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Released in 1964

Any Time At All

Written by Lennon - McCartney

Last updated on March 6, 2016

Album This song officially appears on the A Hard Day's Night (Mono) LP.

Timeline This song was officially released in 1964

Master album

Related sessions

This song was recorded during the following studio sessions:

From Wikipedia:

“Any Time at All” is a song recorded by English rock band the Beatles. Credited to Lennon–McCartney, it was mainly composed by John Lennon, with an instrumental middle eight by Paul McCartney. It first appeared on the Beatles’ A Hard Day’s Night album.

Origin

In his 1980 interview with Playboy, Lennon described the song as “An effort at writing ‘It Won’t Be Long‘. Same ilk: C to A minor, C to A minor—with me shouting.”

Lennon’s handwritten lyrics for “Any Time at All” were sold for £6,000 at an auction held at Sotheby’s in London, on 8 April 1988.

Recording

Incomplete when first brought into Abbey Road Studios on Tuesday 2 June 1964, Paul McCartney suggested an idea for the middle eight section based solely on chords, which was recorded with the intention of adding lyrics later. But by the time it was needed to be mixed, the middle eight was still without words and that is how it appears on the LP. McCartney sings the second “Anytime at all” in each chorus because Lennon couldn’t reach the notes. “Any Time at All” reprises a George Martin trick from “A Hard Day’s Night” by using a piano solo echoed lightly note-for-note on guitar by George Harrison. […]

From The Usenet Guide to Beatles Recording Variations:

  • [a] mono 22 Jun 1964.
    US: Capitol T 2018 Something New 1964.
  • [b] mono 22 Jun 1964.
    UK: Parlophone PMC 1230 Hard Day’s Night 1964.
    CD: EMI CDP 7 46437 2 Hard Day’s Night 1987.
  • [c] stereo 22 Jun 1964.
    UK: Parlophone PCS 3058 Hard Day’s Night 1964.
    US: Capitol ST 2108 Something New 1964.

US mono [a] has the piano mixed way down compared to the others (it is not completely missing as some say), and the single drumbeat just before the chorus is either missing or way down so that we hear only what sounds like a thump on a guitar body… and these mixes were all done on the same day. The stereo separation in [c] shows the rhythm track fading up louder between vocal lines, as in stereo Can’t buy me love, possibly leakage into the vocal microphones during live recording.

Lyrics

Any time at all

Any time at all

Any time at all

All you gotta do is call

And I'll be there

If you need somebody to love

Just look into my eyes

I'll be there to make you feel right

If you're feeling sorry and sad

I'd really sympathize

Don't you be sad, just call me tonight

Any time at all

Any time at all

Any time at all

All you gotta do is call

And I'll be there

If the sun has faded away

I'll try to make it shine

There is nothing I won't do

When you need a shoulder to cry on

I hope it will be mine

Call me tonight and I'll come to you

Any time at all

Any time at all

Any time at all

All you gotta do is call

And I'll be there

Any time at all

Any time at all

Any time at all

All you gotta do is call

And I'll be there

Any time at all

All you gotta do is call

And I'll be there

Officially appears on

See all official recordings containing “Any Time At All”

Bootlegs

Live performances

Paul McCartney has never played this song in concert.

Going further

Paul McCartney writing

Talk more talk, chat more chat

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