Editing A Hard Day's Night (album)

{{Short description|1964 studio album by the Beatles}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=November 2015}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = A Hard Day's Night
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[the Beatles]]
| cover        = HardDayUK.jpg
| border       = yes
| alt          = A grid of 20 black and white head shots of the Beatles – John, George, Paul, and Ringo
| released     = {{start date|1964|7|10|df=yes}}
| recorded     = 29 January – 2 June 1964
| studio       = {{ubl|[[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London|Pathé Marconi, Paris}}
| genre        = {{flatlist|
*[[Rock music|Rock]]<ref>World – Volume 2 – Page 61, 1973. "[on Help! and A Hard Day's Night], the soundtrack – gone – rock album is a marketing ideal that is passed off on the buying public with objectionable regularity and has already begun to backfire."</ref>
*[[pop rock]]{{sfn|Spignesi|Lewis|2004|p=140}}
*[[pop music|pop]]<ref>{{cite book |title=The Beatles: Here, There and Everywhere |first=Nancy J. |last=Hejeski |date=2014 |publisher=Simon & Schuster}}</ref>
}}
| length       = {{duration|m=30|s=9}}
| label        = [[Parlophone]]
| producer     = [[George Martin]]
| prev_title   = [[With the Beatles]]
| prev_year    = 1963
| year         = 1964
| next_title   = [[Beatles for Sale]]
| next_year    = 1964
| misc         = {{Singles
 | name        = A Hard Day's Night
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[Can't Buy Me Love]]
 | single1date = 20 March 1964
 | single2     = [[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]
 | single2date = 10 July 1964
}}
}}
'''''A Hard Day's Night''''' is the third [[studio album]] by the English [[Rock music|rock]] band [[the Beatles]], released on 10 July 1964 by [[Parlophone]], with side one containing songs from the soundtrack to their [[A Hard Day's Night (film)|film of the same name]]. The American version of the album was released two weeks earlier, on 26 June 1964 by [[United Artists Records]], with a different track listing including some from [[George Martin]]'s [[film score]]. ''A Hard Day's Night'' is the band's first album to contain all-original material, penned by [[Lennon–McCartney|John Lennon and Paul McCartney]]. The omitted tracks are instead spread across the [[Capitol Records]] LPs ''[[The Beatles' Second Album]]'', ''[[The Beatles' Long Tall Sally]]'', ''[[Something New (Beatles album)|Something New]]'', and ''[[Beatles '65]]''.

The album includes the song "[[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]", with its distinctive opening chord,{{sfn|Hook|2005}} and "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]", both transatlantic number-one singles for the band. Several songs feature [[George Harrison]] playing a [[Rickenbacker 360/12|Rickenbacker 12-string]] electric guitar, with its sound influencing [[the Byrds]] and other groups in the emerging [[folk rock]] and [[jangle pop]] genres.

==Recording==
{{See also|A Hard Day's Night (film)}}
Shortly after the release of ''[[With the Beatles]]'' (1963), [[the Beatles]] were at EMI Pathé Marconi Studios in Paris on 29 January 1964 for their first recording session outside of London. Here, they recorded German-language versions of their two most recent singles, "[[I Want to Hold Your Hand]]" and "[[She Loves You]]", titled [[Komm, gib mir deine Hand / Sie liebt dich|"Komm, gib mir deine Hand" and "Sie liebt dich"]], respectively. According to their producer, [[George Martin]], this was done as "they couldn't sell large quantities of records [in Germany] unless they were sung in German".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=38–39}} Also recorded—in English—was [[Paul McCartney]]'s "[[Can't Buy Me Love]]", which was completed in only four takes.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=38–39}} Shortly afterward, the band gave their first live performance in the United States on ''[[The Ed Sullivan Show]]'' on 9 February. They gave more US performances before returning to the United Kingdom on 22 February.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=137, 146–147}}

The Beatles were set to begin filming their first major feature film on 2 March 1964. According to historian [[Mark Lewisohn]], the band were set to record songs for both the film and a tie-in LP, of which the songs from the film were completed first.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=39–40}} On 25 February—lead guitarist [[George Harrison]]'s 21st birthday—the band were back at London's [[EMI Studios]], recording [[John Lennon]]'s "[[You Can't Do That]]" for release as the [[A-side and B-side|B-side]] of "Can't Buy Me Love". The band also attempted "[[And I Love Her]]" and "[[I Should Have Known Better]]" on this day and again the following day, with the former finalised on 27 February.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=39–40}} Two more songs from the film, "[[Tell Me Why (Beatles song)|Tell Me Why]]" and "[[If I Fell]]", were recorded on this day.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=39–40}}

