The Beatles Changed Some of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ Because They Were ‘Embarrassed’
The Beatles became actors in the comedy music film A Hard Day’s Night. In 1964, these artists appeared in a press conference, discussing their latest project and the changes they made to the final script.
The Beatles released ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ in 1964
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, and Ringo Starr are known as chart-topping musicians behind the Beatles. They’re also full-time songwriters — and amateur actors.
The Beatles released their full-length album A Hard Day’s Night — and its song of the same title. This track earned over 170 million Spotify plays and was even featured in a music film, created by and starring the Beatles.
The IMDb description reads, “over two ‘typical’ days in the life of The Beatles, the boys struggle to keep themselves and Sir Paul McCartney’s mischievous grandfather in check while preparing for a live TV performance.”
The song itself echoes these sentiments, with lyrics stating, “It’s been a hard day’s night / 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.”
John Lennon said the Beatles changed the lines of ‘A Hard Day’s Night’
The same year A Hard Day’s Night premiered, these artists discussed their acting skills in several interviews. During a 1964 press conference, Lennon was asked if he intentionally changed lines in the movies.
“Only the ones, you know, where we felt embarrassed saying,” he responded (via Beatles Interviews). “There were some bits in it that we just couldn’t say – we’d curl up saying it. We all put a few things in, you know.”
McCartney added that months before the film premiered, they talked with screenwriter Alun Owen to “get the feel” of A Hard Day’s Night.
“In the beginning, he wrote in a lot of things that we told him about, like the fella in the train compartment,” Harrison said, with Lennon adding, “That was real. That happened, you know.”
What music movies did the Beatles create besides ‘A Hard Day’s Night’?
A Hard Day’s Night wouldn’t be the only film project featuring the Beatles and their music. In 1965, this band premiered Help, in which Ringo Starr found himself as the target of a religious cult.
There’s also the 1968 animated production Yellow Submarine, which told the story of the music-loving Pepperland that was invaded by the “Blue Meanies.” The Beatles appear to help save this community and characters like The Lord Mayor of Pepperland and sailor Old Fred.
It’s this marketing strategy that Mike Love of the Beach Boys applauded, sharing that the Beach Boys didn’t participate in as much merchandising as the Yellow Submarine musicians.
“Neither band was about a single performer but about an entire group and the countries they represented,” Love wrote in his memoir. “Though I knew the Beatles had changed the competitive landscape, I never felt threatened or resentful. I thought they would make us better.”
