On April 16th, 1964, a last-minute recording session was scheduled at EMI Studio Two for recording the title track for their nearly completed first movie. Three hours was all that was needed, from 10 am to 1 pm. Present on this day, besides producer George Martin and engineers Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick, was journalist and friend Maureen Cleave as well as the film's director Richard Lester.
Maureen Cleave remembers helping them put the finishing touch on the lyrics in the studio on this day. John apparently re-wrote the lyrics on the back of a birthday card meant for his son Julian, which contained the line "But when I get home to you, I find my tiredness is through, and I feel alright." Cleave told him that she thought "my tiredness is through" was a weak line, so John immediately took out a pen, crossed out the line, and came up with "I find the things that you do will make me feel alright."
Cleave also emphasizes how new the song was for the group when they entered the studio. "The song seemed to materialize as if by magic," she recalls. "It consisted of John humming to the others, then they would all put their heads together and hum and three hours later they had this record." Other evidence of how unrehearsed they were on this day can be heard by examining take one, which is included on the "Anthology 1" album. McCartney's bass guitar flubs are evidence of his not being sure of the chord changes, as well as his concluding the vocal line on the bridge with the phrase "all through the night, oowh" instead of "tight, tight, yeah" as we're used to hearing. Harrison as well performs a very crude guitar solo, which he apparently hadn't had time to work out yet.
Director Richard Lester's presence in the studio, on the other hand, was not strictly for observation purposes. "Usually, the only people in the control room while the band played in the studio down below were George Martin, Norman Smith, and whoever was assigned to be the assistant engineer," explained Geoff Emerick, who was the assistant engineer on that day. "On this morning, however, we were joined by the film's director, Dick Lester, and his presence was definitely not appreciated."
Dick Lester had a definite agenda that day. "Dick kept insisting that something 'blockbuster' was needed for the opening of the film," Geoff Emerick continues, "hence John and George's crashing guitar chord that heralds the first notes of the song. But that wasn't enough for Dick, who kept making one odd suggestion after another. 'Tell them I need it more cinematic,' he shouted to George Martin at one point."
George Martin concurs, "We knew it would open both the film and the soundtrack LP, so we wanted a particularly strong and effective beginning. The strident guitar chord was the perfect launch." On another occasion George commented, "In those days, the beginnings and endings of songs were things I tended to organize. We needed something striking, to be a sudden jerk into the song. It was by chance that (John Lennon) struck the right one. We knew it when we heard it."
Although just what this unique introductory chord consists of has been the subject of much debate, it appears to have been George playing a hybrid F chord on his twelve-string Rickenbacker with unique fingering as follows: 1st set of strings = G on the 3rd fret (pinky), 2nd set of strings = C on the 1st fret (index finger), 3rd set of strings = A on the 2nd fret (middle finger), 4th set of strings = F on the 3rd fret (ring finger), 5th set of strings = C on the 3rd fret (thumb), and 6th set of strings = G on the 3rd fret (thumb also). Paul then plays a low D on his bass while John plays an Fadd9 chord on his six-string acoustic Gibson guitar as an overdub. Also evident on the master tape is a piano, presumably played by George Martin, playing low D and G notes, probably also recorded as an overdub.
Another suggestion by Dick Lester was the song's conclusion. "Lester kept insisting that he needed a 'dreamy' fadeout in order to segue into the movie's first scene," Geoff Emerick explains. Both of Dick Lester's suggestions had to have been made prior to the first attempt at recording the song, since both of these elements (the introduction and conclusion) were attempted on the first take.
As for the actual performance of the group, they were in top form on this day. "I hadn't been on a session with The Beatles for some six months," Emerick continues, "and I was impressed by how much more professional they had gotten in that relatively short span. Not only was their playing tighter, but they were acting very much like seasoned veterans in the studio, knowing exactly what they were trying to accomplish and getting it done with a minimum of fuss, very much like a well-oiled machine."
This 'well-oiled machine' did do its share of sputtering on this day however. Even through to takes six and seven, McCartney still hadn't gotten his bass part down yet, nor had he worked out the bridge vocals or lyrics properly. Since Harrison was having such a hard time with the guitar solo, he stopped performing it altogether with the intention of overdubbing it afterward. Nonetheless, all four Beatles played their usual instruments and sang simultaneously. The practice of putting down a rhythm track without vocals did not become standard practice until the following year.
With John and Paul "brimming with confidence" and Ringo "attacking his drums with a ferocity I hadn't seen or heard before," according to Emerick, take nine was the keeper. Lennon announced that he was satisfied and George Martin agreed. When Dick Lester called for another take, "George Martin was smart enough to keep him well away from the talkback microphone and pretended not to hear his dissent," Emerick remembers.
