Editor’s Note: The Albumism staff has selected what we believe to be the 100 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time, representing a varied cross-section of films and musical genres. Click “Next Soundtrack” below to explore each soundtrack in the list or for easier navigation, view the full introduction & soundtrack index here.
A Hard Day’s Night
Parlophone (1964)
Selected by Justin Chadwick
Not one, not two, but three Beatles blessed soundtracks appear in this list, and quite deservedly so. But with all due respect to my Albumism colleagues Sarah Paolantonio (Help!) and Andy Healy (Magical Mystery Tour), the Fab Four’s first foray into film is the quintessential Beatles soundtrack. Mind you, A Hard Day’s Night also doubled as the group’s third studio album, with only the seven compositions on side one lifted from the film.
But no matter. Together, these seven songs alone are enough to constitute the band’s first bona fide masterpiece in what would become a prolific, albeit short-lived career marked by consecutive classic LPs. And whether it’s jaunty pop (“A Hard Day’s Night,” “Can’t Buy Me Love”) or more melancholy-tinged ballads (“If I Fell,” “And I Love Her”), the musical complement to the foursome’s inaugural splash on the big screen reinforced that John Lennon and Paul McCartney were already masterful songsmiths, just four years into their professional careers.
LISTEN & WATCH:
