Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Best three songs in a row - Pt. 3

(For an explanation, go here; for the previous entry, go here).

Album: A Hard Day's Night
Three songs: "A Hard Day's Night," "I Should Have Known Better," and "If I Fell"
Comments: As happened the last time around, I've given the prize to the opening trio of songs. Most pop albums, and certainly those by The Beatles, are deliberately organized to make a strong showing at the outset, so my selection shouldn't be much of a surprise. Taking the songs in order... The jaunty, fleet, and iconically introduced pleasures of the title track have rightfully elevated it to the status of a classic; "I Should Have Known Better" flows by with an ease and happy-faced charm that compellingly belies the lack of certainty implicit in its lyric; finally, in addition to being a disarming ballad with graceful harmonies and a unique structure, "If I Fell" also provides a revealing glimpse of John in Vulnerable Mode, something the hardened rock 'n' roller could go into with stunning effect. These three songs are among the best that A Hard Day's Night has to offer; at the very least, they form a higher quality contingent than the other three-song stretch that caught my eye (but only briefly) - "And I Love Her," "Tell Me Why," and "Can't Buy Me Love."

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