Why Paul McCartney Said It Was ‘Nerve-wracking’ Filming the Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
The Beatles released their album (and its title track) A Hard Day’s Night in 1964, also starring in a film of the same title. Appearing as an actor was “very frightening,” according to one songwriter.
The Beatles released their film ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr made history as the rock band The Beatles. They’re also the actors behind A Hard Day’s Night. Directed by Richard Lester, this film starred all four members of the Beatles.
“At first — and I think we all had a terrible time tryin’ to learn lines, ‘cuz we wouldn’t anyway,” Ringo Starr said during A Hard Day’s Night’s promotional interview in July 1964. “We used to sort of read them and try and learn them before we went on the set.”
Paul McCartney said it was ‘frightening’ filming ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ with the Beatles
A Hard Day’s Night meant these musicians appeared as actors. Although they’re chart-topping songwriters, creating this 1964 film was “very frightening,” according to one Beatles member.
“Yeah, I agree, you know,” McCartney said in the same interview. “It was very hard to just learn a line and say it, because we’ve never done that sort of thing before. We’ve always just thought of something and said it, rather than actually read something on a piece of paper. But I think towards the end of making the film, we got the hang of it a little bit more.
“At first, it was very frightening, you know,” he added. “It was nerve-wracking trying to say these things as though we meant them– ‘cuz that takes training as an actor, I reckon. So you know, we had to try and make it look convincing without having any experience.”
The Beatles released their animated film ‘Yellow Submarine,’ in addition to ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
Years later, the Beatles released the animated production Yellow Submarine, which received praise from fans. Other artists commended the Beatles on their marketing, including Mike Love of the Beach Boys.
“They… knew how to exploit their commercial value,” he wrote in Good Vibrations: My Life as a Beach Boy. “They understood film in ways that we did not: A Hard Day’s Night, starring the Beatles was released in 1964, at the height of Beatlemania, because [it was] one of the most influential music films of all time.”
Of course, the Beatles released a song titled “A Hard Day’s Night,” now available on most major streaming platforms. On Spotify, the track has over 170 million plays. The Beatles’ song was released in 1964, written by the Lennon-McCartney duo.
“It’s been a hard day’s night,” the lyrics state. “And I’ve been workin’ like a dog / It’s been a hard day’s night / I should be sleepin’ like a log / But when I get home to you / I find the things that you do / Will make me feel alright.”
