I’ll Cry Instead - John Lennon as James Dean
A Hard Days Night for me. Just the opening alone, possibly the most famous opening chord in pop/rock history, makes it worthy of my vote.
Gah, this is almost impossible! I ended up with “And I Love Her” because it’s achingly lovely, and really 'cause I figured no one else would pick it (and I like to go for underdogs). But I could’ve gone with almost anything – this album is one of their strongest, and that’s saying something. “Hard Day’s Night,” “If I Fell,” “I Should Have Known Better,” “You Can’t Do That,” “Things We Said Today,” “When I Get Home…” all amazing songs. In my younger years I’d have said “I Should Have Known Better,” because it’s the song I vividly remember getting a crush on John with when I saw a rerelease of AHDN in my local movie theater when I was about 13 or so. So I have great fondness for it. But I think these days it’s moved to fourth or fifth, behind “And I Love Her” and “Hard Day’s Night” and “You Can’t Do That” and “When I Get Home.”
Boy oh boy, do I disagree. I mean, Nilsson’s version is … all right, I guess. But next to John’s, it sounds like a half-hearted tribute by a cruise ship lounge singer. He saps all the energy and edge out of the song. Lennon’s version is vaguely threatening, bitter, and has such wonderful, sharp-tongued backup vocals. Nilsson ruins the middle section with his silly “Sha-la-las.” It’s really not much of a threat when a wet noodle like Nilsson says “if I catch you talkin’ to that boy again…” Not to mention the pseudo-tropical “de lime and de coconut”-esque accompaniment. Don’t get me wrong, I dig the guy, but I just don’t like this version of this song at all.
Another Hard Day’s Night vote brought on by the opening chord.
In reviewing the current standings, I notice that two songs - ‘When I Get Home’ and ‘I’m Happy Just To Dance with You’ have received zero votes.
And I realized: these are both, IMO, outstanding songs. Says something about the strength of the album.
mmm
Well, Lennon loved it. Nilsson isn’t covering “You Can’t Do That”; he’s performing a tribute to all Beatles songs and the way he combines them is magical.
Beatles bump. Will probably get the next poll up later today, but wanted this one to get at least as many participants as “PPM”.
This is my favourite Beatles album so yes, it’s very difficult. The album is almost a greatest hits collection for me - “I Should Have Known Better”, “Things We Said Today”, “You Can’t Do That”, and “I’ll Be Back” are all A-list Beatles tracks, and the two singles are of course excellent too. But I think “If I Fell” is one of the most beautiful tunes Lennon ever wrote, so I voted for that. (It also tickles me that they referred to it as “If I Fell Over”.)
This. 
What a great album!
I’m sad that no one’s picked “I’m Happy Just to Dance with You” or “When I Get Home.” Which I guess just goes to show how deep this album’s bench is – these are terrific songs but there are simply too many other even better tracks to choose from.
“I’m Happy…” has a baseline that’s a mandatory singalong for me. “When I Get Home” is yet another solid performance from Lennon (he was really on fire for this album, wasn’t he?) and as a song is also eminently singalongable.
For me, it’s easier to pick the “weakest” song off this album, but only by process of elimination of all the great ones. I’d reluctantly pick “I’ll Be Back.” Which is still an enjoyable song, with lovely harmonizing from the lads. I just find it the least of an astonishing list … no big insult, that.
Yeah count me in for Things We Said Today, too - just a brilliantly crafted song all around. I keep finding myself hearing the whole, picking it apart and the re-hearing the whole - and still not getting how all the parts work so well together.
A Hard Day’s Night would be next for me…
Difficult choice, but then almost every album is going to be a very difficult choice for me. But, I gotta go with the title track.
I’d forgotten just how crazy strong this album is.
I chose “If I Fell”, but I could have just as easily picked “Things We Said Today”, “I Should Have Known Better”, “I’ll Be Back”, or the title track.
Impossible to choose, but on this particular day I’ll go with CBML.
Ditto.
I went for “You Can’t Do That” for the riff, the great cutting guitar interplay between John and George, and the superb backing provided by George and Paul — their best in that mold since “Money.” It was a close tie with “Can’t Buy Me Love” and the title track.
The Beatles’ first few albums (the original, canonical British ones), before they stopped touring, alternate between being great and being mostly dull filler with just one or two good songs:
Please Please Me - Wonderful, a gem
With the Beatles - Mostly forgettable
A Hard Day’s Night - The first where they wrote all the songs, and they are all great!
Beatles for Sale - Weak
Help - Starting to get more experimental. It doesn’t all work, but plenty enough works beautifully
On the good ones, it is hard to pick out a favorite. On the weaker ones it is fairly easy.