Looking back on it, the film “A Hard Day’s Night” (and of course the music that accompanied it) may have been the single most influential musical event of the 1960’s – maybe even the entire second half of the 20th century. I recognize that most critics would point to “Sgt. Pepper’s,” but the truth of the matter is that there would have been no “Sgt. Pepper’s” album if “A Hard Day’s Night” had been any less successful.

Before “A Hard Day’s Night,” crustier types viewed the Beatles phenomenon as exclusively a teenage trend that would soon burn out and fade away. Although their popularity was immense, the Beatles only had a handful of (admittedly awesome) 45’s and a couple of great albums, but that wasn’t enough to win over the hardened hearts of those folks over 25 who still related mostly to jazz or folk music.

With the film, the Beatles were presented as fully developed personalities, not mere teen idols, which forced the older generation to take the band more seriously. Furthermore, the melodic growth, harmony, and songwriting skills that were on display in the music that accompanied the film made it almost impossible for anyone to deny the group’s inherent talent. With “A Hard Day’s Night,” the Beatles did what most ‘trendy’ acts can never do – cement their reputation by exceeding the expectations of fans and non-fans alike.

To this day, the film “A Hard Day’s Night” remains one of the best music-based films ever made, while the accompanying songs remain as influential as ever.

Featured songs include;

1) I Should Have Known Better

2) If I Fell

3) And I Love Her

4) Ringo’s Theme (Instrumental)

5) Can’t Buy Me Love

6) A Hard Day’s Night (Instrumental)

7) I Forgot to Remember to Forget

8) A Hard Day’s Night (Live)

9) Things We Said Today

10) Any Time At All

11) I’ll Cry Instead

12) Things We Said Today