Best Song on The Beatles’ ‘A Hard Day’s Night’ Poll

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by A Saucerful of Scarlets, May 9, 2018.

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  1. Chemguy

    Chemguy Forum Resident

    Location:
    Western Canada
    It's such lovely song.

    In the movie, my favourite song is I Should Have Known Better, when they're on the train.
    It makes me happy.
     
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  2. John54

    John54 Senior Member

    Location:
    Burlington, ON
    This first five. Also the last one. And the eighth one, Any Time at All.

    Voted for If I Fell, probably for that cool key change right before the first verse. I Should Have Known Better is aggrieved ... It's not the only one.
     
  3. Crimson Witch

    Crimson Witch Roll across the floor thru the hole & out the door

    Location:
    Lower Michigan
    I Should Have Known Better
     
  4. notesofachord

    notesofachord Riding down the river in an old canoe

    Location:
    Mojave Desert
    "Any Time at All" is my favorite.
     
  5. Danby Delight

    Danby Delight Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston
    Only person upset here is you, dear boy. I'm finding it hilarious that this thread has not gone the way you planned.
     
  6. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer Thread Starter

    You've yet to prove me wrong, mate. Your comment just looks like a desperate attempt at trying to piss me off. How sad.
    This argument so far has gone,
    Me: *Inoffensive comment regarding the poll and how it went a way I didn't think it would*
    Him: "You're upset.*Insert unnecessary snide reply to inoffensive comment*"
    Me: "No, you're upset, and here's some points to support my argument."
    You: "No, you're upset. *Insert snide comment*"

    What an enlightening conversation. Thanks for adding so much to it.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
  7. BlueSpeedway

    BlueSpeedway Curated Iconic Half-Speed Picture Disc

    Location:
    England
    You Can’t Do That

    ..is my favourite by far, no idea if it’s the best :)
     
  8. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer Thread Starter

    Of course not, no one knows what's the best. That goes without mentioning.
     
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
    BlueSpeedway likes this.
  9. dance_hall_keeper

    dance_hall_keeper Forum Resident

    For me, the title track is most favoured.
    What a great album!
     
  10. bvb1123

    bvb1123 Rock and Roll Martian

    Location:
    Cincinnati Ohio
    I went with "A Hard Day's Night" which has that iconic opening riff but it was just above 'Any Time At All" and "Things We Said Today"
     
  11. waterisnat

    waterisnat Forum Resident

    Location:
    Belgium
    The hallmark of a truly great album is that it is loaded with great songs evenly spread across the full spectrum (originally the two sides of a vinyl record)...

    The way this poll is panning out is a beautiful illustration of just how careful the thought process of George Martin and The Beatles was whilst planning the line up of songs on an album:

    1) the stunning opening track...
    2) followed by two more strong tracks to hook the listener at least for the remainder of the album side...
    3) then making way for one of the class-B songs the band has cooked up...
    4) swiftly followed by another classic...
    5) which leaves room for another lesser-quality song...
    6) and then you close the album side with yet another stunner that leaves the listener hungry for more... on side 2!
    7) You open that side with a potboiler (where the energy level can make up for whatever may be lacking composition wise).
    8) Now that the listener is settling into side 2 you can use another of the class-B songs...
    9) swiftly followed by another really great one, just to make sure that the listener doesn't change his/her mind...
    10) so you can use up another (slightly) less attention-grabbing song...
    11) before knocking the ball out of the park with two more strong tracks that leave said listener but one choice: to turn the record over again and repeat the blissful listening experience!​

    Of course it is greatly helpful that the songwriting team is able to come up with such an embarrassment of riches, allowing an optimal spread of the goods.

    And if one thinks that the second side of this particular album is the worst second side the band ever did, one is perfectly entitled to that opinion but one should not expect everybody to concur (personally, I'd give that dubious title to the UK Help! album, where the song writing team was clearly struggling - even given the inclusion of I've Just Seen A Face and Yesterday).
     
