The Fab Four in Paris: The Story Behind "Can't Buy Me Love" by The Beatles
As The Beatles burst out the door on the fire escape and Ringo Starr yells, “We’re out,” it’s a moment of freedom as they descend the stairs in their 1964 film, A Hard Day’s Night. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Starr are celebrating the fact they are breaking out of a television studio and avoiding throngs of screaming fans as they frolic on a field. The song accompanying the romp is “Can’t Buy Me Love.”
The scene utilized a bit of “movie magic, ” comprising three different locations. The fire escape was on the back of the legendary Hammersmith Odeon in London, and the band hurried onto a field at Gatwick Airport, while the scene was matched up with more footage filmed on the Thornbury Road Playing Fields. Lennon had to miss some filming as he was honored at a literary luncheon celebrating the success of his book, In His Own Write. Director Richard Lester filled in for the missing Beatle.
Source: Jay McDowell/americansongwriter.com