On 1 March 1964, the Beatles recorded three songs in three hours: "[[I'm Happy Just to Dance with You]]" for the film, featuring Harrison on lead vocal; a cover of [[Little Richard]]'s "[[Long Tall Sally]]"; and Lennon's "[[I Call Your Name]]", which was originally given to [[Billy J. Kramer]] and [[The Dakotas (band)|the Dakotas]] the previous year.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=40–41}} Mono and stereo mixing was carried out over the following two weeks. The "Can't Buy Me Love" / "You Can't Do That" single was released on 16 March and topped charts worldwide.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=40–41}} Taking a break for filming,{{sfn|Gould|2007|pp=230–232}} drummer [[Ringo Starr]] coined the phrase "a hard day's night", providing the film with its title. Lennon and McCartney wrote [[A Hard Day's Night (song)|a song based on the title]], which was recorded at EMI on 16 April and mixed four days later.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=40–43}}

On 1 June, with the film completed and the band returning from holidays, the Beatles returned to EMI, recording the remaining songs for the tie-in LP, with outtakes appearing on the ''[[Long Tall Sally (EP)|Long Tall Sally]]'' [[Extended play|EP]].{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=44–45}} Covers of [[Carl Perkins]]' "[[Matchbox (song)|Matchbox]]", with Starr on lead vocals, and [[Larry Williams]]' "[[Slow Down (Larry Williams song)|Slow Down]]", appeared on the EP, while Lennon's "[[I'll Cry Instead]]" and "[[I'll Be Back (song)|I'll Be Back]]" appeared on the LP. The following day on 2 June, the band completed Lennon's "[[Any Time at All]]" and "[[When I Get Home]]", and McCartney's "[[Things We Said Today]]".{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|pp=44–45}} The band spent the remainder of June and July touring internationally.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1992|pp=161–165}}

==Content==
Musically, ''A Hard Day's Night'' eschews the [[rock and roll]] cover songs of the band's previous albums for a predominantly pop sound.<ref name="pitchfork" /> Sputnikmusic's Dave Donnelly observes "short, peppy" pop songs characterised by layered vocals, immediate choruses, and understated instrumentation.<ref name="sputnikmusic" /> According to ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''{{'s}} Tom Ewing, the lack of rock and roll covers allows listeners to "take the group's new sound purely on its own modernist terms", with audacious "chord choices", powerful harmonies, "gleaming" guitar, and "[[Northern soul|Northern]]" harmonica.<ref name="pitchfork" /> Music journalist [[Robert Christgau]] writes that [[Lennon–McCartney]]'s songs were "more sophisticated musically" than before.<ref>{{cite book |last=Christgau|first=Robert|author-link=Robert Christgau|editor-last=McKeen|editor-first=William|editor-link=William McKeen |date=1 October 2000 |url=https://archive.org/details/rockrollishereto00mcke|url-access=registration |title=Rock & Roll Is Here to Stay: An Anthology |publisher=[[W. W. Norton & Company]] |page=[https://archive.org/details/rockrollishereto00mcke/page/565 565] |isbn=978-0-393-04700-4|display-authors=etal}}</ref> It also features Harrison playing a Rickenbacker 12-string electric guitar, a sound that was influential on [[the Byrds]] and other bands in the [[folk rock]] explosion of 1965.<ref>{{cite book |last=Jackson |first=Andrew Grant |year=2015 |title=1965: The Most Revolutionary Year in Music |publisher=Thomas Dunne Books |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-1-250-05962-8 |page=168}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Kruth |first=John |title=This Bird Has Flown: The Enduring Beauty of Rubber Soul, Fifty Years On |year=2015 |publisher=Backbeat Books |location=Milwaukee, WI |isbn=978-1-61713-573-6 |page=78}}</ref>

Side one of the LP contains the songs from the film soundtrack. Side two contains songs written for, but not included in, the film, although a 1980s re-release of the film includes a prologue before the opening credits with "I'll Cry Instead" on the soundtrack.<ref>{{cite web |first=Bruce |last=Eder |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/extracts-from-the-album-a-hard-days-night-mw0001041313 |title=''Extracts from the Album "A Hard Day's Night"'' – The Beatles |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=18 May 2020 |archive-date=21 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200821063224/https://www.allmusic.com/album/extracts-from-the-album-a-hard-days-night-mw0001041313 |url-status=live}}</ref> The title of the album and film was the accidental creation of Starr.{{sfn|Badman|2001|p=93}} According to Lennon in a 1980 interview with ''[[Playboy]]'' magazine: "I was going home in the car and [film director] [[Richard Lester|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 [[malapropism]]s. A Ringo-ism, where he said it not to be funny&nbsp;... just said it. So Dick Lester said, 'We are going to use that title.'"{{sfn|Sheff|2000|pp=174–175}}

