I'll Be Back

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This gorgeous ballad is the last track on the boys' third studio album, A Hard Day's Night. Although the album includes mostly songs from their film of the same name, I'll Be Back was not included in the movie. Nevertheless, I am not alone in believing it is one of their under-appreciated early masterpieces.

John sings a perfect double-tracked lead vocal, with Paul providing his usual lovely harmony. The acoustic flamenco-style guitars, especially John's strong strumming, adds an exotic flair. With the beautiful guitars, gorgeous vocals, and sad but pretty theme of this ballad, I'll Be Back is one of my Top Ten Favorite Beatles songs.

If I Fell

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This beautiful ballad has the most heavenly harmonies in all of pop music. That's just my opinion, of course, but have a listen and then try to tell me I'm wrong. ;-)

John wrote If I Fell to be included in the Beatles' first film, A Hard Day's Night, which is where the video above comes from. John sings the lead vocal, and Paul joins him in perfect harmony. When they recorded this song in the studio, John and Paul shared one microphone, just like one of their musical influences, The Everly Brothers, who were famous for their gorgeous harmonies. Probably because they would sing so close together, when John and Paul used to performed this song in concert, they would often get an incurable case of the giggles.

Giggles or not, I just love the beautiful singing in this song... which is why it is a Top Ten Favorite.

I Feel Fine

Album: Not included on an original Beatles album; released as the A-side of a single

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

That electronic sound you hear at the beginning of this classic Beatles tune is the first time that feedback was included on a rock record. John had accidentally created some feedback in the studio and he liked the way it sounded. "John figured out how to do it. You hit the A (string) and get it buzzing by the amp," George said. Because the Beatles always liked to try new things, they decided to put this cool sound on the record.

I Feel Fine is a riff-based pop song. John plays the riff on an acoustic Gibson guitar, which is amplified to make it sound electric. George mirrors John's riff on his Gretsch Tennessean. John sings lead vocal, with Paul and George joining him in some of the smoothest, most beautiful, and most classic Beatles harmonies ever.

I Feel Fine was the sixth Beatles single in a row to hit #1 on the American charts in 1964 – quite a phenomenal achievement. It is also a great rock song. Enjoy!

Eight Days a Week

Album: Beatles for Sale

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Everyone knows that there are only seven days in a week, but have you ever been so tired that you felt like you have been working eight days a week? That feeling inspired the title of this fun and bouncy song. One day, as Paul was driving to John's house to write some new songs, he asked the chauffeur how he was doing. "Oh, working hard," replied the driver named Alf, "working eight days a week." Paul thought that would be a great title for a song, so he and John began composing it.

Eight Days a Week is the first time that John and Paul finished writing a song after they got into the studio. The practice of bringing partially-written tunes into the studio later became very common for the band. An interesting musical feature is the fade-in that opens the song. John sings a great lead vocal, with Paul doing the backing vocals. All four Beatles do the handclaps.

Things We Said Today

** A TOP TEN FAVORITE **

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

This fantastic little song, which is about Paul's relationship with his girlfriend Jane Asher, was written while The Beatles were "on holiday" after their first visit to America and before they started filming their first movie, A Hard Day's Night.

It's amazing, but this song was recorded in just three takes at Abbey Road Studios, two days before the boys (as they were often called) were leaving for a world tour, which would include Europe, Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, and then later, the United States. Once again, it's a tribute to their artistic genius that such a beautiful song could come together so quickly.

Paul sings a lovely double-tracked lead vocal, while John's great rhythm guitar drives the song (he probably used his Gibson Jumbo). Even though they were just 22 and 23 years-old, John's and Paul's songwriting reflected a growing maturity on the A Hard Day's Night album, and Things We Said Today is a shining example... which is why it is one of my Top Ten Favorites.

A Hard Day's Night

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

"The mighty opening chord" of A Hard Day's Night is one of the most iconic sounds in the history of rock music. Only recently—almost 50 years after it was recorded—have musicians finally figured out how to re-create it correctly.

Upon returning home to England after their first trip to America, where they played on The Ed Sullivan Show to a record-breaking audience of more than 73 million people, The Beatles began production on their first film. Once they had decided on the title A Hard Day's Night, after "one of Ringo's malapropisms," John went home one evening and wrote the tune to open the film, scribbling the lyrics on a birthday card for his one year-old son Julian. He went into the studio the next day and the band worked together to record the song in one afternoon session. Just like that, a Beatles classic was born.

This video is actually the opening sequence of the movie. John, George, and Ringo are being chased by fans as they try to board a train at London's Marylebone Station (notice how George falls down and Ringo then falls over him), while Paul waits for them inside, wearing a fake beard and moustache as a disguise. This scene—and the whole film, in fact—depicts their daily lives during the early years of "Beatlemania."

John sings a powerful double-tracked lead on this rocker, with Paul singing harmony and also taking the lead briefly in the song's middle eight ("when I'm home..."). George once again plays his ultra cool 12-string Rickenbacker guitar.

Can't Buy Me Love

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

Written in a hotel room while The Beatles were playing in Paris, France, Can't Buy Me Love was released as their sixth British single, and it went straight to #1. At the time that this song was written and recorded, The Beatles were exploding as a worldwide phenomenon. They were going to America for the first time, to appear on the Ed Sullivan Show–where a record 73 million viewers watched them–and a tour that would take them to eight countries was planned for later in the year. They were also getting ready to work on their first film, A Hard Day's Night.

Can't Buy Me Love was written to be included in the film. In this scene, The Beatles are shown escaping from a studio where they will be taping a television appearance. Bored by being locked up inside all day in "a car and a room and a room and a room," they run outside to frolic and have some silly fun, until chased away by a grumpy caretaker. "Sorry we hurt your field, mister," is George's famous response as The Beatles head back to the studio.

Paul sings the lead vocal, and George plays two different guitars: his newly-acquired 12-string Rickenbacker and one of his several Gretsch models.

I Should Have Known Better

Album: A Hard Day's Night

Year: 1964

Written by: Lennon & McCartney

In February 1964, The Beatles conquered America when they made their debut appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, and they instantly became international superstars. Before going on tour throughout The United States, Great Britain, Europe, and Australia, they filmed their first movie, which was called A Hard Day's Night. The movie was a huge success and it remains very popular almost 50 years after it was released. This video is a clip from the movie.

Along with playing the harmonica, John does all the vocals for this lively love song. (Although Paul sings along in the video, he is just miming.) George contributes one of his signature guitar solos in the break, playing his iconic 12-string Rickenbacker guitar. The blond woman in this clip is Pattie Boyd, a 20 year-old model who was hired to be in the movie and who, two years later, would become George's first wife.