“If I Fell” is the best song on this album in my opinion. Probably my favorite Beatles song of all time. Amazing harmony work between Paul and John, and just a beautiful acoustic melody
One of my top five Beatles songs too. Incredible melody. Probably John's best ( yeah, even better than In My Life and Across the Universe imo), if indeed it was primarily his melody. And you're right about the harmony, probably the best John/Paul harmony along with Two of Us. Because and This Boy have brilliant harmonies too, but George is a part of that.
I said the same for many years. But hearing John's "I'll Be Back" just now after all those years, I paid much closer attention to it. I've really just heard it for the first time. I'm awestruck.
Beatles for Sale is their next album (Don’t miss it!) released the same year as A Hard Days Night in 1964! Help came after in 1965! The best tracks? There are quite a few, so do your research as there are some great tracks, and interesting development within the lyrics and musical growth.
NO-O-O-o-o-.... you can NOT move on without hearing two of the standout tracks of this album: If I Fell, and Things We Said Today! They would make a perfect 2-track video. Also, please bear in mind when listening to early Beatles, the musical environment from which they emerged. The British pop charts were cheesey in the extreme, with most of it watered down covers of American hit songs, sung in vaguely American accents. In complete contrast, the Beatles created simple but straightforward, truthful lyrics sung in their own northern English accents, and diversely influenced sounds. it's hard for younger people to understand, but they were truly ground-breaking even in their earliest recordings; a breath of fresh air that became a hurricane, that became a legend, inspiring countless thousands of young people to take up guitar and form bands, and opening the door for all the musical styles and themes that were to follow in popular music.
You are a grown man who has heard a lot of much more sophisticated music, listening to the Beatles' baby-steps first albums. We loved those albums because we were babies, 13 to 16 years old. (16 year olds were very much less grown-up than they are today). But now you can hear that the Beatles were growing up too, this album is quite a leap forward. The switching back and forth between major and minor in John's "I'll Be Back", wow. Just Wow. And the voice of the song is a person who has lost all his innocence. He's not falling in love, he is already in an unhappy relationship. This was the Beatles' greatness. Every album got better while maintaining their originality and freshness. I think it might be Paul on guitar, I'm going to look it up. You're right, it is George.
I think this is a very good point. You can imagine the impact of being a young teenager when these records first came out and it was obviously so powerful. I was born in 1971, so didn't experience that. I did first hear them at that age, but it was after hearing early 80s music like The Police and The Clash. I loved In My Life and I Feel Fine but most of the other material sounded lightweight and perhaps too cute. As Syed says, 'And I Love Her' sounds like Paul with a rose between his teeth and that doesn't appeal to me, despite the musicianship. They didn't quite get to me the way they did with so many people growing up in the 60s. But then I also heard Dylan around that time and he did get to me - instantly and in a big way. Everything of his just sounded like it was speaking to me and the time difference between the 60s and 80s was suddenly irrelevant.
What I find interesting is my parents were teens in the 50s and they and a number of their friends really got into the early Beatles but not so much their later work. Maybe because it was more similar to the rock and roll they grew up with. They really didn't appreciate rock once it evolved through the late 60s - they kinda got into the outlaw country thing.
@@MartinFGayford "AND I LOVE HER" TOTALLY APPEALED TO ME, perhaps because I was a 17 year old teen when it was released and seeing them perform it in their movie "A Hard Day's Night" it was BREATHTAKING plus the way they were arranged on the set, was gorgeous, I WISH a poster of it had been made. I LOVE "And I Love Her" I CRIED when I first heard it, because it is SUCH a BEAUTIFUL SONG and arrangement, it is STILL my top Paul song from this period and I STILL get emotional when I hear it. (by the way, Paul WROTE this for his then girlfriend JANE ASHER. )
@@MartinFGayford Dylan appealed to the 18 yr olds and up. I remember my sister liked the Turtles, and Trini Lopex. She never did get into the Beatles. But we caught up when we reached 17-18 too. And then we had all that music between the Beatles and The Police, and after. When we first heard Led Zeppelin, OMG! The Stones appeared right behind the Beatles, and they were already much more sophisticated. But their target audience was older.
The next album is Beatles For Sale and don't forget the single from the same recording session, I Feel Fine, which is one of my favorites and I consider it as the pinnacle of their love song period.
Syed - Thank you so much for taking the time to cover their output in order... You have said it so many times, it's the best way for a young man like yourself to understand why this phenomenon happened and to work out what growth, if any their journey took them on... Well, you are learning that they just get better and that the growth is astonishing. Just think - Three albums, the first one recorded in September 62 and this one finished recording in June 64. So that's 1 year and 9 months for three albums... ALL of the singles NOT ON THE ALBUMS - So extra, A FILM and so many live shows, tv shows, radio shows at the same time. Now you begin to get a taste of the hothouse atmosphere they worked in.. thank god they thrived on it... Cant wait for the next one... OH YES - That's BEATLES FOR SALE.... NOT Help
The guitar melody was created by George Harrison. McCartney has given Harrison a lot of credit for making this song as good as it is. Oh and by the away, the thing that makes the Beatles great is there wide range and versatility of style.
The first Beatles album parents tolerated. Gorgeous melodies, accoustic accompaniment switching between minor and major chords .. you clocked the uptick in sophistication.
Hey Syed, I know you said this is all you're going to do from this album, but you really need to listen to If I Fell, and Anytime At All. Two very great tracks!!!
In all honesty, there's not a bad song on this album or any others going forward. Syed is short-changing himself and his experience by skipping so many. The realization that they could keep producing songs at such a high level is part of the overall experience. Moving forward, I hope he doesn't miss out on that hidden gem Hey Bulldog!
@@bobguitarlearner8007 You got THAT right, it's not like these are LONG songs and would take up too much time. They are SHORT, so NO excuse for skipping ANY of them. I also AGREE WITH YOU about "HEY BULLDOG" and the VIDEO that goes along WITH IT. FABULOUS SONG!!
Don’t skip an album. Don’t skip BEATLES FOR SALE. It’s interesting bc they made it when they were so tired and you can hear it with songs like I’m a Loser, Eight Days A Week and No Reply. If people told you to skip it they did you dirty. And make sure you listen to past masters Vol 1 before you do rubber soul and volume 2 after let it be.
It's actually more difficult to write these 2 minute miracle melodies at this pace of writing and scoring hit after hit, than to take 5 minutes and develop your ideas for an album...they are a singles band at this stage, later more album oriented
I love both of these songs. Two of my favorite Beatles songs. However, you should definitely do a reaction to "If I Fell." Another great song from this album.
I'm a 71-year-old American who had the good fortune to live in London from 1966 to 69, my final three years of high school. At the time, the city was the pop universe's Mecca. The group was months away from stopping their touring, so I never got to see them live. But I lived with their evolution (which began when I was 12 years old), and it was a glorious ride! 😂 I love your growing appreciation for their music and your wonderful, articulate reactions. Keep up the good work! 😊
You’ve actually missed out on the best Paul song on the album; Things We Said Today. Musically and lyrically it’s probably Paul’s most mature song on the album too.
I love the air of mystery and longing in "And I love her",that sort of dissonance which is resolved in the very final chord/ending of the song. It feels so satisfying ending the song like that. The acoustic guitar work by George is stunning.
Check out the movie now, as their personalities were also what made them so popular back then and they came out in full display in the first two films.
You only have to carve out 83 minutes out of your day to watch it. As of today, May 13, 2023, it has a 98% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Widely regarded as a classic. Make a snack and enjoy!
I REALLY REALLY LOVE THIS SONG!!!! This song drew me into the Beatles and I really started listening to them on radio. Love the Latin tone of the song....REALLY Spanish style which makes it very romantic.
"And I Love Her" creates a scene in my mind, and it did so from the first time I heard it as a 14-year-old boy. I envision a small pond in a clearing in a forest. There are reeds along its edges. Crickets are chirping. The sky is mostly clear with a few passing clouds. The stars are out. They, and the clouds, are reflecting on the surface of the water. I'm sitting on a log by the pond, enjoying the secret place I found, deep in thought. "I'll Be Back" is, to me, their last song that has what I feel was written in the true Mersey Beat style. I'll leave that to you to look into if you feel the need. To me, there were other groups that personified this sound more than The Beatles who were always unique and immune to classification, but this song is a truly fine example of the form, at least to my memory of the times. (Being an American I may be off base here, but that's what I remember of this era. There has never been a year in the U.S. music scene like 1964.)
Paul didn't know how to open the song, and then George just in with those four short beats. Paul later said that George's contribution right at the beginning made the song for him. And the thing I like most about "I'll Be Back" is the constant changes between the A-Major and A-minor chords.
If you want to understand the full scope of their popularity you need to watch the movie. The meshing of the music with their personalities pushed them into a stratosphere that has never been approached in entertainment history!
I’ll Be Back may be (one is never sure) my favourite Beatles song, while A Hard Days Night may be my favourite Beatles album (again, not sure). Obviously, they expanded into genius experimentation and technological advancements, but this album (and certainly I’ll Be Back) captures them at the height of their popularity, but (often underestimated) the height of their combined power.
For any of us who watched the movie when it came out, "And I love her" was well placed and as a kid I didn't initially care for the slower songs, but I did love this one.
Great tracks (And I Love Her is a favorite), and great reaction. McCartney said that when they were in the studio, he wanted something to open the song, and Harrison came up with that riff. What a gift. And don't skip If I Fell. A dark, Lennon masterpiece.
The next album is not Help!, but Beatles For Sale. Recommended tracks: No Reply, Baby's in Black, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party. Also check out the non-album track I Feel Fine, one of my all-time favorites. Also check out their masterful version of Buddy Holly's Words of Love!!
CAN'T leave out "EVERY LITTLE THING," "WHAT YOU'RE DOING," "I'LL FOLLOW THE SUN," and GEORGE'S cover of CARL PERKIN's song "EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO BE MY BABY" because it FITS what the Beatles were going through during "Beatlemania" where "everybody was trying to be THEIR baby"
The next would be 'Beatles For Sale', which I love honestly, it's an album that they recorded when they were bit exhausted 'cause tours and tv shows etc... In the song And I Love Her they used a Spanish guitar if I remember well, so it's quite easy that comparison with the Italian feeling...
Syed, as others below have said, don't sleep on Beatles for Sale, the album between this and Help! Because you are interested in really pinpointing moments of growth, I think you would really get a kick out of the moments of growth in Beatles for Sale. Very worthy of your time and engagement.
And I Love Her. Also a beautiful few moments in the movie a Hard Days Night. you really MUST watch that movie. Ringo played bongos, George invented and pled the hook and the guitar solo on Spanish guitar. in the USA British albums were generally not available in the 1960's. I'll Be Back was on the Dec. 1964 American album the Beatles '65, part of the music for Beatles '65 was from this Hard Days Night, and part of it was from the British album Beatles For Sale. and the single I Feel Fine backed by She's a Woman was on the Beatles '65.
"and i love her" is one of my top 3 favourite beatles songs along with "eleanor rigby" (which is probably my no.1) and "dear prudence". all three just have such a distinct and potent atmosphere
You owe it to yourself to listen to every track on every album from this one on to get the complete picture of their genius! You won't be disappointed! Rock On!
These songs were the anthem of my youth, and to see your reaction and the intelligence of your reactions is so joyful. It's like listening with new ears and re-discovering them. Well done.
Someone else has commented that you should take the time to watch the movie A Hard Day's Night at this point, and I agree. It's just under an hour and a half long. 98% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and this is their capsule: "The Beatles in their feature film debut, one of the greatest rock-and-roll comedy adventures ever. The film has a fully restored negative and digitally restored soundtrack. The film takes on the just-left-of-reality style of mock-documentary, following "a day in the life" of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as fame takes them by storm." You'll get a *tiny* sense of what Beatlemania was like.
For those interested in recording trivia, this song uses a trick that the Beatles employed quite often in the beginning. The lead vocal is double tracked (Paul singing the same vocal part twice) all the way through - except for the first time he sings "Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky". That one phrase has no double track - it's just Paul singing solo. It has the effect of really focusing the listeners attention. They did the same thing in a number of their songs including "I Should Have Know Better" (no double track on the second bridge). It really makes the lead vocal sound vulnerable and isolated.
The nylon string acoustic lead is George. He came up with the four note figure. The rhythm is John. "I'll Be Back" makes use of shifts from minor to major chords and back. "And I Love Her" ends on a major chord, after mostly minor tonality.
Love to see your Beatles reactions are starting to hit the spot for you! There is a definite look on your face at certain points where I can see they're grabbing you. Looking forward to the continuation of your journey. We've got a very purple patch coming up shortly...
The early Beatles had.a chemistry that was magical. Musically, vocally they were a perfect match.The guitar banter and swing in Ringo's drumming were second to none for that era.
Yeah, Syed, please don't sleep on their next album, "Beatles For Sale"! You'll want to hear at least selected tracks from that album! Now, there is a lot of great music there, but it considered a step-back in sound and tone. That is, the Beatles were blowing up. world-wide, in 1964, and they were...I gotta say, kind of IN SHOCK from all the fame and hysteria surrounding them. And they were working all the time! They were traveling around the world and it was crazy AF! So, on Beatles For Sale, you can hear (and see) the strain was starting to get to them. First, the cover picture tells a thousand words about how exhausted they were. The picture was taken at, like, 7am, in Hyde Park, in London. They look weary and a bit jaded. But the songs reflect this as well. I recommend you listen to "No Reply", "I'm a Loser", "Baby's In Black", "Rock and Roll Music", and "Eight Days a Week". You'll also want to listen to the single release "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman". Those were great songs too, from this time period. Another stand-out song from Paul McCartney is "I'll Follow The Sun". This is a gorgeous song he first wrote when he was 16, and is just the best segueway, after the world-dominating Rock rave-up "Rock and Roll Music" (where Lennon tears it up)! Ah...the Beatles really are magic but they also show their embattled humanity on this album as well. You will like it but it's not as "Fab" as A Hard Day's Night.
Thank you. Paul IS the better singer of the two, although I understand why some people prefer John’s voice. Paul and John balance each other out in terms of emotion, and they harmonize beautifully. Add me to the list recommending If I Fell.
I remember when I discovered this one's going back to the older beetles in junior high in the 70s. A some reason I seized on it right away. It really captured that conflicting emotion at the time where a love feel so powerful that it almost has this dark mysterious undefinable quality to it. And they do that by using a minor key in the verse and then switching to a major key for the chorus and then that beautiful bridge. And yeah, Ringo was on percussion for this one rather than drums and it was the perfect choice to go with that Spanish guitar Vibe. It's an absolutely beautiful atmospheric song though, it really is.
In terms of Beatlemania chronology, If I recall correctly, the Beatles were fantastically popular from Please Please me, and Beatlemania truly exploded with the With The Beatles album. The Beatles wanted their first US trip to coincide with their first US #1 single, so when I Wanna Hold Your Hand hit #1, they were off to The Ed Sullivan show, and huge, screaming crowds. A Hard Days Night lampooned their hysterical popularity. So much is remarkable about The Beatles, including them relentlessly pushing themselves to stretch themselves--and music--despite being fabulously popular and wealthy, and all the distractions that brings. Like The Beach Boys and Steely Dan, they used the power their popularity as pop hitmakers gave them, to create innovative, beautiful, classic music based on their visions. A joy to behold. :)
Syed - if you can be persuaded to spend one more moment with this album, I think "If I Fell" (John) and "Things We Said Today" (Paul) would be well worth your time. ("Things We Said Today" is the song Bob Dylan covered on "The Art of McCartney" tribute album.)
Funny you zeroed in on the unique guitar on this one. I have a lot of FLAMENCO guitar music,& that's what I feel in this song. The strumming is delicate. Beautiful love song. 🎵❤️
The Beatles had been together for about 6-7 years by the time this was recorded. Ringo had been with them by 1962, I think. They had spent about five years in Hamburg, Germany prior to their return to the UK.
Great reaction young man, they were looking for an intro to this song, and George Harrison came up with the great opening riff. Paul mccartney said, that riff made that song great. George's guitar playing is superb, and the wonderful beat on bongo drums by Ringo Starr is fab. I'm glad you are enjoying the Beatles music, keeping it alive. Well done. Allan, from Scotland 🏴. 👍
Hi. Doing great, I’m learning a lot from you. I think you will appreciate “if I fell” - John being Paul. And “Things we said today“ Paul being John! They both learned of each other! Next album BFS spent 11 weeks at No 1 (displacing A hard days night) and singles- I feel fine, she’s a woman “) will blow you away! (remember this will be 5 albums in 2 years + all the live shows etc) with John 1st insecurity starting with I’m a loser ”, also “no reply” a waltz (baby in black), I’ll follow the sun, a poppy “8 days a week” and “every little thing”. Enjoy, the lyrics!
I know you haven't listened to Nirvana in a while, but Kurt did a cover of "And I Love Her" and has a completely different vibe, one of heartbreak. Whereas The Beatles has a very lovely and doting tone.