‘Track One’ of the four-track master tape contained the original rhythm track while ‘Track Two’ contained John and Paul's lead vocals. It was now time for overdubs. ‘Track Three’ comprised one elaborate overdub consisting of John double-tracking his lead vocals while playing an acoustic guitar (including the introductory chord), Paul double-tracking his vocal part and Ringo playing bongos during the verses and a cowbell during the bridges.
The last overdub sessions pertained to George Harrison's contributions to the song, which were overdubbed onto 'Track Four' of the master tape. First to be tackled was his guitar solo. Geoff Emerick explains: "After some discussion about having Paul play the part instead...George Martin finally decided to instead employ the same 'wound-up piano' technique he had done the year previous on the song 'Misery.' I was told to roll the tape at half speed while George went down into the studio and doubled the guitar solo on an out-of-tune upright piano. Both parts had to be played simultaneously because there was only one free track, and it was fascinating watching the two Georges...working side by side in the studio...as they played the rhythmically complex solo in tight unison on their respective instruments." George Martin undoubtedly recorded his piano contribution to the introductory chord at this time as well.
After this was done, Harrison then went over the "dreamy" fadeout that Dick Lester suggested. Since he was having trouble performing this during the actual takes, the overdub was performed by slightly slowing down the tape. This then completed the song.
The first mixing session for the song was on April 20th, with only George Martin, Norman Smith and engineer A.B. Lincoln present. Mono and stereo mixes were completed on this day, intended exclusively for United Artists to release on their soundtrack album.
April 23rd saw another mono mix of the song made which was intended for the record release only, not the movie. Only George Martin, Norman Smith and engineer David Lloyd were present on this day.
On June 9th more mix work was done for the song, first for mono tape copying so that two identical tapes of the best mono mixes could be sent to both United Artists and Capitol Records in America for release purposes. Also prepared on this day was an extended mono mix to be used for the film. An edit was performed to extend the ending, and this was sent to United Artists for use in the movie only, not the soundtrack album.
A further stereo mix was needed for release on the British "A Hard Day's Night" album, so this was done with the rest of the tracks on June 22nd, 1964. This session was attended by George Martin, Norman Smith and Geoff Emerick only.
Two more recording sessions that included the song occurred in 1965, although they comprised live performances by the band. Both the August 29th and 30th Hollywood Bowl concerts were taped with the possible intention of being released as a live album. The August 29th performance, which was originally produced by Engeman and engineered by Hugh Davies, was plagued with flaws, such as problems with McCartney's microphone, but the August 30th show was much more successfully recorded. This version of "A Hard Day's Night," which was produced by Capitol vice-president Voyle Gilmore and engineered by Pete Abbott, was eventually released on the 1977 album "The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl," after it was cleaned up by George Martin and Geoff Emerick.
Giles Martin (son of George Martin) and Sam Okell revisited the original master tape of "A Hard Day's Night" in Abbey Road Studios sometime in 2015 to create a new stereo mix, the result appearing on a re-released version of the compilation album "Beatles 1."
Song Structure and Style
"A Hard Day's Night" follows the common structure that the Lennon/ McCartney songwriting team had used thus far, this being the verse/ verse/ bridge/ verse formula (or aaba). With the addition of a quick introduction, a solo section, a repeat of the bridge, a lengthened final verse and a faded conclusion, we have a pattern that has been used many times before but to good effect.
A noteworthy point to mention is the bluesy melody line and chord pattern that is used on this track. This influence was creeping into their original songs more frequently at this point, as can be heard on both sides of their last single, namely "Can't Buy Me Love" and "You Can't Do That," as well as many of the tracks on their upcoming album, such as "When I Get Home" and "I'll Cry Instead." Not to say that this was new in their arsenal, as traces of a 'blues' influence can be heard as early as "One After 909."
The much talked about introduction, the sudden crisp and vibrant opening chord, was described by George Harrison as an "F with a G on top." It is actually a G eleventh suspended fourth. It has also been described as a superimposition of the chords D minor, F major and D major. Either way, it has a 'wake me from the dead' surprising urgency that demands attention, which works perfectly in its intended purpose as the introduction to their first film.
Upon close listening, you'll notice that the introduction, the guitar chord, is exactly two measures long. At the beginning of take seven, Lennon informs the rest of the group that he would "tap toe" the beat after he and George Harrison played the opening chord so that everyone would know exactly when to come in.
After the introduction, we jump headlong into the twelve measure first verse, which is sung primarily by John alone except for the ninth and tenth measure. These two measures feature McCartney singing a high harmony to the clever rising and falling melody line. A second verse is then heard, which is identical except for different lyrics.
