Topic: Song Of The Week - I'll Cry Instead (Read 9377 times)

Hello Goodbye · « **on:** January 10, 2015, 12:10:26 AM »

I'll Cry Instead

Well, you've watched A Hard Day's Night many times by now. Have you ever wondered why Can't Buy Me Love appears twice in the film?


The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night - "Can't Buy Me Love"


The Beatles - Can't Buy Me Love [HD] A Hard Day's Night

On 22 and 23 April 1964, The Beatles filmed the "escape scene" for A Hard Day's Night where they went down the iron staircase and ran around playfully in Thornbury Playing Fields in Middlesex, London. When filmed, the scene still had no backing score. John Lennon wrote I'll Cry Instead for this scene but Richard Lester didn't want to use it. "I wrote (I'll Cry Instead) for A Hard Day's Night," explained Lennon in 1980, "but Dick Lester didn't even want it. He resurrected Can't Buy Me Love for that sequence instead."

Can't Buy Me Love was released in March 1964 and was immediately popular, going to #1 in the Billboard Hot 100. This, no doubt, influenced Richard Lester's choice of songs for the escape scene.

After The Beatles completed filming A Hard Day's Night on 24 April 1964, they took a one month vacation and returned to EMI Studio Two on 1 June 1964 to record I'll Cry Instead. The Beatles chose to record the song in two sections to be edited together later. Thus we have two versions of the song; the full 2:09 version appearing in the United States on the United Artists soundtrack album A Hard Day's Night and the edited short version (1:49 - the second verse deleted) appearing in the UK on the Parlophone A Hard Day's Night LP.

I'll Cry Instead reached #25 in the Billboard Hot 100 and spent seven weeks in the chart, including two in the Top 30. The Beatles chose not to perform this song at any point in their career. During their first world tour in the latter half of 1964, they promoted the movie soundtrack by performing the title track as well as the intricate If I Fell.

The first VHS release of A Hard Day's Night in the early 1980s had this photo montage set to the full version of I'll Cry Instead preceding the start of the movie...


The Beatles .- I´ll cry instead - Movie a hard day night

John Lennon - Lead Vocals, Rhythm Guitar (1962 Gibson J160E)
George Harrison - Lead Guitar (1963 Gretsch 6122 Country Gentleman)
Paul McCartney - Bass Guitar (1963 Hofner 500/1)
Ringo Starr - Drums (1964 Ludwig Super Classic Black Oyster Pearl), Tambourine

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2015, 12:24:45 AM »

If you've been wondering where John was when The Beatles were being scolded by the caretaker...

He was off getting an award for this...

Holding up production until his return would have been expensive so they filmed that scene without him.

tkitna · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2015, 12:52:28 AM »

This song is about as mediocre and vanilla as a Beatle song gets. Its not bad, but its not good either. Just average.

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2015, 07:06:03 AM »

I understand what you mean, Todd. There's a bit of Bluegrass in there, I reckon...


The Toy Hearts - I'll Cry Instead

And some Rockabilly!


THE RUGBEATERS I'LL CRY INSTEAD (Beatles cover)

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2015, 07:21:08 AM »

Anyway, here's how John and George played it...


The Beatles - I'll Cry Instead - Guitar Cover

Exceptin' George was playing a Country Gentleman like this'n here...

oldbrownshoe · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2015, 08:08:49 AM »

Interesting facts about 'I'll Cry Instead', I certainly didn't know it was meant for the 'fire escape' scene.
Apt, also, that it should be done now, as it was Joe Cocker's first 45.

Not sure it particularly works on its own, but Side 2 of 'A Hard Day's Night' -

1. Any Time At All
2. I'll Cry Instead
3. Things We Said Today
4. When I Get Home
5. You Can't Do That
6. I'll Be Back

- is as perfect as popular music ever got.
If anyone who says they like pop music doesn't like that lot, they're openly lying to you.

Maybe it's because it is buried so deep in the middle of an LP that it did so badly in the 'Beatles Monthly' Poll of 1983.
No. 196 with only 11 votes, and sandwiched between another couple of tracks made for an LP rather than a 45, 'Mean Mr. Mustard' and 'She Came In Through The Bathroom Window'.

Moogmodule · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2015, 09:30:39 AM »

I like this one. I agree it's not a fantabulous song. It's nothing special. But it rollicks along nicely.

tkitna · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2015, 09:42:39 AM »

Quote from: oldbrownshoe on January 10, 2015, 08:08:49 AM

Not sure it particularly works on its own, but Side 2 of 'A Hard Day's Night' -
1. Any Time At All
2. I'll Cry Instead
3. Things We Said Today
4. When I Get Home
5. You Can't Do That
6. I'll Be Back

- is as perfect as popular music ever got.