It was just ONE year (not two) between the Please Please Me album recording (11th February 1963) and the beginnings of recording Hard Days Night (with Can't Buy Me Love on 29th January). Their recording engineer commented that after playing in the USA (Ed Sullivan Show & Washington Coliseum 11th February) they came back with massively increased confidence to work on Hard Days Night from 2nd March 1964. I think this shows on all the Hard Days Night tracks and even the "work songs" (as they called songs written to order for Epstein or Martin) were becoming wonderful. Hard Days Night itself was written by Lennon *overnight* between the end of one days filming and before the beginning of the next days shoot. The massive opening chord of Hard Days Night and Harrison's arpeggio at the end were inspired by the director demanding "make it more cinematic" and Martin suggesting that the ending left the listener "dangling" to allow for filmic editing (check the filmic version). Love your Beatles journey (great idea!) and all your reviews Syed ;)
I missed this one. The Beatles definitely improved. When first hearing them George Martin heard nothing special but thought they were charming and witty. He accepted the challenge and took them on..which millions of fans are grateful for.
Yeas-----They had it all...if not the song writing shining through it was the lyrics or the harmonies or the instrumentation or something else. And they were great at all of it !!
You got it wrong way round. John 1980 in Playboy: ''I'll Be Back is me completely." In 1972 in Hit Parader interview he said re 'And I Love Her': "Both of us. The first half was Paul's and the middle-eight is mine."
The "start of the crazy run" was three straight Sunday night appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964. There wasn't a slow roll to Hard Day's Night. It was Beatlemania from Jan/Feb 1964 until their last formal gig at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. By then, John had taken the bloom off of the rose with his "We're more famous than Jesus Christ" statement and the subsequent conservative Ban the Beatles movement. But, their following work reshaped pop/rock in their own singular way. Not only were their early albums filled with great melodies and harmonies that set the standard for the individuality of the British Invasion from The Stones, The Animals, The Kinks to Cream, Led Zeppelin and The Hendrix Experience (many other British based bands as well), but their post 1966 work took Beatle music in multiple, mind expanding directions. Crazy run indeed. The final Beatles chapter actually came a couple years after they split up when the movie Let It Be came out for a brief run and was recently resurrected by more comprehensive editing and running time for Get Back. There are places I remember all my life....
Not gonna lie. When I hear “And I Love Her”, I feel my heart melt. This song just softens me. ❤️
Really? What happens when you listen to "I Want You (She's So Heavy)"?
Does that to ME as well, DESTINY !
“If I Fell” is the best song on this album in my opinion. Probably my favorite Beatles song of all time. Amazing harmony work between Paul and John, and just a beautiful acoustic melody
One of my top five Beatles songs too. Incredible melody. Probably John's best ( yeah, even better than In My Life and Across the Universe imo), if indeed it was primarily his melody. And you're right about the harmony, probably the best John/Paul harmony along with Two of Us. Because and This Boy have brilliant harmonies too, but George is a part of that.
I said the same for many years. But hearing John's "I'll Be Back" just now after all those years, I paid much closer attention to it. I've really just heard it for the first time. I'm awestruck.
Completely agree. I love all of their harmonies, but the best has to be If "I Fell". Especially when the sing the verse "would be sad if our new love"
But he skipped it. So he randomly picks up songs, which kind of defeats the purpose of a comprehensive Beatles journey. Or, maybe, I missed it.
Beatles for Sale is their next album (Don’t miss it!) released the same year as A Hard Days Night in 1964!
Help came after in 1965!
The best tracks? There are quite a few, so do your research as there are some great tracks, and interesting development within the lyrics and musical growth.
"If I Fell" is one of their most critically aclaimed songs from the early years (it's in this album) - it's be relevant not to miss it
Amen!
Yup…If I Fell is a must. Thanks!
NO-O-O-o-o-.... you can NOT move on without hearing two of the standout tracks of this album: If I Fell, and Things We Said Today! They would make a perfect 2-track video.
Also, please bear in mind when listening to early Beatles, the musical environment from which they emerged. The British pop charts were cheesey in the extreme, with most of it watered down covers of American hit songs, sung in vaguely American accents. In complete contrast, the Beatles created simple but straightforward, truthful lyrics sung in their own northern English accents, and diversely influenced sounds. it's hard for younger people to understand, but they were truly ground-breaking even in their earliest recordings; a breath of fresh air that became a hurricane, that became a legend, inspiring countless thousands of young people to take up guitar and form bands, and opening the door for all the musical styles and themes that were to follow in popular music.
If he's not listening (over and over, studying) whole albums, he's cheating himself. If he's willing to do that, well then... he's not serious.
The next album is Beatles For Sale. Don’t skip it, it’s the most underrated in their catalog.
I AGREE, he NEEDS to listen to the ENTRIRE album, even the COVERS that they do, because for ME they are BETTER than the original versions!!
agreed!
@@patticrichton1135dang I see you on every reaction related video
Can you imagine being the first one to hear them sing in harmony, and feel a shiver run down your spine telling you this was once in a lifetime...
You are a grown man who has heard a lot of much more sophisticated music, listening to the Beatles' baby-steps first albums. We loved those albums because we were babies, 13 to 16 years old. (16 year olds were very much less grown-up than they are today). But now you can hear that the Beatles were growing up too, this album is quite a leap forward. The switching back and forth between major and minor in John's "I'll Be Back", wow. Just Wow. And the voice of the song is a person who has lost all his innocence. He's not falling in love, he is already in an unhappy relationship. This was the Beatles' greatness. Every album got better while maintaining their originality and freshness. I think it might be Paul on guitar, I'm going to look it up. You're right, it is George.
I think this is a very good point. You can imagine the impact of being a young teenager when these records first came out and it was obviously so powerful. I was born in 1971, so didn't experience that. I did first hear them at that age, but it was after hearing early 80s music like The Police and The Clash. I loved In My Life and I Feel Fine but most of the other material sounded lightweight and perhaps too cute. As Syed says, 'And I Love Her' sounds like Paul with a rose between his teeth and that doesn't appeal to me, despite the musicianship. They didn't quite get to me the way they did with so many people growing up in the 60s. But then I also heard Dylan around that time and he did get to me - instantly and in a big way. Everything of his just sounded like it was speaking to me and the time difference between the 60s and 80s was suddenly irrelevant.
