A Hard Day's Night (1964)

It’s that time again - Soundtrack Saturday! 

Have you ever been watching a movie and thought to yourself, “Hey, this is some pretty good music here!”?   That is what this theme is all about. Soundtracks from movies. 

Today’s Soundtrack comes by way of suggestion from John at Sound of One Hand Typing

Rolling Stone Magazine says this about the movie:

Right from that thunderous opening chord, A Hard Day's Night jumps into a typical day in the madcap life of the Beatles – getting chased down the street by screaming girls, strumming their guitars backstage, sharing the cocky grin of four Liverpool lads who realize how good they are and can't wait to show the world. John Lennon and Paul McCartney hit new highs with tunes like "If I Fell" – the soundtrack was the first Beatles album on which they wrote all the songs themselves.

The Plot:

The Beatles evade a horde of fans while boarding a train for London. En route, they meet Paul's trouble-making grandfather for the first time; he becomes so much of a nuisance that Paul has him locked up in the guards van, but he and the others soon join him inside. They play cards and entertain some schoolgirls before arriving at the London station, where they're quickly driven to a hotel and begin to feel cooped up. Their manager Norm tasks them with answering all their fan mail, but they sneak out to party, only to be caught by Norm and taken back. They then find out that the grandfather went to a gambling club using an invitation sent to Ringo, and, after a brief dust-up, they bring him back to the hotel.

The next day, they arrive at a TV studio for a performance. After the initial rehearsal, the producer thinks they're out to sabotage his career (thanks to something the grandfather said). There is a press conference, where the Beatles are bored by the mundane questioning. They leave through a fire escape and cavort in a field until forced off by the owner. Back in the studios, they are separated when a woman named Millie recognizes John but cannot recall who he is. George is lured into a trendmonger's office to audition for an ad with a popular female model. The boys all return to rehearse a second song, and after a quick trip to makeup, smoothly go through a third and earn a break.

With an hour before the final run-through, Ringo is forced to chaperone Paul's grandfather and takes him to the canteen for tea while he reads a book. The grandfather manipulates Ringo into going outside to experience life rather than reading books, passing a surprised John and Paul on the way out. He tries to have a quiet drink in a pub, takes pictures, walks alongside a canal and rides a bicycle along a railway station platform. While the other three search in vain for Ringo, he is arrested on suspicion and taken to a police station, where Paul's grandfather joins him shortly after attempting to sell Beatles photos with forged signatures. The grandfather makes a break for it, runs back to the studio and tells the others about Ringo. Norm sends John, Paul and George to retrieve him. While doing so, the boys wind up in a Keystone Cops-style foot chase before arriving back at the studio with Ringo, with only minutes to spare before airtime. The televised concert goes on as planned, after which the Beatles are whisked away to another performance via helicopter.

The movie trailer:

Today’s Soundtrack Playlist: 

1. A Hard Day’s Night

2. I Should Have Known Better

3. If I Fell

4. I’m Just Happy To Dance With You

5. And I Love Her

6. Tell Me Why

7. Can’t Buy Me Love

8. Any Time At All

9. I’ll Cry Instead

10. Things We Said Today

11. When I Get Home

12. You Can’t Do That

13. I’ll Be Back

Do you have a favorite movie that has a great soundtrack? Tell me about it. I’m happy to share.  

See you again soon!