Strange. I love AHDN and think it always gets overlooked, but looking at side 2 here, there's only 2 really good songs there and 4 average to filler tunes. Hmmm. Never really thought about it before. I just know that when 'I'll Cry Instead' is on, I'm more excited that 'Things We Said Today' is after it then listening to the song itself. The final 3 songs are all painfully average at best. It all works though. 'Tell Me Why' is the only song on AHDN that I dislike and I think its a solid album.

Klang · « **Reply #8 on:** January 10, 2015, 10:21:32 AM »

As with most of their songs, I compare it to whatever else was going on in pop music at the time. It's different from what was in the mainstream. A funky groove in there. Better than average for me.

Mr Mustard · « **Reply #9 on:** January 10, 2015, 06:22:54 PM »

Pleasant, jaunty enough little number but never a favourite of mine - though it's definitely grown on me over recent years. Its brevity fuels the "filler" image and I still think it's a lightweight compared to the polished brilliance of the album in general. Also it flagged up the drift towards a C&W flavour which blossomed on the next album and which I never much cared for.

Side two, as obs says, is near pop perfection (only "When I Get Home" drags for me - the weakest song on the album IMO). The opener is a real belter and the closing track, "I'll Be Back" will forever be one of THE most beautiful songs they ever recorded. "Things We Said Today" is probably my favourite Beatles B Side, so in that context "I'll Cry Instead" has real quality to contend with. It's one of two or three pretty pebbles among ten or eleven jewels.

I think side one is, if anything, even better than side two.

Normandie · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2015, 08:13:50 PM »

This is probably my favorite Beatles song, not least because of the bitter nature of the lyrics.

blmeanie · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2015, 10:08:24 PM »

Quote from: tkitna on January 10, 2015, 09:42:39 AM

Strange. I love AHDN and think it always gets overlooked, but looking at side 2 here, there's only 2 really good songs there and 4 average to filler tunes. Hmmm. Never really thought about it before. I just know that when 'I'll Cry Instead' is on, I'm more excited that 'Things We Said Today' is after it then listening to the song itself. The final 3 songs are all painfully average at best. It all works though. 'Tell Me Why' is the only song on AHDN that I dislike and I think its a solid album.

Not a fan of "you can't do that"?

tkitna · « **Reply #12 on:** January 12, 2015, 02:34:11 AM »

Quote from: blmeanie on January 11, 2015, 10:08:24 PM

Not a fan of "you can't do that"?

'You Cant Do That' is worse then 'I'll Cry Instead' for being a filler tune. To boot, it has one of the worst sounding guitar solo's ever recorded, so as you can tell, I'm not crazy about it.

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #13 on:** January 12, 2015, 03:47:13 AM »

Quote from: tkitna on January 12, 2015, 02:34:11 AM

'You Cant Do That' is worse then 'I'll Cry Instead' for being a filler tune. To boot, it has one of the worst sounding guitar solo's ever recorded, so as you can tell, I'm not crazy about it.

That was George's Rickenbacker 360/12...


The Beatles: "You Can't Do That" (George's part) Rickenbacker 360/12C63 & '67 Gibson Skylark amp

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #14 on:** January 12, 2015, 03:54:31 AM »

George played his Rickenbacker 360/12 on A Hard Day's Night and I Should Have Known Better also...


Beatles To A Tee 3 clips!

Moogmodule · « **Reply #15 on:** January 12, 2015, 07:56:43 AM »

Quote from: Hello Goodbye on January 12, 2015, 03:47:13 AM

That was George's Rickenbacker 360/12...

John played lead on YCDT didn't he?

Dcazz · « **Reply #16 on:** January 12, 2015, 02:19:53 PM »

I always liked the rhythm of the song. It has that smooth 64 flow to it. The lyrics leave me a bit flat but as it possibly could be aimed at Cynthia disguised as a pop song. It does have an early biographical feel to it. "I'm going to break their hearts all round the world", "...and show you what your lovin' man can do", " "I got a chip on my shoulder bigger than my feet"! Sounds like Lennon is frustrated by his married domestic status and is responding to pressure from Cynthia in the typical Lennon way.

Hello Goodbye · « **Reply #17 on:** January 13, 2015, 06:45:47 AM »

Quote from: Moogmodule on January 12, 2015, 07:56:43 AM

John played lead on YCDT didn't he?

Yes he did, Moog mate. I got carried away a bit as I have a Rickenbacker 360/12 C63 and love playing George Harrison's part.

But that is indeed John playing the lead guitar solo on his Rickenbacker 325...

stevie · « **Reply #18 on:** January 14, 2015, 09:13:13 PM »

This and IDWTSTP sound very similar to me.

Moogmodule · « **Reply #19 on:** January 19, 2015, 11:05:12 AM »

Quote from: stevie on January 14, 2015, 09:13:13 PM

This and IDWTSTP sound very similar to me.

I hadn't noticed that before. But you're right. There is a similarity

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Author Topic: Song Of The Week - I'll Cry Instead (Read 9377 times)