What I find interesting is my parents were teens in the 50s and they and a number of their friends really got into the early Beatles but not so much their later work. Maybe because it was more similar to the rock and roll they grew up with. They really didn't appreciate rock once it evolved through the late 60s - they kinda got into the outlaw country thing.
@@MartinFGayford "AND I LOVE HER" TOTALLY APPEALED TO ME, perhaps because I was a 17 year old teen when it was released and seeing them perform it in their movie "A Hard Day's Night" it was BREATHTAKING plus the way they were arranged on the set, was gorgeous, I WISH a poster of it had been made. I LOVE "And I Love Her" I CRIED when I first heard it, because it is SUCH a BEAUTIFUL SONG and arrangement, it is STILL my top Paul song from this period and I STILL get emotional when I hear it. (by the way, Paul WROTE this for his then girlfriend JANE ASHER. )
@@MartinFGayford Dylan appealed to the 18 yr olds and up. I remember my sister liked the Turtles, and Trini Lopex. She never did get into the Beatles. But we caught up when we reached 17-18 too. And then we had all that music between the Beatles and The Police, and after. When we first heard Led Zeppelin, OMG! The Stones appeared right behind the Beatles, and they were already much more sophisticated. But their target audience was older.
@@patticrichton1135 I fell in love with George in "Help!". And "Hard Days Night" turned me on to British humor for the rest of my life.
The influence of the Everly Brothers in their harmonies is unmistakable.
Well put❗ Yes...these harmonies are epic.
Yes! I heard Paul once say “We loved them. John was Don and I was Phil.”
Being in love in middle school and your teens......these lyrics spoke to our hearts
The next album is Beatles For Sale and don't forget the single from the same recording session, I Feel Fine, which is one of my favorites and I consider it as the pinnacle of their love song period.
The perfect pop album! All songs are favorites, from start to finish. No "weak" songs! Things We Said Today is a masterpiece!
They wrote almost NO weak songs.
Rock and roll álbum
The Beatles music and harmony are sophisticated at a level above all others.
Please do not leave this album before listening to If I Fell one of my favourite songs from any band ever.
Syed - Thank you so much for taking the time to cover their output in order... You have said it so many times, it's the best way for a young man like yourself to understand why this phenomenon happened and to work out what growth, if any their journey took them on... Well, you are learning that they just get better and that the growth is astonishing. Just think - Three albums, the first one recorded in September 62 and this one finished recording in June 64. So that's 1 year and 9 months for three albums... ALL of the singles NOT ON THE ALBUMS - So extra, A FILM and so many live shows, tv shows, radio shows at the same time. Now you begin to get a taste of the hothouse atmosphere they worked in.. thank god they thrived on it... Cant wait for the next one... OH YES - That's BEATLES FOR SALE.... NOT Help
One of the great love songs. Incredible guitar. Track 2 show their unique harmonies. This album lit the rocket.
George's guitar work on And I Love Her is so clean and makes what could have sounded dated timeless.
The guitar melody was created by George Harrison. McCartney has given Harrison a lot of credit for making this song as good as it is. Oh and by the away, the thing that makes the Beatles great is there wide range and versatility of style.
McCartNEY (not McCartHY) I HOPE that was only a typo 🙂
@@patticrichton1135 No need to hope. Just an honest Typo.
The first Beatles album parents tolerated. Gorgeous melodies, accoustic accompaniment switching between minor and major chords .. you clocked the uptick in sophistication.
Hey Syed, I know you said this is all you're going to do from this album, but you really need to listen to If I Fell, and Anytime At All. Two very great tracks!!!
Absolutely!
If I Fell is wonderful. One of my favorites.
In all honesty, there's not a bad song on this album or any others going forward. Syed is short-changing himself and his experience by skipping so many. The realization that they could keep producing songs at such a high level is part of the overall experience.
Moving forward, I hope he doesn't miss out on that hidden gem Hey Bulldog!
YES and "ANYTIME at ALL!" LOVE EVERY song on this album!
@@bobguitarlearner8007 You got THAT right, it's not like these are LONG songs and would take up too much time. They are SHORT, so NO excuse for skipping ANY of them. I also AGREE WITH YOU about "HEY BULLDOG" and the VIDEO that goes along WITH IT. FABULOUS SONG!!
This is just the beginning of them starting to flex their musical prowess. They only get better and better.
I love the bossa-influenced beat to "And I Love Her." It's just a brilliant track!
Don’t skip an album. Don’t skip BEATLES FOR SALE. It’s interesting bc they made it when they were so tired and you can hear it with songs like I’m a Loser, Eight Days A Week and No Reply. If people told you to skip it they did you dirty. And make sure you listen to past masters Vol 1 before you do rubber soul and volume 2 after let it be.
Those three songs are truly great
@@Vrealita their most underrated album imo.
Great (mostly, imo) Lennon tunes 😘🤙🎶❤️✨️🕊
Please don't skip
Yeah, you cannot skip Beatles for Sale if you are most interested in their growth as artists. A lot of growth shown in BFS.
It's actually more difficult to write these 2 minute miracle melodies at this pace of writing and scoring hit after hit, than to take 5 minutes and develop your ideas for an album...they are a singles band at this stage, later more album oriented
I love both of these songs. Two of my favorite Beatles songs. However, you should definitely do a reaction to "If I Fell." Another great song from this album.
They are growing on you! It was inevitable. Their music is just magic!
I'm a 71-year-old American who had the good fortune to live in London from 1966 to 69, my final three years of high school.
