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I’m on kind of a Beatles kick after seeing Love in Las Vegas, so I think I’ll plow through all the Beatles albums and post some thoughts. Since the songs are so familiar to me, I’ll rate each from one to five stars, and generate an amusing “Best Beatles Songs” list.

My ratings may seem a bit harsh - but they’re relative to other Beatles songs - two or three star ratings appear often because the four and five star songs are so incredible.

The third Beatles album was the soundtrack to the movie A Hard Day’s Night directed by Richard Lester. The movie was funny, black-and-white, and largely slapstick, showing the Beatles clowning around - a “day in the life” of the Fab Four preparing for a television broadcast. Magically, the Beatles managed to fill the soundtrack with mostly great songs and not just filler. The songwriting team of Lennon and McCartney continued to evolve, and this album in particular showcased some stellar duet harmonies. Other musical changes are acoustic guitar, less harmonica, and more cowbell.

A Hard Day’s Night

= 5 stars

From the iconic opening chord to the acoustic energy deftly capturing how nutty it must have been in the center of Beatlemania, this is a classic, 5 star song. In this tune (and others from this early-middle period), a new development takes place: the middle (bridge) of the song (the Paul solo part, “when I’m home…”) is so awesome, it’s repeated twice.

I Should Have Known Better

= 3 stars

There are many things I like about this John song, from the high falsetto notes, the harmonica, and the middle (”that when I tell you…”), but overall it kind of drags. Maybe it’s how the guitar solo is just a mimic of the verse, and the instrumentation of acoustic guitar doesn’t feel quite right to me, either, but it’s a good song - just nothing awe-inspiring.

If I Fell

= 4 stars

Following the askew intro chords we get some perfect John and Paul harmonies - this is a nearly perfect love song, but I think what lets me down is that it’s a bit too precious and careful. There’s a lack of spontaneity. It’s a subtle awkwardness to an otherwise incredible song.

I’m Happy Just To Dance With You

= 3 stars

Here’s George again, trying hard and doing better (this song was written by John and Paul for George). There’s an appropriately odd chord on the word “dance.” But once again, John and Paul’s background voices overwhelm his lead vocal.

And I Love Her

= 4 stars

Paul tries to write his own version of Til There Was You and it’s neat, a bit smoky and dark like a night club. But one thing always bugged me - namely, the too-obvious arpeggios in the guitar part over the verse. Close, but no five stars from me.

Tell Me Why

= 2 stars

I never liked this one, from it’s hokey game-show opening chords, to the little-girl mimicking line “is there anything I can do?” to the messy recording in general. I don’t know, it just kind of sounds like a strange attempt at All My Loving after too many dry martinis.

Can’t Buy Me Love

= 5 stars

Now this is Beatles perfection, from the placement of the chorus at start, to a bouncy, exuberant Paul vocal, plus some perfectly placed pauses. In a sense, it’s an answer to John’s cover of Money on With the Beatles. The guitar solo is also appropriately shivery and lends a bit of a darkness to this unabashedly fun and happy song. The image of Beatles dancing in an open field wrap up with a neat wail.

Any Time At All

= 4 stars

This song features an aggressive John on the chorus, contrasted with a polite verse with a sinking piano with a mellower delivery. Negative attributes are the lame piano break and the obviously tagged on ending chords.

I’ll Cry Instead

= 3 stars

A taste of rockabilly Elvis, but I don’t love it. I’m glad the Beatles only lapsed into country occasionally (although the next album in particular reeks of it). The middle’s return to the verse always sounded a bit amiss to me.

Things We Said Today

= 3 stars

This is a decent song, but I’m a bit so-so. The verse is much too mopey, and the middle has that hang-dog McCartney tone that is in too much supply these days.

When I Get Home

= 2 stars

This tune likewise, pokes around and doesn’t seem to ever build up to anything. The lyric “Cows come home” always made me wince, plus its subject matter was already tackled perfectly in the tune A Hard Day’s Night.

You Can’t Do That

= 2 stars

A decidedly average, laid back recording featuring a cowbell - sounding like a dress rehearsal for Drive My Car. It’s an interesting example of John’s more acerbic side. He’s become moody, for sure.

I’ll Be Back

= 3 stars

I like this song with pleasant John and Paul harmonies. Also interesting is the triplet acoustic guitar strumming, and the middle featuring a sad, introspective John - beautiful. But I must give it only three stars, because all these elements (including the introspective mood) are better used by the stunning No Reply on the next album.

Wikipeda: A Hard Day’s Night

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