowbell
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 2, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 11
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
It is extraordinary to realize that, despite a surrealistic year and schedule, John managed to write or cowrite ten songs out of thirteen on the album. “Any Time at All” may be underestimated, but it nevertheless had undeniable power and charm, with a remarkable vocal performance by its author. But John thought this song was only an attempt to compose something along the lines of “It Won’t Be Long”: “C to A minor, C to A minor—with me shouting,”1 he said. He completed it shortly before the recording session.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
If you listen carefully, you can make out an extra voice in the solo part at exactly 1:32. Another amusing detail is that John forgot to double his voice (or it got deleted) on the word Any at 1:59.
On Tuesday, June 2, the Beatles began the last recording day of A Hard Day’s Night. The first song the group worked on was “Any Time at All.” They recorded the basic track in seven takes, including John’s voice. Everyone played their usual instruments, George adding a nylon string classical rhythm guitar and Ringo a cowbell (which was essentially buried in the mix). There was still a bridge missing in the song, so they decided to return to it later. After a break of an hour and a half, which they used to write the bridge, they redid the song after having recorded “When I Get Home.” A rarity for the Beatles, the bridge was entirely instrumental: Paul performed it on piano, doubled by George’s twelve-string Rickenbacker. Their unfailing efficiency and creativity were obvious here. The eleventh take was the best one. On June 3, there were some additional overdubs. Martin and his team completed two mono mixes, the first on June 4 and a second one, which became the final mix, on June 22, the same day as the stereo mix. The final chord, no doubt, came from the editing of a different take.
Lennon-McCartney / 1:44
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: bass
George: lead guitar
Ringo: drums, tambourine
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 8
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
Paul believed that “I’ll Cry Instead” was one of John’s songs that consciously or not referred to his marital problems with Cynthia. On the other hand, John explained that this song, like “Tell Me Why” and “Any Time at All,” reflected his frustration with success. Worshipped by millions of fans, John felt alone in his gilded cage. He thought his freedom and joie de vivre had vanished—the price of fame, so to speak. The dark lyrics were in contrast with this rather light imitation of country and western music. John was gradually leaving the world of teenage love affairs and plunging into a less serene realism. There was even some violence behind his words. “I’ll Cry Instead” was initially planned for the scene in the movie where the Beatles were fooling around in a playground, but Richard Lester chose otherwise. In 1980, John said, “I wrote that for A Hard Day’s Night, but Dick Lester didn’t even want it. He resurrected ‘Can’t Buy Me Love’ for that sequence instead.”1 It seemed apparent that John was hurt because of this. He admitted later that he especially liked the bridge of this song.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
The mono version of “I’ll Cry Instead,” which also came out as a single in the United States, lasted 2:09 instead of 1:44. The song was extended by inserting a copy of the first verse prior to the repeat of the bridge.
Recorded on June 1, “I’ll Cry Instead” was unusual in that it was recorded in two parts that were combined afterwards. The reason for this remains mysterious, especially since the song did not involve any special difficulty. Section A required six takes, and section B two takes. Everyone played their usual instruments: John doubled his voice and Ringo added a tambourine. The country flavor of the song was perfect for George’s guitar: he delivered a very Chet Atkins type of accompaniment. The qualities of “I’ll Cry Instead” meant it was remade several times, and sometimes better than the Beatles’ version (including by Joe Cocker, Billy Joel, Johnny Rivers, The Shooters). The mono mix was done on June 4, the stereo on June 22, and, just like the recording, they were done piecemeal, before being combined.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:35
1964
SONGWRITER
Paul
MUSICIANS
Paul: vocal, bass, rhythm guitar (?)
John: rhythm guitar, piano
George: lead guitar, rhythm guitar (?)