At the time, the city was the pop universe's Mecca. The group was months away from stopping their touring, so I never got to see them live. But I lived with their evolution (which began when I was 12 years old), and it was a glorious ride! 😂
I love your growing appreciation for their music and your wonderful, articulate reactions.
Keep up the good work! 😊
What happened to If I Fell and a few of the other songs from Hard Days Night? If I Fell is absolutely killer, so I hope you heard that one.
You’ve actually missed out on the best Paul song on the album; Things We Said Today. Musically and lyrically it’s probably Paul’s most mature song on the album too.
I love the air of mystery and longing in "And I love her",that sort of dissonance which is resolved in the very final chord/ending of the song. It feels so satisfying ending the song like that. The acoustic guitar work by George is stunning.
Check out the movie now, as their personalities were also what made them so popular back then and they came out in full display in the first two films.
You only have to carve out 83 minutes out of your day to watch it. As of today, May 13, 2023, it has a 98% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Widely regarded as a classic. Make a snack and enjoy!
I REALLY REALLY LOVE THIS SONG!!!! This song drew me into the Beatles and I really started listening to them on radio. Love the Latin tone of the song....REALLY Spanish style which makes it very romantic.
"And I Love Her" creates a scene in my mind, and it did so from the first time I heard it as a 14-year-old boy. I envision a small pond in a clearing in a forest. There are reeds along its edges. Crickets are chirping. The sky is mostly clear with a few passing clouds. The stars are out. They, and the clouds, are reflecting on the surface of the water. I'm sitting on a log by the pond, enjoying the secret place I found, deep in thought.
"I'll Be Back" is, to me, their last song that has what I feel was written in the true Mersey Beat style. I'll leave that to you to look into if you feel the need. To me, there were other groups that personified this sound more than The Beatles who were always unique and immune to classification, but this song is a truly fine example of the form, at least to my memory of the times. (Being an American I may be off base here, but that's what I remember of this era. There has never been a year in the U.S. music scene like 1964.)
Nice flashback story you shared about these songs. Thank you.
I know what you mean. I envision cows crapping in rainy, muddy fields.
@@guinnesstrail6799 How sad for you.
Please go through the discography. I’m excited for you to experience this journey. Mine with the Beatles began when I was 10 years old. Now I’m 24.
Paul didn't know how to open the song, and then George just in with those four short beats. Paul later said that George's contribution right at the beginning made the song for him. And the thing I like most about "I'll Be Back" is the constant changes between the A-Major and A-minor chords.
If I Fell and Things We Said Today - make an exception and listen to these 2 great songs. Possibly the two best songs on the album.
If you want to understand the full scope of their popularity you need to watch the movie. The meshing of the music with their personalities pushed them into a stratosphere that has never been approached in entertainment history!
and especially how they were placed during the "AND I LOVE HER" performance....BEAUTIFUL!!
I’ll Be Back may be (one is never sure) my favourite Beatles song, while A Hard Days Night may be my favourite Beatles album (again, not sure). Obviously, they expanded into genius experimentation and technological advancements, but this album (and certainly I’ll Be Back) captures them at the height of their popularity, but (often underestimated) the height of their combined power.
It will always be my favourite Beatles album. I like that it doesn't have the crazy hippy stuff in it. It's mature, and beautifully written.
My Favourite Beatle Song is the one I'm listening to at the time!
For any of us who watched the movie when it came out, "And I love her" was well placed and as a kid I didn't initially care for the slower songs, but I did love this one.
The key change for verse 3 is subtle yet powerful.
Beautiful song all around.
Exactly what I wanted to say,you beat me to it!
This shows the influence the Everly Brothers had on the Beatles. 💕
Great tracks (And I Love Her is a favorite), and great reaction.
McCartney said that when they were in the studio, he wanted something to open the song, and Harrison came up with that riff. What a gift.
And don't skip If I Fell. A dark, Lennon masterpiece.
If I fell, Syed, If I fell!
I love both these two songs. The acoustic guitars and soft percussion sound mature
The next album is not Help!, but Beatles For Sale. Recommended tracks: No Reply, Baby's in Black, I Don't Want to Spoil the Party. Also check out the non-album track I Feel Fine, one of my all-time favorites. Also check out their masterful version of Buddy Holly's Words of Love!!
You can't do "Beatles for Sale" without 'Eight Days a Week" which was released as a single in the U.S. and went to #1.
CAN'T leave out "EVERY LITTLE THING," "WHAT YOU'RE DOING," "I'LL FOLLOW THE SUN," and GEORGE'S cover of CARL PERKIN's song "EVERYBODY'S TRYING TO BE MY BABY" because it FITS what the Beatles were going through during "Beatlemania" where "everybody was trying to be THEIR baby"
❤ (But again, “Things We Said Today” is the best song on the album :)
The next would be 'Beatles For Sale', which I love honestly, it's an album that they recorded when they were bit exhausted 'cause tours and tv shows etc... In the song And I Love Her they used a Spanish guitar if I remember well, so it's quite easy that comparison with the Italian feeling...
Syed, as others below have said, don't sleep on Beatles for Sale, the album between this and Help! Because you are interested in really pinpointing moments of growth, I think you would really get a kick out of the moments of growth in Beatles for Sale. Very worthy of your time and engagement.
Adding my voice to the crowd - if I fell is essential….
What I really love about “I’ll Be Back” is the interplay between A major and A minor throughout the song. It’s one of my favorite songs to play.
And I Love Her. Also a beautiful few moments in the movie a Hard Days Night. you really MUST watch that movie. Ringo played bongos, George invented and pled the hook and the guitar solo on Spanish guitar. in the USA British albums were generally not available in the 1960's. I'll Be Back was on the Dec. 1964 American album the Beatles '65, part of the music for Beatles '65 was from this Hard Days Night, and part of it was from the British album Beatles For Sale. and the single I Feel Fine backed by She's a Woman was on the Beatles '65.