The major/minor chord structure of the song now appears as we enter the eight-measure bridge. Paul takes over the vocals (sung only because John couldn't reach the higher register) as the chords shift in a similar manner to the bridge on "From Me To You."
We now hear the first verse again. "We would often repeat the first verse," McCartney explains. "The last verse was no problem - 'Two hours is up! C'mon, just put "Repeat 1".' That's how a lot of our songs end, 'Repeat 1'...which was good if it was hooky, it meant that you've heard those lyrics twice, so we'd rammed 'em home, and it saved us having to think of a third verse." Being that the song was written quickly and under pressure, repeating the first verse was economical as well as effective. Because of the extended pattern used in this song, that first verse is actually heard three times in the song, which 'rams home' the title of the song for all to remember.
We now enter into the solo section of the song, which is heard above the twelve-measure verse chord structure. George Harrison's precise Rickenbacker 12-string flourishes, coupled with George Martin's piano mimicking, repeat itself twice throughout the first eight measures of this section, while the final four measures show a return of the Lennon / McCartney harmonies heard in the second verse.
After a carbon copy of the bridge is heard, the first verse is repeated for the third time, but this time it is extended three more measures in order to emphasize the final lyric line of the song three times. This practice has also been heard before in The Beatles cannon, such as on "Please Please Me."
We then hear something that is quite uncommon thus far for The Beatles, although it became very common shortly thereafter, this being an actual 'fade-out' ending. The conclusion, which was tagged on at director Richard Lester's insistence, comprised a jangling guitar riff played by Harrison on his Rickenbacker 12-string. The riff comprises notes from the strident chord heard at the beginning of the song, played in a less commanding but suspenseful fashion. An impressive final touch to a song that commands attention.
Writing a song made-to-order from a 'Ringoism' phrase for the title may have been difficult, especially in regard to not wanting the lyrics to sound forced. "Usually, John and I would sit down and if we thought of something we'd write a song about it," McCartney relates. "It seemed a bit ridiculous writing a song called 'A Hard Day's Night' - it sounded funny at the time, but after a bit we got the idea of saying it had been a hard day's night and we'd been working all the days, and get back to a girl and everything's fine."
You can't help but notice the not-so-subtle sexual references among the lyrics, one of which is the "things" that the girl will do that makes the singer "feel alright." The second verse goes there again, referring to how working hard for his girl is "worth it" when she tells him she's 'gonna give him everything' when he 'gets her alone.' So the singer had a little more in mind than "feeling you holding me tight," as the bridge states.
The lyrics also suggest that Lennon was relating something about his personal life in 1964. After all, when you examine Mark Lewisohn's book "The Complete Beatles Chronicle," you can easily see that their day to day life was indeed a non-ending hectic 'hard day's night.' They truly were 'working like dogs' and being sleep deprived. It probably wasn't a fictional thought that he couldn't wait to get home to his wife Cynthia. And since his hard work with The Beatles was financing the Kenwood twenty-seven room mansion that he would purchase three months later, the lyrics about working "all day...to buy you things" definitely rings true.
Performance wise, John again is to the fore with his convincing vocal delivery. His rhythm work done with electric guitar during the basic track, coupled with the acoustic guitar performed in an overdub, lays a proficient foundation for the song. McCartney ends up hitting the nail on the head with his double-tracked vocals in the bridge and harmony work in the verses, even though it took him all nine takes to perfect. Equally difficult for Paul were his bass lines, which unusually for him, also gave him trouble throughout most of the song's takes. Rather than saying he was having an off day; it was probably due to his unfamiliarity with the newly written song.
George Harrison especially had trouble on this day for the same reason. Engineer Geoff Emerick described George in his book "Here, There And Everywhere" as "even more ham-fisted than usual as he gamely plowed his way through one mediocre guitar solo after another." But with focused attention at the end of the session on that day, he provided what became the impressively elegant touches to the song, namely the quickly paced triplet-based guitar solo (which was doubled by George Martin on piano) and the jangling fade-out riff. This riff, which reportedly inspired The Byrds' Rickenbacker guitar sound used throughout their career, was an alteration between major and minor used as a counterpoint to the major / minor chord pattern used in the song.
Ringo's excited performance remained constant throughout, staying locked onto the open hi-hit sizzle which helped create the 'wall of sound' effect heard through the whole song. With only one track open for overdubs, Ringo gamely plays bongos during the verses and then quickly switches to cowbell during the bridges while both John and Paul perform their overdubs at the same time. In regards to Starr's performance, Geoff Emerick recalls, "I remember thinking that Ringo seemed especially "on" that morning, attacking his drums with a ferocity I hadn't seen or heard before."
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