Ringo: drums, tambourine
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 2–3, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 3
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 9, 1964 (Studio Three) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Geoff Emerick
On May 2, a painting exhibition in Liverpool opened, dedicated to Stuart Sutcliffe, a musician-turned-artist many of the Beatles had originally played with. The Beatles, meanwhile, took off for some real holidays. John, Cynthia, George, and Pattie chose to go to Honolulu; Paul, Jane, Ringo, and Maureen preferred St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands. On the Happy Days, a yacht made available to them, Paul isolated himself in a cabin that smelled like oil and began to write “Things We Said Today.” He ended the song on the deck, at the stern of the boat, far from the smell! His subject matter evoked in a very direct manner his relationship with actress Jane Asher. Because of their respective schedules, Paul and Jane began to drift apart. “The song projects itself into the future and then is nostalgic about the moment we’re living in now, which is quite a good trick,”1 Paul explained. Composing it on an acoustic guitar, Paul especially liked the chord changes of the piece. “It goes C, F, which is all normal, then the normal thing might be to go to F minor, but to go to the B flat was quite good. It was a sophisticated little tune.”2 John recognized this later on: “Good song!”3 he said.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
Paul was not always precise when doubling himself. At 1:27, he was slightly off when pronouncing the word on, which produced a funny repetition: We’ll go on and on on …
Three takes were enough to record “Things We Said Today” on Tuesday, June 2. Paul was on bass, John on acoustic guitar, George on electric guitar, and Ringo on drums. The second take, which was considered satisfactory, was used as the basis for the overdubs: Paul doubled his voice, Ringo added tambourines, John was on piano, and George (or Paul? John?) played a riff on acoustic guitar. The mono mix was carried out on June 9. But according to Mark Lewisohn, the decision was made to eliminate the piano. Since the instrument had been recorded by itself on one of the four tracks, this was not supposed to cause any problem. But the sound of piano had leaked into the other microphones. The stereo mix was done on June 22.
Norman Smith advised Ringo to put a tea towel over his snare drum to create a thicker and shorter snare sound. This practice was widely used throughout the Beatles’ career.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:15
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
George: lead guitar, backing vocals
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 2, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 11
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 4, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM,
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Geoff Emerick
“When I Get Home” is not among the Beatles’ masterpieces. Written by John, probably to complete the album, it clearly lacked inspiration. Even though he tried to produce a Motown sound and was inspired by Wilson Pickett, the Stax recording artist, the results did not meet his expectations. The dynamics of this song are aggressive and the rhythm catchy, but you would want more magic. As for the lyrics, they certainly had something to do with his guilt towards Cynthia, from whom he was absent for long periods of time. As Paul suggested, “When I Get Home” was one of John’s songs dealing with his relationship problems.
This song was the last one to be recorded for A Hard Day’s Night (“Any Time at All” being the very last song to be finalized). The Beatles, who had been in the studio on Tuesday, June 2 since 2:30 P.M., started working on “When I Get Home” at 7:00 P.M. Eleven takes were required for its production, which did not involve any major difficulty. Everyone played their usual instruments. Ringo was full of energy and played the cymbals wholeheartedly. John doubled his vocal and Paul, along with George, harmonized the choruses. On the other hand, Paul’s voice definitely went off track on the whoaaaa at 0:36, and it could easily be heard in the stereo version on the right channel! The final mono and stereo mixes come from the session of June 22.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:33
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, lead guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass, cowbell
George: rhythm guitar, backing vocals
Ringo: drums, bongos
RECORDED
Abbey Road: February 25, 1964 (Studio Two) / May 22, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 9
MIXING
Abbey Road: February 26, 1964 (Studio Two) / March 10, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
RELEASED AS A SINGLE
“Can’t Buy Me Love” / “You Can’t Do That”
Great Britain: March 20, 1964 / No. 1 on April 2, 1964
United States: March 16, 1964 / No. 1 on April 4, 1964
The first song recorded at Abbey Road for the Beatles’ new album, “You Can’t Do That” also provided John with the opportunity for his first guitar solo and George with the opportunity of using his brand new twelve-string Rickenbacker 360/12. According to George, John wrote the song in Miami Beach, during their first American tour. As for “You Can’t Do That,” John admitted being influenced by Wilson Pickett. “You know, a cowbell going four in the bar, and the chord going chatoong!”1 It seemed he was mistaken in mentioning Wilson Pickett, because in early 1964, Pickett had not yet recorded “In the Midnight Hour,” even though it had a style corresponding to John’s description. Did John wish to evoke the global influence of rhythm & blues, which was so important for the Beatles? Created for the movie, “You Can’t Do That” was rejected by Richard Lester. Apparently, the director did not find the lyrics positive enough. It was true that John was assuming more and more distance from the canon of the pop songs of those days. In the song, he threatens to break up with his girlfriend if she keeps talking to someone else. Jealousy, threats, shame—John was not trying to be subtle. You could consider “You Can’t Do That” a precursor to “Jealous Guy,” which appeared on Imagine in 1971.
FOR BEATLES FANATICS
During the Beatles’ vacation, George Martin was alone in the studio on May 22 and added a piano part to “You Can’t Do That.” This recording was never used.
Recorded in nine takes on February 25, the piece was not particularly difficult. The two guitars mixed together and supplied solid rhythm support worthy of the Stones. John said in a 1964 interview, “I’d find it a drag to play rhythm all the time, so I always work myself out something interesting to play. The best example I can think of is like I did on ‘You Can’t Do That.’ There really isn’t a lead guitarist and a rhythm guitarist on that, because I feel the rhythm guitarist role sounds too thin for records.”2 John played his very first solo, also with a brand-new Rickenbacker 325. “I never play anything as lead guitarist that George couldn’t do better. But I like playing lead sometimes, so I do it,”3 John admitted in 1964. His style resembled the one he used in “The End” on Abbey Road. Around 1:23, he could be heard switching the position of his mike, which he tipped toward the treble to start the solo. As for Paul, he produced an excellent bass sound that was unfortunately buried in the mix (you could also notice at 2:10 that there was a bad dropout on the bass). This was not the case for Ringo’s cymbals, which he kept beating throughout the piece. Too bad. But the whole song sounded good. You could feel the explosive energy of the group. The girl group–influenced choruses worked very well. Their joy was contagious. On the ninth take, the Beatles recorded different overdubs: John doubled himself, Paul was on the cowbell and Ringo was on bongos. Four mono mixes were done the next day: the second and third one were meant for the United States, and the fourth one for Europe. “You Can’t Do That” was ready for side B of “Can’t Buy Me Love.” The definitive stereo mix was completed on June 22.
Lennon-McCartney / 2:20
1964
SONGWRITER
John
MUSICIANS
John: vocal, rhythm guitar
Paul: backing vocals, bass
George: rhythm guitar, classical guitar
Ringo: drums
RECORDED
Abbey Road: June 1, 1964 (Studio Two)
NUMBER OF TAKES: 16
MIXING
Abbey Road: June 10, 1964 (Studio Two) / June 22, 1964 (Studio One)
TECHNICAL TEAM
Producer: George Martin
Sound Engineer: Norman Smith
Assistant Engineers: Ken Scott, Richard Langham, Geoff Emerick
In 1980, John claimed he had written “I’ll Be Back.” Paul qualified this claim in Many Years from Now: “‘I’ll Be Back’ was cowritten but it was largely John’s idea.”1 No doubt, Paul helped him out, but the harmony and rather complex structure of the song were, in fact, more typical of John’s style. The latter agreed he had done a “variation of the chords in a Del Shannon song,” probably “Runaway,” the 1961 hit. The chord sequence of the first part was similar to the one used in “I’ll Be Back,” although it was a “classical” harmonic descent used in hundreds of songs, for instance, in flamenco. For the first time, a Beatles song included two different bridges. Rather underestimated, “I’ll Be Back” was a small jewel, similar to “Things We Said Today” by Paul, because of its atmosphere and acoustic arrangement. Once again, the lyrics were not full of serenity. John discussed a masochistic relationship (even though he feared his love would experience a nasty surprise upon his return and would make him suffer, he would come back). In a certain way, this song foreshadowed the ambivalent side of the duo, Paul with his optimism and John with his torment. “I’ll Be Back” was a song that John always liked: he said in a 1972 interview, “A nice tune, though the middle is a bit tatty.” Many artists recorded covers of it, for instance, Shawn Colvin, who produced an exceptional version of it in 2004.
“I’ll Be Back” was recorded in sixteen takes, on June 1, toward the end of the day. The first versions were written in 6/8 before being adapted to 4/4. The orchestration of the beginning was more electric; the mood was not yet acoustic. The Beatles then chose a more folklike interpretation, leaving nice maneuvers for the Gibsons J-160S of John and George, Ringo and Paul playing with subtleness. The basic track used was the ninth take. Then there were a series of seven overdubs. The voices were added, John doubled himself, and George performed a nylon string classical guitar part as well as a very effective riff. The results were colored with nostalgia and finesse. The final mono and stereo mixes came from the session on June 22, 1964.