''A Hard Day's Night'' is the first Beatles album to feature entirely original compositions, and the only one where all the songs were written by Lennon–McCartney.{{sfn|Lewisohn|1988|p=47}} Lennon is the primary author of nine of the thirteen tracks on the album, as well as being the lead singer on these same nine tracks (although Paul McCartney sings lead on the title track's middle-eight). Lennon and McCartney co-wrote "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You", sung by Harrison,{{sfn|Miles|1997|p=163}} while McCartney wrote "And I Love Her", "Can't Buy Me Love" and "Things We Said Today". It is one of three Beatles albums, along with ''[[Let It Be (album)|Let It Be]]'' and ''[[Magical Mystery Tour]]'', in which Starr does not sing lead vocal on any songs. (Starr sang the lead vocal on "Matchbox" during the sessions; it appeared instead on the ''Long Tall Sally'' EP.) It is also one of three Beatles albums, along with ''[[Please Please Me]]'' and ''[[Beatles for Sale]]'', in which Harrison does not contribute to the songwriting.

==Critical reception and legacy==
{{Album ratings
| rev1 = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="Erlewine AllMusic">{{cite web |last1=Erlewine |first1=Stephen Thomas |author-link1=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=''A Hard Day's Night'' – The Beatles |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/a-hard-days-night-mw0001948685 |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |access-date=18 May 2020 |archive-date=30 May 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530233822/http://www.allmusic.com/album/a-hard-days-night-mw0001948685 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev2      = ''[[The A.V. Club]]''
| rev2Score = A<ref name="Klosterman">{{cite news |last=Klosterman |first=Chuck |author-link=Chuck Klosterman |date=8 September 2009 |url=https://www.avclub.com/chuck-klosterman-repeats-the-beatles-1798217828 |title=Chuck Klosterman Repeats The Beatles |newspaper=[[The A.V. Club]] |location=Chicago |access-date=26 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522154556/http://www.avclub.com/articles/chuck-klosterman-repeats-the-beatles%2C32560/ |archive-date=22 May 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| rev3 = ''[[Blender (magazine)|Blender]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/53036/hard-days-night.html |title=Maxim |work=blender.com |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090909135956/http://www.blender.com/guide/back-catalogue/53036/hard-days-night.html |archive-date=9 September 2009}}</ref>
| rev4 = ''[[Consequence of Sound]]''
| rev4Score = A−<ref>{{cite web |last=Young |first=Alex |url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/album-review-the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-remastered/ |title=Album Review: The Beatles – ''A Hard Day's Night'' [Remastered] |website=[[Consequence of Sound]] |date=16 September 2009|access-date=2 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404195105/http://consequenceofsound.net/2009/09/album-review-the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-remastered/|archive-date=4 April 2014}}</ref>
| rev5 = ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]''
| rev5Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/the-beatles/6138984/The-Beatles-A-Hard-Days-Night-review.html |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |first=Neil |last=McCormick |title=The Beatles – A Hard Day's Night, review |date=4 September 2009| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006013248/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/the-beatles/6138984/The-Beatles-A-Hard-Days-Night-review.html | archive-date=6 October 2012}}</ref>
| rev6 = ''[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]]''
| rev6Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Larkin |first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin (writer) |year=2006 |publisher=[[Muze]] |title=[[Encyclopedia of Popular Music]] |volume=1 |pages=487–489 |isbn=978-0-19-531373-4}}</ref>
| rev7 = ''[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]''
| rev7Score = 100/100<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/09/the-beatles-the-long-and-winding-repertoire.html |title=The Beatles: The Long and Winding Repertiore |journal=[[Paste (magazine)|Paste]]|date=5 August 2009 |access-date=5 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131023065059/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2009/09/the-beatles-the-long-and-winding-repertoire.html|archive-date=23 October 2013}}</ref>
| rev8 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]''
| rev8Score = 9.7/10<ref name="pitchfork">{{cite web |first=Tom |last=Ewing |url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13422-a-hard-days-night/ |title=The Beatles ''A Hard Day's Night'' Album Review |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=8 September 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131210144313/http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/13422-a-hard-days-night/ |archive-date=10 December 2013}}</ref>
| rev9 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev9Score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-beatles/albumguide |title=The Beatles – Album Guide – Rolling Stone Music |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140404194100/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/artists/the-beatles/albumguide |archive-date=4 April 2014}}</ref>
| rev10 = Sputnikmusic
| rev10Score = 4.5/5<ref name="sputnikmusic">{{cite web |first=Dave |last=de Sylvia |url=http://sputnikmusic.com/review/3713/The-Beatles-A-Hard-Days-Night/ |title=The Beatles' ''A Hard Day's Night'' Sputnik Music review |website=Sputnik Music |date=24 September 2005 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120715042813/http://sputnikmusic.com/review/3713/The-Beatles-A-Hard-Days-Night/ |archive-date=15 July 2012}}</ref>
}}
According to music critic [[Richie Unterberger]], writing for [[AllMusic]]:
<blockquote>George Harrison's resonant 12-string electric guitar leads [on ''A Hard's Day's Night''] were hugely influential; the movie helped persuade [[the Byrds]], then folksingers, to plunge all out into rock & roll, and the Beatles would be hugely influential on the folk-rock explosion of 1965. The Beatles' success, too, had begun to open the US market for fellow English bands like [[the Rolling Stones]], [[the Animals]], and [[the Kinks]], and inspired young American groups like [[the Beau Brummels]], [[Lovin' Spoonful]], and others to mount a challenge of their own with self-penned material that owed a great debt to Lennon–McCartney.<ref name="Unterberger AllMusic">{{cite web |last=Unterberger |first=Richie |year=2009| author-link=Richie Unterberger |title=The Beatles Biography |publisher=[[AllMusic]] |url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beatles-mn0000754032/biography| access-date=25 September 2009| archive-date=3 November 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191103055952/https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-beatles-mn0000754032/biography| url-status=live}}</ref></blockquote>

In his book ''Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé'', [[Bob Stanley (musician)|Bob Stanley]] identifies ''A Hard Day's Night'' as the album that best captures the band's early-career appeal. He writes:
<blockquote>If you had to explain the Beatles' impact to a stranger, you'd play them the soundtrack to ''A Hard Day's Night''. The songs, conceived in a hotel room in a spare couple of weeks between up-ending the British class system and conquering America, were full of bite and speed. There was adventure, knowingness, love, and abundant charm.{{sfn|Stanley|2014|p=79}}</blockquote>

''A Hard Day's Night'' was included in the list of "100 Essential Rock Albums" compiled by musicologists [[Charlie Gillett]] and [[Simon Frith]] for ''[[ZigZag (magazine)|ZigZag]]'' magazine in 1975, and is one of the "Treasure Island albums" featured in [[Greil Marcus]]'s 1979 book ''Stranded''.{{CN|date=December 2023}} In 2000, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' magazine placed ''A Hard Day's Night'' at number 5 on its list "The 100 Greatest British Albums Ever".<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Kelso |title=Beatles still rule the rockers' roost |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/02/paulkelso |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=2 May 2000|access-date=21 March 2020|archive-date=19 March 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200319065849/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/may/02/paulkelso|url-status=live}}</ref> That same year, it appeared at number 22 in [[Colin Larkin]]'s book ''[[All Time Top 1000 Albums]]''.<ref>{{cite news |first=Paul |last=Kelso |title=Radiohead challenge Fab Four as Bends leaves Sgt Pepper in the cold |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/sep/04/paulkelso1 |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=4 September 2000|access-date=11 November 2019|archive-date=30 October 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191030124916/https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2000/sep/04/paulkelso1|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2012, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' ranked it 307th on the magazine's list of the [[Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|500 Greatest Albums of All Time]].<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-19691231 |title=500 Greatest Albums of All Time: The Beatles, 'A Hard Day's Night' |magazine=Rolling Stone |access-date=12 June 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120714014221/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-20120531/the-beatles-a-hard-days-night-19691231|archive-date=14 July 2012}}</ref> In the 2020 revision, it rose to number 263.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=2020-09-22 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/best-albums-of-all-time-1062063/|access-date=2021-08-19 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> In 2000, the album was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.<ref>[https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#h Grammy Hall of Fame Award]</ref>

''A Hard Day's Night'' has also appeared in critics' lists of the best albums of all time published by the ''[[NME]]'', in 1974 (at number 33), 1985 (number 73) and 2013 (number 195); ''[[Mojo (magazine)|Mojo]]'', in 1995 (number 81); and ''[[Uncut (magazine)|Uncut]]'', in 2016 (number 149).{{CN|date=December 2023}} It was a featured album in ''[[The Mojo Collection|The Mojo Collection: The Greatest Albums of All Time]]'', [[Tom Moon]]'s book ''[[1,000 Recordings to Hear Before You Die]]'' and Robert Dimery's ''[[1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die]]'', and was selected as one of the "Most Significant Rock Albums" in the ''Greenwood Encyclopedia of Rock History''.{{CN|date=December 2023}}

==Reissues==
On 26 February 1987, ''A Hard Day's Night'' was officially released on compact disc in mono, along with ''[[Please Please Me]]'', ''[[With the Beatles]]'', and ''[[Beatles for Sale]].'' Having been available only as an import in the US in the past, the 13 track UK version of the album was also issued in the US on LP and cassette on 21 July 1987. Stereo mixes of "A Hard Day's Night", "Can't Buy Me Love", and "And I Love Her" had been made available on the first compact disc issue of ''[[1962–1966]]'' in 1993. Most of the rest of the tracks appeared in stereo on compact disc for the first time with the release of the box set ''[[The Capitol Albums, Volume 1]]'' in 2004.

