A Hard Day's Night (review)

The Beatles' first movie, released 1964. Originally envisioned as a quick way to cash in on the Beatlemania phenomenon, as the soundtrack would make money even if the film didn't. It was made quite cheaply (in black and white) but turned out a classic (possibly partly because of the black and white -- I've seen clips of scenes from it in color and they don't look nearly as good.)

Screenwriter Alun Owen got to hang out with the Beatles for a few days and get a feel for their personalities, and he wrote a script that, while fictional, reflected the reality of their lives -- "A car and a room, and a train and a room, and a room and a room" -- quite well. And the script was terribly funny as well. The Beatles approved of the director, Richard Lester, who had done a comedy film (The Running, Jumping, Standing Still Film) they'd liked in their youth. The film was untitled until John and Paul were asked to write a theme song, and took an accidental phrase of Ringo's used to describe a long period of work as the title of the song.

The soundtrack contains (on the British vinyl and all CD releases):

1. A Hard Day's Night
2. I Should Have Known Better
3. If I Fell
4. I'm Happy Just to Dance With You
5. And I Love Her
6. Tell Me Why
7. Can't Buy Me Love
8. Any Time At All
9. I'll Cry Instead
10. Things We Said Today
11. When I Get Home
12. You Can't Do That
13. I'll Be Back

The American vinyl release contained tracks 1-7 and 9, but had instrumental versions of Beatles songs from the film on the rest of the album.