A Hard Day's Night
Single by The Beatles • 10 July 1964 • Parlophone R 5160
Beatlemania (1962–1964) — Mod sharpness — sharp suits, sharper hooks.
About this release
A Hard Day's Night is a UK single on Parlophone (catalogue R 5160), released 10 July 1964. Released the same day as the LP and film.
The recording context is the band's Beatlemania (1962–1964) period, produced by George Martin with Norman Smith engineering. The track(s) were committed at EMI Studios, Abbey Road on Twin-track BTR-2 (1962); Studer J37 four-track from late-1963 via the REDD.37 / REDD.51 valve consoles.
In Britain advance orders alone passed the 1,000,000 mark. Thursday 16 April Studio Two: 10.00am-1.00pm. Recording: 'A Hard Day's Night' (takes 1-9). P: George— Mark Lewisohn, The Complete Beatles Recording Sessions, p.43
What's distinctive
2 tracks; average length 2:34. Lennon dominates the lead vocals (1/2). Lead writing credit: Lennon–McCartney (1 of 2).Tracklist
Side A
Side B
Pattern analysis
Lennon 1
McCartney 1
Era technical context
| Microphones | Neumann U47, U48; AKG D19 (drums); STC 4038 (overheads) |
|---|---|
| Outboard | EMI RS124 compressor (Altec 436B mod), EMT 140 plate reverb, STEED tape echo |
| Guitars | Rickenbacker 325 (Lennon), Gretsch Country Gent / Tennessean (Harrison), Höfner 500/1 violin bass (McCartney), Ludwig Oyster Black Pearl kit (Starr) |
| Amplifiers | Vox AC30 (TB & non-Top-Boost variants) |
References & external databases
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