"and i love her" is one of my top 3 favourite beatles songs along with "eleanor rigby" (which is probably my no.1) and "dear prudence".
all three just have such a distinct and potent atmosphere
You owe it to yourself to listen to every track on every album from this one on to get the complete picture of their genius! You won't be disappointed! Rock On!
These songs were the anthem of my youth, and to see your reaction and the intelligence of your reactions is so joyful. It's like listening with new ears and re-discovering them. Well done.
Someone else has commented that you should take the time to watch the movie A Hard Day's Night at this point, and I agree. It's just under an hour and a half long. 98% critics' rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and this is their capsule: "The Beatles in their feature film debut, one of the greatest rock-and-roll comedy adventures ever. The film has a fully restored negative and digitally restored soundtrack. The film takes on the just-left-of-reality style of mock-documentary, following "a day in the life" of John, Paul, George, and Ringo as fame takes them by storm." You'll get a *tiny* sense of what Beatlemania was like.
For those interested in recording trivia, this song uses a trick that the Beatles employed quite often in the beginning. The lead vocal is double tracked (Paul singing the same vocal part twice) all the way through - except for the first time he sings "Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky". That one phrase has no double track - it's just Paul singing solo. It has the effect of really focusing the listeners attention. They did the same thing in a number of their songs including "I Should Have Know Better" (no double track on the second bridge). It really makes the lead vocal sound vulnerable and isolated.
The nylon string acoustic lead is George. He came up with the four note figure. The rhythm is John. "I'll Be Back" makes use of shifts from minor to major chords and back. "And I Love Her" ends on a major chord, after mostly minor tonality.
They only get better from here...❤ thank you for another great reaction
Love to see your Beatles reactions are starting to hit the spot for you! There is a definite look on your face at certain points where I can see they're grabbing you. Looking forward to the continuation of your journey. We've got a very purple patch coming up shortly...
He's not doing the rest of the album. Sigh.
@Dawn Sutton- that'd be a real mistake and a shame in terms of his appreciation of their journey's arc, as well as our enjoyment!
😮😢😂❤✨️🕊
@@damonhines8187 IKR? Who among us...is well off enough to bung him a few quid? Or fling themselves bodily into the fray?
The early Beatles had.a chemistry that was magical. Musically, vocally they were a perfect match.The guitar banter and swing in Ringo's drumming were second to none for that era.
You're coming along very nicely 😎👍 I love that you said you can't wait to hear the next album. Ah, yes.... it's just a matter of time 😁🎶💕
The Spanish sounding guitars and claves on "and I Love Her" are what sets that song apart . Kudos the George and Ringo.
Yeah, Syed, please don't sleep on their next album, "Beatles For Sale"! You'll want to hear at least selected tracks from that album! Now, there is a lot of great music there, but it considered a step-back in sound and tone. That is, the Beatles were blowing up. world-wide, in 1964, and they were...I gotta say, kind of IN SHOCK from all the fame and hysteria surrounding them. And they were working all the time! They were traveling around the world and it was crazy AF! So, on Beatles For Sale, you can hear (and see) the strain was starting to get to them. First, the cover picture tells a thousand words about how exhausted they were. The picture was taken at, like, 7am, in Hyde Park, in London. They look weary and a bit jaded. But the songs reflect this as well. I recommend you listen to "No Reply", "I'm a Loser", "Baby's In Black", "Rock and Roll Music", and "Eight Days a Week". You'll also want to listen to the single release "I Feel Fine" and "She's a Woman". Those were great songs too, from this time period. Another stand-out song from Paul McCartney is "I'll Follow The Sun". This is a gorgeous song he first wrote when he was 16, and is just the best segueway, after the world-dominating Rock rave-up "Rock and Roll Music" (where Lennon tears it up)! Ah...the Beatles really are magic but they also show their embattled humanity on this album as well. You will like it but it's not as "Fab" as A Hard Day's Night.
One of my favorite early Beatles songs. The harmonies and guitar are spot on!
Great songs and you have good style bro, looking good 😁😎
There are more than 4 tracks on this LP.
Thank you! SYEEEEED! WTAF? No more?
Just relentless, ain'tcha, @Dawn Sutton?! Well, if that's what it takes, I'm in your corner anyway.
😏 😂😊🤙❤✨️🕊
@@damonhines8187 Thank you!
Thank you. Paul IS the better singer of the two, although I understand why some people prefer John’s voice. Paul and John balance each other out in terms of emotion, and they harmonize beautifully. Add me to the list recommending If I Fell.
one of my fave happy love songs! ♥
And I love her sounds like a "bolero", caribbean genre, slow, romantic and heartbreaking
The rhythm and percussion in "And I Love Her" remind me of Brazilian bossa nova, a very popular style at that time.
Verse 3: Bright are the stars that shine, dark is the sky...puts you there with the singer.
I remember when I discovered this one's going back to the older beetles in junior high in the 70s. A some reason I seized on it right away. It really captured that conflicting emotion at the time where a love feel so powerful that it almost has this dark mysterious undefinable quality to it. And they do that by using a minor key in the verse and then switching to a major key for the chorus and then that beautiful bridge. And yeah, Ringo was on percussion for this one rather than drums and it was the perfect choice to go with that Spanish guitar Vibe. It's an absolutely beautiful atmospheric song though, it really is.
Ringo was playing bongos on this, at least he is in the movie.
In terms of Beatlemania chronology, If I recall correctly, the Beatles were fantastically popular from Please Please me, and Beatlemania truly exploded with the With The Beatles album. The Beatles wanted their first US trip to coincide with their first US #1 single, so when I Wanna Hold Your Hand hit #1, they were off to The Ed Sullivan show, and huge, screaming crowds. A Hard Days Night lampooned their hysterical popularity.
So much is remarkable about The Beatles, including them relentlessly pushing themselves to stretch themselves--and music--despite being fabulously popular and wealthy, and all the distractions that brings. Like The Beach Boys and Steely Dan, they used the power their popularity as pop hitmakers gave them, to create innovative, beautiful, classic music based on their visions. A joy to behold. :)
I remember the anticipation for the movie, as well as for each new Beatles’ album. And they never disappointed.✌️❤️🎶
I love how every line starts minor (Am) and ends major (A). What pop band was doing that in 1964?
McCartney’s songwriting peaks in 1966 on Revolver. Brilliant work there.
I wish my brother was alive to see this. He was a diehard Beatles fan. No one would play Beatles Trivia with him because he would win.
As you will find, they could write any type of song. These two are awesome, particularly I'll B Back. Help is not the next album.
I enjoyed that!..nice & unexpected,as I'm sat here in the wee hrs,it coming up on my feed..cheers dude Xx
I enjoy ur breakdowns of Beatle music and how u bring to light the progression of their song writing and music. It's unique and enlightening. Thank u
Syed - if you can be persuaded to spend one more moment with this album, I think "If I Fell" (John) and "Things We Said Today" (Paul) would be well worth your time. ("Things We Said Today" is the song Bob Dylan covered on "The Art of McCartney" tribute album.)
YES, he should NOT have LEFT those two out!
Things We Said - oh, the harmonies are coming back to me as I write.
Funny you zeroed in on the unique guitar on this one. I have a lot of FLAMENCO guitar music,& that's what I feel in this song. The strumming is delicate. Beautiful love song. 🎵❤️
Great reaction and I can't wait for the next album.
The Beatles had been together for about 6-7 years by the time this was recorded. Ringo had been with them by 1962, I think. They had spent about five years in Hamburg, Germany prior to their return to the UK.
Great reaction young man, they were looking for an intro to this song, and George Harrison came up with the great opening riff. Paul mccartney said, that riff made that song great. George's guitar playing is superb, and the wonderful beat on bongo drums by Ringo Starr is fab. I'm glad you are enjoying the Beatles music, keeping it alive. Well done.
Allan, from Scotland 🏴. 👍
Hi. Doing great, I’m learning a lot from you. I think you will appreciate “if I fell” - John being Paul. And “Things we said today“ Paul being John! They both learned of each other!
Next album BFS spent 11 weeks at No 1 (displacing A hard days night) and singles- I feel fine, she’s a woman “) will blow you away! (remember this will be 5 albums in 2 years + all the live shows etc) with John 1st insecurity starting with I’m a loser ”, also “no reply” a waltz (baby in black), I’ll follow the sun, a poppy “8 days a week” and “every little thing”. Enjoy, the lyrics!
I know you haven't listened to Nirvana in a while, but Kurt did a cover of "And I Love Her" and has a completely different vibe, one of heartbreak. Whereas The Beatles has a very lovely and doting tone.
😮 I'm stunned! Never heard it, must chase it down now. (Search TH-cam 😂)
I really really love this song too.
It was just ONE year (not two) between the Please Please Me album recording (11th February 1963) and the beginnings of recording Hard Days Night (with Can't Buy Me Love on 29th January). Their recording engineer commented that after playing in the USA (Ed Sullivan Show & Washington Coliseum 11th February) they came back with massively increased confidence to work on Hard Days Night from 2nd March 1964. I think this shows on all the Hard Days Night tracks and even the "work songs" (as they called songs written to order for Epstein or Martin) were becoming wonderful. Hard Days Night itself was written by Lennon *overnight* between the end of one days filming and before the beginning of the next days shoot. The massive opening chord of Hard Days Night and Harrison's arpeggio at the end were inspired by the director demanding "make it more cinematic" and Martin suggesting that the ending left the listener "dangling" to allow for filmic editing (check the filmic version).
Love your Beatles journey (great idea!) and all your reviews Syed ;)
I missed this one.
The Beatles definitely improved. When first hearing them George Martin heard nothing special but thought they were charming and witty.
He accepted the challenge and took them on..which millions of fans are grateful for.
In my opinion, the "George" songs he was allowed (😑) to contribute were some of the best.
Please react to "If I Fell" from this album. It's one of their biggest hits.
That's right! Syed shouldn't leave AHDN behind till he's listened to that one!
Next is Beatles For Sale actually
Yeas-----They had it all...if not the song writing shining through it was the lyrics or the harmonies or the instrumentation or something else. And they were great at all of it !!
My favorite is When I Get Home.
Lennon on rhythm guitar, Harrison on lead guitar.
Please don't miss out the singles like She Loves You, I Feel Fine and especially the next album Beatles For Sale
Beatles for Sale is the next album
You got it wrong way round. John 1980 in Playboy: ''I'll Be Back is me completely." In 1972 in Hit Parader interview he said re 'And I Love Her': "Both of us. The first half was Paul's and the middle-eight is mine."
Kurt Cobain's cover of And I Love Her is phenomenal
The "start of the crazy run" was three straight Sunday night appearances on the Ed Sullivan Show in early 1964. There wasn't a slow roll to Hard Day's Night. It was Beatlemania from Jan/Feb 1964 until their last formal gig at Candlestick Park in San Francisco in 1966. By then, John had taken the bloom off of the rose with his "We're more famous than Jesus Christ" statement and the subsequent conservative Ban the Beatles movement. But, their following work reshaped pop/rock in their own singular way. Not only were their early albums filled with great melodies and harmonies that set the standard for the individuality of the British Invasion from The Stones, The Animals, The Kinks to Cream, Led Zeppelin and The Hendrix Experience (many other British based bands as well), but their post 1966 work took Beatle music in multiple, mind expanding directions. Crazy run indeed. The final Beatles chapter actually came a couple years after they split up when the movie Let It Be came out for a brief run and was recently resurrected by more comprehensive editing and running time for Get Back. There are places I remember all my life....