On 9 September 2009, a remastered version of this album was released and was the first time the album appeared in stereo on compact disc in its entirety. This album is also included in ''[[The Beatles (The Original Studio Recordings)|The Beatles: Stereo Box Set]]''. A remastered mono version of the original UK album was part of ''[[The Beatles in Mono]]'' box set.{{sfn|Reuters|2009}} A 60th anniversary reissue of the album was released on 19 October 2024 to celebrate National Album Day.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Duran |first=Anagricel |date=2024-10-04 |title=The Beatles announce 60th anniversary reissue of 'A Hard Day's Night' |url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/the-beatles-announce-60th-anniversary-reissue-of-a-hard-days-night-3799730 |access-date=2024-10-04 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref>

==Track listing==
{{Track listing
| headline  = Side one of the UK & Australian LP release (& soundtrack to the 1964 [[United Artists]] film ''[[A Hard Day's Night (film)|A Hard Day's Night]]'')
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| all_writing     = [[Lennon–McCartney]]
| title1  = [[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]
| extra1  = Lennon with McCartney
| length1  = 2:34
| title2  = [[I Should Have Known Better]]
| extra2  = Lennon
| length2  = 2:43
| title3  = [[If I Fell]]
| extra3  = Lennon and McCartney
| length3  = 2:19
| title4  = [[I'm Happy Just to Dance with You]]
| extra4  = Harrison
| length4  = 1:56
| title5  = [[And I Love Her]]
| extra5  = McCartney
| length5  = 2:30
| title6  = [[Tell Me Why (Beatles song)|Tell Me Why]]
| extra6  = Lennon with McCartney and Harrison
| length6  = 2:09
| title7  = [[Can't Buy Me Love]]
| extra7  = McCartney
| length7  = 2:12
| total_length    = 16:23
}}
{{Track listing
| headline      = Side two
| extra_column  = Lead vocals
| title1        = [[Any Time at All]]
| extra1        = Lennon with McCartney
| length1       = 2:11
| title2        = [[I'll Cry Instead]]
| extra2        = Lennon
| length2       = 1:44
| title3        = [[Things We Said Today]]
| extra3        = McCartney
| length3       = 2:35
| title4        = [[When I Get Home]]
| extra4        = Lennon
| length4       = 2:17
| title5        = [[You Can't Do That]]
| extra5        = Lennon
| length5       = 2:35
| title6        = [[I'll Be Back (song)|I'll Be Back]]
| extra6        = Lennon with McCartney
| length6       = 2:24
| total_length  = 13:46
}}

==North American release==
{{Infobox album
| name         = A Hard Day's Night
| type         = soundtrack
| artist       = [[the Beatles]] and [[George Martin]]
| cover        = AHardDaysNightUSalbumcover.jpg
| alt          = 
| caption      = 1964 stereo United Artists release
| released     = 26 June 1964
| recorded     = 29 January{{snd}}4 June 1964
| venue        = 
| studio       = *[[Abbey Road Studios|EMI]], London
*Pathé Marconi, Paris
| genre        = Rock, [[instrumental music|instrumental]]
| length       = 29:47
| label        = [[United Artists Records|United Artists]]
| producer     = [[George Martin]]
| chronology   = [[The Beatles]] [[The Beatles' North American releases|North American]]
| prev_title   = [[The Beatles' Long Tall Sally]]
| prev_year    = 1964
| next_title   = [[Something New (Beatles album)|Something New]]
| next_year    = 1964
| misc         = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = [[The Beatles]] United States
 | type       = soundtrack
 | prev_title = [[The Beatles' Second Album]]
 | prev_year  = 1964
 | title      = A Hard Day's Night
 | year       = 1964
 | next_title = [[Something New (Beatles album)|Something New]]
 | next_year  = 1964
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = A Hard Day's Night
 | type        = soundtrack
 | single1     = [[Can't Buy Me Love]]
 | single1date = 16 March 1964
 | single2     = [[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]
 | single2date = 13 July 1964
 | single3    = [[This Boy|Ringo's Theme (This Boy)]]
 | single3date = July 1964
 | single4    = [[And I Love Her]]
 | single4date = 20 July 1964
}}
}}

The American version of the album was released on 26 June 1964 by [[United Artists Records]] in both mono and stereo, the fourth Beatles album in the United States. The album went to number one on the [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] [[Billboard 200|album chart]], spending 14 weeks there, the longest run of any album that year.{{sfn|Whitburn|2001|p=1178}} United Artists rushed the album into stores over a month before the film's US premiere; as a result, the Beatles had both the number-one album and number-one single in the country when ''A Hard Day's Night'' opened on 11 August 1964.