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  12. The Ole' Rocker

    The Ole' Rocker Forum Resident

    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    This album is their best in terms of a collection of strong material and not just one cohesive statement like their other albums from post-August 1965.
     
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  13. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer Thread Starter

    I swear I posted this on here but I guess not (or I'm just missing it). Because I have to keep referring people here for eternity here's (hopefully) the closing statement on the 'should I vote for best or favourite' dilemma on my polls.

    If this were a ‘best’ poll the top result would be objectively the best song. If this were a ‘favourite’ poll the top result would just be that the most people favour that song, which is still subjective. So why would anyone make a poll on what’s the best song on an album. It’s too objective in this context for a subjective term, unlike who had the highest grade on a maths test which could only ever be objective. You’re voting subjectively for an objective result. So if you vote for your favourite I think that makes more sense as you’re voting subjectively for a subjective result. If you still disagree, feel free to argue it here because I don't want all my threads turning into the same old thing. I'm getting a little tired of arguing. If you still can't understand where I'm coming from just vote however way you feel without bringing up the topic again.
     
    Hermes likes this.
  14. Alex D.

    Alex D. Forum Resident

    Location:
    San Antonio, TX
    When you make these threads, just put "favourite" instead of "best" in the thread title if that's what you intend people to discuss and vote on.
     
  15. AudiophilePhil

    AudiophilePhil Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, CA
    1. I'll Be Back
    2. I Should Have Known Better
    3. A Hard Day's Night
    4. And I Love her
     
  16. Larry Mc

    Larry Mc Forum Dude

    You Can’t Do That
     
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  17. Carlox

    Carlox Forum Resident

    Location:
    Portugal
    I’ll Be Back
     
    AudiophilePhil likes this.
  18. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer Thread Starter

    No. As I've explained before, the title would be too long should I decide to do "Your Favourite Song on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band? Poll" or an album like that. And knowing the people on this thread, they'd probably start going on about how they want to vote for the best or will mention it anyway. It's a lose lose situation for everyone until they decide to just get over the small detail.
     
    Hermes likes this.
  19. Octavian

    Octavian Forum Resident

    Location:
    Louisiana
    Heck no, I think it’s their greatest work. It’s got some of George, Paul and John’s best songs.
     
  20. el supernautico

    el supernautico A traveller of both, time and space

    Location:
    Germany
    The wish to determine the best song of whatsoever is either:
    - highly objective (bound to the number of sales and/or how often it gets airplay)
    - highly subjective (how much you like it, depending on your personal taste or technical demands)
    - limiting an artist's visionary fortune as much as a fan's freedom of relief

    For all these reasons, I choose a personal precious as it's a wonderfully worked-out example of fab-type question-and-answering, drenched in a cool and lazy beat:

    You Can't Do That.:D
     
  21. Tough call because almost every track here is perfect. My personal fav is "I'll Be Back" but "Things We Said Today" is every bit it's equal so it could go either way. "Things" was the best song McCartney had written to that point.
     
    Hermes likes this.
  22. theMess

    theMess Forum Resident

    Location:
    Kent, UK
    What an album; for me the greatest rock album ever released by that point in time.

    I could have chosen basically any song but I’ve gone with ‘things we said today’, which just edged out ‘I’ll be back’.
     
  23. A Saucerful of Scarlets

    A Saucerful of Scarlets Commenter Turned Viewer Thread Starter

    I've heard the album a hundred times so it gets hard listening with new ears so when I saw the love for Things We Said Today, a song I never cared for, I gave it another listen and damn is it a fine song.
     
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  24. davenav

    davenav High Plains Grifter

    Location:
    Louisville, KY USA
    I hadn’t really thought about it before, but dammit, you’re right.

    I’m tryin to name a greater previous rock album, and. I can’t!
     
    theMess likes this.
  25. samthesham

    samthesham Forum Resident

    Location:
    Moorhead MN
    The title song was the 1st glimpse of Beatle smarts and has remained my favorite early Beatles tune since 1964....

    But Things We Said Today & I'll Be Back were also glimpses of the brilliance that lay ahead
     
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