The Meaning Behind “A Hard Day's Night” by The Beatles
There are so many iconic Beatles hits that it’s tough to rank any single one above the rest. But if you were looking for the most propulsive single by the Fab Four, “A Hard Day’s Night” would have to be very near the top of the list. With that starter’s pistol of an opening chord and an unrelenting pace, just listening to it will leave you somehow energized and breathless all at once.But how did this song come to be in relation to the movie of the same name? What exactly is that opening chord anyway? And what in blazes does that title phrase even mean? All those answers and more as we explore “A Hard Day’s Night.”
The Beatles found themselves amid a whirlwind of activity in the early part of 1964. Fresh off the massive success of their first visit to America, they hustled back to England to begin work on their first feature film with director Richard Lester. While they were doing that, they also had to record the music that would accompany the film.
So busy were the four men that Ringo Starr found himself stumbling out of the studio on one occasion not quite aware if it was morning, afternoon, or evening. He started to complain about what a hard day it had been when he realized that the sun had long set. Hence, he uttered the phrase “a hard day’s night.” (John Lennon used the phrase in his poetry collection In His Own Write, which also arrived in the spring of 1964, so the timing of when Starr said it is somewhat difficult to pin down.)
Source: Jim Beviglia/americansongwriter.com