All seven songs from the film, the first side of the UK album, were featured along with "I'll Cry Instead", which, although written for the film, was cut at the last minute. The American version also included four orchestral instrumental versions of Lennon and McCartney songs [[arranged]] by George Martin conducting an orchestra of studio musicians: "I Should Have Known Better", "And I Love Her", "[[This Boy|Ringo's Theme]]" (featuring [[Vic Flick]] on lead guitar<ref name="guitarplayer">{{cite web |last=McQuade|first= Martin |date=June 14, 2021|title= Sixties Session King Vic Flick Reflects on Scoring Bond, His Most Famous Gigs, and Reminds Us To "Make Every Note Music"|publisher=Guitar Player |url= https://www.guitarplayer.com/players/sixties-session-king-vic-flick-reflects-on-scoring-bond-his-most-famous-gigs-and-reminds-us-to-make-every-note-music | access-date = July 4, 2024}}</ref>), and "A Hard Day's Night". After [[EMI]] acquired United Artists Records, this album was reissued in August 1980 on the Capitol label, catalogue SW-11921.

While the stereo version of the album included the instrumental tracks in true stereo, the Beatles' own recordings appeared as electronically rechannelled stereo recordings made from the mono releases. The 1980 [[Capitol Records]] reissue used the same master tape as the original United Artists LP release in fake stereo, despite the availability of several tracks with official true stereo remixes. True stereo versions of most of the songs had been issued on the Capitol album ''[[Something New (Beatles album)|Something New]]'', released in July 1964. "Can't Buy Me Love" and "I Should Have Known Better" finally appeared in stereo on the 1970 [[Apple Records]] compilation ''[[Hey Jude (Beatles album)|Hey Jude]]''. The song "A Hard Day's Night" did not appear in true stereo in the US until the 1982 Capitol compilation album ''[[Reel Music]]''. In 2014, the American version of the "A Hard Day's Night" album was released on CD individually and in a [[The U.S. Albums|boxed set of all the other US Beatles albums]] to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of the Beatles first US visit. This CD reissue features all of the songs in both true stereo and mono mixes. . 

In 2000, the 1964 North American release of ''A Hard Day's Night'' by [[The Beatles]] on the United Artists label was inducted into the [[Grammy Hall of Fame]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=GRAMMY HALL OF FAME AWARD |url=https://www.grammy.com/awards/hall-of-fame-award#g |access-date=2023-08-06 |website=www.grammy.com}}</ref>

===Track listing===
{{Track listing
| headline = Side one
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = [[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]
| extra1 = Lennon and McCartney
| length1 = 2:33
| title2 = [[Tell Me Why (The Beatles song)|Tell Me Why]]
| extra2 = Lennon
| length2 = 2:10
| title3 = [[I'll Cry Instead]]
| extra3 = Lennon
| length3 = 2:06
| title4 = [[I Should Have Known Better]]
| extra4 = instrumental
| length4 = 2:10
| title5 = [[I'm Happy Just to Dance with You]]
| extra5 = Harrison
| length5 = 1:59
| title6 = [[And I Love Her]]
| extra6 = instrumental
| length6 = 3:46
| total_length = 14:44
}}
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| extra_column = Lead vocals
| title1 = [[I Should Have Known Better]]
| extra1 = Lennon
| length1 = 2:44
| title2 = [[If I Fell]]
| extra2 = Lennon and McCartney
| length2 = 2:22
| title3 = [[And I Love Her]]
| extra3 = McCartney
| length3 = 2:29
| title4 = [[This Boy#Ringo's Theme|Ringo's Theme (This Boy)]]
| extra4 = instrumental
| length4 = 3:10
| title5 = [[Can't Buy Me Love]]
| extra5 = McCartney
| length5 = 2:12
| title6 = [[A Hard Day's Night (song)|A Hard Day's Night]]
| extra6 = instrumental
| length6 = 2:06
| total_length = 15:03
}}

==Personnel==
Sources:{{sfn|Guesdon|Margotin|2014|page=149}}{{sfn|Everett|2001|p=}}{{sfn|MacDonald|1994|page=90}}<br/>
'''The Beatles'''
* [[John Lennon]]&nbsp;– lead, harmony and backing vocals; acoustic, rhythm and lead guitars; [[harmonica]] on "I Should Have Known Better"; piano on "Things We Said Today"
* [[Paul McCartney]]&nbsp;– lead, harmony and backing vocals; bass guitar; piano on "When I Get Home"; [[cowbell (instrument)|cowbell]] on "You Can't Do That"
* [[George Harrison]]&nbsp;– harmony and backing vocals, lead vocals on "I'm Happy Just To Dance With You"; lead (six- and twelve-string), acoustic and [[classical guitar|classical]] guitars
* [[Ringo Starr]]&nbsp;– drums, percussion

'''Additional personnel'''
* [[George Martin]]&nbsp;– piano on "Tell Me Why", [[record producer|production]], orchestrations of instrumentals for film and American LP

==Charts and certifications==
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}

===Chart performance===
{|class="wikitable sortable"
|+Weekly chart performance for ''A Hard Day's Night''
! style="width:20em;"|Chart (1964–65)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref>{{cite book |title=Australian Chart Book (1940–1969) |author=Kent, David |publisher=Australian Chart Book |location=Turramurra |year=2005 |isbn=0-646-44439-5}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
|{{album chart|Germany4|1|id=6620|artist=Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|Finland ([[Suomen virallinen lista]])<ref name=Finland>{{cite book |first=Jake |last=Nyman |year=2005 |title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja |edition=1st |publisher=Tammi |location=Helsinki |isbn=951-31-2503-3 |language=fi}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
|align="left"|UK [[UK Albums Chart|''Record Retailer'' LPs Chart]]<ref name="UK chart">{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/10363/beatles/|title=Beatles" > "Albums|publisher=[[Official Charts Company]]|access-date=27 March 2022}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
|align="left"|[[Billboard 200|US ''Billboard'' Top LPs]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/the-beatles/chart-history/tlp/ |publisher=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=March 16, 2021 |title=The Beatles Chart History (Billboard 200) |language=en |date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=16 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316205331/https://www.billboard.com/music/the-beatles/chart-history/TLP|url-status=live}}</ref>
|align="center"|1
|-
|-
! style="width:20em;"|Chart (1987)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|{{album chart|Netherlands|20|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
! style="width:20em;"|Chart (2009)
!Peak<br />position
|-
|{{album chart|Austria|66|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Flanders|68|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Wallonia|80|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Netherlands|86|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Finland|27|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Italy|73|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|New Zealand|28|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Portugal|28|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Spain|61|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Sweden|29|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|-
|{{album chart|Switzerland|60|artist=The Beatles|album=A Hard Day's Night|access-date=12 June 2016}}
|}
{{col-2}}

===Certifications===
'''Original release'''
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''A Hard Day's Night'' original release}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|title=A Hard Day's Night|artist=The Beatles|award=Gold|certyear=2009|access-date=15 September 2013}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|type=album|title=A Hard Day's Night|artist=The Beatles|award=Platinum|relyear=1970|id=2009-09-11|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|note=Reissue}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=A Hard Day's Night|artist=The Beatles|award=Platinum|access-date=25 July 2019|id=9379-1786-2|certyear=2014|relyear=2009|note=2009 Reissue}}
{{Certification Table Bottom}}

'''North American release'''
{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications for ''A Hard Day's Night'' North American release}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|title=A Hard Day's Night|artist=The Beatles|award=Platinum|relyear=1964|access-date=15 September 2013}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=Hard Day_s Night|artist=The Beatles|award=Platinum|number=4|access-date=15 September 2013}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=yes}}
{{col-end}}

==See also==
* [[Outline of the Beatles]]
* [[The Beatles timeline]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Sources==
{{Refbegin|35em}}
* {{cite book |last=Badman |first=Keith |title=The Beatles Off the Record |publisher=Omnibus Press |year=2001}}
* {{cite book |last=Everett |first=Walter |year=2001 |title=The Beatles as Musicians: The Quarry Men Through Rubber Soul |publisher=Oxford University Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=0-19-514105-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/beatlesasmusicia00ever}}
* {{cite book |last=Gould |first=Jonathan |year=2007 |title=Can't Buy Me Love: The Beatles, Britain and America |publisher=Three Rivers Press |location=New York |isbn=978-0-307-35338-2}}
*{{cite book |last1=Guesdon |first1=Jean-Michel |last2=Margotin |first2=Philippe |title=All The Songs: The Story Behind Every Beatles Release |date=2014 |publisher=Running Press |isbn=978-1-60376-371-4 |page=149 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=KXKnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT149 |access-date=16 May 2020 |archive-date=2 May 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502201111/https://books.google.com/books?id=KXKnAgAAQBAJ&pg=PT149 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite web |last=Hook |first=Chris |title=The "A Hard Day's Night" Chord – Rock's Holy Grail |date=2 May 2005 |url=http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1718612 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121031013854/http://everything2.com/index.pl?node_id=1718612 |archive-date=31 October 2012 |url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewisohn |first=Mark |year=1988| author-link=Mark Lewisohn |title=The Beatles Recording Sessions |publisher=Harmony Books |location=New York |isbn=978-0-517-57066-1}}
* {{cite book |last=Lewisohn |first=Mark |year=1992 |edition=2010 |location=Chicago |title=The Complete Beatles Chronicle:The Definitive Day-By-Day Guide To the Beatles' Entire Career |publisher=[[Chicago Review Press]] |isbn=978-1-56976-534-0 }}
*{{cite book |last1=MacDonald |first1=Ian |author-link1=Ian MacDonald |title=Revolution in the Head: The Beatles' Records and the Sixties |date=1994 |publisher=[[Henry Holt and Company]] |location=New York |isbn=0805027807 |page=90 |edition=1st. |url=https://archive.org/details/revolutioninhead0000macd/mode/2up}}
* {{cite book |last1=Spignesi |first1=Stephen J. |last2=Lewis |first2=Michael |title=Here, There, and Everywhere: The 100 Best Beatles Songs |year=2004 |location=New York |publisher=[[Black Dog Publishing|Black Dog]] |isbn=978-1-57912-369-7 |quote=...after the unabashed more-or-less traditional pop rock of ''A Hard Day's Night'' and ''Help!''...}}
* {{cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry|author-link=Barry Miles |title=Paul McCartney: Many Years From Now |year=1997 |publisher=Henry Holt & Company |edition=1st Hardcover |isbn=978-0-8050-5248-0 |url=https://archive.org/details/paulmccartneyman00mile_0|url-access=registration}}
* {{cite news |work=Reuters |title=Original Beatles digitally remastered |date=7 April 2009 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5363RN20090407 |ref={{SfnRef|Reuters|2009}}
 |first=Mike
 |last=Collett-White
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091130032253/https://www.reuters.com/article/entertainmentNews/idUSTRE5363RN20090407
 |archive-date=30 November 2009
 |url-status=live
 }}
* {{cite magazine |magazine=[[Rolling Stone]] |title=The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time |date=1 November 2003 |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6862/35223/46689 |access-date=22 November 2010 |ref={{SfnRef|Rolling Stone|2003}}
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101024173914/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/lists/6862/35223/46689
 |archive-date=24 October 2010
 |url-status=dead
 }}
* {{cite book |last=Sheff |first=David |year=2000| author-link=David Sheff |title=All We Are Saying: The Last Major Interview with John Lennon and Yoko Ono |publisher=St. Martin's Press |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-312-25464-3 |url=https://archive.org/details/allwearesayingla00lenn}}
* {{cite book |last=Stanley |first=Bob|author-link=Bob Stanley (musician) |title=Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!: The Story of Pop Music from Bill Haley to Beyoncé |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kebvrQEACAAJ |year=2014 |publisher=W.W. Norton |location=New York, NY |isbn=978-0-393-24269-0|access-date=13 September 2020|archive-date=2 May 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210502201108/https://books.google.com/books?id=kebvrQEACAAJ|url-status=live}}
* {{cite book |last=Whitburn |first=Joel |year=2001 |title=Top Pop Albums 1955–2001 |url=https://archive.org/details/joelwhitburnstop00whitbu | url-access=registration |publisher=Record Research |location=Menomonee Falls, WI|isbn=9780898201475 }}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
*{{Discogs master|type=album|24003|name=A Hard Day's Night}}
* [http://www.beatlesinterviews.org/dba03hard.html Beatles comments on each song]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20050911223046/http://www.norwegianwood.org/beatles/disko/uklp/night.htm Recording data and notes on mono/stereo mixes and remixes]

{{A Hard Day's Night}}
{{The Beatles albums}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hard Day's Night, A (Album)}}
[[Category:1964 albums]]
[[Category:1964 soundtrack albums]]
[[Category:Albums produced by George Martin]]
[[Category:Albums with cover art by Robert Freeman (photographer)]]
[[Category:Musical film soundtracks]]
[[Category:George Martin albums]]
[[Category:Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients]]
[[Category:Parlophone albums]]
[[Category:Parlophone soundtracks]]
[[Category:The Beatles albums]]
[[Category:The Beatles soundtracks]]
[[Category:United Artists Records soundtracks]]
[[Category:Comedy film soundtracks]]